“And three.” His voice drops in tenor, and his gaze bores into mine. “This is more than one night.”
His hands slide up my thighs, and heat blooms wherever he touches. I’m distracted by the physical contact, but I get what he’s saying. We’re getting a second chance at this, and we’re going to do it properly. We’re going to explore the connection between us to see where it takes us.
26
RYAN
Paige takes my hand in hers and leads me to the bedroom. The double bed is strewn with clothes, colorful toys, and children’s books.
As I watch Paige clear the bed, doubt forms like a brick in my stomach. I’m just learning how to be mobile. I’m not sure I can do what she needs me to do. And when she sees the reality of my body, she might find me lacking.
I’m about to turn around and go back to the living room when she chucks the last toy into the wicker basket by the bed and stalks toward me.
Her hips sway, and the smile on her face makes my heart thump in my chest. I lean against the bedroom wall and let her come to me.
“What’s wrong?” Her brow furrows, and her hand strokes my cheek. I lean into the touch and close my eyes, imagining for a moment that I’m whole.
“I don’t know if I can do this.” It comes out as a whisper, and I keep my eyes closed, not able to look at her.
“Because you don’t want me.” Her hand falls from my face, and my eyes snap open.
“No. God no, it’s not that.” My gaze drops to the lower half of my body. “A week ago, I couldn’t get out of bed. I don’t know if I’ll be able to give you what you want, what you need.”
She shakes her head and trails her hand up my chest, leaving prickles of heat in their wake.
“How about I give you whatyouneed, Ryan? How about we do something joyful?”
It’s what I said to her in the hotel room all those years ago. And as she says it, she steps toward me, and her hips graze mine. My body jerks at the contact.
She puts one hand on either side of my head, boxing me in against the wall. The scent of fresh-cut grass and milk surrounds me. Her breasts graze my chest, and every part of my body awakens. As hot blood pumps through my veins, my heartbeat thumps against my ribcage, and my cock lengthens, aching to be near her.
Paige brushes her lips against mine, soft and teasing. But she’s woken something in me now, and it’s not soft or gentle.
Her touch reminds me of what I can be. That I’m a hot-blooded man, and she’s my woman.
I slide my arm around her waist and push off the wall. Her eyes widen in surprise as I half walk, half stumble with her to the bed. We fall onto it together, and I ignore the jolt in my leg. Paige lets out a surprised gasp, and I cut her off with my mouth.
I roll onto my good side, bringing her with me and keeping my arms locked firmly around her. One hand slides over her hips as she grinds against me.
I move with her, letting her feel what she does to me. Paige has awoken me, and I’m going to prove to her that I might have lost a limb, but I’m still all man.
My hands rove over her body, exploring every curve and noting the changes in her body. She’s filled out, and her breasts are heavy and sensitive, and she moans with every touch.
My hand slides between her legs, into her panties, and to the soft place that I remember.
“Ryan,” she moans as I stroke her, forcing myself to be gentle.
My name on her lips is like a prayer, and it does something to me deep inside. I want to hear her scream my name over and over. My real name this time.
She responds to my touch, and then she’s over the edge, her fingers clinging to my arms as she falls apart on my palm. Her face is sweaty and beautiful, and it’s better than I remember. But it’s not enough.
I tug at her leggings, and she shrugs them off, along with her t-shirt. Paige is patient, helping me take my pants off. I unclip the leg and wince as I ease out of it.
“Does it hurt?” Her fingertips trail over my thigh and around my hips, heating me up so I forget what I’m lacking.
“A little.”
She props the prosthetic against the wall, and I shuffle back on the bed so I’m sitting up and leaning against the headboard.Climbing back onto the bed, Paige helps me pull off my T-shirt. Her fingertips trail up my stomach and chest, and when they freeze, I know she’s found the tattoo.
