Ryder presses his forehead to mine. “I love you.” He kisses me sweetly. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” I kiss him back, carefully circling my arms around his neck. “And I know it’s crazy, because I’m in pain, and I’m still facing years in jail, but I am so happy right now I could sing it from the rooftops.”
A goofy smile graces his lips. “I’m right there with you. I can honestly say I’ve never been this happy in my entire life. You mean everything to me, Zeta. You’re everything.” He kisses me one last time before standing. “Hurry back to me. I’ll be counting down the days until I see you again.” Powell smiles as she fixes his leg restraints before moving to cuff his hands. “Goodbye, beautiful. See you soon.” His smile is a mix of happy and sad as he shuffles toward the door. Stopping, he casts one last glance in my direction, and I blow him a kiss, sinking back into my pillows and sighing contentedly as he’s led away.
* * *
After another fewnights in the hospital, I’m eventually released. Then I’m on bed rest for a few days with Carina checking in on me at regular intervals. I’m on pretty heavy-duty pain meds, so I spend most of my time sleeping, but I still miss Ryder and hate that I’m not allowed any visitors.
Moments when I’m not thinking of him are spent thinking about how I almost died. There was a time when I would have welcomed that, but not now. Now, more than any other time in my life, I have something, someone, worth living for, and I’m glad Valeria didn’t succeed. Buoyed up by Ryder’s fighting talk and words of love, I’m determined to fight for my innocence and my freedom.
Powell came to see me last night, confirming I can return to school tomorrow. She knows how serious I am about getting my high school diploma, and I have a couple of online assignments due soon that I need to work on. She explained that Valeria has been transferred to the women’s jail, and she’s being prosecuted for attempted murder. I’ll have to make a formal statement and attend trial at some point, but I’m just relieved I won’t have to watch my back so closely anymore. I wonder which one of her posse will take her place and whether they’ll still have it in for me. I guess time will tell.
* * *
“I missed you,”Ryder whispers in my ear before slipping into the seat across from me.
“I missed you too,” I whisper back, unable to stop a massive smile from breaking free on my face.
He leans across his desk to me, ignoring the pointed stares of our classmates. “I’ve been fantasizing about kissing you again.”
Strands of messy, blond hair fall across his forehead, and my fingers twitch with the craving to touch him. The brown in his eyes is more pronounced today, and I’m captivated by the little flecks of green and gold which make his eyes smolder. I could stare into his eyes all day long and completely lose sense of time and reason.
“Babe.” Glancing quickly at the top of the room, he reaches out, sweeping his thumb along my jawline, sending a flurry of delicious tingles ricocheting all over my skin. “You doing okay there?” I hear the amusement in his tone, and he totally knows the effect he has on me.
“You’re not the only one fantasizing,” I whisper back. “And I have a tendency to zone out whenever you’re near. It’s like you’ve cast a spell on me.”
“If that’s the case, you’ve definitely cast one on me too.” His features soften, and the look on his face is one of pure happiness and sheer adoration. I feel a sudden, uncharacteristic, urge to jump up on my desk and scream out how much I love him.
Yanking his hand back when the teacher calls for quiet, he settles back in his seat with a lopsided grin.
All through class, we cast sly glances at one another, and the tension in the air is building and building until I feel like I’ll combust. I’m hyper aware of him—of every cross of his legs, every tap of his fingers off the desk, every time he rolls his head from side to side, and every time he squirms in his seat. I adore the way he casually runs his hand through his hair and the way his eyes twinkle with hidden promise when he stares straight at me.
My eyes are glued to the clock on the wall, willing it to speed up. Eventually, after what feels like forever, it’s library time, and chairs scrape noisily as everyone gets up. Ryder is by my side in a flash, placing his arm around my back and carefully helping me out of my seat. I loop my arm through his, playing up the invalid card so the teach doesn’t reprimand us for touching. Ryder’s arm around my waist tightens, and I press myself up against him more closely, determined to take advantage of the situation. His lips ghost over the top of my head, and a happy sigh slips from my mouth. “I hate that we have no privacy,” he whispers in my ear.
“I know, but we’ll just have to sneak moments whenever we can.”
“I love your way of thinking,” he purrs in my ear, sending a shot of liquid lust straight to my core. I sway on my feet, and my stomach pulls a little, causing me to wince.
“Shit, sorry.” He stops just inside the entrance to the library, turning to face me. “You shouldn’t be back at school if you’re still in pain.”
“I’m fine. I have assignments to catch up on, and I didn’t want to be away from you any longer. I missed your ugly face,” I tease, batting my eyelashes at him.
He grins, tweaking my nose. “Cute, but such a lie.”
“Cocky much?” I tilt my head to the side, smirking.
His eyes burn with lust, and I gasp when he leans down, moving his face in close to mine. “Around you? Always.”
I practically melt into a puddle at his feet, and with the way he’s devouring my mouth on sight, I’m dying to kiss him again. I’ve never felt such intense desire before or the need to touch someone so bad my skin feels like it’s burning. “C’mon.” He offers me his arm again, grinning knowingly, and I can tell he knows every thought running through my mind right now. “I think you should hold on to me, you know, in case you faint.”
I roll my eyes. “Wow, someone’s ego appears to have multiplied while I was gone.”
He chuckles. “I’m just calling it like it is. You’re crazy about me, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Iama spectacular catch.”
“Spectacular egomaniac, more like,” I joke, looking up at him through hooded eyes. “But once you’remyegomaniac, I’m okay with that.”
Ryder walks us over to the far corner of the small library, tucking us into the crevice, away from prying eyes and ears. His arms go around my waist as his mouth lowers to mine. “I’m yours, Zeta. I’m all yours. Now and always. You never have to doubt that.”
