He could’ve easily overtaken her. Sophia knew this, and didn’t care, because top or bottom, either were the best place to be with Ryder.
She could hear him behind her, but he wasn’t even trying to beat her to the water.
“You don’t need to run,” he told her. “In fact, you should go slow. Yeah, real slow.”
Laughing, she turned around, watching him approach with desire evident in his dark eyes, and an erection jutting out, leading the way. Her whole body tightened at the sight of his magnificence, then pulsed as he held up a foil packet, opened the boathouse door, and tossed the condom inside.
He was such a boy scout. She loved that about him.
Still holding his gaze, she backed up the last few feet to the edge of the dock, with a deliberate bounce in her steps. “How’s that? Better?”
“Mmm…” His eyes smoldered as he stepped closer. “That’s delectable.”
“Then come get some,” she said, stepping off the dock.
The shock of the water stole her breath. It was ninety degrees out and humid. She hadn’t expected the lake to be so cold. But she wasn’t cold for long. Ryder surfaced with her, pulling her close, electrifying all her nerve-endings where their bodies touched.
He tread water with one hand, and cupped her ass with the other. “Now…about that club.”
Chapter Thirteen
Later the following week, Ryder was helping Sophia assemble the burger joint set for Grease, and thinking about their Fourth of July together. It was another holiday they’d spent practically naked, but this time, it was different. This time, it was better. It was more.
More intense.
More amazing.
More everything.
She’d rocked more than the boat, she’d rocked his world. Sharing his space with her, his refuge, had changed things. He discovered he wanted her there. He liked her there. Since then, they spent equal time at each other’s place.
And tonight, after they finished working, he planned to take Sophia back to his house.
He wanted her in his bed.
That normally would’ve had him running the hell away from the woman, but he liked being with her. He liked who he was with her, and he got the impression she felt the same.
So Ryder decided to loosen his hold on the idea he wasn’t good enough for her, because regardless if it was true, she wanted him, flaws and all. She told him, used those very words, not long after she’d straddled him in the hot tub on the Fourth of July, and the fireworks had ceased, both in the sky, and behind his eyes.
Her admission hadn’t been fueled by desire, or euphoric fog. She’d meant it, and he believed her. And damn, he wasn’t opposed to another round of her in that hot tub. The image of her taking pleasure on him was forever seared into his brain. The way she bucked, panting, fingers digging into his arms, breasts bouncing, gaze dark and smoldering—one eye a dark brown, the other a deep navy. He loved that she’d stopped wearing contacts, and liked to think his encouragement to do so helped. Whatever the reason, he was thrilled to stare into her actual eyes, especially when they were full of heat as she cried out his name while he was buried deep inside her.
Ah, hell.
Now he was harder than the damn two-by-fours he’d just screwed together…in a room full of college students.
None of the kids helping out this summer needed much instruction. They were pretty self-sufficient, and for the most part, he was comfortable enough to let them tackle the set jobs on their own. But always happy to answer questions or lend a hand when asked.
Like the young man who’d asked Ryder for help with the miter saw. Standing back, he watched as the boy measured the three pieces of molding that needed to be cut to frame a doorway. With the door measurement in mind, he had the boy lay the two long pieces parallel to each other on the floor, then measure, mark, and cut the top piece to fit over them.
“Good, now measure and mark where they intersect,” he told the boy.
Once that was done, he had him cut off the excess at an angle, then set all three pieces out on the floor again to test the fit.
“Perfect.” Ryder cupped the kid’s shoulder. “See? Not as hard you as you thought.”
The boy smiled, pride straightening his shoulders. “You’re right. Thanks.”
He watched the boy nail the molding in place around the fake door in the fake wall two other students were starting to paint.
