Chapter 834

"Stop worrying about all this. Go spend some time with Ryan," my mom urged.

Honestly, I was itching to go see Ryan–it’d been quite a while since we’d hung out. When we sat together earlier, his palm slid over to mine under the table, warm and reassuring, instantly making my heart race.

I drove to the hotel, and outside Ryan’s room, there were even guards posted at the door. When they saw me arrive, they smiled and opened the door for me.

I walked in, and Ryan immediately got up from the couch.

“Didn’t you say you’d be busy till the afternoon?” Ryan asked, his tone carrying a hint of grievance.

I set my bag down and shot him a soft smile. “I was supposed to help out, but my mom found out you were here and told me to look after you properly.”

“Oh? So how are you planning to welcome me?” Ryan asked, his eyes smoldering with heat.

I felt my breath catch, leaned up on tiptoe, and kissed him on the cheek. “Is there a special way you want me to greet you?”

It was like Ryan had been holding back forever–he swept me up and we landed together on the couch. “Do you have what I’ve been waiting for?”

I teased, “You know, I heard there are all sorts of cameras in hotels…”

Ryan just smiled and tapped my nose, all playful. “Relax, I already checked. We’re all clear–nothing’s watching us.”

With that assurance from Ryan, I finally relaxed.

“Vic, did you realize how many guys were staring at you at the banquet?” Ryan said, sounding jealous.

“Really? I was completely caught up helping my mom make the rounds with the toasts.” I was so busy pouring drinks and making small talk for my brother that I never paid any attention to what anyone else was doing.

“I’m serious,” Ryan murmured, pressing a kiss to the corner of my lips. “I think I’ve got something wrong with me–seeing those men look at you like that, it just gets under my skin.”

“Look who’s talking,” I shot back at him, a playful pout on my face as I slipped out of his arms. “Those cousins of mine came over asking for your number. Did you give it up or not?”

Ryan looked a bit embarrassed–he really had been getting tons of attention. Sitting there, young and handsome among all the old folks, he was basically the star of the show.

A bunch of the younger girls kept finding excuses to swing by our private room just to get a glimpse of him. Some of the bolder ones–college girls, no less–straight-up flashed their phones and tried to snag his number right in front of me.

Ryan put on his most innocent face. “Obviously, I didn’t.”

I turned around, towering over him with a playful, triumphant smile.

When Ryan looked up at me, those sculpted features of his–damn, it made my heart do a double take.

People say “devil” is a word for women, but honestly, when a guy’s got that little bit of magic, he can be just as dangerously irresistible.

Ryan hadn’t been working outdoors this year, and with that, his skin was back to this creamy, almost aristocratic fairness. That slash of a scar on his forehead was like his own badge of honor–it didn’t ruin his handsome face at all. If anything, it gave him an edgy, wild vibe that made him even harder to resist.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Ryan mumbled, suddenly self-conscious under my gaze.

That’s when it hit me–I was totally crushing on him.

I leaned down, cupped his cheek in my hand, and pressed a kiss to his lips. This time, I wanted to take the initiative.

Ryan went bright red, but in the very next second, he yanked me over and flipped me onto the couch, pinning me down. “Do you know what happens when you mess with me like that?”

I got completely lost in his dark, captivating eyes. “Why don’t you show me?” I teased.

Ryan burst out laughing at my mischievous tone, then dipped down and kissed me. “Vic, you’re getting wilder by the day. I’m really starting to feel insecure here.”

“You don’t like me being a little wild?” I hooked my arms around his neck and leaned in even closer, shrinking the space between us to nothing.

Ryan pressed a gentle, indulgent kiss to my cheek. “I like you wild–but that side’s just for me, no one else gets to see.”

“Wait, you mean from now on?” I blinked at him, a little thrown by how possessive he suddenly sounded. ‘Since when did Ryan get so domineering?’

“That’s right. From now on, you’re for my eyes only,” Ryan growled, then dipped his head and seized my lips in a forceful kiss.