Ripley clutched her towel. She stared at me, uncertain, like she didn’t know how to respond. “I’m sorry. It’s been a crazy few days. Please don’t take it personally. I ignored everyone.”
“You can’t ignore me anymore. I’m not going anywhere.” Seeing her standing there looking so waifish and innocent made something break inside me. I had to have her. She was mine.
Ripley shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to be here right now.”
“Why not?” Unable to stay away from her any longer, I took a step forward. “There’s nowhere else I would rather be. Something tells me that you’re happy to see me. I can’t figure out why you’re fighting it.”
The scent of bath and body products rolled out of the washroom behind her. Clouding Ripley in a clean, enticing aroma. Watching her nervously chew her bottom lip was almost my undoing.
“We’re not good for each other, Auryn. You know that as well as I do. We’ll only bring out the worst in one another, and we were never really together anyway. We don’t have to play this game anymore. There’s nobody here to see it.” She watchedme slowly prowl toward her, her eyes widening. Cheeks turning pink.
“I’m not playing a game. I’m not sure I ever really was. You’re mine, Ripley. You were mine before that night at the frat party. I wanted you long before that. I just didn’t realize how deep it went.” Coming to a stop before her, I traced her jaw with a finger. Loving the way she quivered at my touch.
“Auryn… I,” she began, her voice breathy. Pausing, she shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t let myself fall for you. You’re not that guy. You don’t want anything serious. I don’t think I have it in me to face the inevitable if I let you in. I don’t want you to break my heart.”
Every word she said hit like a knife to my chest. She had every right to feel that way. I’d never given anyone reason to believe differently of me. In fact, I’d gone out of my way to establish that reputation for myself.
That’s not who I wanted to be anymore. Dragging my thumb across her bottom lip, I leaned in to kiss her. A light whisper of my lips over hers.
“I know that I’ve given you more than enough reason to feel that way. Something is different now. I’m falling for you, baby girl. Head over fucking heels. You’re not the only one putting their heart on the line here. I’ve never done this before, and honestly, I’m fucking terrified. I’m in too deep to turn back now. I need to know how fucking great we can be together.” I kissed her again. Deeper this time. Taking ownership of her lips. Dominating her mouth.
Ripley whimpered softly as she kissed me back. Tentative yet wanting. “I’m such a mess,” she murmured. “You deserve better.”
“We both deserve better,” I countered. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of a mess myself. We can do this together. We can be better for ourselves and each other.”
As her towel slipped, Ripley moved to grab it. The material gapped open around her legs, flashing me a glimpse of her thigh. The fresh cut marks immediately drew my gaze.
She tried to cover them, but it was too late. Snatching the towel away, I motioned to the marks on her leg. “Absolutely the fuck not.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
AURYN
“Auryn, you don’t understand.” Ripley made a feeble attempt at swiping the towel from my grasp. When that didn’t work, she put a hand over the cuts to hide them. “It’s hard to stop. Sometimes I just need the release. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t need to explain it. You need to stop hurting yourself.” Seeing those cuts on her delicate flesh made me crazy. It also made me feel powerless. A sensation I wasn’t used to.
Fire flashed in her eyes. Standing there naked, Ripley jabbed a finger in my chest. “You don’t get to tell me what to do with my own body. You don’t own me, Auryn.”
I loved it when she unleashed the inner badass she kept contained inside. My cock leapt to attention as she went so far as to give me a shove.
Catching her wrist, I jerked her against me, loving the way her body felt pressed against mine. “Do you really think you’ll win this fight, doll? You. Are. Mine. I will not keep my mouth shut when I see the woman I love hurting herself.”
The words fell from my mouth, leaving us both shocked and frozen in place. Ripley gaped up at me, like she wasn’t sure she’d heard me right. Did I really say that?
Fuck yeah I did. Now it was out there. I couldn’t take it back even if I wanted to. As the seconds ticked by, I realized that I didn’t want to take it back. I meant every word.
“You love me?” she asked, swallowing hard.
Feeling put on the spot by my own candid admission, I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I do. I love you, Ripley. Now stop fucking hurting yourself.”
Eyelids lowered, her lips twisted into a coy hint of a smile. “Or what?”
Knowing that she wanted it as bad as I did, I spun her around and shoved her against the wall. Maybe this was her way of distracting me from the serious issue at hand. Since I was hurting for a taste of her, it worked.
Pushing her hair aside, I kissed the back of her neck before biting down. Sinking my teeth into her soft skin. She let out a little yelp, wiggling her ass against me in invitation. Yeah, she definitely knew exactly what she was doing.
I slid my hands around her from behind, clutching her breasts tight. Pinching her nipples into taut points. Making her utter my name like a curse before gliding my hands down her perfect body. Delving between her thighs.
