by Adele Niles
But I was happy to have him here.
We ate the rest of our dinner, chatting about much lighter subjects. Ryker told me a little about his tattoos, and we talked about movies and TV shows we both liked; we were both super into true crime. Even when we’d finished eating, we sat at the table, talking about a new crime show we were both watching.
There was something else happening, though.
Something between us.
Every time he laughed, I felt warm. The way he smiled at me, always with one corner of his mouth slightly more upturned than the other, had me imagining all the things I wanted him to do to me.
Something had to happen.
Tonight.
I reached for the bottle of wine, filling both of our glasses with the last of the wine. Ryker reached out as I was pouring his, running his fingers over my wrist.
It was like fire.
I shivered, biting my lower lip.
“So, about playing the field,” he said.
“Yeah?” I held my wine glass, smiling back at him.
“Just wondering how soon that was going to start.”
I raised one eyebrow. “I dunno, how soon do you want it?”
Chapter Twelve
Ryker
How soon do you want it?
Damn. Sydney was laying it on thick.
I didn’t mind.
Honestly, she didn’t have to try at all.
She was gorgeous, dressed casually for a night in, her hair in a bun. It was just as sexy as her work clothes, or the outfit she’d worn at the bar the other night. She laughed a lot and drank wine like a pro; by the time we’d finished the bottle, she didn’t even seem buzzed.
But she was looking at me like she was still hungry, and I was eager to give her what she wanted.
I rose, leaving my bowl and wine glass on the table. I moved around to her side of the table and offered my hand.
She took it and rose.
“So, which way to the bedroom?” I asked.
Sydney laughed. She reached up with her free arm, hooking it around my neck and pulling me down.
I met her with a kiss. That same electric feeling surged through me.
I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer.
She immediately tilted her hips against mine, rocking them slowly.
I didn’t think my dick had ever gotten hard so fast in my life.
“Sydney,” I murmured, easing back from the kiss. She tried to follow, but I pulled back from her. “Bed?”
“Bed.” She nodded slowly.
I bent down and picked her up. She gasped, her eyes brightening the way they had when I’d grabbed her wrists outside The Republic.
I hadn’t expected a girl like to her enjoy a little rough treatment, but I wasn’t about to complain.
I bumped the only closed door in the apartment open with my shoulder. Her bed was a mattress and box springs on the floor, pushed into the corner of the room; a small nightstand with a lamp sat beside it.
I just left the door open, letting the light from the hallway shine into the room.
Sydney reached up with both hands, grabbing my face. She turned my head toward her and kissed me hard. Again, her tongue pushed inside my mouth.
Demanding.
I felt my cock stir, twitching in my jeans.
God damn, she was good at this. If I hadn’t heard it from her and Kenzie, I wouldn’t have believed she was a virgin.
I put her on her feet, bending as I lowered her down next to the mattress. I wasn’t about to break this kiss, not when it was driving me so fucking wild.
She whimpered and took a half-step back, bumping into her bed. She tumbled back, gasping and breaking the kiss.
Laughing, I dropped down on the mattress beside her. “Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Clumsy, that’s all.”
I laughed again, softer this time, cupping her cheek in one hand.
She leaned in to kiss me again.
I guided her back, laying her down on the bed. We were still fully clothed, but it was okay. It might be kinda fun to take this slow, let it build until she was begging me for it.
She wrapped her arms around me, holding me close. “Please,” she mumbled.
That didn’t take long. I grinned and pushed my hands up under her shirt. She groaned quietly, back arching toward my hands.
I found the underwire of her bra and pushed it upward.
Her tits felt so good in my hands—soft and warm, and the perfect weight. I kissed her, just holding them for a moment, then shifted to grasp her nipples between my thumbs and forefingers.
She almost howled.
Had that guy ever even touched this poor girl? God, he’d really missed out.
But it meant that I got to enjoy the sounds she was making.
She let me go, pulling her shirt off over her head, then unclasping her bra and tossing it as well. I took the moment to peel off my shirt, throwing it on the floor near hers.
For a moment, we looked at each other. She was breathing heavily.
“You good?” I ran my hands slowly up her sides.
She nodded. “Good.”
“Okay.”
I lowered my head, taking one nipple in my mouth and rolling my tongue over it.
Her hands slid up into my hair, curling into fists and pulling.
My cock throbbed.
I reached one hand down between us and unzipped my jeans. Shifting so my hips were slotted perfectly against hers, I rocked slowly.
She squealed again. “Ryker!”
I needed her. I needed as much as she’d give me.
Her hands started to move down my body, over my back. Her fingers traced along my muscles, then back up. One hand rested on the back of my neck, the other pulling on my hair again.
I sucked on her nipple one more time, then moved to the other, giving it the same attention.
Sydney lifted her hips off the bed, grinding against me.
Even with two layers of denim between us, she felt hot, and I knew she could tell how hard I was.
“You feel that?” I murmured, lifting my head. “That’s all for you.”
“Please,” she mumbled.
“Be patient. You’ll get everything you want.”
I moved, lifting myself onto my knees. This gave me a little more room to work, to get her jeans unzipped and start pushing them down her legs. Her hips bucked against nothing, searching for some kind of friction.
Looking down at her was incredibly hot. Her legs were spread as far as they could go with her jeans half-off, and she was panting, looking up at me with bright eyes.
If this were any other girl, I would have pounced, pinned her down, and fucked her hard.
But Sydney deserved better than that.
I eased back, pulling her jeans down and tossing them off the bed. Her panties were soaked.
“You want this, huh?”
She nodded. “Please?”
“As much as you want, babe.”
She smiled and leaned back, lifting her hips. I hooked my fingers in her panties and pulled them down. She bit her lip, looking up at me. Her eyebrows were raised in concern.
“What?” I asked.
“I just…I’ve never had a guy look at me like this before.”
“Don’t worry, okay? You look so gorgeous.” I dropped her panties and leaned over her again, propped up on one elbow.
She smiled shyly. “Okay.”
I traced two fingers along her pussy, then pushed one inside.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her eyes drifted closed, and she started to move her hips again.
I gave my hand one slow thrust, then shifted it, moving my thumb to her clit.
Sydney gasped and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in for another kiss.
I worked her slowly, adding a second finger when it was time. She was soaked and whimpering, grinding frantically on my hand.
“You like it?” I whispered in her ear.
She nodded. “Yes, don’t stop, don’t fucking stop!”
How could I argue?
I pushed in a third finger.
Sydney’s nails dug into my back, and she let out a sharp cry. Her hips moved wildly, desperately.
Then she dropped back on the bed, shivering and panting like she’d run a marathon.
I chuckled and reached for my shirt, wiping my fingers on it. “Catch your breath. I’ll get a condom.”
“Wait.” Her voice sounded small. Nervous.
I turned back to look at her. “Hey, yeah. What’s up?”
“I don’t…I don’t know. I’ve never…”
Right. I knew what she was about to say, but I still let her say it.
“I’m a virgin.”
I nodded. “Okay, that’s all right. Do you want to talk? Wait?”
She opened her mouth, closed it, shrugged.
“You want to wait, Sydney?”
Slowly, she nodded.
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “It’s fine. No rush. You decide when you’re ready.”
She pushed herself up on one elbow, pulling a blanket over her body, which was a shame, really—I was loving the view. “You mean it? You’re not, like, pissed off or anything?”
“No. I mean, yes, I mean it. No, I’m not pissed off.” I smiled, touching her bare shoulder. “It’s all good.”
“Okay.” She nodded slowly. “Yeah, I…okay.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not mad. No hard feelings, no judgment, nothing.”
“Okay.” This time, she smiled. She leaned forward and kissed my cheek.
It was cute.
“I’m gonna get out of here,” I said, reaching for my shirt. Thank God I’d wiped my hand on the inside.
“Okay, just…be safe getting home,” she said.
“Always. I’m not drunk or anything, promise. Barely even buzzed.”
“Okay.” She rose from the bed, unsteady on her feet and wrapped in a blanket.
The sight gave me a funny kind of warmth in my chest.
No, I was imagining that.
I dressed again, and Sydney walked me to the door. I paused on my way out and smiled. “Seriously. No hard feelings. You ever want to do that again, let me know. All right?”
“All right.” She rose on her toes and kissed my cheek again. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Always. I’ll see you around, Sydney.”
“Yeah. See you.”
She closed the door behind me, and I walked to my car, sighing. She was probably going to get in her own head about this, and I had to figure out a way to let her know everything was cool between us.
An idea came to me, and as I pulled out of her driveway, I smiled.
Chapter Thirteen
Sydney
Ryker leaving as soon as we were done didn’t bother me. I knew this wasn’t serious.
And yet, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if it was serious. I could cook for him more often, and we could fool around like that as much as we wanted.
We could really have sex. A lot of it. And it would be good.
No, that was a dangerous line of thinking. I didn’t need to start on that path, not when I’d been single for less than a month.
I left a little early for work. I wanted to take a minute to stop at Bakeology, treat myself to breakfast and coffee. And I wanted a second to chat with Kenzie. I didn’t think she’d mind. She’d always done her best to be available to me, and I didn’t plan to keep her long.
And I didn’t want to tell her about the night before in texts. That would be too much, and I felt like we needed some expression and inflection for this one.
I drove down the street, slowing as I passed No Regrets. Maybe, after I talked to Kenzie, I’d have time to swing by. Ryker deserved a real thank you for last night.
Maybe we could make plans again. Maybe we could hook up again very, very soon. Tonight would work for me.
I cut my thoughts off there and shook my head. No. That was too much, too soon, and I needed to make sure I didn’t look desperate.
Even if I was desperate.
And anyway, he hadn’t left a note or his number or anything.
Maybe he didn’t want me. I mean, I did come with a lot of baggage, and he was a player.
I sighed, shaking my head. I kept driving, pulling into the lot outside Bakeology. I parked and, for a moment, just sat.
There was a chance that Kenzie would be very, very angry with me.
I guessed I had to risk it if I wanted to get her advice.
I took a deep breath and got out, locking the car door behind me. I opened the door to the bakery; Kenzie looked up and smiled as I came in.
“Sydney, hey!” she said cheerfully. “What can I get you?”
“Well…” I approached the case, humming as I looked. “Can I get a cranberry muffin and a hazelnut latte? And a few minutes of your time?”
Kenzie glanced around the shop, finally locking eyes with Lora.
Lora smiled and nodded. “Go on, I can handle it. Just come back if it gets busy.”
Kenzie smiled. “Thanks, Lora!”
She handed me a muffin and made a latte with expert speed. With that done, she hung her apron up and came around the counter to join me.
We moved to sit at the backmost table. It gave Kenzie a good view of the shop and also gave us a little privacy. I sipped my latte, enjoying the flavor. Perfect.
“So, what’s up?” Kenzie propped an elbow on the table, chin in her hand.
I hesitated, looking at my muffin. “Well, I went on a date last night.”
Her eyes lit up, and she straightened in her chair. “Really? A date? Sydney! That’s wonderful. Tell me about him? What’s his name?”
Of course, she had to ask that right off the bat.
“Well. It was Ryker.”
For a moment, Kenzie was silent.
Oh, boy. Any minute now, she’d ask me what the hell, what I was thinking, why I had to go with him.
She took a deep breath.
I braced myself.
“Wow. Um, Ryker. On a date?”
“Yeah.” I nodded slowly. “I mean, it wasn’t big. He came to my house. I cooked dinner and we drank a bottle of wine.”
“That sounds nice.” Kenzie looked at me. She opened her mouth and closed it again, then shook her head. “Did you…?”
“No. We didn’t have sex. I mean, we…we did other stuff, but didn’t go all the way, you know?”
The sigh of relief she let out was intense. She sagged forward, shaking her head. “That’s good. Thank God.”
But, I’d wanted to. And then I’d told him I was still a virgin, and he’d kinda just…stopped. And left.
Was this a bad thing? Did Kenzie think I was a bad person?
I swallowed. “I, uh, I think I scared him off.”
“What do you mean?” Kenzie was suddenly invested again, listening with her brows furrowed.
“We were, you know, messing around? It was amazing. But, it was getting pretty hot, and I told him I was a virgin, and he just stopped. Right away.”
Kenzie blinked. “He’s not the type to get scared off like that.”
“Well, something happened.” I shrugged. “And I thought about going by the shop, but I mean, if he doesn’t want to see me or whatever…”
Kenzie shook her head. “No, hey. Don’t worry about him. Tell you what. I’ll run down there later, okay? See if I can feel him out a little. I’m sure everything is fine, Sydney. Okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Will you let me know what you find out?”
“Of course.” She reached across the table, touching my hand. “I’ll let you know. Or I’ll tell him to get his shit together and not be a jerk.”
That sounded good. I laughed and squeezed her hand. “Thanks, Kenzie.”
“Don’t thank me. It’s the right t
hing to do. We gotta look out for each other, right?” She grinned and rose. “I gotta get back to work. You have a good day, okay? I’ll text you.”
“Oh, I didn’t pay for my stuff.” I reached for my purse, but Kenzie waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.” She backed toward the counter. “See you soon, Syd.”
She really did know how to brighten somebody’s day. “Thank you. Talk to you later.”
* * * * *
As soon as I came in the door to Hills & Bridges, the secretaries stopped talking.
Maggie looked up at me with a sly smile. “Well, well, well. Good morning.”
I looked at her, tilting my head. “Hey, is something up?”
She shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe you should go peek in your office and tell us?”
Oh, no.
I was already imagining the worst. Vandalism, or a water leak. Had I opened my window yesterday and made it easy for somebody to break in and steal everything?
I opened the door to my office and stopped short.
The most stunning bouquet of flowers sat on my desk, in shades of yellow and orange. It reminded me of sunshine, summer, and I leaned against the doorframe, taking it in.
There was a note tied to the vase with orange ribbon.
I didn’t need anybody to tell me—I could feel the stupid, love-sick smile on my face.
I moved closer, bending to sniff the center of a yellow rose. The sweet scent filled my senses, and for a minute, nothing was wrong with the world.
There was a note tied to the vase with orange ribbon.
I undid the bow and removed the note. The envelope was unsealed. I opened it and found a note written in handwriting I didn’t recognize.
Sydney,
Last night was fun. If you ever want somebody to come eat your cooking, let me know. I’m always game.
Ryker
At the bottom of the paper was a drawing—an illustration of a sunflower. It had been done quickly but was still beautiful. And next to that…a phone number.
Maybe I hadn’t scared him off after all.
Chapter Fourteen
Ryker
Knowing what I knew about the future of No Regrets made it easy to throw myself into work. I couldn’t help but be in a good mood. We were doing well enough to expand, and it was going to give all of us more opportunities.