Chapter 72

Tingles that somehow managed to be warm and cold at the same time trailed across Jane’s stomach. She smiled blissfully, letting her head roll to the side so she could see the beautiful guy lying beside her. The beautiful and completely naked Ryder Godson.

Her body heated at the sight of him. His focus was on her skin as he continued using his fingers to draw a masterpiece only he could see. His black hair was sweaty and sexily tousled. A few locks fell over his eyes that were still trained on his hand. It was like watching a predator fully sated—lazy yet still so dangerous they could attack at any moment.

Jane sighed as she took in his slicked skin. It made every muscle on his tanned body more defined, and for the third time that night, she had the urge to lick him.

Ryder’s hand slid over her ribs, heading toward her breasts, but she yelped, right before he made it there.

He glanced up, his eyes as bright as his smile. “Found it.”

“Found what?” She giggled as he leaned down, kissing where he’d just tickled her. It was just below her heart and to the side.

“My spot,” he murmured against her skin. “It’ll be where you feel me, even when I’m not with you.” His palm pressed against it, and she gasped as that very spot bloomed with tingles that went every which way inside her, pulsing out like a bell being rung.

“How do you do that?” she breathed, touching his cheek as he watched her.

Yet another kiss was dropped on that little spot below her heart and to the side. “Magic, Sweet

Jane.”

She would have lain there forever, but she wanted to talk to him. So, she rolled onto her side, facing him. “I don’t want you or David, or Luc, deciding things for me anymore.”

Ryder copied her position as he grabbed a hold of her hand and pressed it to his chest. His heartbeat was steady and strong, like a fairy tale being read to her at bedtime. “All right.” He wasn’t mad, but she could see his guard coming back up; the blank-faced bad boy was returning. “Tell me what you want to do.”

A chill slid between them, and she couldn’t stand it. Jane scooted closer, draping a leg over his waist. She sighed when he tugged her into a better position and started grinning because he put the blanket between them.

He smirked, relieving her at last. “Need you to focus. My dick has other plans.”

“I can tell.” She giggled, tightening her leg around him to pull him into her, which only made her laughter shift to a needy moan.

A low chuckle rumbled within him, and he squeezed her ass, pressing in deep to make her cry out louder. Then he rolled back, smacking her tender flesh. “I’ll cut you off. Let’s get this serious shit over with.” His eyes narrowed at something behind her. “It’s already two.”

She groaned, nodding as she stopped trying to find a way to get that blanket down. “I just want a choice.”

“I know.” His hand started moving again, sliding up and down her side. “What choice do you want to make now?”

That was the hard part, one she was afraid to even think about. But staring into his eyes felt so right, and she knew he was really the one who wouldn’t judge her. So, she confessed what she’d tried not to think of. “I love you. I want to pick you.”

His head bobbed, but he wasn’t rejoicing. “You want to, but you won’t.” He lifted a hand to hold her cheek. “You still love David, and you’re confused as fuck about it.”

“He didn’t even stick around,” she said bitterly. “I waited for him to get done with the sutures— after he was once again the David I remembered; the David he is with just me—but he left without saying goodbye. Probably to go off to a party.”

“Relax,” Ryder said in that commanding but almost bored and a whole lot of sexy way of his.

“He’s just with a few players. No hoes.” He smirked. “I mean . . . women.”

The increasing pattering of her heart slowed. “How do you know?”

Ryder leaned forward, teasing her with a faint kiss at the corner of her mouth. “He texted me about twenty minutes before you came. He didn’t want to draw attention to you, and he knew you’d be going home soon. He said, if I heard from you, to let you know he loved you, and he’d be home soon.” Ryder finally gave her the kiss she wanted, his perfect lips pressing firmly to hers while his fingers slid through her hair. He tugged, pushing his tongue inside her mouth. God, she felt his kiss between her legs.

She gasped, ready to rip the sheets out from between them.

“Sorry, babe.” He grinned, pecking her lips playfully before escaping her attempt to pull him down for more. “These lips distract me.”

Pouting, she puckered up with hopes to get pounced on.

“Babe,” he groaned, giving her another kiss, though he kept it short. “You wanna talk, right?” “Stop being responsible.” She didn’t mean it; she loved he was thinking about her concerns.

“You miss the sexy asshole who wants in your pants, don’t you?” He chuckled, smoothing her hair back.

“It’s so weird,” she murmured, entranced by his beauty for a moment. “Just this week you were a jerk.”

He frowned, still playing with her hair. “You don’t mean that.”

“No?” She grinned because he was right. Now, that she wasn’t being so stuck up her own ass and David’s she could see everything Ryder did in a different light.

Now he smiled. “You wouldn’t put on little shows for a jerk. Teasing me as you’re about to pull your shirt over your head.” He dropped a hand to her breast, massaging it and setting those tingles off again. “Only to smirk down at me then tug your curtain in place, leaving your silhouette to tease me further.”

A cackle, an actual cackle, passed her lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You can’t lie to me, babe.” He watched her laugh like a crazy woman with absolute adoration.

Oh, she had missed this with him. “It was only fair. Making a girl look at what she can’t touch.”

“It was an invitation.” He exhaled, holding her face as a seriousness fell over his. “Do you want to stop this between us?”

Her smile vanished. “No.”

“Then what do you want, Jane?” Those emerald eyes stayed on hers. “I want to be your boyfriend.

I’m not going to pretend I don’t. So, tell me.”

“I want you to be my boyfriend,” she said fully meaning it. But . . . “But I still love him. It doesn’t seem right to be your girlfriend when I love him. It’s worse because of Tercero and Luc.”

“We’re back in the same spot then.” He sighed, moving his hand away from her breast. For a while, he stared at the moon outside his window until finally nodding to himself. “What if I’m okay with it all?”

“Okay with it?” Jane waited, her mind racing as he kept staring outside.

“You pick which of us is yours.” Now he looked at her. “You are with us however you want, without worrying what the rest of us may think because we know when it’s our time, it’s our time, and you’re ours as much as you are theirs. No fighting over you. No trying to make each other look bad so we win you—just you as our girl.”

Her mouth was agape. “What?”