by T. S. Joyce
Ryder looked uncertain for a moment before he buried his face against her neck. And soft as a breath, he whispered, “I love you.”
“What?” she said rearing back to look him in the eyes.
“You heard me.”
“I want to hear you again when you aren’t hiding.”
“Why?”
“Because you tease all the dang time, Ryder. I want to know without a doubt that you are being serious. I want you to look me in the eye and tell me.”
“Will you say it back?”
“I don’t know. Try me.”
Ryder let off a little growl and looked around at his crew who all seemed to be suddenly very busy with cooking dinner. He dragged his gaze back to hers, and now his eyes were blue with gold centers, practically glowing in the evening sunlight. “Lexi, I love you.”
God, those words and what they did to her. Her body warmed from the inside out, and she let off a sigh of relief as a strange weight she hadn’t realized she was carrying lifted off her shoulders. He felt the same as she did. This thing between them really was as big as she had thought.
Her eyes burning with emotion, she dared to lock on his gaze so he could see the honesty in her eyes when she said the words her heart had been feeling for a while. “I love you, too, Air Ryder.”
“Aww!” Alana said, clutching her hands in front of her chest.
“Are you crying?” Ryder asked in a judgmental tone.
“I can’t help it,” Alana murmured, her eyes glistening. “I’ve seen you be offensive and obnoxious, but rarely sweet, Ryder.”
“Our man-child is growing up,” Harper joked from where she was dousing the bowl of shrimp with spicy seasoning.
“I was gonna give y’all some of these fruity beers, but now I’m gonna drink ’em all,” he threatened.
Ryder made his way over to the grill and commandeered the tongs away from Aaron, his grin bright as he popped off to his friend. And then the banter started all over again. It was a constant and happy thing in the Bloodrunners. As Lexi watched them laughing and joking as they prepared the big family dinner, she was struck by what she’d found here.
Not only had she found the love of a great man, but he’d given her friends, too.
As if he could hear her mushy thoughts, Ryder gave her a bright grin over his shoulder, then jerked his chin, asking her to join them.
Lexi grabbed a couple fruity beers from the cooler and popped the tops for Alana and Harper. She joined them at the prep table near the grill and helped season the asparagus alongside them.
Ryder gripped her waist and kissed the back of her neck, and she leaned back against him just to feel his warmth. Just to feel that pulsating heat in her chest that always showed up when he was near.
As if he could feel her need to be close, he wrapped his arms around her chest and let his lips linger on her cheek, and she could feel it. The happy smile on his lips that she breathed for.
She’d done her research and knew what was happening between them, and it was huge for both of them.
They weren’t using the word yet, but she had no doubt that someday they would.
She was the mate of Air Ryder.
Chapter Eleven
Sprinkles growled as Sammy Scrotum passed by her princess bed in the corner. He didn’t seem to notice as he scampered across the floor with a miniature chocolate chip cookie in his mouth. He disappeared into the bathroom where Ryder talked low to him. “I wouldn’t fuck with Princess Sprinkles, Sammy. She’s tough.”
The tough pooch he was talking about was already asleep again and snoring slightly. She wasn’t the best watchdog, but that wasn’t why Lexi had fallen for her. Sprinkles had been hit by a car, and Lexi had volunteered to foster her through her rehab and physical therapy. And then she hadn’t been able to give her up when the time came.
Lexi was lying on her stomach on the bed in one of Ryder’s oversize T-shirts, her head propped on a pillow as she watched Ryder’s shadow dance across the floor near the bathroom door. “So if this isn’t your house, why are we staying the night here?”
“So when you’re screaming my name tonight, Weston doesn’t have to listen to it.” It was meant to be a joke, she knew, but Ryder’s tone was dark.
He strode out of the bathroom naked and crawled across the bed to her, pushed the hem of her sleep shirt up her back. She rolled her eyes closed and sighed as his lips touched her spine. The tickle of his facial scruff was so fucking sexy, a delicious shiver trembled up into her shoulders.
Ryder chuckled against her skin, then ran his tongue a few inches up her lower back. “I got you an anniversary present.”
Lexi looked over her shoulder to see if he was teasing, but nope, he was pulling a small, purple gift bag from the floor beside the bed.
Twisting on the bed, she asked, “What is it?”
“Something you’ve always wanted.”
“Awwww.” She turned to absolute mush as she tugged the tissue paper off the top to reveal a…thong. Lexi narrowed her eyes at his big dumb grin. “Something I always wanted or something you always wanted?”
“Try it on.”
“No!” She threw the tiny strip of fabric back in the bag. “They are super uncomfortable. It’s like walking around with a wedgie all day.”
“I paid ten bucks for that wedgie, miss ma’am, and I want to see your ass cheeks hanging out to greet me.”
“Well you paid ten bucks for a damn rubber band so me thinks you got ripped off. I’d rather go commando.”
“Deal, I like commando. You’re so fucking cute when you’re feisty. Makes me just want to bite you.”
“Bite me, and I’ll bite you back.”
“Promise?” Why were his eyes bright gold now? Ryder shoved her panties up her ass crack in a make-shift thong and said, “Good ‘nuff.”
With a groan, Lexi buried her face against the pillow and tried to hide her laughter.
He swatted her ass, and Lexi flinched. It was one of those quick, stinging ones that went straight from surprise-pain to making her hormones buzz around like a beehive.
“Ryder, if you’re gonna spank me like that, you better be prepared to take me hard.”
“God, you’re the perfect woman. I like you more than I like beer. Look at my handprint!”
Arching her back, Lexi stared over her shoulder at the perfect red outline of his palm. “Do the other side and make me look like a peacock.”
Ryder slapped her other cheek and stared at her ass with an expectant grin. Lexi stood on the bed in front of the mirror and cracked up at the handprints on her cheeks, then she strutted around the bed like a proud peacock with her elbows flapping around like wings.
“No, no, you look like a chicken,” Ryder punched out between laughs. “Be more majestic.”
Lexi jumped up and bounced on her butt against the mattress, then said, “Spill it, smexyboy. Why are we in ten-ten?”
The grin dipped from his face but didn’t disappear altogether. Knees on the ground, he leaned his elbows on the bed and gave her lap a significant look. “I need incentive.”
Lexi pulled the shirt over her head and dropped it slowly to the floor, then jiggled her bare boobies for him.
“Maybe just a little more incentive,” he murmured, poking a finger at her panties.
“Ryder,” she warned.
“I met Mason, my dad, on the steps of an old magic singlewide trailer in the Boarland Mobile Park. And I lived there for a while with him and my mom while they were getting established. Good things happened to me there. My life turned around in ten-ten.”
“So you want good things to happen to you here?”
His ruddy eyebrows lowered, and he rested his chin on his forearms. Slowly he shook his head. “I don’t care about me anymore, Lex. I want good things to happen to you. All of the mates in Damon’s Mountains lived in that old trailer at some point, and it was good luck. There was something special about it. And when we saw this old cabin had the same house number—t
en-ten—it felt like a big deal. A sign maybe, I don’t know. Harper connected with this place, and so did Alana.” Ryder blew out an exhale and admitted in a whisper, “I want to keep you, Lexi.”
Heart drumming against her sternum, she murmured, “Ten-ten or no, you already have me.”
Intensity flashed through Ryder’s gold eyes as he crawled up the bed. When he locked his arms on either side of her face, the muscles in his shoulders bulged. He canted his head in a very animal-like way and raked his hungry gaze down her body, caressing her with a glance.
Gently, she ran the back of her hand down the red scruff on his face. “Next time you get me a present, I want something real. I want a piece of you.”
Ryder leaned his cheek against her palm, rolled his eyes closed as though her touch was everything, then pressed his thumb against the tripping pulse in her wrist. He brushed a kiss against her palm and said, “Name it. You can have whatever you want.”
“I want a feather,” she said softly.
His sexy lips stretched into a surprised smile, and now his pupils were small, just like his owl’s had been, the gold color blazing like fire. He was stunning. Without a word, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
She was wrecked. Wrecked for every man who could possibly come after him. Ryder was everything. He was everywhere. He was the biggest, brightest part of her life now. How fitting that his eyes were the color of sunlight. He was her sun.
Ryder’s hand slipped around the back of her neck and squeezed as he lifted, arching her head back to better drink her up. And that man worked her lips until she was breathless and wanting. Until she was sliding her hands up his ribs, pulling him closer. Until she was spreading her knees wider in a silent plea to fill her. To be a part of her because she could never be close enough to him.
The heat in her chest was back, and that used to scare her, but now she thought maybe this was how it was supposed to be. She’d found her person. Despite all the hurt and betrayal of her past, she’d found him. Maybe she was supposed to be shattered by Blake so that Ryder would have the chance to put her back together. Maybe Ryder was always meant to be the one who helped her discover the best version of herself. The one who could make her laugh until she cried, who could make her love with everything she had.
Perhaps 1010 wasn’t the only magic, as he believed. Perhaps it was also Ryder.
Ryder had come in and awakened her dormant heart, and with every touch, he had opened her further, like a flower meeting the first rays of morning sunlight.
He ran his fingertips down her ribcage, over the swell of her hip, across her thigh, and then cupped her sex. She exhaled softly when he touched her clit. Rocking her hips, she reached down and pressed his hand against her harder, showing him how slow she wanted it.
Ryder pushed his tongue past her lips as he plunged two fingers inside of her. Lexi moaned into his mouth and lost herself completely to his affection. Her mind shut down to everything but his touch. His grip in her hair as he pushed his fingers into her. His warm lips on hers. His taste. His soft groan when she gripped his thick erection.
Slowly, she ran her hand down his long shaft, then pulled him closer to the cradle between her legs. The head of his cock brushed her inner thigh, and she could feel the drop of moisture at the tip as it smeared across her skin. God, she couldn’t wait for him to empty himself inside of her.
Gently, she rolled them over until he was underneath her straddled legs. Ryder’s grin turned wicked because he knew. He knew what she was doing. Big dominant shifter, and she was taking control.
And he let her. Ryder pulled his fingers out of her and gripped her waist, lowering her down over his shaft. He was so big, so thick, she had to go slowly as he stretched her. But damn, when he was buried deep and touched her clit, sparks of pleasure shot through her.
As Lexi rocked her hips forward, she clawed her fingers on his chest, scratching him. His grip on her hips tightened, his fingers digging into her skin, but she didn’t care. She hoped it bruised. He’d been marking her since they’d met. Hickey’s, claw marks under her arms, and now this. He was a rough man who stayed gentle enough to keep pain pleasurable for her, and she loved him even more for it.
Ryder huffed a sharp noise as she rocked against him, and now his teeth were clenched like she was driving him to the edge of his control. Good.
Leaning down, she drew his nipple into her mouth, grazed her teeth against it, sucked hard and Ryder bucked into her deep. He moved her long hair to the other side of her face, probably to watch her. “Faster,” he begged in a snarly voice.
Smiling, she bit his nipple and shook her head, then slowed her thrusting, arching her back gracefully with every stroke.
Ryder lifted his knees, curling his body around her, and gripped the back of her neck hard. He pulled her to him and clamped his teeth against her throat, showing her he was in charge. He sucked hard, and she moaned, leaning her head back to give him better access.
She slid almost all the way off, leaving only the head of his cock inside of her before she slid back down again.
“Fffuck,” he said shakily. His hand was so tight on the back of her neck, so tight on her waist.
To punish his roughness, she bit his bottom lip hard. Ryder let off a feral humming sound deep in his throat, and when Lexi eased back, his face looked wild. Stunning man, so fucking sexy.
He grabbed her waist and slammed her down on his dick. So deep. Almost too deep, and Lexi gasped at the shock of it. The pressure was building between her legs, tingling with how good this tease was, but Ryder wasn’t having her games anymore. “Woman, get me off or I’m going to lose it and take you up against that wall over there,” he growled out.
Well, that actually sounded fun, but she wouldn’t last that long. Lexi bucked against him, faster, smoother, unable to keep her cries of ecstasy in her throat any longer.
Ryder was slamming into her now, meeting her blow for blow, and she was done. She screamed his name as orgasm blasted through her body, clenching his dick in quick pulses. Ryder grunted, blazing eyes locked on hers as the first shot of warmth squirted into her. Over and over, he pulsed until his juices streamed out of her. Arms locked on his chest, hair wild and flipped over to the side, boobs bobbing, Lexi twitched over and over until both of their aftershocks were finished.
In no rush to disconnect, she relaxed against his chest and sighed as he petted long strokes down her back with his fingertips. And as the warm sensation in her chest drummed against his, Ryder whispered, “I’ve never let a woman have control before.”
“I’m not just a woman,” she murmured.
“No.” There was a smile in his voice. “You’re my woman.”
Lexi let off a soft laugh and cuddled her arms between their chests. Ryder wrapped his arms around her back and held her tight.
All tucked up and safe, Lexi fell asleep to the song of Ryder’s steady heartbeat.
Chapter Twelve
Ryder’s phone dinged again, and he cursed himself for not setting it to silent before he fell asleep. It was going to wake up Lexi, and he would straight up rip the prick a new asshole if that happened.
Ding.
Lexi tensed against his chest and made a soft sleep sound. Mother fucker. Carefully, Ryder slid his arm out from under her and rushed to turn the phone to vibrate before it chirped again. He gave zero shits about whoever was texting him right now. If it was important, his crew would’ve just come over and banged on the door trailer-park style.
An unknown number flashed across the glowing screen, along with the first few words of the message. Hey Ryder, member me?
Rubbing his eyes to protect them from the bright screen, Ryder sat up on the edge of the bed and opened the message.
Hey Ryder, member me? It’s been a long time, but I’m wanting to get to know my boy now. I’m ready. I’ve missed too much.
Horror filled Ryder’s chest as he scrolled down and read the next message.
This is your dad.
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And the next.
I mean your real dad because that fuckin’ boar don’t have any of his blood in you.
And the next.
I want to see you. They prolly turned you against me, but I don’t have much time left. Give me a chance to say my apologies and make up for what I done before I leave this world.
The phone felt like a hot coal in his hand so Ryder dropped it as fast as he could. He wanted to retch. How had Robbie even found his number?
“Fuck,” Ryder murmured in shock, running his shaky hands through his hair.
The room was spinning as flashback after flashback pummeled his mind. There was so much he hadn’t told Mom about the time he’d spent alone with Robbie. So much Ryder had protected her from, and now the damn devil himself was back for what? Forgiveness.
Fuck that shit.
He couldn’t breathe. His throat was tightening, and he would suffocate alone here in the dark. Clutching at his chest, Ryder looked around the room in desperation. Where the fuck was he? This wasn’t his cabin.
“Babe?”
A hand touched his back, and Ryder flinched away.
“Ryder, what’s wrong?”
“Ten-ten,” he murmured. He was in 1010 with Lexi. That was her pretty voice full of concern. He was okay. He just needed to breathe. Breathe, breathe, breathe. She can’t see you like this. Keep her.
He blew out a shaky breath and forced his shoulders to relax. It was all for show. His insides felt like he’d just ripped the pin out of a grenade and swallowed it. Keep her.
Lexi’s hands were on him now, rubbing up his shoulders, trying to soothe him, but it wouldn’t fix the crack in his soul. The deep, dark one that he’d patched up with a single strip of duct tape so he could appear to be normal on the outside.
Fuckin’ Robbie.
Keep her.
“It was a bad dream.” His voice came out too low, too gravelly, too panicked. He cleared his throat. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
What did he want from Ryder? To fuck up the next thirty years of his life? He’d just gotten Lexi, and now Robbie was going to fuck it up. Not if you don’t let him.