16.

I thought of what me and Mum talked about in the car.

I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s why he acted like a sex addict sometimes.

Ryder didn’t just flirt, he seduced. He pulled people in, made them want him. But he never let anyone have him, not really. It was all surface-level charm, a game he played flawlessly.

And one I am failing woefully at it seems. 

I sighed, pulling my shirt over my head as I stepped into the shower. The hot water hit my skin instantly, rolling down my shoulders, loosening the tension that had been sitting in my body since the bridal shop.

I tilted my head back, letting the heat soak into my muscles, but my mind wouldn’t shut up.

Ryder.

Ryder with his cocky smirk. His rough voice. The way he had leaned in at the boutique, whispering filthy things in my ear like he owned me.

His messages. Left boob from the right? I chuckled as I touched my boobs. 

But my fingers grazing my nipples made me shiver. 

My breath hitched.

I reached for the showerhead.

The detachable one. The one with different settings.

My fingers wrapped around it as I switched the water pressure, my pulse already picking up.

I shouldn’t be thinking about him.

I should not be thinking about him.

But my body had a mind of its own.

I leaned against the cool tiles, angling the water right between my thighs towards my pussy. 

 The first contact made me gasp, my grip tightening.

I imagined it was his fingers.

I imagined him on his knees, gripping my hips, pinning me in place as he took his time ruining me. Him putting his fingers in, curving it, as his lips suck on my clit 

A soft moan slipped past my lips as I adjusted the angle, the pressure hitting me just right.

I could see him in my head.

The way he had looked at me at dinner.

The way his hand had trailed up my thigh under the table, teasing, knowing exactly what he was doing.

My legs trembled slightly as pleasure built deep inside me, my stomach tightening.

What would he do if he was here right now?

Would he press me against the glass, watching every reaction I made? Would he slip his fingers inside me, murmuring dirty things against my ear?

Would he make me beg?

I moaned again, my hips tilting into the sensation, chasing the release that was creeping up fast.

The pressure built and built, Ryder’s voice playing in my head—

“I want to touch you so badly.”

Fuck.

That did it. 

My orgasm slammed into me, my thighs clenching as I gasped, the pleasure washing over me in waves. My fingers flexed against the shower wall, my body shaking as I rode it out, water dripping down my skin.

For a few seconds, I just stood there, catching my breath.

Then reality hit.

I had just gotten off to my stepbrother.

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I shut off the water, stepping out of the shower as steam curled around me. Wrapping a towel around my body, I walked toward my phone, which was sitting on the counter.

The screen lit up with a message.

Ryder: Dream of me tonight, Evie. I know I’ll be dreaming of you.

My stomach flipped.

Holy. Fucking. Hell.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, my pulse still racing from what I’d just done in the shower. I should ignore him. Pretend I never saw it. But my body was betraying me, my skin still buzzing from the release I had given myself just minutes ago.

I clenched my jaw and started typing.

Me: Leave me alone, Ryder. Stop being a disturbing prick.

Three dots appeared instantly.

Ryder: You love it.

I groaned out loud, throwing my head back.

Me: I’m blocking you.

A second later, his reply came in.

👀

That was it. Just the damn eye emoji.

I should block him. I should. But I didn’t.

Instead, I turned off my phone, threw it on my nightstand, and collapsed onto my bed, determined to forget about him.

I wouldn’t let Ryder fucking Caldwell take up any more space in my head.

—

I dreamed of him anyway.

I dreamed of him, standing in front of me, his body hard and hot, his dark eyes filled with that lazy amusement that made my stomach tighten.

I was on my knees, my fingers gripping his thighs as I looked up at him.

His cock was thick and heavy, twitching against my lips as I teased him with my tongue, licking a slow, torturous line along the underside.

“Fuck, Evie,” he groaned, his fingers threading through my hair, pulling me closer.

I opened my mouth, taking him in, my tongue swirling over the head, tasting him.

His grip tightened as his hips jerked, his abs flexing under the dim light.

“You take me so well,” he murmured, his voice thick with approval. “So eager.”

Heat pooled between my thighs, my own body desperate for friction as I sucked him deeper, his moans fueling my own arousal.

My fingers went down to my thighs, fingers shoving inside my pussy, rubbing my clit as I sucked his dick. Taking him fully into my mouth. 

He held my head, pushing himself deeper. I gagged against it, my head bobbing against his cock. 

My fingers went to his balls. Playing with it. 

I let go of his cock from my mouth with a loud smack. 

He groaned. 

I leaned down sucking his balls as my fingers rubbed his dick. He shivered. Groaning. My eyes moved up his body to his eyes, that was rolled up half close as he started to move slowly against my hand. Pre cum leaking from his dick, I played with it rubbing faster. 

Then suddenly, I was straddling him, his hands gripping my waist as he guided me down onto his cock, stretching me inch by inch.

I gasped, my fingers digging into his shoulders.

“You’re so fucking tight,” he growled, his teeth nipping at my bottom lip as he thrust up into me.

I moaned, my head going back, his lips clasping on my nipple. 

“Oh yes Ryder. Just like that. Oh…don't stop.” I gripped his shoulder as he moved faster inside me. 

I was shaking from it, so deep I could feel it in my lower belly. 

I rode him, our bodies moving together in perfect rhythm, my moans mixing with his groans, the pleasure building higher and higher—

I woke up with a gasp.

My thighs clenched, my body burning hot as reality crashed into me.

Oh my God.

My breaths came fast, my skin damp with sweat, and between my legs—fuck. I was soaked.

I groaned, throwing an arm over my face.

What the hell was happening to me?

I should not be having wet dreams about Ryder.

I should not be waking up like this, desperate and aching, my body begging me to touch myself again.

I clenched my fists, determined to not give in. I wouldn’t touch myself to the thought of him again.

No.

Instead, I grabbed my phone and called the only person who could slap some sense into me.

“Elara.”

A deep, sleep-filled groan came from the other end. “Evie, if you weren’t my best friend, I’d murder you.”

I swallowed hard, gripping my pillow. “I had a wet dream about Ryder.”