Chapter 10

Tory

I want to feel him again—his lips on mine, his hands holding me close—but I don’t want to assume. What if I’m reading this all wrong? What if this is just him being kind, protective, doing his job?

Sure, he’s said things to me over the past two days, things that have made my heart race and my pulse stumble. The way he looks at me sometimes, like I’m the only person in the room, it feels real . Too real. And that terrifies me.

Could a man like Ranger—strong, confident, so sure of himself—really fall for someone like me? Someone who’s spent most of her life buried in textbooks and lab work, someone who struggles to say what she feels without fumbling for the right words? It doesn’t seem possible.

Men like him don’t fall for women like me. They fall for women who are bold and fearless, women who aren’t afraid to take what they want. I’m not like that. I’m careful. I think everything through, analyze it from every angle. Love isn’t supposed to just happen , right? It’s supposed to follow logic and reason, building slowly like a careful experiment.

But nothing about Ranger feels careful or logical. He’s like a storm—powerful, unpredictable, impossible to ignore. He makes me feel things I don’t know how to process, things that don’t fit into the neat boxes I’ve spent my life constructing.

And yet, here I am, hoping, wanting . Wondering if maybe—just maybe—he feels it too. Wondering if all those little moments were real, or if I’m just imagining them.

When he calls me brilliant, when he says I’m more than I think I am, it makes me believe I could be someone different. Someone who’s brave enough to take a risk. Someone who could deserve a man like him.

But is it real? Can it be real? Or am I just setting myself up to fall?

His eyes meet mine. “Tory, I…”

I don’t know what he’s going to say, but I feel it too. I nod, my hands gripping onto him like a lifeline. “Don’t let me go,” I tell him and he wraps his strong arms around me, holding me tight.

“I won’t. I’ve got you.” He leans in, capturing my lips once more with his. He deepens the kiss, and I nearly melt into him.

Is this real life?

“I need you,” he utters against my mouth. “So badly.” It’s like a prayer, a request. One he’s not sure I’ll fulfill, but for the first time in my life I’ve never felt more ready to go all the way with a man.

Wrapped in each other’s arms we finagle our way into the house, bumping into walls and laughing as we do. Until finally, Ranger lifts me into his arms and carries me into the back bedroom. He sets me down, and I suck in a deep breath.

I glance over at the bed. “I should mention I’ve never done anything like this before. There was this one guy, Chris, but we only ever really kissed, and…” I realize I’m rambling and I blink up at Ranger.

“I’m going to need his full name and social security number.”

I laugh, and give him a little nudge with my hand when I realize he’s not joking. “He was nothing compared to you,” I whisper, gazing into his eyes.

“Nobody compares to you,” he says reverently, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. His lips meet mine in the most tender kiss.

It makes my head swirl with thoughts of am I really doing this?

I am. I’m ready.

Ranger sucks in a deep breath, his eyes meeting mine after he’s broken the kiss. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

I nod, my eyes most likely displaying my eagerness. “Yes, I want this. I want you.”

He wraps a protective hand around the back of my neck, tilting my head, and capturing my lips in a brutal kiss. He swipes his tongue across my bottom lip, begging for me to open my mouth, and I do. For him, I open.

For him I’d do anything.

Together we work at removing each other’s clothes, until I’m standing before him in nothing but my white lacy-bra and panties.

“Damn,” he whispers. He inches closer, wearing nothing but black boxer-briefs, and I can see the outline of his dick through the cotton material.

It’s huge. He hooks both his thumbs into the corner of his underwear and slides them down his legs, fisting his hardening cock in one hand once he steps out of them.

I was right. The thing is a monster.

Ranger must notice my apprehension because he stalls. “I won’t hurt you.”

I nod over and over. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I’ve just never done this before, and I’m sure there’s going to be some pain, and…” I’m rambling again, and Ranger inches closer, placing both hands on my face, bringing my gaze to meet his.

“I won’t hurt you, Tory. I’m going to go slow, even if it takes all night.”

I blink. “Okay. Thank you.” I realize in this moment that Ranger is more than a protector, he’s somebody I can always trust to put my needs and feelings first.

He kisses me again, and his hand roams across my collarbone, to the strap of my bra. He flicks it off my shoulder, and reaches around to unhook my bra.

As soon as he does, he removes the bra and lets it fall to the floor. He steps back so he can get a good look at me, and I don’t feel shy like I thought I would. I think it’s because of the way he stares at me. Like I’m some prized treasure.

It makes me feel valued. It makes me feel like I could get used to a man like Ranger.