by C. Morgan
He reached over and grabbed my hand in his. “Do you want to order in tonight?”
I turned my head and looked at him. I knew the rules, but after today and the last few days, I wasn’t really feeling the rules anymore. I smiled and slowly nodded. “I would like that.”
“I promise I won’t make a move on you.”
“I might not shoot you down if you do,” I teased.
He laughed. “I’m not falling for that trap.”
It wasn’t a trap. I was very much looking forward to being with him. I felt like we had a new understanding of one another. I wanted to see how that translated in bed. Would it be better? I knew it would be, which was just one of the reasons I was so anxious to have him again.
“That was a lot of fun today,” I said with my eyes half-closed. “I wish I would have known how fun a game could be. I would have gone to some of those college games.”
“I’m glad I got to be with you when you lost your first NFL game virginity.”
We both laughed at his silly joke. I could see the exhaustion on his face as well. We were both a little slaphappy. “When we get back to the hotel, take a hot bath and I’ll get dinner ordered,” he said.
“Oh, now you are speaking my language.”
“What are you in the mood for?” he asked.
I winked. “Is that a trick question?”
He waggled his finger. “Don’t forget the rules.”
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten the rules. I was only testing you.”
“You’re trying to trap me. I’m going to fall for it eventually. I’m too tired to be at my best.”
I patted his thigh. “I won’t trap you. I promise.”
He let out a long sigh. “We fly out tomorrow morning.”
“I know. I scheduled the flight.”
“I meant we fly out tomorrow and I’m sad to be leaving.”
I nodded once. “Me too. I really do love it here.”
“We’re coming back,” he said. “We’re going to come back as a couple, and we’ll be sharing a room.”
I smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that. We can have room service in the morning and eat fresh beignets with our coffee.”
“Oh, you are making me never want to leave.”
“We’ll be back.”
When we got to the hotel, I had hoped to catch a second wind. I didn’t. “I’m going to take that bath,” I told him.
“I’ll shower and be at your door in an hour with dinner.”
He left me with a sweet kiss before leaving me to go to his room. I dumped a healthy amount of bubble bath into the soaking tub and stood over it. I spaced out watching the bubbles form and pop. The smell of mint filled the room. I was hoping it would reinvigorate me.
I wanted to be with him tonight. I wanted to show him how much I appreciated his gentle hand this last week. I wanted him to know his efforts were paying off.
I stripped out of my clothes and sank into the tub. I let out a long sigh as the bubbles frothed around me. “So good,” I groaned.
The tub in my apartment was old and standard. I really wanted this tub in my place. It was a little slice of heaven. I indulged my body while reviewing the last week. Ryker had shown a side of himself I never expected to see.
Shockingly, he was boyfriend material.
Today at the game, he anticipated my every need. He got me water when he thought I was thirsty. He left in the middle of the third quarter to get me a burger. He was always watching me and giving me exactly what I needed.
Tonight, I was going to repay his thoughtfulness with a little kindness of my own. He needed to be assured that all the flirting football players in the world were not a threat to him. A little special attention would make him feel better about all of it.
After I got out of the tub, I lathered myself with lotion. I put my hair up in a clip, letting just little strands fall down around my neck. I pulled on my favorite sleepshirt and little shorts. I was hoping to give off a bedroom sexy look and not the she’s too tired to care look.
When he showed up with dinner, he looked just as tired as I did. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a black T-shirt. His hair was still damp. I went up on my toes and kissed him. “That smells good.”
“Good old-fashioned fried chicken, potato salad, and all the fixings.”
“It sounds delicious and the perfect meal after a long day.”
We settled in on the small couch, distributing chicken legs and biscuits between us. I ate like I had not eaten in a month. We both were ravenous. At one point, I looked at him with my teeth buried in a juicy chicken leg and realized I was eating like a jungle beast.
We both burst into laughter. “I’m sorry,” I said with tears of laughter streaming down my cheeks. “The veneer is off. This is me in my natural habitat. Still interested in that dating thing?”
“I absolutely am. This is one of the best dinner dates I’ve had.”
I wiped grease from my chin. “You are lying, but I promise I will be extra sexy later.”
“I’m not sure I can handle extra sexy. You are plenty sexy. You might kill me.”
“You’ll die a happy man,” I teased.
After stuffing our faces and filling our bellies, the exhaustion magnified instead of subsiding. I leaned against him while we stretched out on the couch. “I should go,” he said and kissed the top of my head.
“Stay,” I whispered.
“I can’t.”
“You can,” I insisted. “Stay.”
“What about the rules?”
I waved my hand. “I don’t care about the rules. I want you to stay with me. I want you to sleep with me.”
“Sleep or sleep?”
“All of it.”
We got up and moved to the bed. We crawled between the sheets but neither of us made a move to undress one another. Instead, I curled up close to him. “Baby?” he murmured in a sleepy voice.
“Hmm?” I answered.
“I’m going to close my eyes for a few seconds, okay?”
“Okay.”
We both ended up passing out. I told myself we would sleep for just a few minutes and then we would get to the good stuff. When I woke up, I had a kink in my neck. There was a puddle under my cheek that just happened to be rested against his chest.
I opened my eyes and saw it was daylight. I glanced over the top of his chest and looked at the alarm clock. I blinked several times to focus my eyes. “Oh shit,” I said and slapped at his chest. “Babe, we overslept.”
“Hmm,” he murmured and instinctively rubbed my back.
“Ryker, it’s after eight!”
His eyes opened. “Oh shit. I’ll call the pilot.”
“I’ll get dressed.”
I jumped out of bed and quickly threw on some clothes while furiously packing. It wasn’t like the plane could take off without us, but there were flight plans and schedules.
“The driver is downstairs waiting,” he said as he headed for the door. “I’ll pack and be back in a few.”
I nodded with my toothbrush in my mouth. I glanced in the mirror and looked like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth. I was really turning up the sexy. I rinsed and spit before pulling my hair up and slipping my shoes on. True to his word, he was back at my door in three minutes.
“That was seriously the fastest packing,” I told him.
I was still shoving stuff into my bags. When I was finished, he grabbed my suitcase and dragged it behind us as we rushed down to the lobby. “I should have set my alarm,” I said.
“We weren’t supposed to sleep all night,” he said. “I think I might have just robbed myself of a night of passion.”
“Do you have plans for tonight?” I asked him.
He smiled and shook his head. “I’ve got nothing more important than spending time with you.”
“And we won’t be breaking the rules,” I teased.
“I am going to tell that pilot to step on it.”
We both laughed. “I’
m not sure how that works, but whatever gets us home fast.”
When we got to the private airport, we were delivered another blow. I knew something was wrong when Ryker practically dragged his knuckles to where I was waiting for him. “Minor delay,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“The pilot had to take another flight because he’s due in Portland to take another flight.”
“You mean our ride left without us?”
“Technically, our ride is here, but we don’t have a driver,” he explained.
“How long?”
“Two hours.”
I flopped back down in the chair. “I guess it’s our own fault for being late.”
“I’m going to explode,” he groaned. “I want you so bad.”
I looked around the small airport. “I’m going to check the bathroom,” I said.
“Check the bathroom?” he repeated.
“Yes,” I hissed.
“Oh. Oh!”
I rushed to the bathroom and discovered it was the only bathroom in the place. It was definitely not an appropriate place. Disappointed, I returned to the small waiting room. “No. We’ll have to wait.”
He groaned and rubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “This is cruel.”
I put my hand on his thigh. “Soon. Just a few more hours.”
“I dare you to slide your hand a little higher.”
I laughed and slapped at his leg. “I have a feeling that could result in quite a mess.”
He flinched. “You are killing me.”
It was a very tense wait. The moment we were on the plane, it was a countdown to the time we hit the ground. “My place is closer,” I told him.
“What?” he said and looked at me.
“My place is closer than yours. You live out of town. It will take thirty minutes to get there. It only takes about fifteen to get to my place.”
He grinned with his eyes flashing. “You are one dirty girl. Feeling a little horny?”
“Don’t tease me. I thought these things had bedrooms in them.”
“Not this one.”
I leaned over, getting very close. “I’m wet. I need you.”
He squeezed his eyes closed. “You are going to pay for that,” he said through clenched teeth.
“How?” I whispered. “What are you going to do to me?”
I couldn’t resist teasing him. It was arousing to watch the desire build. It heightened my own arousal. He pulled me into his lap with one hand on my thigh and his other cupping the back of my neck. “I’m going to tease you. I’m going to leave you hanging on the edge. I am not going to fuck you until you’re begging me.”
I shuddered against him. “I can’t wait.”
I got up and settled in my own seat with my nails digging into the armrests. The tension was tight in my belly. When we started the descent, we were both on the edge of our seats.
“I’ll get the bags, you get in the car,” he said.
“Got it. My place?”
“I don’t care if it’s at Motel Six,” he said.
It took him less than a minute to get the bags in the car. He gave the driver my address and we were off. His phone rang, but it wasn’t the normal ringtone. “What’s that?” I asked.
“My mom.”
“You have to answer.”
He sighed. “I know. Twelve minutes. She’s got twelve minutes.”
I listened to the very brief conversation. “Dammit,” he muttered.
“What’s wrong?”
“She demands I go to her house for dinner. When she demands, there is no way out of it.”
“When?”
“I’ve got an hour to get there.”
“Will you come over after you’re done?” I asked.
“I will.”
“I’ll just be at my place showering and getting ready,” I said.
“You’re a cruel woman.”
My phone rang. I checked the screen and saw it was Naya. “Hello?”
“I need you to come to Ryan’s parents’ house for dinner.”
“What?” I asked.
“You heard me,” she said. “I need you there.”
“Okay, I’ll be there.”
“What was that about?” he asked.
“That was Naya. She wants me at your parents’ house as well. What do you think is going on?”
He shook his head. “I think someone is fucking with us. This is what happens when you make rules. We should have just done it. Now we are being punished.”
I let out a long sigh and clenched my thighs together desperately. “I think you’re right.”
Chapter 36
Ryker
The driver stopped at her place first. She ran upstairs to grab a change of clothes and then we were going to my place to get ready. If my mother only knew what she was doing to me.
She was royally screwing up my plan. I could have gone to her house for dinner tomorrow. Why tonight?
“You can use that bedroom and bathroom I showed you on your first visit,” I told her.
“We could shower together,” she suggested with a coy smile.
“And then we would never get out of here,” I said.
She let out a long sigh. “You’re right. How long do you think this dinner will last?”
“I will get us out of there as fast as humanly possible.”
We went to our separate bathrooms and got ready in record time. I was going to enjoy showing up with her. The looks on their faces were going to be good. I had a feeling I knew what the reason for the big dinner was.
“I’m ready,” Trinity said as she walked into the living room buckling a belt around her waist. She was wearing a pretty black dress with a flowing skirt that fell just below her knees.
“You look so pretty,” I told her before grabbing her and giving her a quick kiss.
“I can’t believe I’m going to your parents’ house. With you. Isn’t that going to be weird?”
“We’re dating. It’s not that weird. You know them. You know Naya. It will be fine. We knew these moments were going to be a thing when we first started all of this, remember? It was one of your hesitations.”
“Yes, I know.”
“We better get going.”
We took my car and managed to get to the house about fifteen minutes later than my mother dictated. Ryan and Naya showed up right after we did. I didn’t miss the big, goofy grin on his face. My suspicions were confirmed, but I kept them to myself.
“This is a surprise,” Ryan said, looking at Trinity.
“Naya called her,” I answered.
The women were already walking into the house. My mother appeared in the hallway. “Everyone come into the living room.”
We walked in to find my father there drinking his customary glass of scotch and reading the paper.
“What’s going on, Mom?” I asked. “Trinity and I just got back into town. We’re both tired.”
My mother looked at Trinity and then me. “Thank you all for coming.”
“Who’s this?” my dad said as he got to his feet.
“Dad, you remember Trinity. You met her at the wedding. This is my girlfriend.”
All heads turned and all eyes were on me. My mother raised an eyebrow before smiling. Ryan slapped me on the back. “Good job,” he said with a laugh.
“Thanks, now, what was so important we had to come here right now?”
“Everyone take a seat,” Mom said.
We all sat while Ryan and Naya stayed standing. They still had the big goofy looks on their faces. “Naya and I have an announcement,” Ryan said.
“What is it?” Trinity asked.
“We’re pregnant!” Naya and Ryan shouted in unison.
Trinity screamed and jumped to her feet to hug her friend. Our mother was in hysterics. She was both crying and cheering. My father stood back with a proud look on his face. I stepped up to Ryan and clapped him on the shoulder. “Congrats.”
“Thanks.�
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“I thought you were on a one-year plan?” I teased.
“I guess I’m a bit more potent than I thought.”
We both laughed. “That’s a little too much information.”
Naya and Trinity were talking a mile a minute. It was like they spoke a foreign language. There were tears and squeals and a lot of hugging.
“Let’s have dinner,” my mom said. “I didn’t have time to cook, but I ordered from that Italian restaurant.”
“When are you due?” Trinity asked Naya.
“Eight months, give or take a day,” she answered.
“I can’t believe you are going to be a mommy,” Trinity said and wiped her eyes. “You are going to have it all.”
“What do you think, Uncle Ryker?” Ryan asked as we made our way to the dining room.
“I think I’m looking forward to spoiling the little tyke.”
“What’s the deal with that?” he whispered.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
He glanced over his shoulder. Naya and Trinity were still babbling about everything baby. “I’m glad you finally did it. Took you long enough.”
“It had to be the perfect timing, which by the way, your timing sucks. We were on our way to her place when Mom called. You couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?”
“Weren’t you guys just together for the last several days?” he questioned.
“Yes, but there is a rule.”
“A rule?”
I looked around to make sure nobody was listening. “She only agreed to date me if we established some ground rules. No sex while working and she considers the away trips working. She was just warming up to the idea when I passed out cold.”
He laughed. “Good job.”
“I was exhausted. We woke up late, missed our flight, and had to spend two hours in the tiny-ass airport with nowhere to take care of things. Then the flight with nowhere to take her. You have no idea what kind of condition I’m in right now.”
He was clearly amused by my predicament. “Stay an hour and you have my blessing to go.”
“Gee thanks. Why should my blue balls be any concern of yours?”
“Mine are just fine,” he said with a wink before going to his wife.
“Big news,” I said to Trinity.
“It is. That was fast.”