I choke on my orange juice. “Where are you going?” I manage to ask.
Fallon picks up his plate. “There’s a Tramontana I want to take a look at in town. I’ll bring something back for dinner.” He kisses the top of my head and leaves.
I put my fingertip to my mouth, biting the tip as I grin at Ryder. “I can’t believe you were a little hoodlum. You’ve always been this knight in shining armor to me.”
He counters with, “I can’t believe you want me to teach you how to hotwire a car.”
“I can’t believe I never noticed what you were up to.”
“I’m sorry if you’re disappointed in me.” Ryder leans back in his chair, chest and arm muscles stretching his shirt taut, which apparently is a cue for my hormones to go haywire as my greedy eyes devour his innate masculinity. I know I’m totally screwed if the simple act of him sitting in a chair turns me on this much.
“No, it’s not that. Honestly, if I had known what you were doing, I would have helped. Just like you had Fallon’s back, I would have had yours.” Old Elizabeth wouldn’t have condoned what they were doing, but if she couldn’t have stopped them, she would have joined them and been their lookout. At least that’s one positive quality of my old self that I can agree with.
“Like Bonnie and Clyde?”
“Without the machine guns.”
“I love you, Elizabeth.”
“I love you, too. I know I’ve said this about a million times, but I’m so happy you’re here.”
Ryder slides his chair over to mine and nibbles on my neck. “Want to get naked?”
“Hell, yes. But aren’t you tired?”
“Between sleep and my sex with my girlfriend, my girlfriend always wins.”
I melt when he says I’m his girlfriend.
“I’ve never had pool sex before. It’s heated and there’s a lazy river attached to the back,” I tell him, stripping off my hoodie and leggings and rushing off to leap in the pool before the cold outside air penetrates my naked body. Ryder makes a vocal whoop and soon follows.
I’m so incredibly happy. I get to spend another ten days traveling with the man who saved me and became a friend, and the man who was my childhood best friend and became the love of my life.
Chapter 13
Back to New York City
“Hoops! Mr. Fallon! Y’all came back!” Devon yells across the basketball court and rushes over to me and Fallon, the gap between his front teeth on full display with his wide grin.
We had to stop twice to refuel on our way back from Sydney, and if the jet didn’t have a private bedroom with a large bed, I think I would be comatose right now. Ryder and I slept most of the way back to the States. Well, that’s not entirely true. We joined the mile-high club too. With the gap-stops for fuel, it took us over a day and a half to get to New York. Seeing Devon’s happy face makes the long journey worth it.
“Told you we would be back,” Fallon says as Devon plasters himself to my side and Fallon high-fives Trevaughn and Seamus. I look around for Butch but he’s not out here.
“Who’s that?” Devon asks, eyeing up Ryder who is standing next to me.
I wrap my arm around Ryder’s waist. “This is my boyfriend, Ryder. Ryder, this is Devon, Trevaughn, and Seamus—the best unsigned basketball players in New York.” I wink.
“Hey, man,” Ryder fist bumps each boy. “Nice to meet you guys.”
Devon scans Ryder skeptically. He crooks his hand at Fallon, motioning for him to bend down so he can whisper, “You okay with him being with your girl?”
I bite my lip to hold in my laughter.
Fallon mock-whispers back, “Yeah. She was his girl first. He’s cool.”
Devon nods his head as if what Fallon said made perfect sense. “Cool.”
“Want to shoot some hoops with us?” Seamus asks.
Fallon looks around. “Where’s my other teammate?”
Trevaughn is bouncing the ball in front of him between his hands while looking around and not at the ball—a skill I have yet to master. “He and his mom split a few days ago. Said his aunt in Illinois was taking them in for a while.”
When we arrived at the women’s center, Mrs. Berkeley was surprised to see us again. She proceeded to gush all over Fallon. I would too if he had given my organization three million dollars. I saw a couple of the women I had spoken to before and introduced Ryder to them. Mrs. Berkeley showed us some of the things they had gotten for the center using Fallon’s donation. I was happy to see the new books they purchased for the reading nook and the re-modeled family art room. They took the open space they were already using for arts and crafts and added more tables, chairs, and a huge wall-length bookcase filled with art supplies. Mrs. Berkeley also said that new beds and mattresses had been ordered and would come in after the holidays. Wanting to see the boys before we left, Fallon and I knew exactly where they would be, so we made our way out to the center courtyard.
“Ryder can take Butch’s place on Fallon’s team,” I tell the boys. I place a quick kiss on Ryder’s lips and break off with Devon and Trevaughn. “Alright, what’s the game plan?”
Devon spins the ball on his finger in thought. “Is your guy any good?”
“Ryder? Yes, he is.”
“As good as you?” he asks.
I peer over and consider my boyfriend. I’ve seen Ryder play basketball before with Jayson and Julien. He’s so athletically inclined, he can pick up almost any sport with ease. Ryder’s also an adrenaline junkie, so I know he’ll try for the fancy shots and power plays during the game.
“I think I can handle him.”
“If Hoops can make a couple of three-point shots like she did last time, we’re golden,” Trevaughn says. He grabs the spinning ball from Devon’s finger and bounces it to me. I like that they call me Hoops; it’s much better than being called princess. Hoops is a show of respect, whereas princess makes me feel like I should be a damsel in distress—powerless, instead of powerful. Fallon calls me kitten, but at least kittens have claws and can bite. Why in the hell am I thinking about this now?
Seamus calls over, “Hey! Are we going to stand around all day or are we going to play?”
“Since you’re so eager, you can have possession of the ball first,” Trevaughn announces with a chest pass to Seamus. “It’s not like we need it since we’ll be whooping your asses anyway.”
“Hey baby!” I call to Ryder. “You may need to check your teammate. He likes to foul.” That earns me a cocky side-smirk from Fallon.
We get in position and Seamus is able to pass the ball to Ryder even though I’m covering him like flypaper. Sneaky man does a fake to the right and spins around me. Luckily, I’m able to recover quickly and block his shot.
“My girl has game,” Ryder says, slipping in a quick kiss as he jogs by.
Watching Ryder play basketball is a total turn-on, and I’m completely distracted. My attention has been glued to his ass and the flex of his biceps for most of the game. Currently my team is down eight-to-six because I haven’t been able to focus. One more basket from them and we lose. Devon passes me the ball, but Ryder is in my way. I dribble a few times checking to make sure no one else is near us. I turn so my back is against his front as he blocks me and I grind my derriere into his crotch as I dribble the ball.
Turning my head to the side so only Ryder can hear me, I tell him, “Virgin territory,” and give my backside a little wiggle.
Ryder stands up abruptly from his slightly bent position. “What?” he croaks, his face turning a nice shade of pink.
His hesitation is enough for me to pivot around him and set up for a three-pointer. It swishes in with ease, and Devon and Trevaughn shout in celebration.
“Thanks, babe,” I say, patting him on the chest.
“Oh, no you don’t, sweetheart. You can’t say shit like that to me and not expect a reaction.”
“All’s fair in love and basketball.”
Ryder stalks forward and I retreat back a step, a gi
ggle escaping.
“Come here, Elizabeth.”
I love seeing that heated look in his eyes that I know is all for me.
“We have a game to finish.” I giggle again and sprint over to where I can seek protection behind my teammates. I blow Ryder a kiss over Travaughn’s shoulder.
The game is down to which team can make the final basket. Odds are not in our favor since Fallon has possession of the ball. He pretends to do an overhead pass to Ryder but instead sprints away from Trevaughn. Devon blocks Fallon, arms wide, then snatches the ball in a lightning-quick move when the ball is mid-bounce. As I turn, I smack into Ryder’s hard chest, grabbing hold of his fleece jacket to steady myself.
“I should call foul.” His warm breath fans over my face, his hands trailing over my winter coat to my dip above my hips.
“In that case, you owe me about a half dozen free throw shots,” I tell him.
“Were you serious about earlier?” Ryder asks, his voice dropping to a husky murmur. I’m already hot and sweaty from running around the court, and Ryder’s question has my body temperature ratcheting up several more degrees.
“I trust my body with you.”
Ryder and I have had a lot of sex the past ten days, both of us rabidly insatiable for one another. We had a lot of sex before. Each time with him feels like the first time. Ryder could twist me in a pretzel and hang me from the ceiling, and I would trust him to take care of me, knowing the end result would be nothing but endless pleasure.
Someone calls my name, but I can’t seem to break my gaze from Ryder’s serious, amber one. Every part of him is drop-dead gorgeous. His heart is pure and kind. He’s supportive and protective without being overbearing about it. He always puts me first. How did I get so lucky? Too many emotions are flying around inside of me. Tears prick behind my eyes making them shimmer and glassy. Ryder notices and caresses my cheek in his cold hand.
“I love you so much, Ryder.”
I watch the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallows. He folds his arms around me and lifts me in his arms. It’s like we’re hugging a goose-down pillow between us because of all the winter gear we’re wearing. He holds me like that for several minutes until it dawns on me that we’re in the middle of a basketball game. I look over and see Fallon and the boys messing around with the ball at the other end of the court.
“Who won?”
Devon answers me. “They did. Mr. Fallon got in a lay-up.”
“We didn’t want to ruin your moment,” Fallon quips, and shoots the ball one-handed into the basket.
Ryder sets me down. “It means a lot that you wanted to share this with me, Elizabeth. Coming here. Wanting me to join you and Fallon for the remainder of your trip. Thank you for letting me in.”
“You were already in, Ryder. You’ve had a permanent place in my heart ever since you sat down beside me on the third-grade reading rug.”
“It’s not just that. I’ve spent the last week with you and Fal, and I’ve gotten to see why it was so important for you to have this time away from me, and from the guys. Fallon was right. If you had stayed, we would have made things worse for you. Put too much pressure on you. Jay and I would have more than likely been in daily fistfights with one another. So, thank you for letting me share in your journey. I love you, sweetheart.” He bends down and graces me with a kiss so soft and pure, my bones turn to liquid.
We’ll return home tomorrow and this magical, carefree bubble I’ve been living in will come to an end. It will be back to the real world and all the problems that await me. Am I ready? With Ryder by my side, I will be.
Chapter 14
“I’m scared.”
“We’ve got you. We will not once leave your side,” Ryder ensures me, linking our hands together. I rise up on my tiptoes and kiss his soft lips, needing that connection to help settle my quaking nerves. I look over at Fallon on my left and he takes my other hand in his.
Ryder, Fallon, and I spent the past ten days flying from Barcelona to Venice to Amsterdam, then finally to Sydney, Australia with a return stopover in New York. Venice was gorgeous, truly a city meant for lovers. Ryder and I spent a day, just the two of us, walking the floating city, riding a gondola, and sightseeing. We visited a glass-making shop and tried our hand at blowing glass. It didn’t go so well. The number of pigeons in St. Mark’s Square was astonishing. I got pooped on by one while I was waiting to climb the Basilica’s tower. Someone in line told me that it was a sign of good luck. Yeah, but no. Being shit on by anything, even a bird, is not good luck.
While in Amsterdam we walked the Red Light District because I was honestly curious to see this most infamous place. Despite having Ryder and Fallon by my side, I was propositioned by not one but three different men asking me how much for my services. Ryder and Fallon were not amused. Fallon took us to see one of the ‘naughty’ shows and laughed the entire time at my reaction, which was mostly me with my eyes closed and my hands covering my face. Luckily, I also had Ryder’s shoulder to hide my scandalized, red face in. After the show, poor Fallon went through packs of gum as he avoided all of the coffee shops that sold weed.
After leaving Amsterdam, we didn’t stay long in Sydney, only two short days. A bit exhausting because of the jet lag, but Fallon promised Ryder he would have us back home by Thanksgiving, and we were quickly running out of time. The spring weather in Sydney was hot and sunny while we were there, so we took advantage of it and spent most of our time at the beach. I was terrified of going into the water. I’ve watched shark week on television, so I know what lurks off the Australian coast. Not to mention that program I saw about Irukandji jellyfish. The waves there were also much bigger than what we get back home in North Carolina. I kept to the shoreline and enjoyed watching Ryder and Fallon battle it out on surfboards that they rented.
Every day with the two of them was filled with new and wondrous experiences, and every night, Ryder made love to me until our bodies were sweaty and our hearts sated. I’m only nineteen years old, yet my life has undergone so many drastic changes. I’m glad that Fallon metaphorically kidnapped me and made me face myself, but I can’t live under his protection any longer. It’s time for me to fight for the life I want and the people I love. That being said, I’m terrified of facing Jayson and Julien for the first time since I ran off four weeks ago.
That thought snaps me back to the present. I can’t believe I’m here on Fallen Brook Drive. My childhood home is right down the street, as are Jayson and Julien’s. I’m overwhelmed with so many memories, ones that were lost to me for over a year but are now back with full force. If I didn’t have both Ryder and Fallon holding on to me, I think I would crumble under the sheer intensity of it all.
It’s the day before Thanksgiving and we’re standing on the front porch of Ryder’s family’s home. I can perfectly picture Faith inside preparing the turkey to cook for tomorrow while Randy watches football on TV from his recliner. Brea should be in her room watching the Hallmark movie marathon she and Hailey used to love, and Jamie is more than likely knitting something to give away as a Christmas present. I know Ryder’s family almost as well as I know my own, but mine are no longer here.
“I think you should have warned them I was coming,” I say to Ryder. “I don’t want to freak anyone out.”
“They’re going to be overjoyed, baby.”
“What if they want to ask questions about that night?”
“They won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Kitten.” Fallon bumps my shoulder. “Relax.”
“Easy for you to say,” I grouse.
Okay, I can do this. I lift my hand and press the doorbell with a tentative finger. Then I wait. My heart is thudding, and I feel like all the blood has drained out of my body and is leaking out through the soles of my low-heeled pumps. I’m not used to the cold North Carolina weather after spending a couple of days in Sydney where the weather was hot and humid. I’m wearing the long coat, scarf, and gloves Fallon bought for m
e in New York, but the shaking that’s vibrating through my limbs is not from the cold. My posture straightens as the front door opens.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Faith greets Ryder cheerily before her smile drops to astonishment when she sees me. “Oh my God! Randy!” she screams, reaching forward and grabbing me in a crushing hold. “Oh, sweet girl. Oh, my precious girl,” she cries. She smells the same as I remember, like cinnamon and sugar.
Ryder’s dad rushes to the door to see why his wife is yelling. “Holy shit!” Randy booms and joins Faith in crushing the life out of me. I couldn’t care less. I’ve missed them so much. Brea and Jamie come running when they hear their dad bellow.
“Lizzie?” Brea screeches, and Jamie shouts, “Holy shit!” just like her dad did. The girls sandwich me between them and their parents as we all cry and hug. Other than being in Ryder’s arms, this is the best feeling in the world. I’m finally home.
“Mom, Dad, can we take this inside?” Ryder asks them. “It’s freezing out here.” None of his family is willing to let me go, so Ryder winds up pushing all of us through the open doorway.
My body is being tugged in different directions by eight hands, and four different voices are talking on top of one another. The cacophony of it echoes like a marching band in the small foyer. Ryder pulls me out of his family’s stranglehold and wraps his arms around my front.
“I know everyone has a lot of questions, but we’ve had a long trip and Elizabeth is tired and a bit overloaded right now, so can we all just calm down and give her a minute.”
The sudden silence that follows is startling in its contrast. Four pairs of wet eyes zero in on me and I squirm, feeling like a bug under a magnifying glass.
“Hi,” I lamely say, and they all start talking excitedly again. Oh, boy.
“Fallon, take her upstairs so I can deal with this.”
“Come on, kitten. This shit is giving me a headache.”
Thankful for the small reprieve, knowing it’s not going to last long, Fallon puts his hands on my waist and pushes me up the stairs and into Ryder’s bedroom. Once inside, I fall back on the bed with a whoosh of expelled air from my lungs. Fallon looks down at me, a gleam in his wicked blue eyes.
Broken Butterfly: Fallen Brook Series: Book 3 Page 14