Angel Kissed

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Skylar

I didn't know what I had expected, walking in behind him as we entered his apartment, but my first thought was that he definitely needed a little more color. Not that the black and white color scheme wasn't awesome. In fact, it seemed to complement the bachelor pad feel. It simply made me want to paint him something as a surprise—something to add a little explosion of life amongst all the electronic gadgets he'd acquired.

"It's not much, but it's home," Ryder said, grinning as he closed the door behind me. "I'd give you a tour, but judging by the way you're shivering, I'd say getting you out of those clothes is a greater priority."

Following behind him in silence, I didn't want to add that when he made comments like that, innocent or not, my insides heated to where I didn't feel cold at all.

It also didn't help when he flicked on the light, revealing the large king size bed in the center of his bedroom. While I wasn't the girl who just threw herself at any guy, my mind was definitely wondering what it would be like to sprawl across the top, embraced in his arms while he kissed me.

Kissing him was becoming more and more appealing as the night progressed. As much as it terrified me—the fear that he'd find me lacking or that I might have bad breath—my desire to feel his lips on mine was greater. It was the driving force behind my agreeing to come back to his place.

"Excuse the mess," he murmured, snatching a shirt and tossing it in the clothes hamper by his closet. "Clearly I wasn't anticipating having a girl over." I chuckled, loving the way the tips of his ears reddened.

"You're fine. You've seen my room and I haven't even unpacked."

"Oh yeah, I kinda kidnapped you, didn't I?"

Smiling, I cast him a sidelong glance before looking about the room, taking in every detail. "Hey, you won't hear any complaints from me. If you ask me, this has been the perfect evening."

His voice came from inside the walk-in closet. "Even with falling into the fountain? Trust me, that wasn't one of my most suave moves." Ryder's hands were filled with clean clothes when he emerged. "I'm not sure whether these will fit you, but it's better than nothing, right?"

Eyeing the t-shirt and pajama bottoms, I hugged them to me without thinking. "Should I change in here?" I asked, biting on my bottom lip. While I wasn't dripping water anymore, there was something decadent about getting naked where he slept.

"You can. Or in the bathroom. That might be better so you can use the hair dryer." He tugged gently on a strand of my damp hair. "I love the way you wore it, tonight. It's a shame I messed up all your hard work."

My mouth dried and I swallowed nervously. It was insane the way he affected me. "Then you're easily impressed." I laughed, taking a step backward. With his fingers at my elbow, he walked me through his apartment to the bathroom. "I promise not to take too long."

"Take all the time you need. I'll be out here whenever you're ready," he answered, pointing over his shoulder toward the living room.

Escaping inside, I rested against the door, needing a moment to catch my breath. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this happening to me. As cliché as it sounded, Ryder had definitely turned out to be more than the knight-in-shining-armor I'd silently dubbed him to be.

The knock at the door made me jump, my heart racing inside my chest as I squeaked in surprise. "Hey, what was that movie, again?"

"Ummm, there were two. Star Wars or Star Trek." Quickly stripping out of my clothes, I grabbed the nearest towel to wipe up the residual moisture.