Chapter 18

The water was slicking everything—my skin, his skin, the walls—making every touch feel twice as intense. He grabbed my thighs and hoisted me up, my legs locking around his waist as he pressed me harder against the slate. The stone was warm from the steam, but he was hotter.

“You’re so beautiful when you’re wet like this,” he muttered, his eyes dark and fixed on mine. His hands slid down to my backside, squeezing firmly, pulling me flush against him until I could feel every inch of his hardness through the thin fabric of his sweatpants.

I arched into him, a low moan escaping my lips as the water cascaded over us both. “Ryder, please...”

“Please what?” he challenged, his voice dropping to that dangerous growl. He leaned in, his lips brushing against mine, barely touching. “Tell me what you want, Haven. Say it.”

“Lose the sweatpants,” I breathed, my voice trembling but certain. I gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer until our chests collided. “Lose them and fuck me, Ryder. Right here.”

A low, dark chuckle vibrated in his chest—a sound that was half amused and half dangerous. “You don’t play fair, do you?”

He didn’t waste another second. His hands went to the waistband of his pants, shoving them down past his hips in one fluid motion. The fabric hit the wet tile floor with a heavy thud, leaving him completely bare beneath the downpour. Seeing him like this—muscles glistening under the water, his body imposing and powerful—made my breath hitch.

“You like what you see?” he growled, stepping back just an inch to let me take him in before he surged forward again.

“I love it,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the roar of the shower.

He didn’t give me a chance to say anything else. His hands gripped my hips and he drove upward, his body meeting mine with a force that sent a shockwave through my spine. The water was everywhere—in my hair, in my mouth, stinging my eyes—but all I could feel was him, thick and hot and filling me completely.

“God, you’re so tight,” he groaned, his head falling back as the water splashed against his chest. He began to move, his thrusts heavy and deliberate, each one pinning me harder against the slate wall. The slickness of our skin made every slide feel effortless, almost too smooth, like we were two pieces of the same body.

“Ryder—” I gasped, my head thumping against the tile. “Don’t stop.”

“I’m not stopping,” he promised, his voice a low threat against my ear. He gripped my hair, tilting my head back so the water could stream down my throat, and his pace intensified. He wasn’t being gentle anymore—every thrust was harder, more possessive, his hips slamming into mine with a rhythm that made the water spray shudder against the glass.

“You’re taking it so well,” he rasped, his teeth grazing my collarbone. “So fucking good for me.”

His hands slid from my hips to my waist, his fingers digging into my skin as he lifted me higher against the wall. I wrapped my legs tighter around him, my heels digging into the small of his back, trying to pull him even deeper. The heat from the water and the friction between us was becoming unbearable—a delicious, agonizing tension building in my gut.

“Ryder, I’m—”

“I know,” he cut me off, his voice thick and ragged. He leaned in, his mouth crashing against mine to swallow the sound, his tongue demanding and deep. He was moving faster now, his body ablur of heat and muscle as he drove into me with a ferocity that made my vision swim.

“Say it,” he commanded against my lips, his hands sliding down to grip my thighs, holding me steady as he increased the pace. “Tell me you’re mine.”

“I’m yours!” I cried out, the words torn from my throat as a wave of pleasure rolled through me. “Always yours, Ryder!”

That was all he needed. A guttural sound erupted from his chest—something primal and uninhibited—as he buried his face in my neck. His thrusts became harder, more frantic, his entire body trembling with the effort of holding back.

His grip on my thighs tightened until it was almost painful, his knuckles white against my wet skin. “You’re mine,” he groaned, the words vibrating through my entire body. “Mine.”

He delivered several more heavy, punishing thrusts, each one deeper than the last, until I felt my own release building—a sharp, electric tension that made my toes curl and my breath hitch in my throat. I arched my back, my chest pressing against his hard muscles, my nails digging into his shoulders.

“Ryder—please—”

“Take it,” he commanded, his voice breaking. “Take all of it.”

With a final, powerful surge, his body went rigid. I felt him release inside me, a flood of heat that made my knees buckle despite my legs being wrapped around him.

He stayed buried in me for a long moment, his forehead resting against mine, both of us gasping for air as the water continued to drum down our backs. His chest was heaving, his heart hammering against my own like a trapped animal.

“God, Haven,” he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. He slowly slid out of me, his body trembling as the cool air hit our wet skin. He didn’t pull away far, though—his hands stayed on my waist, holding me up against the wall as if he was afraid I’d collapse without him.

I slid down his body slowly, my legs feeling like jelly until my feet finally hit the wet tile floor. I leaned into him, my forehead resting on his chest, listening to the wild thud of his heart.

“You okay?” he asked, his hand moving to the back of my head, his fingers threading through my soaked hair.