“I lose half my brain cells when you touch me.”
“Good. I barely have any when I’m inside you.”
35
Bianca
The bathroom smells like coconut. I never paid much attention to the scent, but since Ryder pointed it out, it’s somehow become more potent. A haze of steam clings to the mirror as I coat my lashes with mascara, my makeup darker than usual.
It matches the dress molded to my body. The deep green fabric almost glitters in the light. It’s short. As short as the other two dresses I wore toScarlett, but with thin straps crisscrossing over my back, this one toes the line between elegant and sinful.
My dark hair flirts with my shoulders, tumbling down in soft waves, and the four-inch heels make my legs look amazing if I do say so myself.
I smooth my dress one last time before stepping into Ryder’s bedroom. The cool air of the condo caresses my exposed skin. Ryder sits on the bed, adjusting the sleeves of his white shirt.
The second he glances up, his expression turns feral. His eyes darken, the muscles in his jaw tightening as he slowly straightens to his full height.
“Fuck me,” he grits out in a rough voice that sends a jolt of heat right through me.
“Maybe I will.” I keep my expression playful, arching a brow. “Like what you see?” I spin around, showing off the low back.
He crosses the room in three long strides, the scent of his cologne messing with my head when he stops so close I feel the heat radiating off him.
“You’re cruel,” he says, his hands hovering over my hips.
“Cruel?”
He takes another sweep of me, lingering on the hemline barely skimming the tops of my thighs. “So fucking cruel... How am I supposed to keep my hands off you?”
“You’re not.”
“But I have to.”
I pull back, a flicker of doubt clouding my judgment.
Ryder notices. Of course he does. Sometimes I think he can see inside my head, hear every insecure thought.
He grabs my hip and tilts my chin up. He exhales, his forehead nearly touching mine as he leans closer.
“I can’t parade you aroundScarlettlike some trophy. I told you: showing people you’re important to me gives them another reason to hurt you.”
“Why doesn’t Carter share your sentiment? Why doesn’t Broadway? They don’t hide their women.”
“They didn’t consider the consequences and now it’s too late.” His jaw tightens. “Broadway’s feelings for Violet are the reason she was almost deported. Vaughn knew he’d crawl through fucking hell to keep her around and he used that. I don’t want him or anyone else usingyou.”
“You said yourself that I’m already a target, Ryder. Carter said so too. Vaughn already tried grabbing me, and he doesn’t even know about us.”
“You think I enjoy this?” he clips, his temper rising. “You think I don’t want to sit you on my lap inScarlettand show every asshole who can’t stop staring at you that you’re mine?”
“Am I?” I cut in. “Am I really yours? Or is it just proximity and convenience?”
His eyes flash with anger. “I’m falling in love with you so fucking fast it makes my head spin. You’remine. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if that means cutting off my hands to keep them off you in public.”
“I... Ryder, I—” My voice falters, my mind scrambling to process what he said.
TheLword.
He cups my cheeks, his thumbs brushing my skin. “You’re mine, baby,” he repeats. “And I’m yours. Nothing to do with convenience or proximity. That’s bullshit.”
