Page 35 of Loathing Ryan
I closed my eyes, trying my hardest to block out all the noises. Ryan’s arms tightened around me, as if he was letting me know that he was there. I nestled against his chest, soaking in his comfort and warmth.
One of his hands smoothed over my hair, and then I felt him press his lips to my forehead. My heart fluttered, and I breathed out a gentle sigh.
“Go to sleep, Bells,” he whispered against me. “I’m here. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
As his warm breath fanned over my face, an overwhelming sense of comfort blanketed over me. I felt my heart rate lowering and my breathing growing heavier. Ryan’s words kept repeating in my mind as I slowly fell into a deep sleep.
I’m here. I’ve got you. You’re safe.
You’re safe.
16
RYAN
I wokeup to the sensation of something tickling my nose.
Swatting it away with my fingers, I looked down at the girl sleeping soundly against me. My heart felt full as I tightened my arm around her.
I could get used to waking up like this.
Izabel was draped all over me, her arm thrown around my torso and one of her legs tucked in between mine.
Leaning my nose into her hair, I took a deep breath, inhaling her cozy scent and closing my eyes. Izabel moaned in her sleep, and my body instantly reacted—desire flooded through me, and I tightened my hold on her. What I would give to be able to just roll her over and worship her body with kisses.
I couldn’t get our kiss from yesterday out of my head now, replaying how she arched into me and kissed me back with a fervor I wasn’t expecting from her.
My dick was aching as I imagined what would’ve happened if we were both even just a little braver. I wondered what she would’ve done if I had been bold enough to pull the towel away from her, to see what she was hiding underneath. Would she have been receptive to it, or would she have slapped me across the face and run away?
Izabel was slowly starting to consume every bit of me, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I minded.
As if she could hear the direction of my thoughts, she snuggled closer, nestling her face into my chest. I pressed my face into her hair again and sighed. This was definitely not helping my morning wood. I shouldn’t be indulging myself. Izabel had made it clear yesterday that she didn’t think we should get closer to each other if we could help it.
I disagreed, and I couldn’t help but curl into her more. She seemed to fit me perfectly. I was acutely aware of her body pressed against every inch of mine, as if she had tried to get impossibly closer as the night went on.
I could still picture the look on her face–eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed, as she put her hands on her hips and glared me down. It must have taken her a lot of courage to ask me to come to sleep with her. She was fierce, and I loved every bit of it.
Izabel moaned next to me—and Jesus, was that a glorious sound. I looked down at her and watched as her eyes fluttered open. Her blue eyes met mine for a second before she smiled and closed them again. We lay there together for about three blissful seconds before she realized who and where she was. Her eyes snapped open again, and she shoved her arms against me, trying to put as much distance between us as possible.
To my great amusement, she used too much force and threw herself over the side of the bed. I chuckled and sat up, watching her scramble on the floor. She stood up and stared at me, her blue eyes blazing and her mouth open in shock.
“Well, good morning to you too, Bells,” I said humorously.
“Uh,” she stammered, still not totally awake. “Sorry, I uh...”
I stood up and walked over to her, placing my hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay,” I said gently, reassuring her. “Hey, are you okay?” She had hit the floor pretty hard.
She nodded and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Then she looked up at me again.
I narrowed my eyes at her, and then pulled her in for a hug when she crawled back into bed. I didn’t blame her for being frightened by the storm last night. We had been through a lot together already. I would never fault her for how she felt. It only made sense that there might be some residual trauma from her damn near drowning in that river.
I tried to ignore the sense of male pride that swelled through my chest when she came to mewhen she was frightened. Not that there was anywhere else to go, but still. She came tome.
Finally, she hugged me back, resting her head on my chest again.
“I’m sorry for how I was acting yesterday,” she said.
I turned to look at her and frowned. “Why are you apologizing?”
