Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
It was stupid to try to escape. I knew it the moment I slipped out the back window downstairs, but I felt like I had to try. Ryker was scaring me. The way he looks at me, the way he touches me, it’s all too much. I couldn’t think straight being next to him, but the second I walked away I knew it was a mistake. With every step that led me away from the house, the desire to run back to it and back to him grew within me. That only scared me even more, so I made myself keep moving, even if it wasn’t what I really wanted to do.
I’d tried my best to ignore him after our horseback ride in the orchard, but my resolve had been slipping all afternoon. Everything he does is to make me happy, which is what really scares me. I’m so easily slipping under his spell, and I don’t really know anything about him. I still have thoughts about him being involved in some weird black market dealings or something. I can't let myself fall for someone capable of kidnapping me. That would be freaking crazy.
But when I was losing my grip on that fence post and thinking I was going to die, I wanted nothing more than to be back in bed in Ryker’s arms. I knew he’d come if I was in danger, and I knew he’d care if I was gone from this earth. I just had to hold on long enough for him to find me.
Regret hits me hard in that moment. When I saw him come rushing after me with no care for himself, I knew I was stupid to not only endanger my life, but his. I could have lost him in that flood, and it’s weighing on my shoulders.
He risked his own life for mine, because he was willing to follow me to death. I’d never known someone in my whole life who would do that for me, and here I am trying to run away from it. I’ve always done what I thought I should be doing, and maybe I should try something different for a change. I should do what I really want to, and not what I think is right. My decisions in life so far haven’t really panned out, so what could it hurt? Why not try to let someone in who is willing to lay down their life for mine? Why not open my heart just a little to this strange man who seems to want me? I’ve been fighting for everything in my life for so long, and I’m ready to give in.
I let my lips graze his neck, and I hear his quick intake of breath. His hold on me tightens even more, and I do it again. This time, though, I pause and open my mouth to let the warmth of my tongue get a taste of him.
“Cricket.” He says my name with a low rumble in his chest, but he doesn’t tell me to stop. Not that I thought he would.
He sits me down on the bathroom counter and I glance over to see Lily standing in the doorway. My face heats as I wonder if she saw me kiss Ryker’s neck. It wasn't even hours ago I told her he kidnapped me.
“Let me know when the doctor gets here. And have him wait outside the door.” Lily nods to Ryker, but before she leaves she stares me down. She sends me a sharp look as if to tell me I screwed up and that I better not do that again.
When she walks out of the room, Ryker’s hands roam all over my body. He strips away my clothes, checking my arms carefully, then my legs, not caring that I’m a dirty mess.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, but he doesn't listen. He strips me bare, looking for signs of wounds or broken bones. “I don’t need a doctor. I’m just cold,” I try again.
He walks over to the shower and turns it on. Steam immediately rises from the hot water, and my aching muscles begin to relax.
I can see the tension all along Ryker’s body as he moves back towards me. I lick my lips when I suddenly realize I'm completely naked in front of him. I was so cold I didn’t even notice it when the freezing clothes were peeled off me. I’m chilled all the way to the bone. But even now that I’m clearly not wearing a stitch, and he’s coming towards me, I don’t have the urge to cover up. Something about almost dying and then being rescued by my own personal knight in shining armor seems to have taken away my nerves.
But he’s not looking at me with leering eyes. There’s a tenderness there, mixed with fear. I can see the worry furrowing his eyebrows and the lines of tension around his mouth. He cups my face with his big hands before resting his forehead on mine.