Ryder
I took her hand and laid her down on the bed. When the backs of her knees hit the mattress, she sat. I knelt between her legs and looked up at her. Her brown eyes were wide and nervous, but there was something else there too. Want. Curiosity. The same hunger I’d seen in the hallway.
I rested my hands on her thighs. My thumbs traced slow circles over the soft skin just above her knees. “You’re safe here,” I said quietly. “This is your home now. No one’s going to hurt you. Not me. Not ever.”
She swallowed and gave a tiny nod.
I leaned in and kissed her forehead. Then her temple. Then the corner of her mouth. Soft. Reassuring. She sighed against my lips, and her hands came up to rest on my shoulders. I felt her fingers tremble.
I guided her back gently until she was lying flat on t
