Page 142 of Desperate Pucker
“You don’t have to be sorry. You didn’t know,” I say softly, feeling awful for her.
She sniffles and wipes at her face, then walks off, disappearing down the hallway.
I grab Ryker’s hand and walk past Sergei.
“Hang on,” Ryker says. He turns Sergei. “I just wanna say you’re a real piece of shit for what you did to Maddy. You never, ever deserved her.”
Sergei glowers at him, like he wants to punch him. But then he blinks, and the hardness in his stare fades. Probably because Ryker is a full head taller than him and twice his size.
I stare at Ryker, my whole body tingling at the conviction in his tone.
I lead him out of the building and all the way across the parking lot without saying a word.
When we get into his car, I look at him.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice soft and warm with concern.
It only makes me want him more.
“I need you to take me to your bed right now.”
Chapter 49
Ryker
The second we’re inside my house, I close the door behind me, then grab Maddy by the waist.
I push her against the wall and kiss her, hard. My tongue glides in her mouth, teasing her tongue, savoring the softness, the sweetness.
She drags her fingers through my hair, and I groan, my heart racing in my chest. My entire body is hot, aching, vibrating with need.
With just how much I need Maddy.
Something about seeing her tell off her ex set me off. Seeing the guy who could have ended up with her unleased a crazed, caged-animal energy inside of me.
Mine.
That word surges through me, making my blood pump hot and my lungs ache.
I can’t deny my feelings for Maddy anymore. And I can’t just be her friend anymore.
I break the kiss and cup her face in my hands. I gaze into her gray-blue eyes.
“I can’t do this anymore, Maddy. I can’t just be your friend.”
Her eyes widen the slightest bit. My heart hammers inside my chest. There’s so much at stake right now. She might not feel the same way. She might want to call this whole thing off.
But I can’t hold in my feelings any longer. I can’t pretend that hooking up is enough for me when I want more. I want all of her.
“I know we agreed to just hook up, but I can’t. I have feelings for you. I care about you more than just a friend,” I say. “Every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to sleep, I think about you. I live to see you smile, to hear you laugh. You’re the one person I want to be around always. When I look at you, my heart beats faster in my chest. It feels like my lungs can’t take in enough air.”
She swallows hard, her eyes bright with surprise as she takes in everything I’ve said.
“I want you to be my girlfriend.”
For a long moment, she doesn’t say anything. My stomach plummets to my feet. Shit. She doesn’t feel the same.
But then, her mouth curves up in a small smile. “You want me to be your girlfriend?”
