In Ones Good Graces

•14•

I lean in, so close that I get a whiff of the minty scent coming from his breath. As I close my eyes, our foreheads touches resting against one another, both of our breaths shaking and combining into one.

"Can I?" He asks unsurely his voice low and husky. It warms my heart that he wants to make sure it's alright with me and because of that, I can't resist. Dear god I can't fight against the thoughts that are going through my head, his very smell flooding my senses...

"Yes." My voice wavers, exhilarated from the tension that we share. The two of us close the last distance between our lips and I connect with his warm welcoming lips.

We pull apart looking into ones eyes and really look into each other's soul and inhale. Unable to contain it any longer, Ryder's hold on the back of my head pulls me down into a fiery and faltering into one passionate kiss. A kiss I've never felt before, a kiss I crave to feel more, a greed that blossoms into a wanton taste. Wanting to explore every part.

My hands starts working their way around his body, feeling every crevasse, each line along his masculine physique. It doesn't take long before he rolls us over with our lips still sealed as he matches my body's form. Ryder's hands venture down my curved body, exploring every part.

We pull apart and open our eyes. We lock eyes, searching each other, and I can tell he's staring down on me with full of wonder and passion and into mines just the same. No words spoken but a story worthy communicated between the two of us. Ryder leans in and his lips touches mine and that's when everything started to surge. Only through this kiss.

traveling down to my jaw, tracing the lines of my ear and pecking my lope to my collarbone, never leaving a single spot.

His lips are so warm against my skin as they remind me of soft, little fluffy pillows. I couldn't stop my heart from pounding deeply in my chest. My blood flowing rapidly to my cheeks, making my face as red as ever. I can't control myself from wrapping my arms around his neck, lifting my whole body from the ground and in need of contact touching completely with his vigorous body.

Little whimpers of anticipation escapes my lips. Ryder works his way back to my tender, smooth lips. His lips brushing mine. Not innocently, more of a tease but hot, intense, passionate and demanding. I want to pull away before I loose myself again but I can't seem to... in this sweet moment, my senses haven been seduced and I can no longer think straight.

"Richelle." He whispers slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor them. I can only smile as my heart flutters at the sound of his voice as I clasp my hands on either side of his face whilst he continues to look down on me with a satisfied smile on his face. Never before has my name ever felt so wonderfully spoken, something I like and wanting to be repetitively heard.

Everything from the hate he had towards me forgotten and the things said and done gone with the breeze that slowly swifts passed us and now leaving in the moment as we can't shake our eyes away from one another.

Relief is written in his eyes, as he can clearly tell through my eyes that he's forgiven as a contented smile lifts all the way to his eyes and one last peck covers my lips as he pulls away from me and helps me up on my feet.

Words are not spoken between the two of us and I look down on our intertwined fingers with him giving it a comforting squeeze, that makes me look up to him again, to already find his eyes staring down on me.

"I'm truly sorry for the way I've treated you, it's surprising how forgiving you truly are. I just.... I did know." What, what does he mean by he already knew? And I think by my confused face, said it all which has him reacting immediately.

"I knew of what happened in your past. Grandie told me when you left last night, that's why I showed up this morning to find you. But I also late last night tried searching for you but couldn't find you until hours later when I passed your apartment to see your lights on, and so I left just thinking that you needed sometime alone." I could only stand dead silent, staring in eyes that held a pleading look of understanding. But what more is there to understand? I can tell he regrets and I am not one to hold grudges too long, clearly.