“He isn’t going to sleep in here, is he?” I ask her, dreading the answer.
“No,” she answers, laughing. “I’m going to put him in the front room.” Well, thank fuck for that.
“I have something planned for us tonight,” I tell her, wrapping my hands around her tiny waist. She puts the bird into the cage and spins around, giving me her full attention.
“What are you up to?” she asks suspiciously, leaning her head on my chest.
“Can’t a man spoil his wife?” I say, kissing her on top of her head. I love having her in my arms. It feels like everything is right in the world. Like I’m right where I’m meant to be. The last two weeks, since I gave her the ring, have been like a honeymoon. Taiya and I, together every day. Making love, going out for romantic dates, getting to know each other again. It’s been the best time of my life. She is perfect. Perfect for me.
“I’m pretty sure you’ve been spoiling me for a while now,” she says, looking up at me. I push an errant curl away from her face.
“You better get used to it,” I tell her, running my fingers down her soft cheek.
“I have to admit something,” she says, looking a little sheepish.
“What’s that?”
“I moved into this building because I knew you were here, and even if I was mad at you, I wanted to be near you,” she says, rushing out the words.
I smile widely. “I knew it!”
“You did not,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“Okay, I didn’t. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. Summer said she mentioned the place to you.”
She nods. “She did, and she also mentioned that you lived here too.”
Summer failed to tell me that part. “That was a gamble,” I mutter.
“A gamble that paid off, clearly.”
“You’re right. And I’m so fucking happy with the way everything turned out. Now, I get to touch you whenever I want,” I say as my hands grip her ass.
“You have it bad, Ryan,” Taiya jokes, leaning up to kiss me on the jawline. Fuck, she’s sweet. I’m about to show her just how sweet she is when my phone rings, blasting that stupid fox song. Taiya starts laughing, and I know then that it’s her who put it there. I tickle her under her breast, before answering.
Then I head straight to Reid’s to find out what the hell is going on.
*****
Reid stands by the window in his bedroom, staring outside. He has a blank look on his face, and I know straight away something is wrong. He said nothing on the phone, just for me to come over because he needed to talk to me about something. Summer and Taiya are in the kitchen, giving Reid and me some space to talk alone. I love that the two of them understand that sometimes Reid and I just need to be there for each other. It may sound girly, or whatever, but being a twin means I’m connected to him in a way no one might ever understand. And I wouldn’t expect them to.
“What’s going on?” I ask, sitting on the edge of his bed. He picks up a piece of paper and hands it to me without saying a word. It’s a letter. From our father. I glance up at Reid and he nods his head encouragingly. I read over the letter, once, twice. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I growl, putting the paper on the bed and standing up. Reid scrubs his hand over his face, and then looks me dead in the eye.
“We need to find her,” is all he says.
I nod, smiling bitterly. “We will.”
I have a half-sister I had no idea about. And only now he wants to tell us, just spring it on us like this. In a fucking letter. Is she okay? Is she living a good life? Does she know about us? Did our mum know that he cheated on her? So many unanswered questions, and since I’m not going to go to the source to ask for answers, I’m just going to have to try and find them out for myself. Starting with her. Persephone Knox.
I put my hand on Reid’s shoulder, squeezing. “We have a baby sister, huh!”
He smirks a little. “I feel sorry for her already.”
“Tell me about it. So this is how Xander felt,” I say, and we both go quiet, lost in our own thoughts.
“What if she doesn’t want anything to do with us?” he asks suddenly, sitting down on the bed.
“We will worry about that when we get to it. First we need to find her.”
He tightens his lips. “We could have had her in our lives this whole time. Even if it was just on holidays. We would have kept an eye on her, make sure she wanted for nothing. He is such a selfish fuck.”
I nod. “I know.” What else is there to say? Our father is a dickhead; there’s really nothing new there. I have to wonder why he decided to tell us. Probably for us to come and see him to beg for her whereabouts. Maybe he needs money or something.
“How do we know he isn’t lying?” I ask. Reid stands and gets the envelope on the table. He hands it over to me, and I peep inside. Pulling out the small photo, I stare at it. It’s my father, another woman, and a little baby girl. She’s blonde, and cute. I turn the photo over, and it reads ‘Persephone’.
I swallow hard, taking in every detail on the photograph. I don’t know why it hurts, but it does. He had a whole other family. Is that why he hated us so much?
“Stay in the present, Ry,” Reid says, pulling me from my thoughts.
I go rigid. “It’s a little more complicated than that, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but we need to think about Seph now,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
I pause. “You’ve already given her a nickname?” I ask, my lips twitching.
“That name is a little long,” he pauses, “and ridiculous.”
I nod in agreement. “She needs an R name.”
He laughs. “That’s exactly it.”
“You know, I think we’re going to be amazing brothers.”
I flash him a look that says ‘well, duh.’ “So I guess we start with the internet.”
“We should ask Mia to help,” he says, surprising the shit out of me.
“What?” I ask, confused.
“She’s like the FBI. I remember when we were dating, she would hack into everything, my phone, my email, and track me down at random times.” We both laugh, and I know he’s only messing around, trying to lighten up the situation.
“Yeah, it’s funny now,” he says, clearing his throat. I laugh harder at the expression on his face.
“Come on, let’s go talk with our women,” he says, making me grin.
“Now who’s whipped?”
“Still you,” I reply.
He scoffs. “Well, yes, but now you can’t judge me for it.”
“Fine, we’ll call it even.”
“Equally pussy whipped?”
I still. “Well, yes. But you don’t admit that.” At least not out loud. Or in public.
“Pussy whipped but can’t admit it, got it,” he says, his smile letting me know he’s just being a tool.
“You worry me sometimes.”
“You love me.”
I do. “All right, let’s call in the reinforcements. Tomorrow, we start looking for Persephone.”
Chapter Seventeen
Taiya
When we get back to Ryan’s apartment, his mood has suddenly changed. He is quiet and almost zoned out. I know that he was just processing the news of his sister, so I let him have his space. I know how much Ryan values family, even though his dad is an asshole; he loves Reid with everything he has. He is so loving, always trying to take care of everyone around him. He even offered Isis a job when she mentioned looking for something to make some extra cash. Ryan is always willing to help someone else. That’s just who he is. Knowing he has a sister out there, I can’t imagine how he’s feeling. Her being a half-sister doesn’t matter to him; I know that. Ryan wants her in his life, and he’s going to make sure it happens. Almost like he did with me. I hope we’re able to locate her soon, and that she is happy and well.
I fill up the bathtub, undress and get in. The warm water feels amazing, and I let my head fall back, feeling relaxed after what tur
ned out to be a stressfully eventful evening. An hour later, I’m in my robe and walking towards the bedroom, when I hear banging. I rush into the games room, where Ryan is beating the shit out of a punching bag, barehanded.
“Ryan…”
He cuts in. “I’m not good company right now, Tay.” I think it’s just hit him. His father. His sister. I wonder if I should leave him alone, or if he needs me right now. He punches the bag a few more times, and then turns to face me.
“Go to bed,” he says, before ignoring me.
“I’ll wait for you,” I tell him, not backing down. He stops and his body goes rigid. He then turns, walking towards me.
“You don’t want to be around me right now,” he says. His knuckles are red but not split, and there is sweat tricking down his bare chest. I take a step, so we’re so close that we’re almost touching.
“Don’t push me away, Ry,” I say, putting my hand on his arm.
He stares at it for a second before replying. “I’m not pushing you away I just need−”
I cut in, “I know what you need.”
“You don’t want me to fuck you right now,” he says, turning his back on me and walking back to the centre of the room. Bristling a little at his rejection, I head back into his bedroom and take my robe off, getting under the sheets. Since it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting any action tonight, I decide to take care of it myself. I stroke my fingers over my nipples, then trailing them down over my stomach, past my belly button and…
“What are you doing?” he asks in a tone that lets me know he knows exactly what I was doing.
I pull the sheet up to my chin. “Nothing,” I lie. He rips the sheet off me, his eyes raking over my naked body.
“You sure you want me right now?” he says, his eyes still on my body.
I shiver. “Yes.”
As soon as the word leaves my mouth, he’s on me, kissing my lips roughly and tangling his hands in my hair. His body is still damp with perspiration, and I moan at the friction of his body against my nipples. He smells so good, all Ryan, cologne and sweat. He pulls his mouth away, straddling my hips without putting any weight on my body. He lifts a finger to his mouth, sucking on it before reaching his hand back and gently stroking me. I mouth the word ‘fuck’ as he slides a thick finger inside me. He’s still wearing his basketball shorts, and I need him to take them off. Now. I lift my hands up, sticking my thumbs into each side of his waistband, and slowly lower them. My gaze hungrily takes in my favourite part on a man, the sexy V that points to something I wouldn’t mind having my mouth wrapped around right now…
I look up into his eyes, darker than usual, and see him smirk. He moves off me and rolls me over onto my stomach. I hear him take off his shorts, then lean over me and kiss me on my neck. He pulls my hair aside and trails kisses down my neck, and all the way down my spine. I beg for him to give me more, but he takes his time with me, until I lose my patience. I lift myself up on my knees and push back against him, hoping he can take a damn hint. When I feel his tongue suddenly on me, I call out his name, fisting the sheets with white knuckles. His tongue leaves me, and I sigh in disappointment, until he slides into me, thrusting hard, the headboard banging with each movement.
I push back against him, loving the feel of him. He puts his hand on the back of my neck, gently holding me in place. He reaches down between us and toys with my clit, pushing me over the edge. I bite down on the pillow as I reach my peak, my thighs quaking. Ryan quickens his speed, and I know he’s now concentrating on himself, on getting him to where I’ve just been. I turn my head to look at him. When he sees my eyes on him he leans down and kisses me, long hard and wet.
“I love you,” he tells me as he finishes, slamming into me for the last time.
“Love you, too,” I mumble, feeling tired and sleepy, and so fucking relaxed and satisfied. He pulls out of me, and spoons me from behind.
“Why do you put up with me?” he asks. Ryan rarely gets moody. Unless he’s jealous, or feeling some other caveman tendency, he is generally easy going, quick to joke and playful. When he does get into a mood where he snaps at me, he usually feels bad afterwards, and is always sure to make up for it. While Reid is generally broody all the time, Ryan has a temper that hardly comes out, but when it does, people better run.
“For the sex,” I reply, earning me a playful bite on my shoulder. “Okay fine, you also bring me food all the time. That’s a really good quality in a man.”
I kiss him on the back of his hand. “Because, Ryan Knox, I always knew you were going to be mine. I’ll never love anyone how I love you, and because you have a really huge−” He cuts me off by turning my face and kissing me.
*****
After trying all different kinds of social networks and coming up with nothing, we decide to ask Summer’s dad for help. Apparently, he has all kinds of badass connections, plus since he used to be friends with Ryan’s dad, maybe he knew something about her. Anything at all. Jack Kane is a scary looking man, with tattoos and a beard. He looks like a biker, but he has kind eyes and a nice laugh.
“Now what?” I ask Ryan as we leave Jack’s house. Jack had no idea about Persephone. In fact, he seemed as shocked as we were. I take his hand as he leads me to his bike.
“Now, beautiful, you are going to teach your class and I’m going to the bar.”
I look at my watch. “Fuck.”
Ryan laughs. “Yes, we better hurry our asses.”
I pause at his bike. “How are you feeling?”
“Surprisingly optimistic, actually,” he says, tugging on a curl of hair. “I think you might have something to do with that.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“What did I do?” I ask, wrapping my arms around him.
“Well, you’re here for one,” he says, his eyes soft.
He’s so damn sweet. “Can we fit in a quickie before work?”
Ryan laughs. “Look what I’ve created. Or were you like this before we got back together?” he says, his look turning dark. Ahh, the huge elephant in the room. I haven’t told Ryan yet that I haven’t been with anyone else. It makes me look kind of pathetic, but at the same time I guess it’s a little romantic.
Who am I kidding, it’s definitely pathetic.
“Well… uhh… you see,” I ramble, feeling a little awkward.
His jaw ticks. “Let’s go,” he says, turning his back on me and putting on his helmet. I do the same, sighing and getting on behind him.
We get home and he walks me to my door. “Will you come to the bar tonight to see me?” he asks.
I nod, “Sure, I’ll be there around nine with Isis.”
“Okay,” he says leaning down to give me a quick kiss. “Look about before, I’m sorry. I have no reason to be angry, considering… fuck. I’m sorry. I love you.”
“I love you too, but, Ryan−”
He cuts me off, “You don’t have to explain.” He gives me a small smile and then walks away.
*****
Isis giggles and smooths down her dress. Pre-drinks were not a good idea. I only had one drink, but Isis decided four was a nice even number.
“Tag is going to love me in this dress,” she says, beaming.
I laugh. “Have you even seen him since that night?”
“Well, no. But the chemistry was undeniable.”
“So is that what those drinks were about? Liquid courage?” I ask, crossing the road to the bar.
She hiccups. “I guess so.” I don’t think Tag is going to be turned on if she’s sloppy drunk, so I hope she sobers up a little before trying to approach him.
“How do I look?” she asks. She’s wearing a white dress; this one strapless and peplum. With all her beautiful red hair, she kind of looks like Ariel from ‘The Little Mermaid.’
“Beautiful.”
“Thank you. You look hot too. You’re totes, a babe,” she says, nodding appreciatively as she gives me a once over. Great, drunk Isis says ‘totes.’ We wal
k to the bar’s entrance arm in arm, and instantly hear the music and laughter. The place is pretty packed tonight. I can’t help but feel a sense of pride as I walk in. Ryan has really done well for himself. Ryan, Tag and Reid are all serving customers, and I instantly know why the bar is filled with women. Reid is wearing a black T-shirt, and Ryan is wearing white. Apart from Reid’s scar and their different hairstyles, you can’t tell them apart. Tag is wearing a tight white singlet, showing off his muscles. This is like the male version of fucking Hooters. I try to tone down the jealousy, but as I look around and wonder which one of these girls Ryan has been with, I start to grind my teeth. Ryan spots me and smiles, biting his bottom lip as he sees what I’m wearing. High waisted denim shorts and a black crop top, showing about two inches of my stomach. Paired with red platform heels, I think I clean up pretty well.
“I want to run my hands over that bald head,” Isis says into my ear. I scrunch up my face at that visual, and head to the bar as I see Ryan walk towards me.
“Look at you,” he says, pulling me into his arms and kissing me. “What do you want to drink?”
“Juice for me and I think Isis needs a water,” I tell him, looking behind me at Isis who is blowing Tag a flying kiss. Get some game woman! Ryan chuckles and leads me to the stool right in front of where he was standing. He lifts me onto the chair, giving me a look so heated, I forget all about my jealousy and insecurities.
“You take my breath away,” he says so only I can hear. “I’m going to fuck you in those heels tonight.”
I blush. Ryan leads Isis to her seat and helps her up; he says something to her before getting back behind the bar. Reid and Tag both say hello, and Ryan gets us our drinks. I don’t bother trying to pay because last time Ryan made a scene over it when I told him I wanted to. He went all dramatic and told me that this bar was mine, and if I wanted cash, I could take it from the cash register. He then opened said register and asked me how much I wanted. I want to kill him all over again at the memory.
Isis looks at the bottle of water and then narrows her eyes. “Water? Really?”
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