by KL Donn
Codie
* * *
The rush of tears that break free as my father pulls me into his arms for the first time in three years is swift. The fear from the past invades fiercely and knocks the air from my lungs as he apologizes over and over again.
“I’m so sorry, peanut. We should have done better by you. By our grandson.” His typically masculine voice is filled with sadness.
“I wish things would have gone differently,” I reply back.
“Me too, Codie. Me too.” I don’t know how long we hug and cry for, but soon, Momma is worming her way in and taking me from Dad’s arms.
“I failed you so much. I don’t know how you’ll ever forgive me, but I pray to God that one day, you’ll have room in your life for us again, Codie. Regret has burned us from the moment we let you walk out that door. Nothing has been the same since that day.”
My chin wobbles as I see the toll this has taken on her. The creases of stress and sadness. The frown lines in her forehead and cheeks. She used to smile so much.
“I wish with all of my heart that we could have these years back. I wish everything had been different than it was.” I have to stop and swallow. Reaching back for Ryder’s hand, I grip it ardently. “I wish you could have met Lucas. Seen him up close. How beautiful he was.”
“Oh, baby.” Mom pulls me back in for a tight hug and just like that, it feels like our lost years have melted in the wind.
I want the hurt to disappear. I want to move forward. And so, I vow to be the one to start. “I’d like you both to come to Charleston soon. Come visit Ryder and me. We can get to know one another again.” I look back to Ryder to make sure he’s okay with my invite. He grins and winks. Pride and love shine brightly in his eyes for me. He’s the hope and light I’ve been searching for, for so damn long. I couldn’t have asked for a better man if I’d begged and pleaded with the Lord above.
Losing my son was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life. Accepting Ryder’s love even when I pushed him away so often was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. As much as I hate it, I’m not sure I’d have one without losing the other.
Lucas gave me hope.
Ryder gave me love.
Now, I have a peace I’d never dreamed of.
Chapter 23
Codie
I’m biting my lip so hard, I’m shocked I haven’t split it. “Ryder,” I groan into his hand as he licks at my pussy from behind. This man is insatiable.
“Quiet,” he snaps at me. His frustration of the last four days is obvious.
We left my parents’ after visiting for three days and came home to his parents still at his house, so we’ve been staying at mine. Only Nix’s little sister, Lola, is in town, too, and needed a place to stay.
Wanting to be more involved with Ryder’s work family, I offered up my spare room. She arrived two days ago and will be here for at least another three.
I really like her. Lola is funny, smart, and she enjoys picking on her big brother. Which amuses me to no end after dealing with his shitty attitude for so long.
However, with all these people around, Ryder has held off on taking me the way we both desperately crave.
Hard, hot, and fast.
Tonight, he broke down when I gave him a look.
Or so he says. I don’t know what this look was.
But as soon as Nix left and Lola went to bed, he locked our door and stripped me naked. Now, his face has been buried between my legs for at least an hour, and my body is exhausted. My brain is fried, and I don’t think I could move if I tried.
Pushing his hand off my mouth, I plead, “Please, Ryder. I need you inside of me. I need to feel you rocking in and out. I need you.”
“Dove, if I can get in this sweet little cunt, I’m never leaving. Not anytime soon, anyways.” I can feel his lips as they move, and I barely hear a word he says.
“Ryder Morrison, if you don’t fuck me good and proper right this minute, you won’t see me naked for a month.” That gives him pause as his tongue freezes from tickling my nub further.
“That’s unfair,” he growls, and I can feel the vibrations through my pussy, up into my womb, and then my breasts.
“What you’re doing is unfair,” I groan as I finally feel him pull away and sit up.
With one hand on my hip and the other gripping my hair, he slowly pushes his throbbing cock into my channel, and the fit is as tight as the first time because he’s got me so worked up.
“Relax, woman.” He grunts, slowly pushing in and out. After a few minutes, he’s finally seated all the way inside me, and we both sigh with satisfaction. Pulling me up by the grip he has in my hair, he asks, “Do you know how much I love you?” His hoarse voice in my ear sends shivers racing down my spine as he gently pumps his hips up and down.
“Tell me,” I plead.
The hand on my hip releases, and I have to hold onto his thighs to stay in this position as he murmurs, “More than life. More than the sun, the moon, and the stars.” My heart beats rapidly in my chest. “My love for you is endless, Codie Ray.” He turns my head so I’m looking back and up at him. “I love you with every fiber of my being, and there isn’t a single person in the world I’d like to threaten me with no nudity for giving her too many orgasms than you.” More damn tears. “Will you marry me?” I feel a cool band slip onto my finger, and when he holds our hands up, mine over his, I sob. Hard.
So hard I knock us off balance, and suddenly, I’m flat on my stomach again, and he’s deeper inside of me. Our hands still twined as he waits on my answer.
“I’m not moving until you say something,” he murmurs as he kisses along my neck and cheek, licking up the tears as they cascade freely.
“Yes. Of course, yes!” My answer would never be anything else. This man is my absolute heart and soul.
Ryder
* * *
She said yes.
I watched Codie sleep all night after that. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I wasn’t certain she was even going to say yes, but I knew I couldn’t not ask her. Not anymore. I may have never been impulsive before in my life, but with her, I want everything there is to experience, and I had to seal it with a ring on her finger.
With my parents here, plus Lola, I’d been starving for Codie. The need to hear her sweets sighs as I consumed her was a driving force I couldn’t ignore after she sent me a look so filled with love that my heart constricted in my chest.
Emptying the carafe for coffee, I refill it and get to work on making her breakfast. I’ve learned a thing or two about that woman this past week, and it’s that if I don’t make her breakfast, she rarely eats it.
Codie can get so absorbed in doing something that she completely forgets to nourish herself. It’s a habit I aim to break.
“Good morning!” Lola prances in the room with her blonde hair a wild tangle on top of her head.
“Did a rat nest up there or something?” I point to her head and smirk as she lifts her hands to mess with it.
“Shut up, Ryder. Nix isn’t here, you don’t have to tease me.” It’s cute she thinks that’s why I do it. We all love Lola; she’s part of the family. Shitty for her that she has Nix plus us four big, overbearing pseudo-brothers who quite enjoy busting her chops.
“Don’t need him here to do that.” I laugh at her pout. She’s a good kid. Keeps Nix insane and in his place when she visits, which is more entertaining than teasing her.
“Well, if somebody’d of kept it down last night, I wouldn’t have slept with a pillow over my head.” She cocks her head and hip in the same manner and eyes me up and down. “Did you break her?”
“Better.” I grin.
“Oh yeah, how so?”
“I asked her to marry me.”
“No way!” She squeals and jumps into my arms, strangling me with her hug. “She said yes, right? She’d be a fool not to. You know what, don’t answer that. Obviously, she did or you two wouldn’t have been up all night.” Winking, she
pulls away and grabs a coffee before I have a chance to.
“She did.” The fucking look in her eyes when I asked her and slipped the ring on her finger, it’s one I’ll keep with me forever.
“Your mom is going to be thrilled!” Even though this was the first time Mom and Dad have met Lola, they hit it off instantly. Without parents of her own, I’m happy to share mine with the pain in the ass. “Hayes is going to flip out!”
“About what?” Codie walks into the kitchen in nothing but my t-shirt and a fuzzy pair of socks, looking sexy as hell.
“Jesus, woman.” My dick is instantly hard for her. “Come here.” Her smile is shy as Lola watches with awe in her eyes.
“You two are the sweetest thing ever,” Lola sighs as I ignore her and lean down to kiss Codie.
Sucking her tongue into my mouth, I drag her body closer as she moans into my kiss, rubbing her hands under my shirt and up my chest. “Good morning,” she whispers as I pull back slightly.
“Oh my god, you’re killing me here!” Lola is two years younger than Codie and has zero control of her emotions or mouth, so I’m not surprised about her impatience.
Codie, however, is. “What?” she asks.
“Your ring! I want to see it!” A blush creeps up Codie’s neck as she pulls back and walks over to Lola. “It’s gorgeous!”
“I love it, too.” Codie’s voice is quieter, but the excitement and love in it aren’t missed by me.
“When’s the big day?” Lola’s impatience is going to get on my nerves.
“As soon as I can get her down the aisle.” I smirk at Codie’s shocked expression. For me, the sooner, the better. This woman is my entire life, and there’s nothing more I’d love than to get her tied to me as soon as possible.
Epilogue
Ryder
Three months later.
Too long. It took too fucking long to get her down the aisle, but Codie wanted something special. Something for us to remember. It didn’t matter that I told her I’d remember the day she took my name past death. And after Hayes and Levi had their little boy, Hayes begged us to wait a couple of months until she could be part of the wedding. It’s no shocker that she and Codie have become the best of friends now.
But now, she’s mine.
“Ryder, slow down.” Her breathless voice is full of anticipation as we leave the reception hall, and I drag her up to our hotel room.
“Nope. Need you now.” Hayes and Lola tortured me when they chose Codie’s wedding dress. My wife had no idea what she wanted, but those girls tackled it like it was the fucking super bowl.
Silk. Nothing but silk upon silk. And it is all fucking see-through except for where she damn well better be covered. The front is high in the chest, and the sleeves are long, but there is no back to her dress. Everything’s on display from the sweet curve of her sexy ass to the soft line of her neck.
The flare out from mid-thigh down is a vibrant lilac that trails behind her and makes her look like an angel. With her long brown hair twisted in a braid around her head, Codie looks more like a princess than anything else.
One I’m going to enjoy making scream my name all night long. “Here we are.” I’ve barely got the key in the door before I’m ripping my white suit off and tossing the clothes across the room.
Codie stands before me, watching with an amused expression as I lose control. “I love when you’re like this,” she whispers as the sleeves on her dress slowly slide down her arms.
“Are you trying to kill me?” I groan, ready to pounce on her like a lion taking his mate. “You are, aren’t you? Fucking Lola.” That woman is a menace.
“I just want it to be special.” She gazes up at me with heat and love in her stare, and my heart rate finally slows down.
“Anything you want, dove.” After the stress of the past few months and watching as her ex, Jason, dealt with his father’s actions and subsequent incarceration, I’ll give her whatever the fuck she wants.
“I just want you, Ryder.” She smiles up at me and drops her dress. It slides down her body in a whoosh to reveal she has been completely naked underneath.
“Jesus.” Every time I see her naked is like the first time, and I never know where to start. Pulling her into my arms, I lay light kisses along her collarbone and savor each breathy sigh, all her moans. I need to hold them close to me because tomorrow we leave on a new mission for the first time since rescuing her, and while I’m not worried about Codie anymore, I’m going to fucking miss her like crazy.
Codie
* * *
I never thought I’d be able to dream about being a wife again. I didn’t think I would deserve the chance. But Ryder is always proving me wrong. In fact, he enjoys it.
Now, as he kisses every inch of flesh he can, I close my eyes and store each loving touch into my memory. I’m going to enjoy our wedding night together. Our last night with each other for a few days or weeks—he never knows for sure—until I can hold him in my arms again.
“Ryder,” I sigh and arch into his body as his hands brush my thighs. His mouth captures a turgid nipple in his mouth, and the pleasure that explodes through my body is something I can never get enough of.
“Hold me, dove.” His hands push my thighs apart as mine grip his hips. Fingers digging in as I anticipate his entrance to my core. I love the feel of him bare inside of me, and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I do hope, one day, his seed will plant deeply in my womb. I would love nothing more than to give him a child. As much as it scares me, it also thrills me to create a life with Ryder.
“I love you,” I gasp as his hips slowly rock back and forth as he forges forward and captures my body in moments of bliss only he can deliver to me.
“I’ll never tire of hearing those words.” He groans into my ear. His hands pull mine up to hold beside my head. My thighs grip him tight to my body as we make slow love.
“Promise you’ll come back to me,” I beg. I won’t let my fear enter this realm but hearing his promise will help me cope while he’s gone.
“I’ll always come back to you, dove.” He rests his forehead against mine, and our eyes lock in an unbreakable hold as we spread our love with our bodies.
“Always,” I whisper into the quiet night, only broken up by our moans and our promises of forever with each other.
“I love you, Codie Morrison, with my entire being.” Ryder’s lips brush mine as we come together, and euphoria holds us long through the night in preparation for what the future holds.
* * *
The End
Acknowledgments
Just a general shoutout to anyone who has asked for Ryder’s story. Even though it’s not all about him, I think you’ll love it anyways!
About the Author
Krystal is a proud Canadian girl, hailing from Sherwood Park, Alberta. She has a strong dislike for the winter, and a love for spring. Married to her husband Steve, for 15 years, they have 4 beautiful red headed spawns ranging in ages 7-13. She has a strong love of coffee, sarcasm, and wine. (Not necessarily in that order either.)
Krystal loves to write about instalove between couples looking for love. She has a passion for contemporary romance and springs into menage as often as she can.
For in the moment updates you can join her reader group – KL’S FIGHTERS.
Also by KL Donn
Task Force 779
Missing in Action
Explosive Encounters (Fall 2019)
Dangerous Affair (Spring 2020)
Nowhere To Run (Fall 2020)
Desperate Measures (Spring 2021)
* * *
Uncontrolled Heroes
A Girl Worth Fighting For
The Girl Who Was Meant To Be Mine (2019)
Loving The Girl In The Tutu (2020)
* * *
Timeless Love
Once Upon A Time
Happily Ever After
Somewhere in the Middle (Early 2020)
* * *
Damaged L
ove
Unraveling Love
Broken Love (Summer 2019)
Fractured Love (Early 2020)
Tarnished Love (Summer 2020)
* * *
The In His Arms Series
Safe, In His Arms
Coached, In His Arms (2019)
Bullied, In His Arms (2019)
* * *
Those Malcolm Boys
Obsessive Addiction
Accidental Obsession
Arrogantly Obsessed
* * *
Daniels Family
Until Arsen
With Kol
Before Noah (2020)
* * *
Love Letters
Dear Killian
Dear Gage
Dear Maverick
Dear Desmond
Dear Lena
* * *
Coming Soon
Until Hale (October 2019 in Aurora Rose Reynolds Until World)
* * *
Finished Series
* * *
The Adair Empire
King
Luther
Castiel
Atticus
Carver
Grasping For Air
* * *
Hogan Brother’s
One Chance
One Choice
Unchained
* * *
The Possessed Series