“Sounds good to me.” Kayla stood, too, gathering plates and plunking them into the sink.
“I need to use the restroom then I’ll meet you all out there,” I said.
I did my best to ignore the energy that pounded through the room when Ryder pushed to standing.
The man a shockwave.
I could feel those eyes tracking me the whole way as I turned and made a beeline for the hall. I rushed down it, quick to lock myself in the bathroom.
How was I supposed to manage this? That severity that crashed into me every time he looked my direction? The way it felt like I couldn’t fully move when I was in his space? The way he kept watching me like he wanted to rip me out of this dress?
He made me feel like I was the only person he could see, all while knowing he would deny me if anyone asked.
But this denying thing felt impossible.
This connection.
This bond that seared and flamed.
I used the restroom then washed my hands, and I glanced at myself in the mirror. My cheeks were flushed, and I swore there was something different in my eyes. Something that shined bright, arising from the depths, something that could no longer be contained.
Blowing out a sigh, I dried my hands, unlocked the door, and turned the knob. I gasped when it suddenly swung open from the other side. Ryder was there, pushing through, so tall that he loomed over me.
A force of nature that made my knees knock.
Caught off guard, I stumbled back two steps.
Ryder shut and locked the door behind him.
“What in the world do you think you’re doing?” I finally managed through the surprise.
A breath later, he was in front of me, and he set both his palms on the sides of my face. He tilted it up as he angled down. “I can’t go one more second without touching you.”
“Someone’s going to know you followed me in here. I thought we needed to keep this thing quiet?”
“We do,” he grated.
“Then you’re being reckless.” The words were hushed.
I thought they only tugged him closer because he leaned down and barely brushed his lips over mine before he angled back, that severity covering me like a shroud. “This whole thing is reckless, Dakota. But how am I supposed to resist when you’re wearing this dress?”
Playfulness edged into the seriousness, and his hands tightened on my jaw.
So sweetly possessive my heart careened in my chest.
“If you keep looking at me like that while I’m wearing it, then I’m never going to take it off.”
“Oh, you’re going to be taking it off, Dakota.” He backed me deeper into the tiny room, and my back hit the wall.
Desire poured, flooding the confined space.
“Especially after you put that fucking deplorable image of you with Brad into my mind. Was bad enough the night you were out with him.”
A slight giggle got free, and I let the tease wind into my voice. “Are you jealous, Ryder Nash?”
“At the thought of another man touching you? Fuck yeah, I’m jealous, Dakota. Then you had to go rubbing it in. You’re really trying to drive me out of my mind, aren’t you?”
“And what was I supposed to say?” I got entranced by the energy that swept the atmosphere, mesmerized by Ryder here, looking at me this way.
My spirit light and my heart pounding so heavily I was sure the rest of the house could hear it.
“You were supposed to say that you wouldn’t dream of touching him. Of touching anyone.” It was a soft growl, a razzing that slipped from his delicious mouth.
His mouth I was fast becoming addicted to.
I feigned regret. “Oops, I guess I didn’t get the script.”
Possession reverberated in his wide chest, and he pressed me harder against the wall. That big body covered mine.
So powerful.
So protective.
It was everything I’d craved for so long that a needy whimper slipped out.
Ryder only tightened his hold. “Script goes like this, Dakota…you’re mine, and I’m yours. You got it?”
“I’ll try to remember.” I whispered the tease.
“You better,” he rumbled back, pecking his lips to mine.
I moaned that time.
That was all it took for him to deepen the kiss.
A crackle that sparked.
Our mouths moved in a desperate dance, and his hand came around to the back of my neck to angle me just right. His lips plucked and pulled at mine before his tongue swept into my mouth.
Tangling.
Licking.
Commanding.
My hands shot out, diving into his hair as he rubbed himself against me.