Page 85 of Fake Date with the Mountain Man

“I assumed that my mom overdosed again.”

Ryan ponders this as his eyes search my face. “It’s a reasonable assumption, given her history. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.”

“She’s been clean for six years though. When will I finally trust her not to relapse?”

Ryan offers a sympathetic look, but no reply.

“And it made me realize that I always do this. I always assume the worst in everyone. My brain is just programmed to jump to the worst possible conclusion. It’s a defense mechanism, I think, because I’m so used to being disappointed by people. But it isn’t fair of me to do that. It wasn’t fair of me to do that to you.”

“Marlow…” Ryan says as he shifts, letting the distance grow between us. “It’s okay, I understand why you felt that way. I know how hard it is for you to trust people, and I know that I let you down.”

“You didn’t, though. I did. Even when we were in the middle of breaking up over it, I knew that there was no way that you had been with anyone else. I just wouldn’t let myself believe it. You’ve never given me any reason to doubt you, but I still couldn’t stop doubting myself. I keep telling myself that everything will be okay, that I’ll get over it eventually, and I know it’s the one time Ishouldbe doubting myself. Because I don’t think I will ever get over you.”

A small sob escapes my lips. Ryan’s face is unreadable. A low rattle starts in his chest and rumbles through his throat but dies on his lips. It’s all it takes to convince me that I’ll never have another chance with him. My heart cracks painfully in my chest. I muster up every bit of air that I can manage and give Ryan one final truth – the one I selfishly need him to hear if this is really over: “I love you, Ryan. I just need you to know…”

But my words are cut off as his lips crash against mine. The fingers that were gently stroking my hair minutes ago are nowcurling, tugging, pulling. He pulls me closer with his other hand until I’m pressed up against him. I settle on his lap, feeling the hard press of him between my legs. His fingers roam beneath the hem of my shirt, gliding up my ribs and cupping the weight of my breast. He deepens the kiss with a groan that reverberates through my chest.

I want to lap up every little noise he makes. I want to burrow under his skin so there’s no way that I’ll ever be without him again. And judging by the way his fingers are digging into my skin, I think he feels the same.

Suddenly, I’m on my back. Ryan peels off his shirt and my hands reach for the ridges of his firm chest as if I am no longer in control of them. His hands are on me too, peeling away layers of clothing as they roam across my hot, flushed skin. His movements are tender yet urgent. When he peels off my panties, his palms graze the soft, sensitive skin of my inner thighs, parting my legs as they travel up, up, up. He stops short of the place that aches painfully for his touch.

And he smirks.

That damn smirk that I’ll never stop falling for. My heart trips and stutters every time it makes an appearance.

Right now, it tells me that he knows I’m ready for him, even without touching me. Bracing himself on one arm above me, he lines himself up and pushes inside of me. Carefully at first, and then with one deep, hard thrust that makes me stumble to the edge of a cliff that I’m not ready to dive off from yet. I want to savor this, luxuriate in his taste and smell and noises and touch after not having it for so long.

His movements are desperate but cautious, punishing but apologetic, all at once.

“I’m so sorry,” I gasp. It’s equal parts the pain of missing him and the pleasure of having him.

Ryan stills above me, buried deep inside of me. His features soften as he cradles my jaw in one hand and presses a soft, chaste kiss to my lips.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” he says. “You just need to know that there will never be anyone else for me but you.”

And finally, I believe that this is the absolute truth.

Epilogue

MARLOW

For the first time since I met her, I seriously regret befriending Abby. For all of her grace and fortitude, this woman cannot keep it together for a friendly game of Bingo with a group of senior citizens.

The first time she won, Abby shrieked like she was the star of a bad horror movie. Now that she’s on her third consecutive win of the night, she has decided that it’s an appropriate time to wrestle the microphone away from the host and make an Oscar-worthy acceptance speech.

“I’d like to thank my husband,” she announces, motioning to the man on my left.

Hunter looks like he’s sizing up the table, trying to determine whether he could disappear underneath it.

His sister Harlie is in town, sitting beside him with an amused smile on her face.

Across the table, Emmett and Bonnie are too caught up in their own little bubble to notice much of anything going on around them. She’s half-laughing, half-blushing over something Emmett said loud enough for only her to hear.

Even Jack agreed to come with us tonight. God only knows why.

“Oh, and I would like to thank Percy…” Abby rambles on from the stage.

“Who is Percy?” Ryan leans over my lap to ask Hunter.

---