Chapter 46: RYDER

I was as nervous as I was the first time I touched her. Back then, my nervousness stemmed from the newness and, yes, the fact that I was so in awe of her that it was like a fairytale come true just to breathe her in. This time my hands shook with emotion because I never thought I'd be here again.

I know I have a long way to go and that there's so much more that needs to be done on my part, but the truth of the matter is I've never been able to keep my hands to myself when it comes to Elena, and it used to be the same for her. This was always the one place we were compatible, and I'd missed this closeness more than my next breath.

With each bit of her flesh, I revealed I held my breath, waiting for her to stop me and hoping with everything in me that she didn't. Earlier, she'd said that it was just sex, but for me, it was so much more. I needed desperately to reforge the bond between us, the bond that I'd thought was so irrevocably broken.

And when she trembled beneath my hands, I sent