Chapter 17

Serena's POV I jolted awake at the distinct sensation of being watched. There he was—Ryan—looming over my bed, his hand suspended inches from my face. "What the hell are you doing?"I hissed, clutching the thin sheet to my chest. He didn't answer. But then I really looked at him—his dilated pupils, the fine sheen of sweat glistening on his bare chest, the unmistakable bulge straining against his boxers. Recognition hit me instantly. "Shit," I muttered. "She drugged you." Evelyn's innocent "fertility tonic" suddenly made perfect sense. The old witch hadn't given up on getting her great-grandchildren after all. She'd resorted to pharmaceutical intervention. "You need to go back to the study," I said firmly, keeping the sheet between us as a barrier. "Right now, Ryan." Instead of retreating, he sank onto the edge of my bed, his weight creating a dip that rolled me slightly toward him. The proximity sent an unwelcome jolt of awareness through my body. "I can't think straight," he admitted,