I scooted to the edge of the couch. “I’m not sure I want to hear this.”

“By then it was time for the trip and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. I even told you that, but you insisted I go.”

“You’re gonna say it’s my fault now?”

“No, not at all. The guys were giving me a hard time, but it was my fault. I went on the trip, dead set on behaving, on having a good time, but I wasn’t going to sleep with anyone. I was just there to have fun with the guys. But it wasn’t fun. It was torture. The guys pushed alcohol on me, and the girls sneaked into my tent at night.”

“Please stop.”

“No, hear me out. Whenever they came into my tent, I left. I drank, yes, but I didn’t sleep with anyone.”

My eyes went wide. “W-what?”

“I didn’t sleep with anyone.”

“But Caryn … and the pictures? She showed me a picture of the two of you on a mattress.”

“She sneaked into my tent when I was sleeping and lay beside me. I woke up to the flashes of her camera. She was able to take a few more before I was fully awake and sent her away.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was trying to, but then your father overheard us, and …”

I shut my eyes and shook my head. “I can’t believe you let me think you had slept with Caryn for so long.”

“Like I said before, I tried calling you, but I couldn’t seem to find a way of reaching you. It was like you had disappeared off the face of the Earth.”

“You didn’t sleep with Caryn that weekend,” I whispered, trying to absorb the information.

He shook his head. “I didn’t sleep with Caryn. Not that weekend or after.”

I bit my lip, but the words came out anyway. “But you did before me?”

A knot appeared over his pained eyes. “Yes, but it was months before you.”

I stared at him. That last bit of info hurt, but I tried focusing on what mattered. He hadn’t slept with Caryn that weekend. He hadn’t cheated on me. Oh my God. Everything we went through was because I thought he had cheated on me, because I thought he didn’t care about me.

A sense of longing filled me and I knew this moment was our closure—and we had to make the best of it.

I let the bit of alcohol in my veins take over before I chickened out, and I knelt on the cushion. I placed my hands on his shoulders, pushed him back against the couch, and straddled him. His eyes went wide and his mouth parted, but the shock didn’t stop his hands from closing around my waist. My dress rode up as I adjusted myself, pressing my pelvis against his, all the while staring into his eyes, loving how the surprise in them morphed into lust.

“Jess,” Ryan whispered. “What about your boyfriend?”

I let my hands run over his taut biceps. “There’s no boyfriend.”

His eyes bugged again. “No boyfriend?”

“Nope. There never was one.”

His shocked expression changed back to lust, propelling me. I leaned into him and brushed my lips on his. So soft, so warm. His eyes fluttered closed and he moaned. He slid one of his hands up my back and clasped my nape, holding me close. Then he crashed his mouth against mine, claiming my every breath. His soft lips moved in a sensual, almost frantic rhythm, and his tongue provoked mine, making me moan. His hand on my waist snaked to the small of my back, pressing my breasts against his chest.

Swimming in desire, I rolled my hips, increasing the friction between us. He broke the kiss and drew in a sharp breath.

I took advantage of that pause to tug his shirt up. He helped me take it off, and then his hands were around my back, looking for my dress’s zipper, while I skimmed my fingers over the tattoos on his toned pecs and abdomen. Damn, he was ripped, much more than four years ago, and I loved it. Under the tattoos on his chest, I could see the faint scars from the accident. I let my fingertips graze over the long, thin lines—a shiver rolled down Ryan’s body. I stared into his eyes, hoping he could tell I was okay with them. They were a part of him now. They made him even more special to me.

He leaned into me and his mouth found my neck. He grazed his tongue on my skin, making me shiver, while he undid my zipper. He leaned back to pull my dress over my head, and stayed there. Eager to touch him, to taste him, I bent closer, reaching for him, but he grasped my upper arms and held me back.

“Let me look at you,” Ryan said. His husky, thick voice wrapped around me, making me shiver. I was self-conscious and excited by the way his gaze skimmed my body. It was as if he was devouring every inch of me with his eyes. His fingertips traced the cup of my bra from the middle of my chest, up the strand to my shoulder. That simple, fluttering touch ignited my skin, sending waves of want to all my nerve endings, and I shivered again.

I loved the way he looked at me.

Somewhere in my hazy mind, I thanked my good sense for having chosen a matching black lace strapless bra and panties to go with my dress.

“That’s hot,” he said. The corners of his lips curled up as he reached behind me and undid the clasp of my bra. He drew in a breath as his eyes scanned my body. “Fuck, Jess, you’re so beautiful.”

Finally, he reached for me, hooking an arm around my waist and clasping one of my breasts with his free hand. He lowered his face to my chest and fitted his mouth on my other breast. His tongue lapped one nipple while he pinched the other, making me cry out. Heat rushed through my body, settling between my thighs.

Oh, he was making me crazy, but I would make him crazy too.

With some jiggling, I undid the button and zipper of his jeans and slid my hand under his boxers. He groaned, nipping at my breast. I closed my hand around his length and squeezed, moving my hand up and down.

“Oh shit,” Ryan muttered against my skin.

Before I knew what was happening, Ryan had laid me on his couch. With his eyes on mine, he slipped off his boots and jeans, and then covered me with his body. I moaned, loving how warm his skin felt, how wonderful his weight on me was. But it didn’t last. His mouth found my neck, and slowly, his lips and tongue tortured my skin from my collarbone, down my breasts and belly, to my thighs, leaving a trace of heat and desire.

He slid off my panties before parting my legs. Anticipation clutched my stomach, and I felt like I would explode before he even touched me. He lowered his face to me and I held my breath. His tongue teased my inner thigh, making me jump with each lash.

“Ryan, please,” I whispered. How could he tease me now? “Please.”

Finally, his tongue flickered over my clit. I cried, arching my back. He swirled his tongue around my sensitive spot, and his finger teased my entrance. Tension built inside me. I wouldn’t last long like this. Neither did I want to. I knotted my fingers in his hair as he sucked my clit and slid a finger inside me.

“Oh, God,” I cried.

Ryan slipped a second finger inside me and thrust them deep before curling them, hitting the perfect spot. He repeated the movement a few more times, and when he increased the pressure of his tongue on my clit, I stilled for a brief second.

“Ryan,” I cried. The ecstasy hit me hard and I trembled, completely undone.

Slowly, I came down from cloud nine. Ryan stood beside me, watching me. Desire burned in his eyes. It was unbelievable how much I enjoyed seeing him like this. Almost as undone as I was. It was delicious. Exciting.

He caught me in his arms and carried me to his bed. Without taking his heated eyes from mine, he laid me in the center of his mattress. He took off his boxers and I swallowed, admiring his ripped, hard body. I wanted to ask him to stand there for a minute so I could admire him too, but I also didn’t want to wait. I needed him. Now.

As if hearing my thoughts, Ryan didn’t waste time. He grabbed a condom from the nightstand and crawled over me. His mouth found mine, and he kissed me. His lips molded to mine, fitting perfectly. God, it was so good, I could kiss him forever.