DON’T STOP (Lila and Darrell) novel Chapter 26

Wrecking her innocence 26

Wrecking her innocence 26

Ryder

A soft, warm brush touched my lips. It was light – barely there – but I knew instantly it was her. Lila. My eyes stayed closed for a heartbeat, letting the feeling sink in. I could have moved away. I could have pretended I was asleep. But I didn’t want to. I didn’t want this to stop.

I opened my eyes slowly. The room was dark, but the faint hallway light slipping under the door was enough to see her face – close, uncertain, beautiful. Her brown eyes were wide and searching, reflecting the dim glow. She looked nervous, but there was something else there too. Something brave.

I turned toward her fully. My hand came up and cupped her cheek. My thumb brushed slowly across her lower lip, feeling how soft and swollen it still was from earlier. Her breath hitched. Her eyes fluttered half-closed.

Then I kissed her back.

This time it was deeper. Slower. I tilted her head gently with my hand and pressed my mouth to hers, tasting her fully. Our lips moved together – soft at first, then hungry. I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth, teasing it with my tongue before releasing it with a small, wet sound. She moaned quietly. The sound vibrated against my lips and went straight to my cock.

Her hand slid to my chest. Her palm flattened over my heart, feeling it race, matching the frantic beat. I could feel her own pulse under my thumb. My arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. Our legs tangled under the sheets. The kiss grew hungrier. Our mouths opened wider. Tongues met in slow, wet strokes – sliding, swirling, tasting every inch of each other. I sucked her tongue gently, then deeper, coaxing more of those soft moans from her throat. She kissed me back with the same desperation. Her fingers curled into my hair, tugging lightly. Our breaths mixed – hot, uneven, filling the space between us.

When we finally pulled apart to breathe, our foreheads rested together. Her eyes were glassy. Her lips were red and swollen. She looked dazed. Beautiful. Mine.

I swallowed hard and stared deep into her eyes. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

She shook her head slightly. Her voice came out breathy and shaky. “Can I ask you a question?”

I nodded. “Anything.”

She hesitated. I could hear her heartbeat racing – fast and loud in the quiet room. Her brown eyes looked different now clearer, more vulnerable, like something inside her had cracked open.

“How’s the relationship between you and Delaney now?” she asked softly.

I felt my chest tighten. “Why?”

She swallowed. “The first day I came… I kinda overheard the way she called you on the phone. She seemed to be begging you to come back home. It was weird. Are you guys having any issues?”

The question hung between us.

I looked at her for a long moment. The room was still dark. The only sound was our breathing and the faint tick of the clock on the wall.

I exhaled slowly. “It’s complicated,” I said quietly. “We’re… not what we used to be. Haven’t been for a long time. But we’re still married. Still living in the same house. Still trying. I mean, after the open marriage thingy, I haven’t actually been at home. She brings different guys, and at the end of the day, I end up staying upstairs. You see, I have been staying out until you came. We decided to just act like everything is fine with our relationship when it’s not.”

She didn’t say anything right away. She just watched me. Her hand stayed on my chest, fingers tracing small circles over my heart.

“Do you love her?” she asked eventually. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

I closed my eyes for a second. The question landed heavy in the quiet room. “I… I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know how to answer that. Why are you asking me this, though?”

She swallowed again. “Just reply, please.”

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