Page 66 of Between the Ropes

The house is even better than I imagined. A sprawling green lawn, palm trees swaying in the night breeze, and an uninterrupted view of the ocean stretching beyond the horizon. It’s paradise—secluded, private,ours. But the real view?

She’s standing beside me.

Natalie’s lips part as she takes it all in, her wide eyes reflecting the moonlight, her breath hitching. The way she clutches her bag, her fingers flexing, tells me everything I need to know—shefeelsit too. The weight of this moment. Of us finally being here.

And fuck, Ineedher.

I push the door open, letting her step inside first, and the moment it closes, something snaps.

I can’t hold back anymore.

I press her against the door, my body crowding hers, caging her in, but there’s no fear—only raw, pulsingneed. Her breath comes fast, her chest rising and falling in quick, shallow gasps as she stares up at me, her lips slightly parted, flushed from the heat already building between us.

“Ryan…” Her voice is barely a whisper, but it’s drenched in want, inus.

I cup her face, my thumbs tracing the high points of her cheeks, feeling the warmth beneath them. My gaze drops to her mouth, lingering, waiting, giving her a moment to pull away.

She doesn’t.

Instead, her hands fist in my shirt, pulling me down, and the second our lips meet, it’s fire.

I kiss her like I’ve been starving for her—because Ihave.

My hands slide down her sides, molding to her curves, feeling the way she trembles under my touch. Her nails scrape up my back, dragging over my skin through my shirt, and the sensation sends a bolt of heat straight through me.

I groan against her lips, deepening the kiss, my tongue sweeping into her mouth, tasting her, claiming her. Her moan is soft, needy, and fuck, it wrecks me. I want more. Ineedmore.

I break away only long enough to yank her shirt over her head, tossing it aside. My hands roam over her bare skin, trailing fire in their wake. Her bra is delicate lace, barely containing her, and I let my fingers trace the curve of her breast, watching her reaction.

Her eyes are heavy-lidded, her lips swollen, and when I brush my thumb over her nipple, she lets out the sweetest little gasp.

“God, baby…” I murmur, ducking my head to kiss along the column of her throat, tasting the salt of her skin. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

Her fingers tangle in my hair, holding me close, and when I nip at the sensitive spot just below her ear, her body jerks against mine.

I smirk.There it is.

I unclasp her bra, letting the straps slide down her arms, and when she’s bare before me, I pause. Just for a second. Just tolook.

She’s fuckingstunning.

The soft curves of her breasts, the way her nipples tighten under my gaze, the way she shivers, her thighs pressing together like she’s trying to contain the ache between them.

I won’t let her.

I drop to my knees in front of her, my hands sliding up the smooth expanse of her thighs, feeling the heat radiating from her. I hook my fingers into the waistband of her leggings and panties, dragging them down slowly, watching as every inch of her is revealed to me.

She’s already glistening.Already so fucking ready for me.

I press a kiss to the inside of her knee, then another, moving higher, savoring the way she trembles, her fingers threading into my hair.

“Ryan…” Her voice is breathless, pleading.

I smirk against her skin, gripping her thighs and spreading them wider. “Patience, baby.”

I lean in, my mouth finding her, and the second my tongue flicks over her clit, shegasps. Her whole body jerks, her grip tightening in my hair, pulling me closer, like she doesn’t want me to stop. Like sheneedsthis just as badly as I do.

I groan against her, the taste of her sending a fresh wave of desire through me. I work her slowly, teasing, dragging it out, savoring every reaction. I slide a finger inside her, feeling the way her walls tighten around me, and then add another, curling them just right.

---