Page 63 of Head Over Heels

He laughed. “I’d never.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Sophie?”

“Yes.”

“I—” He stopped and got a look in his eye that made all the air in her lungs stall. Jaw hardening, he raised his hand and worked the collar of her dress to the side before slowly lowering his head to her neck.

“What are you doing?” Her tone was far too uneven.

In answer he brushed his lips along the curve between her shoulder and throat, a soft, gentle caress. She closed her eyes, letting the sensation flutter over her.

Then he bit her. Not a nip, not a playful tug, but a bite. She gasped as his teeth sank into her flesh, hard enough to leave a mark. Her knees literally went weak.

She might have an orgasm right here.

He wrapped his hand around her waist to steady her, then released her skin and licked over the spot that stung before pulling her dress back in place. Like it was the most normal thing in the world to sink his teeth into her before she left the house.

He stood back, a satisfied expression on his face. “There. I feel better now.”

“Oh my God, did you just try and mark me?” Her tone filled with exasperation despite the bone-deep thrill he’d given her.

He grinned. “Yeah. Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

It might be the hottest thing anyone had ever done to her, but she couldn’t let it pass without making a remark. She raised a brow. “Do you want to pee on me later?”

He laughed. “Would you let me?”

She slapped him. “That’s gross.”

“Biting you is way more effective.”

She rolled her eyes and shrugged as though it wasn’t true, even though they both knew the truth.

“Have a good day, darlin’.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’ll see you soon.”

And with that, he was gone, and she could only stare after him in amazement.

* * *

The morning passed in a blur, filled with paperwork, building tours, and meeting far too many people to count. Sophie barely had time to think, let alone obsess over Ryder. Although every time she thought of him, the spot on her neck tingled and her belly heated.

Thus proving how effective his strategies really were.

But she’d think about that later.

Right now, she had to concentrate on the plans and ideas she wanted to present to the mayor of Revival, Griffin Strong. When Sophie pictured mayors, she pictured loose-jowled old white guys with bellies.

Griffin couldn’t be any further from that picture.

Quite simply, the man was gorgeous. Tall and broad, with dark sandy hair and melting chocolate brown eyes. He was charming, charismatic, and likable, not to mention he seemed to be single-handedly dragging Revival into the modern century. From what she understood, the town had been floundering until he came along, and with him at the helm there was slow, steady improvement. People weren’t leaving, unemployment had dropped, and local businesses had improved.

Sophie had no problem seeing how he’d won the last election in a landslide.

A week ago, upon meeting him, she would have bemoaned the handsome mayor’s new marital status, claiming all the good ones were taken, but today she didn’t even give it a passing thought.

How could she with Ryder making her so crazy?