Page 54 of Ruck Me Harder

“Almost as hot as when you took me on your bike.”

“We can do that again, anytime you want,” I offer.

Vivienne’s smile fades. Her face creases with sadness. “You can’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Make promises you don’t intend to keep.”

“What makes you think I don’t intend to keep them?”

“I’m… a lot.” She looks away.

Taking her chin between my fingers, I wait until she looks back at me. Uncertainty shines in her eyes.

I don’t think she lets people in. She keeps up a front, pretending like everything is okay, while inside she’s a mess of emotions she never lets anyone see.

“I want to keep you,” I tell her. I’ll keep telling her until she believes me. “For as long as you’ll have me.”

She swallows heavily. “You’ll change your mind.”

“I won’t.”

“Everyone else does.”

“I’m not everyone else.” I brush my fingers over her cheek. “You’re worth fighting for, putting in the hard work. You’re worth it.”

I see the moment it finally clicks for her. It’s like a bomb detonated inside her brain and she’s left at the site of the blast, debris floating around her. We can work on that. We can tackle this—together.

Her mouth crashes onto mine. Surging forward, I slide my hand into her hair and meet her lips with my own, licking into her mouth. Our teeth clack in our mutual eagerness and she laughs against my lips.

Pulling back slightly, Vivienne reaches for the hem of her sleep shirt. My hands land on her strong hips, not pressuring her either way. If she wants to get naked, I’m all for it. If she decides she’d like to end the night here, I won’t fight her on it. It’s been an emotionally charged night. I won’t hold it against her if she needs time to decompress.

She whips her T-shirt over her head, leaving her top half bare to me. My eyes roll back in my head and I think I’m drooling.

Vivienne is a solid wall of muscle and strength. Her shoulders are rock solid, her biceps toned and sleek. Her strong waist and the flare of her hips are just as attractive to me as her obvious dedication to her sport.

Her strength is sexy.

Moving my hands to cup her breasts, they’re the perfect handful. The tight buds of her nipples pebble against my calloused palms.

“I think I’m dead,” I admit quietly.

She cocks her head.

“I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

Vivienne bursts into laughter. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Only for you.” I kiss her, hard, tugging her more firmly onto my lap until there’s nothing between us except a few scraps of fabric.

She scrambles for my shirt, undoing the first few buttons before she lets out a grunt of frustration and rips the thing off me. I’m wearing a T-shirt underneath it, and as I help take it off, I’m treated to the sight of her sliding her hand into her sleep shorts.

My cock jerks in my pants, and I know she can feel it because her eyes widen before she shifts on top of me, shamelessly grinding on top of me.

Maneuvering her off me, I lay her out on the couch and reach for the waistband of her shorts. She helps me get them off, lifting her hips, and I fling the fabric away. It lands somewhere behind me. I don’t care right now. She’s fully nude, her strong, toned body on display for me.

I’m going to be good. This is about her.