Page 40 of Sinful Abandon

“Just an ex.” He shuffles his feet in the sand.

“Your family made it seem like you two were pretty serious.”

“We had fun, but she wasn’t my forever girl. I was upset when she broke up with me. There I was, lying in a hospital, being told I probably wouldn’t be able to play ball again, could lose my scholarship and everything—I mean, everything I worked for—and she said she thought our relationship had run its course.”

“Ouch.” I crunch my face to match my words. “You must still be recovering.”

“Not at all. Actually, it taught me exactly what I wanted in a woman. Someone who says exactly what’s on her mind. Someone honest. Maybe a little too honest.” He stops and looks at me. The twinkle in his eye glistens, as if I’m his someone.

“What’s your plan after graduation?” I ask.

“I’ve been sending my résumé to local news stations around the country. Maybe I’ll get a sports reporter gig. Move my way up.”

“I can help you get a job,” I offer, pulling my hair off my face as it sways in the Chicago wind.

Ryan shakes his head, his hands deep in his pockets. “No, thanks.”

“I know a lot of people in the industry. At least let me make sure you don’t start off in farm country USA. Get a small city—”

“You’ll always think of me as the kid!” he shouts.

My feet halt. When I turn back to him, those cobalt blues are sparkling in the moonlight, his hair getting tousled in the breeze.

“No,” I stammer, “I won’t.”

“Yes, you will. This age thing will forever bother you. The money thing will always eat at you. You’re worth more than a lousy ring. You’re worth more than a man who is only marrying you out of convenience.” His body is strong and commanding, towering over me in a way that reads red-blooded male.

“Why would you say that?”

“I have eyes. He doesn’t look at you like you’re the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. He doesn’t smile at the sound of your voice or wonder how in the world he landed a girl so damn smart and sassy and sexy. He doesn’t look at you like he wants to spend forever with you.”

I swallow. The deepness of his voice and the power of his words make the blood in my body run so hot that I might burn from the inside out.

“What does that look like?” I’m not sure my heart has ever pounded this hard in my life.

“Like the way I’m looking at you right now.”

Ryan leans forward and runs his hand into my hair, and with aggressive desire, he kisses me like I’ve never been kissed before. His warm lips entwine with mine. His tongue is hot against my own. I swear, we both might ignite.

I lift my arms and hold him tight, getting lost in the peppermint of his breath and the smell of the lake and evening fog.

We kiss in the moonlight, our bodies becoming one, and we can’t get close enough, can’t feel enough of each other. Every taste and each sensation is more powerful with every swipe of the tongue and dance of the lips.

We are two currents crashing into one another. My current is flowing so strong through my body that I can’t control the storm inside me.

We kiss for a moment.

We kiss for eternity.

We kiss beyond the horizon.

“Take a chance on me,” Ryan says, his hands still on me, his forehead pressed hard against my own. “Be with me, Heather,” he pleads. “Let me show you how wonderful this world can be. Let me be your home.”

Home.

I’ve never known a home before I met Ryan. I’ve never felt love before I found him.

I close my eyes and try to fight off the insecurities. “I want to, Ryan. I just…”