Her breath caught. “Why would you want that?” she whispered in a ragged voice as exhilaration over his admission got the best of her.
“I was hoping Dixon would back off. Like every other guy did.”
He’d surprised her with that tidbit.
Continuing, he said, “My plan backfired, obviously. At least, when it came to getting Dixon to rescind his prom invitation.”
Ginger suddenly recalled how boys would abruptly end conversations with her and move down the hallway whenever Ryan approached her. She said, “You wanted to be with me, but you knew the whole time we were in high school it was impossible. Because of your family?”
“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking,” he was quick to say as a frown crossed her lips. “It had nothing to do with whether or not they’d approve of you. At that point, I had no doubt they would. My aunt and uncle had been good friends with your parents when they were alive. It was Jack Wade and his eccentric father—who’d run the article in the newspaper about his wife’s affair with one of my uncle Jonathan’s brothers—that they were all focused on at the time.”
“I’d completely forgotten about that. Quite the scandal. And not long after that, Lydia joined the church and married Jonathan. I remember that stirred up some gossip, since she’d been a bit of a rebel in high school. Something else that had slipped my mind, what with her pious behavior this past decade.”
“Yes, well, since becoming a reformed sinner, they’ve both done their best to control what’s said about them. I’ve never known two people who were more image conscious than them.”
“It’s actually sort of creepy how they obsess over what people think of them and try to make sure everyone believes they’re holier than the second coming of Christ.”
Ryan chuckled. “I agree. Anyway, I moved into their house when they’d only been married for a few years. Lydia was twenty-three. It wasn’t the most comfortable situation. I wanted out of Wilder because I needed a break from them—and what the family name represented, truth be told. The only way I could do it was to get a football scholarship. I had to have the grades to go with the talent, and that meant studying every waking minute I wasn’t practicing or walking you to class. Doesn’t mean I didn’t have anything else on my mind.”
He winked at her and Ginger’s stomach fluttered. Her gaze locked with his again as she asked, “Why’d you chose to come back to Wilder? You could have gotten on with a large poli
ce department in Arizona. Why come back to Texas?”
With a slight shake of his head, he said, “I don’t know. I kept an eye on the sheriff office’s website, hoping to see an opening. A voice in the back in my mind told me to continue looking, because this was the place I should be. I didn’t give up and I almost feel like…it was Fate.”
He kissed her, slowly and sensuously, and Ginger was inclined to agree with him. His arms wound around her and he held her in a tight embrace, her breasts pressed to his chest. She loved the feeling of his hot skin against hers and the way his muscles seemed to surround her, all rigid and masculine. He was sexy and virile and so much more than Ginger had ever dreamed she’d find in a man.
When he dragged his mouth from hers, she sighed happily. “Dixon Hunter never kissed me like that.”
“I don’t even want to think of Dixon kissing you.”
“Believe me, there’s no comparison. In fact, it was so boring, I’d pretty much been okay with not having someone to lie in bed with and kiss—until you showed me what it could be like. I mean, with Dixon… If that’s all there was to it, I’d rather read a book than wonder what the hell he was trying to do with his tongue.”
Ryan snickered. “No one deserves that.”
“You’ve rescued me again,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “This time from humdrum kisses.”
Disentangling himself from her, he reached for the foil packet he’d selected and ripped it open. As he rolled the latex down his thick shaft, anticipation rippled through her.
He said, “There’s nothing humdrum between us. And the way you light me up, I don’t think you’ll be staring at the ceiling, wondering what the hell I’m doing.”
She giggled. “I suspect not.”
His palms splayed over her inner thighs as he parted her legs. Ginger’s stomach fluttered and her pulse raced. One of his hands reached for hers and he positioned her fingers on her labia, spreading her lips as the tip of his cock nudged her opening.
He knelt on the mattress and hooked his strong forearms under the backs of her knees, keeping her legs in a wide vee.
“Slow and easy,” he murmured as her hips lifted slightly in silent demand for more.
“You’re not going to hurt me. I’m so wet for you, you’ll probably slide right in.”
His jaw clenched. “Wet’s good, but you’re so tight. And yes, this will hurt at first. Just don’t rush it. Take your time getting used to me.”
That hot and restless feeling he so easily evoked returned full force. She desperately wanted to feel him deep within her. Filling and stretching her. Making love to her without all this restraint and hesitation.
“Ryan,” she urged. “I’m okay.”
Her excitement escalated as the head of his cock pressed in, just barely penetrating her pussy. She let out a sharp gasp at the raw pain that shot through her. Ginger’s body tensed and she reached for Ryan, clasping his shoulders as she rode out the searing sensation.