“I expected you to know me better,” I argued. “We spent six months flirting and chatting in that goddamn coffee shop. Didn’t you know me even a little bit?” My heart broke at the thought that maybe Rylee didn’t see who I really was. Maybe she didn’t know me at all.
“I thought I did know you, Spencer,” she said in a gentle voice. “But then you up and left. You practically disappeared overnight without saying a single word. I’ll admit, I jumped to a few conclusions, but can’t you understand why I did?”
She was right, of course. Not for the first time, I regretted being too caught up with the patent to even call the coffee shop once. If I had, maybe things would have been totally different… But still, Rylee hadn’t told me about Jayden after we reunited again. She had so many opportunities, but she said nothing!
I let out a frustrated groan. “I understand why you did, but that still doesn’t explain why I had to hear about Jayden from your mother,” I countered with a shake of my head. “You could have told me the first time we saw each other on Sunday at dinner or even when we went to sit down by the river on Tuesday or when I took you out for a picnic on Thursday. You had so many opportunities, Rylee!”
Rylee looked down at her feet and clasped her hands together. “You’re right, I could have,” she told me with a nod. “But honestly, I was scared, Spencer. I had no idea what was going on with you. You showed up out of the blue after five years and I didn’t know whether you’d be staying or whether you might vanish again like you did last time… What was I supposed to do? Just welcome you into my son’s life with open arms?” She scoffed. “I can take the rejection if you disappeared again. I’m a grown woman, but I won’t let my son get hurt by someone because they can’t make up their mind about what they want.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I rounded on Rylee and caged her against the wall. “I’ve told you over and over again exactly what I want: you,” I told her in a husky whisper. “You must have the wrong impression of me, Rylee, because I would never reject my own flesh and blood and I would never, never, reject you.”
Before I could change my mind, I leaned in and planted a fierce kiss on her lips. Every ounce of anger vibrating inside me changed to passion as soon as I was touching her again. At first, she hesitated. I think she was a little surprised by my sudden change in mood, but soon, she was reaching for me and twining her fingers in my hair. She pulled my head down toward hers, begging for more and I gave it to her.
My tongue slipped inside her mouth and explored the warmth within. No matter how many times we had kissed already this week, I was blown away by how wonderful it felt every time. But I wasn’t concentrating on how much I cared about Rylee this time. Instead, I was overcome with a desperate need to show her how serious I was about her. I wanted to show her how farfetched the idea of rejection was and claim her as my own yet another time.
“I’ll never leave you again, Rylee,” I whispered harshly against her lips. “You’re mine, don’t you get that yet? Or do I have to prove it again?” I pushed her hips roughly with my hand until they hit the wall. She let out a little shriek at the action, but she continued to cling to me, unperturbed by my tough treatment.
I smirked down at her and I knew I must look like a predator staring down it’s prey, but I didn’t care. Now that Rylee was within my sights, I wanted her—no, I needed her. My hands wandered up her curvy body, feeling every inch of her and tearing at her shirt until it was open, revealing her creamy, pale skin and her soft, round breasts. The shirt was still hanging off her shoulders, but neither of us seemed to care.
Rylee was breathing unevenly and her fingers were digging into my skin where she clung to the back of my neck. I smiled again and wandered my hands up her body, lingering for a little while to pink and tease her nipples through her bra before reaching the base of her neck and gripping tight to the hair there.
I kissed her furiously once more, nipping at her bottom lip with my teeth, before trailing kisses down her chin and to her neck. Once I was there, I licked and sucked her smooth skin before digging my teeth into the juncture between her neck and shoulder. I didn’t bite down hard, just enough to leave a mark, and Rylee writhed against me in pleasure. I could tell she was enjoying every second of it. So, I kept up my onslaught until I left two bright red hickeys on her skin, one on her neck and one on her exposed collarbone. Once I was satisfied, I pulled away to admire my handy work and grinned down at her.