Lila
I bit my bottom lip. My fingers fidgeted with the hem of my skirt. “Does it… hurt?”
Ryder let out a low chuckle, more breath than sound. “Not hurt. Just… insistent.”
My eyes flicked down again, lingering. Then back to his. “Because of me?”
He held my gaze. The truck was still, engine rumbling softly under us, but the world felt pinned in place. “Yeah. Because of you.”
Silence wrapped around us again. My breathing picked up. So did his.
I shifted closer on the bench seat, just an inch, but my knee brushed his. Heat shot through me at the contact. “Do you want me to… help?”
His throat worked. He searched my face with those gray eyes, wide and searching. No teasing. No games. Just him, waiting. “Lila… you don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”
“I know.” I whispered it.
