Page 20 of Wicked Fate

I stepped closer to him, pressing my palm against his chest where his heart thundered beneath my touch.

"Ryker." His name felt sacred on my lips. "I'm done waiting."

His eyes darkened, the gold flecks swirling and expanding until they nearly consumed the brown.

A growl rumbled deep in his chest, vibrating against my palm. "Are you sure?"

The question hung between us, heavy with meaning.

"More sure than I've ever been," I whispered, the words barely audible yet somehow filling the entire room. "It's always been you."

My wolf surged forward with such force I nearly staggered. She'd been waiting for this moment—recognition, completion, bonding with our fated mate.

Ryker's pupils dilated, and his nostrils flared as he caught the change in my scent. His hands tightened on my waist, fingers digging into my skin as if anchoring himself.

Our lips collided, and this time, it felt different… maybe because we knew there would be no stopping what we’d started.

My hand fisted his shirt, but he pulled back slightly. He rasped, “We’ve both been injured. We should take a shower to get the grime off us.”

I pouted as he released me and headed to the door. My wolf whimpered. When I’d told Ryker I was certain, I hadn’t expected him to leave my side until we’d completed our bond.

He jiggled the door handle, making sure the lock held, and turned back to me. A crooked smirk filled his face, and his brows lifted, causing the scar through his left eyebrow to become even more pronounced.

The one imperfection made him look deadly, dangerous, and delicious.

He came straight to me and hoisted me against him, and I wrapped my legs and arms around him willingly. His mouth covered mine once again, and we headed toward the bathroom.

Time seemed to stop as our mouths danced together and electricity jolted through my body. Need knotted in my core, making me wish he was already sunk deep inside me.

In the bathroom, he turned on the lights and set me on my feet. The bathroom's stark white tiles gleamed under flickering fluorescent lights.

He pulled away from me again and turned on the shower, and I leaned against the beige granite countertop and groaned, not wanting him to leave my side. With the water warming, he came back to me and skimmed his fingers along my sides until he gripped the hem of my shirt. He slowly lifted it over my head, and then carefully removed my clothes, piece by piece, until I stood bare before him. The vulnerability should have terrified me, but in his eyes, I saw nothing but reverence.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, his fingers tracing the outline of a bruise on my ribs. His touch was feather-light, contrasting with the dangerous power I knew those hands possessed. The same hands that had torn through our enemies now trembled slightly as they mapped the landscape of my body.

Steam billowed around us, fogging the mirror and creating a dreamlike haze. I reached for him, tugging at his shirt and lifting it upward with eager hands.

Inch by inch, his tanned skin was revealed. For the first time, I truly got to take in his hard frame and notice every place scarred from countless battles. I couldn't help but stare at the magnificent expanse of his chest. My every cell seemed to spark to life, and I wanted to freeze this moment.

I traced a particularly jagged mark on one side of his ribs. The very scar that was the result of him jumping in front of my sister to protect her for me.

Heart clenching hard, I wanted to scream. I should’ve known after he’d nearly died for me that there was no reason to hold back from him any longer. I had been so foolish and misled, and I planned on making that up to him every day for the rest of my life.

"See something you like?" he teased.

"I guess it’s all right," I whispered, trailing my fingers down the ridges of his abdomen.

“Just all right?” he murmured and kissed me before I could answer.

I traced the curves of his hard abs and lower, his muscles tensing as I slid my fingers into the waistband of his sweatpants.

Ryker's breathing quickened as I lowered it over his taut ass.

When his pants hit the floor, I pulled away from the kiss, wanting to see him completely bare. As I took in the handsome man before me, I grew dizzy.

He was more perfect than fresh brownies. And when my attention focused on his arousal, my wolf howled in approval.

I couldn't help but stare, heat flooding my cheeks even as my core tightened with want.

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