Page 18 of Rookie's Redemption
But his chest is solid and warm beneath my cheek, and for the first time in weeks, I feel like I can actually breathe.
My fingers curl into his damp shirt, holding on like he might disappear if I let go. Like he disappeared before.
But right now, in this moment, he's here.
He's real. And warm. And steady in a way I'd forgotten anyone could be.
When I finally pull back just enough to look at him, the air between us shifts. His eyes are darker than I remember, fixed on my face like he's memorizing every detail.
"Mia," he whispers, and my name sounds different in his voice. Rough and raw and full of things we're not supposed to feel anymore. "I've been doing some thinking, you know, ever since I've been coming here. And there's something I've been wanting to tell you."
"Th-there is?"
His eyes lock with mine, so close I can see the flecks of gold around his pupils. My heart hammers against my ribs like it's trying to escape, to run before I get hurt again.
Don't do this, Mia. Don't fall for this again.
But my body remembers him. The way his hands feel against my back. The rhythm of his breathing. The exact distance between us before a kiss that is guaranteed to melt my heart.
He left once. He'll leave again.
I should step back. I should remember the nights I cried myself to sleep. The way he chose everything else over me. The way he walked away without looking back.
But what if he's different now?
His thumb traces my cheekbone, sending electricity down my spine. Eight years of building walls, and they're crumbling with a single touch.
This is dangerous. This is stupid. This is...
Ryder leans in, resting his forehead against mine. His breath is warm against my lips, so close I can almost taste him. The world narrows to just this… his eyes, his hands, the tiny space between our mouths that's achingly familiar.
"I'm sorry, Mia," he whispers, his voice breaking on my name. "I'm sorry for leaving you like I did."
Chapter Five
Ryder
I'm sorry, Mia.
The apology lingers like a confession I've been keeping locked away since I left town and broke her heart.
And fuck, it feels good to finally say them.
She's looking at me with those hazel eyes that used to see straight through to my soul, and I swear I can see something crack in her armor. Some tiny fissure that lets me hope.
This is it. This is my moment.
I lean in, drawn by some gravitational pull that's been constant since we were seventeen. My heart pounds inside my chest as my lips brush hers, the barest whisper of contact, and it's like coming home and catching fire all at once.
She tastes like coffee and heaven and—
"No, Ryder!" She jerks back like I've burned her.
Her hands push against my chest with enough force to send every pound of air from my lungs, deflating me in an instant.
"No! You don't just get to kiss me and pretend everything is okay!"
"Mia—"
