Lila

We stepped out of the car, and the front door shut behind us with a quiet click. The house was silent — Delaney was at work, and the ranch hands were gone for the day. Just us. The moment my red heels clicked against the wooden floor, Ryder turned me around so fast I gasped.

His hands were already on my waist, pulling me flush against him. Then his mouth was on mine — deep, urgent, claiming. He kissed me like he’d been starving for it the entire drive home. His tongue pushed past my lips immediately, stroking mine in slow, possessive sweeps. I moaned into his mouth. The...