“Which means one thing,” I say.
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to have to learn baseball.”
“I’ll teach you. Trust me, you won’t have to do it on your own.”
I grin because he knows how to use my hot-button words. Don’t have to do it on my own. I’ve had to do everything on my own for so long that I’m tired, and I’m ready to share the burden.
I glance at the time in the car. “It’s getting late, I should go.”
“Wait, before you leave.” He pulls out his phone and hands it to me. “Give me your number. I like sending you DMs, but I’d rather be able to text and call you.”
“Oh, yeah, that might be helpful.” I take his phone and then lift my brow at him. “Are you really that guy who doesn’t have a case for their phone?”
“These hands don’t drop anything,” he says, showing off his very large hands.
“Yeah, but you’re now seeing me, and guess what, I’m a perpetual dropper.”
“You can’t be that bad.”
I take out my cracked and nearly broken phone and show it to him. “This is a few months old.”
His eyes widen before he scratches the side of his neck. “Uh . . . why don’t I just enter your phone number in?”
I laugh and tap away on his phone, sending a text to myself. When I hand it back to him, I say, “I’ll get you a pretty case for your phone.”
“Why do I feel like it’s going to be a picture of your face?”
“Because you’re starting to understand me on a deeper level.” I set my hands on my lap and say, “Okay, well, thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun.”
“Me too. I’m glad you came to the game. You made my fucking night.”
All the joking diminishes as nerves bubble up inside me. I know what will happen next.
Isn’t it obvious? This is the momentary pause before the big old moment. The moment everyone wonders about on a first date.
The kiss.
I have yet to do so, and a small part of me is worried if he will be a good kisser. A bigger part of me is worried that he will be the best first kiss of my life, and I know that once his lips press against mine, there will be no going back. Hands down, he will blow me away, and I will be forever attached to him. With one kiss, I am one hundred percent positive my life will change because he’s so different than anyone I’ve ever met. He’s patient and listens. He’s funny, not to mention incredibly handsome. But the best part about him is he’s not willing to give up on me. Despite the many times I’ve walked away, he hasn’t given up. The only other person in my life who has done that is Nichole, which tells me he’s a world above any man I’ve ever dated.
“You’re nervous,” he says, not as a question, more as an observation.
“Maybe.” I roll my teeth over the corner of my lip.
“Why? It’s just me.”
“I know, that’s the whole point. It’s you, Ryot. And that terrifies me because I feel so attached to you already.”
“Afraid I’m going to be a bad kisser?” he charmingly asks.
I shake my head. “No, I’m worried you’re going to be the best kisser, and there will be no turning back for me.”
He smirks and says, “Only one way to find out.” He leans over the console and slips his hand to the back of my neck. He doesn’t pull me close to him but rather anchors himself and waits for me to make the next move.
Eyes intent on me, he wets his lips and smiles. “Get over here, Myla.”
The spark in his eye and the lightness in his voice ease the tension and help me lean forward. Our noses connect, our lips millimeters away as his fingers dig into my skin. My hand slides up his stony chest, to the side of his neck, and then up to his cheek as our eyes connect.
I make the smallest inhale of air right before he says, “Kiss me.”
His voice sends a thrill of excitement up my spine, and like magnets drawn together, our mouths connect, collide, and mold. Sparks fly around me, shooting off like rockets ascending into the deep night sky, telling me exactly what I feared but also wanted—life will never be the same. Now that I’ve tasted him . . . it will never be the same.
He presses closer, his mouth open, controlling the kiss as I mirror his motions. I’m so unsure of myself, so overwhelmed, so entranced, that I have no other option but to follow him at this moment. And with every empty breath I take, I feel him grow closer and closer, giving me the air that I need to fill my lungs.
He twists his fingers in my hair, I dig my fingers into his neck.
His tongue swipes against my lower lip, I melt into his demands.
His teeth graze over my mouth, tugging, I let out the lightest moan.
“Fuck,” he says, putting just an inch of space between us. “Myla, you can’t moan like that.”
“You made me,” I answer right before he presses his lips to mine again.
His tongue swirls around mine, enticing me to want so much more.
I want his shirt off.
I want to explore his chest.
I want to see what this man is made of and then kiss every inch of him.
“You’re ruining me,” I say, my voice catching in my throat.
He pulls away again, his breathing heavy as a lazy smirk crosses over his lips. “Good, then I did my job tonight.” He gives me one more chaste kiss, then faces his steering wheel and grips it tightly. “Now get out of here before I regret taking more before you’re ready.”
Trust me, I’m freaking ready.
More ready than I’m sure he even knows.
But I want this to be successful. I’ve never had a successful relationship, not one where I can look back and say that even though it didn’t work out, it was a solid relationship. So I’m going to let him take the lead. I’m going to let him be in the driver’s seat and relinquish control, something that’s very hard for me to do.
“Okay.” I open the door and move to get out, but not before he reaches across the console again, grabs me, and pulls me in for another soul-searing kiss.
Yup, I’ll let him take all the control he wants if it’s going to make me feel like this—so light—like there isn’t a worry in my world. And even though I know that’s not the case, if I spend more time with this man, I feel he will protect me from my biggest enemy. Myself.
Chapter Thirteen
RYOT
Present day . . .
Have you ever felt like you were swirling around in a black hole with no way to get out? Where no matter how hard you attempt to think of a solution, there’s nothing you can do? You’re just floating further and further away?
That’s how I’ve felt every goddamn second since JP and Huxley came over.
It wasn’t planned. I was just as shocked as she was when they came over, and I was in desperation mode. I don’t know what it is about those two men—because they’re the nicest, most business-savvy but understanding men I’ve ever met—but I don’t want to let them down. And I don’t want them to see that I’m failing—failing at my marriage—especially since they take their relationships so seriously.