Lost In Love | ✔️

16

~Ryder's POV~

I started waking up earlier in the morning, way before Clementine would ever be awake, to go work out on the shore. After she had told me that she'd worried when she woke and found me not sleeping beside her, I tried to wake up as early as I could to get my workout done and be back before she'd wake up, just so she wouldn't wake and find me gone again. So far it had been working fine.

This morning I finished working out and began my trek back to the house, sweat coating my skin in a thin sheen as I made my way through the trees. The part of the shore that we usually went to was far away, but it slowly led up to the back of the house if you walked for long enough to get back, which I obviously did. It took me about fifteen minutes before I finally reached the back of the house, where I began to walk around to the front to let myself inside again. As I was walking, I glanced up when I saw movement to the right out of the corner of my eye, and I froze when my eyes landed on slightly fogged glass that I could see the figure of Clementine through.

The glass was slightly fogged with condensation from the hot shower she was taking, water droplets cascading down the glass, making it even easier to see her through. For a moment I just stared at her, so completely stunned that I didn't even realize how much of a creep I was being. I then turned all the way around, heat creeping through my veins and gathering in my loins as I shut my eyes and walked away, not wanting to risk seeing her again. But it did nothing to stifle my arousal when I could still see the image of her naked body practically printed on the back of my eyelids.

She was sexy, even sexier than I had imagined, with her wide hips and thick thighs. The way that her waist curved in so delicately and her large breasts had looked as though they'd feel heavy within my palms, I couldn't get it out of my mind. Even her hair, the way it had cascaded straight down her back, the wet strands sticking to her skin, it drove me crazy.

"Fuck." I swore to myself, shaking my head as I headed up to the front door. I needed to get these thoughts under control if I wanted to be able to be around her without getting hard within the first minute of seeing her face.

I headed up the stairs and then hesitated outside of my bedroom door, waiting for a moment before I entered the room. Funnily enough, Clementine came walking out of the bathroom at the exact moment that I entered, her face looking refreshed and innocent as she glanced towards me where I stood in the doorway. Her dirty blonde hair fell down her back, still damp, and she sent me one of those beautiful smiles of hers as she dried her hair gently with the towel, just patting it a little.

"You're back." She said happily, and it was then that I knew she hadn't even noticed that I had been outside the shower while she was in there, which just made me feel like even more of a creep. The idea that I now knew what she looked like beneath those clothes when she hadn't given me the permission to....I didn't like that. Part of me wished I had not ever walked by there. "Yeah." I responded weakly, keeping my gaze on her face. I knew that if I looked anywhere below her neckline, I would not be thinking of anything but her naked.

"I wasn't expecting you to be awake already. Thought I'd have more time to get here and shower before you woke up." I confessed, watching her as she took slow strides towards me, a smile on her full, kissable lips. When she stopped before me, I could feel my body becoming more on edge, too aware of her closeness and yet it felt like she wasn't close enough.

"Is it a problem that I'm awake now?" She hummed, tilting her head back to peer up at me. I couldn't get over how small she looked before me. God, I couldn't ever get over how much I wanted her, in every way possible.

For a moment I just studied her face, taking in the brightness in her eyes and I found my own guilt creeping up my spine, weighing down my shoulders. She genuinely had no idea and that just made me feel even worse, even if me seeing her had been an accident. It was the way that she looked at me, all smiles and bright, innocent eyes that made me decide I didn't want to let her continue thinking nothing was wrong.

"No." I muttered, glancing down. In doing so, my eyes landed on the fullness of her breasts, which were practically about to pop out of the thin fabric of her cream colored crochet crop top. The straps were thin and her breasts looked as tempting as ever. My eyes moved on their own, traveling lower to take in the sight of her floral skirt, which wrapped around and tied at the left side of her waist. She looked fucking sexy, and I found myself biting on the inside of my cheek as I checked her out. "But..." I cleared my throat as I looked back up at her, meeting her gaze again. "I did see you." I said, watching as confusion washed over her face. "See me?" She echoed, clearly having no idea what I was talking about. "What do you mean?" She asked, furrowing her brows.

Clearing my throat, I lifted an arm and rubbed the back of my neck, pretending not to notice the way that her gaze lingered on my biceps and my bare chest. I liked when she looked at me this way, and I didn't want her to stop.

"When you were in the shower, I was walking by as I was coming back from my workout...." I trailed, watching as the look on her face slowly grew more embarrassed as the seconds passed, color flushing deep in her cheeks. It was clear as the seconds passed that she understood exactly what I was getting at. "Y-You saw me naked?" She stammered, looking absolutely mortified as she peered up at me.

I gave her an apologetic look, neither confirming nor denying her words, though it was rather clear that I had. "A-All of me?" She whispered, a hot blush in her face. She shifted on the balls of her feet, staring up at me as she fiddled with her slim fingertips. My mind flashed with images of her body, the way she'd looked when water was cascading over all of her curves. For fucks sake, the things I'd do to see her in that state up close, where I could touch her and look all I wanted. "Maybe." I muttered, biting on my bottom lip.

Clementine gasped and suddenly smacked me on the arm, swatting at me several more times. "You're thinking of it right now!" She exclaimed, not seeming to care or perhaps not noticing that she was touching all over my bare chest. She must've really been embarrassed. "How'd you know that?" I asked, seeing no point in denying it when it was true. Her eyes narrowed, which were now dark and showed just how flustered she was. "That look on your face!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I could tell you were thinking about it, especially when you get that perverted look." She grumbled, narrowing her gaze at me. I just gave her a weak smile, shrugging my shoulders. "It was an accident, seeing you like that. I just walked by at the exact wrong moment." I explained, but she still cringed. Clearly my words didn't make her feel any better.

"Just..." She brushed her hair behind her ear, letting out a heavy breath as she looked away from me. "Just pretend like it never happened. Forget it, you know?" She said, causing me to frown. "I don't think I could forget that even if I tried, Clementine." I admitted, which just earned me a frown. The two of us were silent for a moment as she looked at me, biting the inside of her cheek. "Why not?" She asked.

"Because," I said, hesitating at first. "You know I'm attracted to you. Would you be able to just forget if you saw me naked?" I asked, and her face immediately turned ten shades brighter. Perhaps she was picturing it.

I waited patiently for her answer, but she just slipped past and hurried out without saying a word. Somehow I knew exactly what that really meant.