The car rolled down the quiet road. Ryder sat beside me in the back seat, his hand rested on my thigh, thumb tracing slow circles over the silk. The heat of his touch burned straight through the fabric and into my skin.
My body felt alive in a way it never had before.
The victory, the cheers, the way he had kissed me on stage in front of everyone — it all mixed into something hot and restless inside me.
I shifted closer, my knee brushing his.
My voice came out soft, almost shy, but the words were clear.
“I need you right now,” I whispered.
Ryder’s breath caught. His hand tightened on my thigh. For a second he just looked at me, eyes dark with the same hunger I felt.
He leaned in and kissed my temple, then my cheek, then the corner of my mouth.
“We should get home first,” he whis
