Alpha Ryland

Chapter 21

I'm usually good at covering up my feelings when I need to, but I couldn't help it when he was unaware. He hasn't marked me, so he can't hear my thoughts yet, thank GOD! He continues to smirk at me when his hand falls back to his chest. "You know, if you want me so bad, you just have to tell me."

I turn my head from him, "I don't want you..." I lie to him. He laughs with his eyes closed. I glance back at him and see he is laughing pretty hard. His hands reach his chest as if it is lightening up, and I start to get worried. Tears escape his eyes and I know that he is just being a laughing jerk to me. "What is so funny?" I ask him and he opens his watering eyes. He looks gorgeous.

"You!" He wipes tears away and stares at me with a huge smile on his face, "I can practically feel lust radiating off of you, and you tell me that you don't want me?" He starts laughing again and I pout.

"Alright, alright. No need to make fun." I glare at the wall, waiting for him to pull himself together. I hope he had a good wakeup call because I'm not very happy. Well, that's a lie too. I'm very happy he is awake and able to talk to me even if he is poking fun at me.

Ryland sits up and gets his head off of my lap. He puts a hand on my thigh and smiles at me, "Not making fun of you, sweetheart. Just love how you love me, even when I'm asleep." He gets closer to me and my cheeks redden. "I had a dream about you."

I let out a light chuckle and look down, "You laugh at me thinking about you, when you're doing the same thing..."

He tilts my chin back up to look at him, "Then we are even." His smile widens just a little more, "Want to know what I was dreaming of?"

I nod my head and eagerly wait to hear what his brain made me do. It's always funny to hear dreams of people doing crimes together and getting caught and do stupid things! Wait... That was our life together... Our life is like a great dream!

He stops touching my face and looks straight at me, "So, we were back in the city together and I tried to steal something for a shop. You came in and paid for me but I refused to be paid for by a stranger. Back in this dream, we just met at that shop. I stormed out and stood outside, thinking about how to get back at you. I turn around to find you, but you were gone and the shop keeper pointed across the street. I see you walking with some random dude, so I run after you. When I'm right behind you, I turn you around and you push me away. At first, I thought you were angry, but you looked like you were scared."

His face contorts into sadness, "For some reason, my anger toward you disappeared and I felt sorrowful. The man looked back at me and I saw he had a wedding band on his finger. I looked at your hands on my chest to keep me back and you had a matching set. I was furious again. I ended up fighting this guy and taking you away from him. Don't worry! It didn't have a bad ending!" He sees me getting sad from the story. Why would I ever be with someone other than him?

"I took you back to a hotel and you ended up falling in love with me and we made out. I threw you on the bed and we... Well. I showed you a good time." He smirks at me. I furrow my eyebrows, "You cheated on me with me in a dream?"

He looks shocked, "Cheated...?"

I keep on my act, "Yeah... You cheated on me with another version of me. Why would you want to do things with the dream me, but not the real me?" I pout and shrink away from him. His eyes widen and he practically throws himself at me. He starts kissing me anywhere he can get his lips on and I start laughing at him. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

He looks at me and frowns, "That's not funny, Maura!" He makes me fall onto the cushions of the couch and pins my arms down quite easily since I'm weak from laughing. "I guess I'm just going to have to reenact my dream right here, right now."

I stop laughing at look at him. He hasn't done anything to me in the past, so he wouldn't think about doing it now that his sister could come back at any moment. Though, looking at his eyes right now, he is dead serious. "Ry?"

He leans down and starts kissing my lips rather harshly. Is he mad? I let him kiss me and try to kiss back, but it doesn't feel right. I push him away and he sighs, "You want me or not?" He asks. I nod, "Of course, but you don't seem to want me back."

He shakes his head, "No, I do want you, it's just... Ugh!" He falls on top of me, his head on my chest. "I feel bad for taking advantage of you."

I let out a short laugh, "Advantage of me? You love me, don't you?"

"Forever." He says back, "It's just that I feel like I'm lying to you since I haven't marked you yet or told you my secret, yet."

"You wanna tell me now?" I ask him.

"I..." He seems hesitant.

"Are you going to break off our relationship?" I ask him, instead.

He brings his head up, "Never."

I smile at him, "Then don't worry about it. When you want to tell me, you will. As for now, let's enjoy our company~"

He stares at me for what seems like an eternity without talking. His lips start to upturn and then hugs me. I embrace him back and listen to the sound of his breathing. "I love you, Maura."

"I love you too, Ryland." I say with a smile. We sit back up on the couch and he stands up. He asks for my hand so he can take me somewhere in the house. I laugh and hand him my right hand so he can help me stand up, but he retracts his hand when my phone goes off. He makes a face and then walks over to it. We kept it out so when Jake calls us, we can pick up.

He picks it up and looks at it. I have message preview on, so he probably sees a message. I lay back on the couch and wait for him to speak up, "Have you been messaging Dylan?"

I open my eyes and stare at him, "No, why?"

He walks up to me and tells me to open my phone. I put in my thumb print and he takes back the phone. I sit, patiently, and wait for him to do what he wants to do on it. His face shifts into a confused one, then into one I don't recognize, "Maura, you have a very lovesick guy after you."

I take the phone from him to see what he is talking about. I hear him say under his breath, "It's making me sick." I look through the messages from Dylan that I tried to ignore and see that he had sent many messages to me over the weeks I have been with Ryland.

'May! It's been so long... Can we meet up?'

'Hey May. Are you still mad at me?'

'Please forgive me. I really do love you.'

'Please talk to me Maura.'

'Your parents are working today. You're home alone, I know. I'm coming over.'

'I'm here.'

'Where are you?????'

'MAY WHERE ARE YOU??'

'I'm going to find you sooner or later, just text me back!!!!!!'

'Did our relationship mean nothing to you, you cold-hearted monster??'

'I didn't mean that. I'm just mad you're not texting back.'

'I'm going to find you.'

'If I find you before you reveal yourself to me, you're going to regret it.'

'I love you.'

That was the last of the messages I got from him. The most recent was his confession of his love for me still after many months. Ryland takes my phone again and runs a hand through his hair, "I never thought I'd ever be the jealous type. I hate this guy."

I laugh at him and shake my head. "Trust me, you don't need to be jealous of him."

He looks at me and sighs, "Still..."

While he is gathering his thoughts, he types a message on my phone. Before he can show or tell me what it says, we get another ding. I'm worried that it is Dylan harassing me again, but by Ryland's face, it is not him.

"Jake texted." He looks up at me, "He said it's time."