Chapter 38 The way Ryker kisses me right now will forever be burned in my mind. It's passion and heat and so many things that I can't even describe. It's perfect. He kisses me in a way that steals my heart. It doesn't feel casual; it feels like a promise. He pulls away, but his grip on either side of my face stays strong. "The easiest thing I've ever done is like you, Cami. Even when I thought I hated you, I liked you." My eyes burn so badly that I have to close my eyes to avoid the pain. I don't want to cry. I shouldn't cry. His words are sweet and everything I need to hear. It's just that I didn't realize how badly I needed to hear them until he said them out loud. I know that to anyone else, his words might not even matter, but to me, they mean everything. I'm not known to be the most likable person. People don't gravitate toward me the way they do Ryker, or Jude, or Emma. I'm not liked, but all I want is for someone to see me for who I am and still like me...still choose to stay. "Look at me," he commands. His voice is so thick with emotion that the words come out raspy. I open my eyes, hoping he can't tell that my eyes sting with unshed tears. "I'm sorry that you've met people in your life who made you feel like you're unlikable, but that's the furthest thing from the truth. And if you'll keep letting me in, if you don't run the moment you get scared, then I'll keep proving to you how much I mean it." "Ryker." His name is said desperately, almost like a plea. I don't know what to say to him. I don't want him to say anything he'll regret or want to take back. "I'm not going to say anything else because I don't want to scare you away. But I need you to know that I plan on staying as long as you'll let me." My hands drop to his chest as I fist his shirt. I desperately cling to the fabric, pulling his body closer to mine as I search his face for any indication that he doesn't mean every word he's saying. I have no idea what will happen between us. This entire thing is foreign territory to me. I'm not good at letting people in, but I want to try for him. I don't want to have to look back and wonder what would've happened if I'd just let down my walls for him. So I'm not going to make myself wonder. For once in my life, I'm going to lead with my heart instead of my head and hope that I don't end up hurt in the end. I don't know what to say back to him. I don't know how to tell him how scared I am or how hard it is to let him in. I know I won't find any of the right words. So I kiss him instead. I press my mouth to his, hoping he understands everything I cannot say with the kiss. We're a frenzy of tongues, lips, teeth, everything. It's like we've both been deprived, and now that we have a taste, we can't get enough. I continue to cling to the fabric of his shirt like it's the only thing keeping me grounded. I moan-or maybe he does, I can't be sure. It's probably both of us. It feels like the floodgates have been opened. Sure, we've kissed over the last few days. We've even made out, but I think we've both been holding back, afraid to get hurt. Now, it's like we're both ready to suffer the consequences as long as we at least get a taste of what it's like to cling to each other instead of pushing one another away. Ryker's hands travel down my back, his fingers trailing over the white linen fabric of my dress. I know I'm the one to moan this time when he slides his hands underneath the fabric and his fingertips press to my bare skin. More. I need more. I rock up and down, needing some sort of friction for the ache between my thighs. He hasn't touched me since that night in his room. I haven't touched him at all, despite wanting to. I've held back, knowing that it would blur the line too much for me. Now? I don't care about the line. I've leapt right over it, right into Ryker's arms. I grab Ryker's face again, wanting to deepen the kiss however I can. My back arches as I give everything I have into the kiss, desperately hoping it'll lead to more. I don't know how it happens. One second, we're on the edge of the pool; the next, we're crashing into the water. I don't even have time to gasp or react. I'm in Ryker's lap, and then our bodies are sinking to the bottom of the pool. My stomach drops as my entire body freezes in fear. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Findnøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I can't swim. Strong arms wrap around my middle. My entire body relaxes because Ryker's here. I know he won't let anything happen to me. He kicks through the water until both our heads break through the surface. "Cami," he gets out, his voice full of panic. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" I nod. While the shock of hitting the water was scary, the feeling didn't last long. I knew Ryker was with me. He guides us to the shallow side of the pool. My feet hit the bottom, and I let out a relieved sigh. Ryker immediately brings his face to mine, his hands roaming different places on my body as if to make sure I'm okay. "You hate water, don't you?" he asks, making my heart race at the fact that he remembered. "It's fine. I've been in pools before. I just stay where my feet can touch." "I don't know what happened..." His words fall off for a moment as his hands settle on the small of my back. "But I didn't mean for it to happen." The worry is written all over his face. I fight a smile. He looks absolutely adorable right now. I love that he's concerned about me. His eyes narrow. "Why are you smiling?" "Because I think I like you," I answer, deciding to be honest with him. He looks so handsome right now. His hair is wet, making the strands seem darker than they actually are. Some of the longer pieces hang over his forehead, droplets falling from the strands and landing on his sharp cheekbones. His lips turn up in a wide smile. "Fuck, princess, you have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that." I pull my gaze from his and let my eyes wander for a moment. Because of the water, his clothes stick to his skin. He's about waist-deep, the thin fabric of his shirt clinging to the slopes and planes of his muscular body. I can't help it. I lick my lips, imagining what it'd be like to touch him again, to do whatever I want. My eyes find his again as a desperate need for him-all of him-takes over my body. "Tell me you'll stay again." His eyebrows furrow for just a moment, as if he wasn't expecting me to say that. "What?" "Tell me you'll stay," I repeat, my heart racing at needing to hear him say the words. "I'm not going anywhere. Of course I'll stay. Why?" I smile as I let out a sigh of relief. "Because I really need you to fuck me, but I wasn't going to let you do it unless you promised to be by my side in the morning." The grin he gives me is the sexiest sight in the world. I can't believe there was ever a time when the beautiful upturn of his lips like this ever annoyed me. But did it actually annoy me? Or was I annoyed by the effect it had on me? A low laugh leaves his chest as she shakes his head and stares at me with wide eyes and that handsome smile of his. "Good thing I said I'll stay," he teases, lifting my body up. "I'll always stay, princess," he adds, his voice lower this time. My legs wrap around him instantly as he leans in to kiss me again. I don't know how long we kiss in the pool. Time seems to stand still as I get lost in the feeling of his mouth on mine. I'm so distracted by the addictive way Ryker's tongue moves against mine that I don't even realize he's carried me to the edge of the pool. He stands at the most shallow part, his body more out of the pool than it is in. He sets me on the edge but makes no move to get out. His lips don't move from mine, even as he finds the bottom of my dress and begins to coax the fabric up my body. Our kiss only breaks long enough for him to pull the dress all the way off me. He tosses it to the side, the wet fabric making a plopping noise as it hits the stone around the pool. The dress had a built-in bra, so now that it's gone, I'm left in nothing but a thong. My fingers trail along his back, and I gather the fabric of his shirt in my hands and lift, wanting him bare to me like I am to him. He obliges. Our kiss breaks, and he tugs his shirt the rest of the way off. I stifle a moan at the sight of him shirtless. It isn't the first time I've seen him without a shirt, but this time feels different. Now I know he's taken his shirt off for me. That I can touch and explore his body however I want to, and that makes the sight of him even hotter. "I've been thinking about taking your perfect nipples into my mouth again," Ryker tells me, his gaze focused on my breasts. He stares at them angrily, making me believe every word that leaves his mouth. Between my thighs aches at his words. I loved the way he bit and sucked at my nipples. No matter how hard I tried not to, I've thought about how good it felt every day since it happened. "Please," I whisper, needing him to touch me. "Fuck, I love it when you say please," he rasps. "Please," I repeat, unable to fight the smile that blooms on my lips. He returns my smile, but there's something different about the one he gives me now. It's almost wolfish. He maintains eye contact as he leans in, getting closer and closer to one of my peaked nipples. My entire body shakes with anticipation-or maybe I shiver. I don't know. He gets so close that I can feel his hot breath where I want him. That wolfish grin doesn't leave his face as he blows on my nipple, prolonging the moment and making every single inch of me ache for him. Just when I think he's going to pull my nipple into his mouth and give me the relief I desperately need, he moves. He lifts his head to meet mine, his large hands finding my thighs. He spreads my legs open and steps between them. Without saying a word or explaining why he just teased me, he hooks his fingers in the thin fabric of my thong at my hips. He tugs, pulling the fabric down my thighs and legs until he's tossing away that piece of clothing too. He's got me fully naked, and my entire body feels like it's on fire as I wait to see what he'll do next. "As needy as your nipples look," he begins, lowering himself in the water enough to put one of my legs over his shoulder, followed by the other, "I think it's time for your pussy to get my attention. Do you want that, princess?"