Page 165 of Tag

I was awake now, though, and morning didn’t lie the way midnight did. I’d cheated on Ashton. Not just emotionally, though we’d been tangled up in a mess of near-misses and blurred lines for months, but physically. Last night, I hadn’t just stepped over a boundary. I torched it and watched it burn while I wrapped myself around the one man I loved more than words.

And Ryder… he had Brooke.

Whatever they were, it wasn’t over.

Did that make me a bad person? Part of me didn’t care, and the other wished we’d both ended our relationships before it got to this point.

His hand suddenly wrapped around my throat from behind. “The mental gymnastics you’re doing, stop.”

Of course, he knew where my mind was. He always did. Ryder could read my silences better than most people could understand my words. His lips grazed just beneath my ear. “From now on, whenever you get too far in your head, I’m dragging you out.”

I exhaled slowly, the tension unwinding as I tilted my head enough to glance back at him. “You already are.”

His thumb stroked the side of my neck where he held me, and I reached up to cover his hand with mine. Holding onto our last quiet, stolen moment before reality fully crept back in.

“What are your plans this morning?”

He slid his hand from my neck to rest low on my stomach, fingers splayed like he wasn’t ready to let go. “Me and Cade aremeeting everyone for breakfast at Grandpa Fred’s. Do you want to come? He’d love to see you.”

I smiled, touched by the offer. “Maybe next time. Sugarmama’s cooking a big breakfast this morning, and if I skip, she’ll never let me forget it.”

“I miss her cooking.” His lips grazed the curve of my jaw, lingering until I swatted at him with a laugh.

“Okay,” I sighed, “I need to use the bathroom and get some clothes on.”

Ryder didn’t move. “I prefer you just like this.”

“I’m sure you do,” I mumbled, nudging him lightly. “Can you roll over or something?”

He grinned, his sleep-messed hair making him look annoyingly attractive. “Getting shy on me now?”

“No.” I hesitated, searching for the words. “It’s just… different in the daylight.” Last night was wrapped in shadow and warmth. Now, the sun snuck through the closed drapes, brushing over skin and doubt. The blanket barely covered me, and I was acutely aware of every inch of my body.

Without warning, he leaned down and bit my shoulder.

“Ow!” I slapped his chest. “Why would you bite me?”

“I told you I would drag you back,” he retorted with zero remorse, grinning as he kissed the spot to soothe it.

“Stop that, too,” I warned.

“I’ll stop when you do.” His voice was a low hum. “You’re beautiful, Sass. I mean that. I’m going to keep showing and telling you until you believe it too.”

From somewhere beyond the door, Cade’s voice rang out. “Bite her later. We don’t have time for y’all to start exploring kinks!”

My face flamed. “Look what you did.”

Ryder laughed under his breath. “You’re even prettier when you blush.”

He pressed one more kiss to my cheek, then finally got out of bed. “I’ll be right back,” he said, glancing at me over his shoulder before stepping out of the room and quietly shutting the door behind him.

I got up too, going into the closet to grab a change of clothes. Nothing fancy, just leggings and an oversized sweater, a bra too. I bundled everything in one arm and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. It was still early, 9:15 AM. I had no need to rush yet. I checked my notifications and saw there was only one new text, and from Ashton.

ASH

You up?

The words sat there so innocently, but they didn’t feel like either of those things anymore. I was going to hold off on texting him back until after breakfast. I entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind me and sealing myself in a space that felt both modern and serene.

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