Chapter 24

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UNEDITED

Ryan kept a steady hold on River's wrist. He hated every second of her protesting. On some level, he felt like she was his. Fiancé and all. The moment he saw River he was attracted and automatically drawn. Something that had never happen to him. Over time, he became protective and even possessive. If she cried, he wanted to hurt the person that made her cry. If she was smiled, he could relish in it forever. She was different and special to him. His focus was on work up until the day she came into his life. From then on, he was distracted. He could never give anything the same attention again.

He wanted to be with her, be close to her, keep her safe, and happy, but circumstances have made him distance himself. Now, he questioned his choices. Did he make a huge mistake? The want in him was saying yes. Feelings only she could bring out were swarming within him, and with every passing millisecond, they were becoming harder to control. He wanted so badly to stop fighting and give in to all his weaknesses.

Suddenly out of nowhere, heavy rain began pouring down. "Damn it." He mutters.

"Wow." River looks heavenward and tries catching the water with her free hand. " This is so great. I was wondering what was going to happen if we ran out of water. Food, we can maybe find, without water, we'd die for sure."

"Come on. We can't stay here." He pulls her along.

"Wait." She tries to pull back. "I can walk by myself."

"No." He states sternly and keeps walking.

"I'll walk in front of you." She pleads.

He doesn't respond. He pulls her along until they come across a large enough tree to umbrella them. He swings her in front of it and orders her to stay. "Don't move." He strides numerous feet away and keeps his back towards her. Where to go? What to do? How to keep her safe? More than that, how to maintain control?

"Owe." River yells out while rubbing her wrist. He didn't actually hurt her, she just wanted to mess with him.

He glances back and clamps down on his jaw. "Stop acting dramatic."

"Look!" She stretches out her arm. "It's already red."

His glare doesn't move to her hand. He simply stared at her wet features, her dripping hair, the water rolling down her neck, and glistening off of her body. He gives her a once over noticing her soggy clothes sticking to her tiny waist and full thighs. Shivers passed through his spine.

"What?" She asks innocently.

He clears his throat. "Just stay there or you'll get sick again."

She rolls her eyes. The move somehow causes her whole body to shift. She ends up stumbling herself into and resting her back on the tree trunk. "Oh please just stop." She lets out an exhausted breath. "I can't take it anymore. Stop caring about me. You just make life ten times harder on me."

"What?" He tenses up. How dare she? He felt as if he had a right to her and she was taking all his rights away.  "What the hell is the matter with you?."

"You're the matter with me." She slurs. "You're all handsome like, in your suits, with your muscles, and your fiancé by your side. While me," she points her herself. "I am pining away for you, and you know why?" A lazy smile appears on her face. "Because for the last six years, I thought I was going to marry you. And now you want to be my brother." She laughs and even adds a clap to her outburst. "Oh, my inner torment."

He was unfazed by her declaration, he kept approaching her until he reached mere inches from her body. He sets his right palm on the bark of the tree and drifted his eyes back and forth subtly on her face.

*Hiccup* She blinks. "I can't think of you as a brother you know. No suree bob. Never going to happen. So, stop scolding me and stop worrying about me." She pushes on his washboard abs and he went nowhere. Which made her giggle at the fact that she thought she had a chance of moving him.

He inches closer and his tone changed to a low hum. "I can't do that."

A serious thought crosses her mind, changing her sudden manner. She swallows. "Then, I have to leave, and never; ever, come back." She looks off into the distance with tears welling her eyes.

Still intently fixated on her, he uses the tips of his fingers to nudge her head back in his direction."You're not going anywhere." 

She blinks again. It clears up her foggy sight enough for her to see that his focus was on her mouth. Her lips trembled.  Her hands move from his chest to curling her fingers into the tree bark. "Wha... What are you doing?

As if in trance, her cups both of her cheeks and leans in. "I need to do this." He admits before pressing his mouth onto hers.

Their lips finally touch. She gasps as electricity bolted between them. The magnets that have been constantly tugging were finally able to connect. There was a buzzing sound coming from their mouths as their lips meshed together. Slow, steady, and with even pressure, he coaxed her mouth into melting into his.

Then, suddenly, he yanks his head back, and for a few moments; they were breathing in each other's breaths. Until he dropped his hands and backed away from her. Their first kiss lasted a measly four seconds, but it was intense. It had both of their stomachs in their hands and their hearts in their stomachs.

He turned his back on her again and began walking away.

She was left in disbelief, panting, a complete mush, and shocked. What just happened? Ryan just kissed her. He really just kissed her. Before having real-time to process anything, again, she blinks, and he was before her. It paralyzed her. She felt like a deer caught in headlights. Her stomach soared butterflies up her throat that she swallowed back down.

Reaching behind her back he grabs both of her wrists and pulls her arms around his neck. He then encircled her waist and takes her mouth again. With ample pressure. He was harsher and more demanding this time. He needed this. He denied himself for too long.

After minutes of just heavy breathing, he breaks the kiss, but only to gain access to other areas. Grabbing her hips he pushes her back against the tree and inserts in his head in the crook of her neck. "Do you have any idea how bad I've wanted to be able to do this to you." He whispers.
She has invaded his dreams, his thoughts and he was finally getting to feel her delicate skin under his grasp.
He presses kisses all along her neck, collar, jaw, and then back to her mouth again.  "Hmm.." He moans. He never knew something could taste so sweet, or how much he could enjoy the tasting. His hands began roaming. Her back first, then he let his hands glide over her butt and gripped onto her thighs.

"Ryan" She whimpers. She was lost. She let her hand feel the biceps she's been longing to be around her, she grips the shoulders she been longing to rest her head on, she enjoyed the hands she thought would never caress her; and she teases lips she thought would never kiss her. All the while feeling the roughness of the tree stump behind her back.

"River!... Ryan!..." An unrecognizable man's voice calls.

They both freeze, but neither move. Reality was calling them back, and with a vengeance.

"River!... Ryan!..." Reality here...come on back.

Their eyes stayed locked. It was sinking in, what they just did, but still, they couldn't pull away from each other. Then unexpectedly. "Ahh." River cries out. It was her leg. The pain was coming back.

Worry lines formed on his forehead. "You're okay." He scoops her up into his arms and began walking towards their rescuer's voices.

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