I feelmyself drowning in the stark lust inside his eyes as I play the last piece of the melody. I trail off into halting silence. The air is buzzing with energy. Electric and wild. I watch the pulse pounding at the vein in his jugular and know he feels it, too.
He doesn’t move an inch as I get to my feet and slowly cross the room to put my guitar back in its case. When I turn, I feel his eyes on me — hot, heavy. Before I can blink, he’s there in front of me. His breaths are coming just as fast as mine. He brushes my hair out of my face as he leans closer.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he whispers as his mouth hits mine. I moan as my hands slide beneath his shirt, exploring the ridges of his ab muscles. When his tongue strokes mine, I feel my heart stop beating.
I have no idea what I’m doing, so I act on pure instinct. I mange to get his shirt up over his head and throw it across the room. But as I stare at his skin, bronze and smooth beneath my fingers, I find myself frozen. Ryder’s kissing my neck, but I’m at a total loss for what to do next.
“Hey.” He pulls back. There’s a fissure of concern between his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“I know you well enough by now to recognize when something’s off, Felicity.” His nose bumps mine in a reassuring stroke. “Tell me. Please.”
“You might not like it.”
“There’s nothing you could say that I wouldn’t like. I promise.”
I suck in a breath. “I’ve never done this before.”
He flinches like I’ve slapped him. “What?”
“I’ve never been with anyone.” I swallow hard. “Never… slept with anyone.”
He’s suddenly pale. His hands drop from my shoulders and he backpedals a step, creating space between our bodies. “Felicity…”
“It doesn’t change anything.” My chin jerks up. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You’re wrong about that.”
“Ryder.” My voice is almost inaudible. “I want… I want it to be you. Ineedit to be you.”
His jaw is clenched so tight, I worry his teeth will snap. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“No, I’m trying to seduce you.” I pause. “Not very well, apparently.”
“Cute.” He doesn’t laugh. “But I’m not going to take your virginity a few hours before my plane takes off.”
“Why not?” My lips twist in a grin. “Think of it as a kind of… going away present.”
He glares at me.
“A souvenir, to remember your time in Nashville.” I laugh hollowly.
“This isn’t funny.”
“I thought it was, actually.”
He scowls at me in silence.
“You want me to be serious?Fine.” My voice drops to a vow. “I want to be yours. I want to belong to you. Even if it’s only for tonight.”
He groans as though I’m torturing him.
I take another step. “I want to lose myself in you, to memorize every inch of your skin so I never forget a single part of you, even after you leave.”
“Felicity.” He averts his eyes, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “Stop.”
“Stop?”