Page 34

Cadence

I cleared my throat for no other reason than to escape the intensity of Ryker’s gaze.

“You said you came here to get away.” I turned in his direction and glanced up at him from under my lashes. “From what?”

Ryker sighed. He had been doing that a lot today.

“Expectations. The sense that nothing I did would ever be enough. My father. Take your pick.”

He gripped the back of his neck before burying his hand into his hair and tugging the tie free. His snow-colored tresses flowed over his shoulders, and he shook his head to clear the errant strands that had fallen into his eyes.

“I tried to shield Riordan from the worst of it.” His entire body sagged as if he felt the weight of the realm bearing down on him. “I wasn’t always successful.”

He murmured the last part as if he were speaking to himself, and I wondered if he meant to say it out loud.

“At least here I knew he was safe.”

Ryker shrugged, brushing off the confession. Though I could still see the vulnerability that clung to him. I wanted to probe further, but it was clear he was done talking.

He gripped the back of his tunic and tore it from his body before discarding it on the damp cave floor. His hands dropped to his belt as he unfastened it with slow, deliberate movements. He slipped the leather free, and I swallowed roughly.

“What are you doing?” I asked, when I couldn’t take the tension any longer.

Ryker lifted his eyes, and I didn’t miss the spark of amusement that shone back at me.

The man was well aware of the effect he had on me.

A playful grin spread across his lips as he said, “Going for a swim.” He toed off his boots as he added, “Care to join me?”

I glanced at the pool. Its allure was stronger than ever. But the thought of stepping into its depths with him so close, looking like a god… had me fighting the urge to press my thighs together.

I couldn’t trust myself around him.

The air between us was heavy, as if we stood on the edge of something inevitable, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to cross that line.

“You promised me one day, Cadence.”

Ryker’s smooth voice caressed my exposed flesh like an old lover.

“I promised you nothing,” I retorted, distracting myself from my body’s reaction to him.

“Come on,” he urged, his tone low and tantalizing. “Give in to me, just this once.”

Ryker didn’t wait for my response. Instead, he pulled his trousers down his muscled thighs and stepped out of them before striding into the clear water. When the water reached his waist, he dipped his head under the surface, only to reemerge a moment later.

Water droplets ran down his chiseled torso, and he pushed his hands through his hair as he brushed the wet strands out of his face.

I never imagined I could envy a mere water droplet. And yet, I desperately wanted to take its place, preferably with my tongue.

Ryker quirked a brow at my obvious ogling. “Well?” he challenged.

With a deep breath, I kicked off my boots and slipped out of my dress. My hands moved to cover my breasts as the cool air of the cave left me shivering. I could feel the blazing heat of Ryker’s gaze on me, but I didn’t dare meet his eyes.

Ryker had seen me naked more than once already, and I’d stripped down to my skin before his men when I’d found the spring, but this felt different.

This time, I was choosing to bare myself to him.

Pushing aside my reservations, I discarded my panties and moved toward the water. Ryker’s heated gaze tracked me, his eyes never leaving me as I approached. When I reached the edge of the pool, I dipped a toe in to test the temperature, and to my surprise, it was warm. I lowered myself onto the edge and slid my feet in until the water kissed my knees.

Ryker waded toward me, and I could see his erect cock through the pristine water. He leaned into me and placed his forearms on either side of my thighs.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Cadence,” he whispered reverently. “When I look at you, I have to remind myself to breathe because your very presence steals the air from my lungs.”

Something tugged at my chest, but the sensation quickly faded.

“Ryker,” I murmured, at a loss for words.

Ryker gripped my hips and pulled me into the pool with him. The water was smooth as silk as it embraced me, and a slight gasp slipped between my lips as I felt the tip of Ryker’s length brush against my entrance.

Ryker swallowed the sound as he sealed his lips over mine, and I wrapped my arms around him.

The kiss wasn’t gentle, but it lacked his usual dominance. Instead, it was probing, as if he wanted to taste every inch of my mouth.

When we broke apart, he pressed his forehead against mine as he sucked in ragged breaths.

“I want to do better, Cadence.”

His words were so quiet, it was as though he was afraid to speak them aloud. Ryker pulled back and met my gaze. The intensity in his eyes caused my heart to skip a beat.

“I know I’ve made things difficult for you, and I’m not the easiest person to be around, but I never meant to hurt you.”

It wasn’t an apology, nor was it a promise to free me.

But he was trying.

“We could be good together, Cadence. I could give you the world if you’d let me.”

The question was, did I want that? I had many reasons to despise Ryker, yet something kept tugging me back to him. Unable to come up with an answer, I redirected the conversation.

“How Ryker? How can you say that when you’re marrying someone else?”

Not to mention he’d kill me without hesitation if he knew the truth, but I kept that thought to myself.

“I won’t be marrying Celeste, Cadence.”

“That’s not what you said this morning,” I countered.

“I have a plan. I’ve set things in motion to secure our future. I can’t tell you everything yet, but trust me when I say I’ll take care of you, and I’ll keep you safe.”

“How can you ask me to trust you after all you have done?”

Ryker’s gaze held mine, imploring and earnest. There was a rawness there, too. Something unguarded that had me wanting to trust him, to give in to him.

“You’re right,” he said, breaking the silence. “Let me prove it to you instead.”

His words settled over me, and I felt the weight of his sincerity.

But I would never trust Ryker. How could I after everything he’d put me through? Yet, for the very first time, I wished I could.

And that thought terrified me.

I was losing myself to him, and it enraged me that my hatred was not enough to overpower his intoxicating presence.

“All right,” I murmured.

The words escaped before I could stop them, and there was no taking them back.

Ryker squeezed my side, and the water rippled around us. He trailed his fingers over my waist, tracing a slow path to my back.

As he caressed my spine, he tucked my head beneath his chin. The action both comforted and confused me, but I felt myself sinking further into his embrace.

“I promise you, Cadence,” he whispered, “everything will be as the fates intended it.”