Chapter 17%
12:21 PM
Ryan barely had time to react before my fist landed squarely against his shoulder
“What is it Ryan?!” I snapped, my face burning
He winced, laughing as he rubbed the spot. “Okay, okay, I deserved that.”
“Damn right you did.” I shot him a glare. “This time, ril let it slide because I like your idea. But next time?” I raised my fist again for emphasis. 1 will beat you“!!
Ryan chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “Noted, Jocelyn. No more surprise kisses, unless necessary.”
I rolled my eyes, still feeling the lingering warmth on my lips.
“Anyway,” he changed the subject smoothly, picking up my wine bottle, “are you sure you can handle this?”%
I huffed. “I can handle anything.”
Ryan lifted an eyebrow. “We’ll see. Come on, let’s take this to the movie room.”
He led me to a nearby hallway, past a few doors, before stopping at one that looked nothing like the grand spaces in the mansion.
It was Ryan’s space.
“This used to be my playground when I was a kid,” he explained, pouring us both another glass of wine. Then it tumed into my study lab when I was a teenager. And now?%
He smirked, taking a sip. “My personal cinema.
But then Ryan swirled the wine in his glass, his lips curling into a teasing smirk. “Maybe I’ll change it to a Red Room when I’m mamed.“8
I curled up on the couch, tucking my legs beneath me after sending our kissing photo to Leo by email. “Red Room?”
His smirk deepened. “You know what that is, don’t you?“.
I frowned, clueless.
“Til show you‘
Ryan scrolled through his movie list before selecting a title The moment the screen lit up, my cheeks burned.
“Oh.” I cleared my throat, quickly looking away. “Uh… Can we just watch a horror or thriller movie instead?”)
Ryan chuckled, clearly amused by my sudden shift “Why?”
“After breaking up.” I swallowed, gripping my wine glass tightly. “Watching something like that… It just reminded me of how much Leo hurt me. And it makes me feel!!
I trailed off, inhaling sharply!
Then, in a quiet voice, I admitted, it makes me hurt.”
Ryan’s smirk faded. He set his glass down, leaning slightly closer.!
“Jocelyn, you don’t have to hurt anymore,” he said. “If you want, we can give him a revenge bigger than just a kiss.”
Before I could respond, before I could even process what he meant, Ryan’s lips found mine again
A slow, deliberate movement, stealing the breath from my lungs.
This time, I barely had time to react. But for some reason I did not want to
I did not push him away.
Because unlike Leo’s kisses that were fierce, demanding, and overwhelming. Ryan’s was different
It was not possessive. It was a quiet claim, something different!
And when I did not stop him, Ryan took that as an answer With effortless ease, he shifted, pulling me onto his lap.X
A soft gasp escaped my lips as my knees landed on either side of him, my thighs pressing against his.
His hands roamed down my back, then lower pressing me closer
Even through the layers of fabric between us, I could feel his warmth and his growing need.
The sensation was so foreign.
to keep up
Leo had always been intense–a raging storm, crashing into me, leaving me breathless, struggling to
But Ryan?
He made me tremble with his softness!
With the way his fingers traced my spine as if committing every inch of me to memory
I shivered, my fingers tightening instinctively around his shoulders.
But then Ryan shifted. His hips pressed up, meeting the heat between my thighs.
A sharp, unexpected friction sparked through me, making me gasp.
My body reacted by pushing him away!
“You’re insane!”
Ryan blinked, dazed, his chest rising and falling heavily!
His hands slowly released me, though his gaze remained dark, heated.
Then, he chuckled X
his hair
“Sorry,” he murmured, running a hand through his hair. “The wine made me lose my mind.”
1221 PM d
Ryan only smirked, unbothered. “I accept that.”
Then, more seriously, he promised, voice steady, “I apologize. Next time, I won’t rush you, Jocelyn. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
Something in my chest tightened. The sincerity in his words, it was real
Ryan started to shift, ready to get up, but before I could stop myself, my hand shot out, grabbing his sleeve.l
“Let’s just watch our favorite kids movie,” I murmured. “And go to sleep when we’re sleepy… like when we were little.”
Ryan studied me for a moment before his smirk softened into something gentler
Os choose what our favorite childhood movie will we watch today.7
I nodded, curling back onto the couch beside him as he switched the film
The tension in the air slowly faded, replaced by a quiet warmth.
And as the screen flickered to life, for the first time in a long time, I began to trust someone again. And just like that, Ryan and I started to grow closer slowly at our own pace.
Chapter 18
