Page 68 of The Only Thing That's Real

“You gonna let me in?”

Busted checking him out, I step aside, and he invades my space. He’s a mammoth-sized presence in my small home.

Without hesitation, he begins his inspection of every picture on the walls and knickknack on my shelves.

He points to a picture of me as a kid with my favorite mare. “Cute.”

“Thanks. That’s my sweet Sugar. She passed away last year.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks.”

Walking around the kitchen island, he pulls out a stool and takes a seat. “This is the second time you’ve snuck off. Do you not want to stay at the hotel?”

“I wasn’t sneaking off. I just wanted to do some laundry and check the mail. I was so busy with work the other night, Igot little else done. Besides, the penthouse expense is unnecessary. It makes me feel guilty.”

“It’s very necessary,” he answers matter-of-factly.

“Why?”

“I like knowing you’re close. It eases my mind,” he says, standing to take a step in my direction as he eyes my legs on display below the hem of my short T-shirt dress.

“Oh.”

“Oh?” He moves closer.

“I don’t really know what to say. Thank you?” He’s near enough to touch. And oh, how I want to touch him.

He chuckles. “Ryan, can I kiss you?”

My heart races and my core aches for him.

I nod my reply.

His hands cup my face, his lips are soft against mine. The smell of his shampoo envelops us as our gentle kiss lingers, as though we have all the time in the world and there isn’t a car waiting on the street below to take him away to his next scheduled event.

“I’m not sure how much longer I would have survived without tasting you again.”

“Can’t lie. I’ve been waiting not so patiently for you to make your move,” I admit.

He drags his teeth over his bottom lip before leaning in for another kiss. His hands tangle in my hair as mine fist his T-shirt. I whimper when he pulls away but love the way he rests his forehead against mine. While he sits in the moment, I wonder if he knows he’s knocking another brick off my wall.

“What took you so long?” I whisper.

“You deserve better than me, Ry.”

“Don’t you think that should be up to me?”

“I ruin people’s lives.”

Stepping back to look him in the eyes, I question his reasoning. “Is that so? Can you name one life you’ve ruined?”

“Mia’s. Sawyer’s. Angus’s. I would say that’s a good enough place to start.”

He reaches for me, but I lean against the kitchen table, putting distance between us. He doesn’t get to distract his way out of this conversation.

“Mia’s life seems pretty great, and I think that even though Sawyer was unplanned, he’s the best thing that ever happened to her. And I have a feeling he’ll be the same to you very soon.”

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