Page 49 of Loathing Ryan
And then I saw her. She was crumpled in a heap, her hand holding on to her ankle, which looked like it was swelling. I sprinted to her and crouched down low. My hand found her cheek, and I turned her face so her blue eyes met mine. I could see the tears welling in the bottom of her eyes, tearing at my heart.
“Baby, it’s okay. I’m here,” I told her, my voice sounding thick. “What hurts?”
Her eyes darted to her foot. “I think I twisted my ankle. Or it might be broken. I can’t walk on it.” I nodded. That would have to wait until we got back to the cabin. I wasn’t about to play doctor out here. Though, playing doctor with Izabel did have an exciting allure.
But once that was settled, I couldn’t help the bubble of anger and fear that rushed over me then. “Did you lose your damn mind, Izabel?” I growled. “What were you thinking?”
Her lower lip trembled, and she looked at the ground. “I’m sorry. I was just so mad and had to get out of there. I didn’t realize I went that far until it was too late.”
I took a deep breath and calmed myself. This wasn’t the time. As long as she was safe, the rest didn’t matter. But I had together safe.
“Okay, I know, it’s okay, baby,” I murmured as I scooped my arms around her, careful not to jostle her foot too much. I didn’t know how bad it was and didn’t want to make it worse. She grunted as I hoisted her up against my chest. I could feel my wound protesting, but I swallowed down my discomfort. She needed me. That’s all that mattered right now.
I carried her back in silence. She didn’t say a word to me, probably in too much pain or embarrassed for getting herself in a less-than-ideal situation. I was still trying to overcome the frustration and worry I had felt. We were a little dysfunctional.
When the cabin came back into view, I felt her body sag in my arms in relief. Being careful not to jostle her too much, I set her on the edge of our bed and bent down to get a good look at her ankle. She jumped when I wrapped my hand around it. It was swollen, but not too bad. I didn’t notice any significant bruising.
“Let me know if this hurts,” I instructed, my voice softening. My eyes met hers, and she nodded, understanding.
With gentle movements, I maneuvered her ankle through its range of motion, slowly but then more confidently, as I noticed it wasn’t restricted. She winced a little here and there with specific movements, but nothing drastic. My fingers prodded along the top and bottom of her foot, testing out the bones to ensure there was no fracture.
I was improvising. I had no idea what I was doing, and I wasn’t a bone doctor. But it felt right, so I did it anyway. I think I had seen an athletic trainer do this to a fallen soccer player on TV once.
“I don’t think it’s broken,” I told her with a sigh, letting her foot go and standing up. I walked to the bathroom sink drawer and pulled out our bottle of ibuprofen. Shaking out four, I handed them to her to take. We were blowing through this ibuprofen like no one’s business. She dry swallowed them, grimacing as they went down.
I took my place on the floor again and put my chin in my hands as I watched her. She looked at me warily, no doubt bracing herself for my wrath. I was too worn out to fight.
Instead, I pushed onto my knees and got as close to her as possible. She was still sitting on the edge of the mattress, so I wedged apart her knees, being careful of her foot. I fit myself between her legs. I could feel her heat seeping into my chest. My arms wound around her waist, pulling her closer until her forehead was resting against mine.
“Don’t youeverdo that again,” I nearly growled at her. “I mean it, Bells. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”
She made a slightly strangled noise that nearly broke me. My eyes met hers, and I pushed myself up, further claiming her mouth with mine. The kiss was heated. I conveyed everything I had felt that afternoon and took everything she gave me back. She kissed me fervently, her arms finding their way around my neck as she pressed closer.
I pulled away from her mouth and kissed down her neck, noticing that her breath hitched as I got to the divot of her collarbone. She gasped as my lips explored, her fingers pulling at the back of my neck on the short hair.
“Ryan,” she sighed. “I’m sorry. I guess I just panicked.”
I leaned away and frowned at her. “About what?” She wouldn’t meet my eyes, as if she was ashamed of how she was feeling. I wasn’t having that, so I placed my fingers under her chin and drew her gaze to mine. “Tell me.”
Izabel let out a resigned sigh. “I felt like we were going back to how things were before. Like everything that has happened out here between us didn’t matter anymore because you wanted to leave me out here.” I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off. “I know it’s irrational and that I should trust you like you asked me to, but my doubts got the best of me.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line. “I wouldneverabandon you like that. It doesn’t matter if we’re friends or enemies. We’re a team now. I would have come back for you. I willalwayscome back for you. Do you understand?”
She nodded slowly, and her eyelids fluttered closed. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
I exhaled through my nose and then leaned in to kiss her beautiful lips again. “Shh, I know. I’m sorry too.” Izabel leaned into me, arching her back as I kissed her.
I stood up, not breaking our contact, and wrapped my arm around her back, shifting her so she was lying flat on the bed. Her head rested on our pillow, and I positioned myself on top of her as I kissed her senselessly. She felt so good pressed against me; I could hardly take it. Her hands were roaming my back, my chest, and my arms. I shivered as her fingers danced over my skin. My shorts were becoming unbearably tight. I needed to be inside of her. The overwhelming urge to be as close to her as possible was consuming me.
“Mmm,” I hummed against her neck. “I want you so bad, Bells.”
Izabel shivered at my words. Her hands paused only briefly before she whispered, “Then take me.”
I leaned my head back until we were face to face again. My heart had jump-started, and I felt my crotch tighten even more as pressure built low in my stomach at the prospect of what she was offering.
Ever since we started having sex, she was about all I could think about. I felt like I could never get enough of her, and every time we finished, I was ready to go again. I’m sure it didn’t help that there wasn’t much else to occupy our time out here. But every time she cuddled up next to me, all I could imagine was the way my body would feel against hers.
I didn’t waste any more time, closing the distance between us and kissing her as though my life depended on it. It didn’t matter what happened as long as we were together. Before we started this stupid camp this summer, I was counting the days until it was over, and we never had to bother with each other again, but now?
