Jaimi set her hand on hers. "Can I ask you something?"
Zoey nodded at her sister-in-law. "Of course."
"If there was no Ryder, would you consider staying here? Moving back for good? Would it even be possible you might want to do that, just for yourself?" Jaimi's face was serious, as if there was more at stake than a simple question.
She started to shake her head…and then stopped. The answer that had been so clear to her suddenly felt murky. In one evening, she'd already fallen a little bit in love with these women, women who were welcoming her into their lives so completely. She'd loved working at the deli, meeting Liam and his grandfather, making a difference to them. "I always thought I needed to find a way to get back to Boston. Before it was tainted by my ex, I was pretty happy there."
Happy. What was happy? What did it really mean? Had she truly been happy, in the way these women radiated contentment with their lives?
"But now?" Jaimi prompted.
"What would I do here? I can't practice law in Wyoming."
Lissa raised her brows. "You could work at the café."
"I appreciate that, but—" She stopped herself, not wanting to insult her new friends.
"But it's not calling to your soul." Lissa nodded. "I get that." She smiled. "You'll figure it out. In the meantime, you can work at the café for as long as you want. You were great with Liam and his grandpa today."
She smiled. "Thanks. It was fun. What's their story?"
Lissa's smile faded. "Liam's dad, Eddie Eaton, was a single dad in the military. He died in the service a couple years ago. Eddie's dad, Frank, is raising Liam now. It's been really hard on Frank, losing his only son, and then having to provide for Liam. I honestly don't know what's going to happen to them, or how much longer Frank can keep taking care of Liam. I'm worried about them."
Zoey bit her lip. She knew what it was like to be raised by family after her parents died. Her aunt and uncle had not been good people. At all. If she hadn't had Dane and the Stocktons watching out for her, it would have been very, very bad, and she knew it. "Frank's good to him though?"
Lissa smiled. "The best. Frank's one of the loveliest people in the entire world. I adore him to pieces."
"Okay, then." Zoey felt herself relax. If Liam had love, that was enough to get him through anything.
The conversation turned to babies and kids, and Zoey was amazed to hear all the stories about how the Stocktons were all such dedicated dads. It made her smile, remembering the tough, angry loners she'd grown up with, knowing that they'd found their way to being dads and husbands.
They were good men. She'd known it back then, and she knew it now.
She looked across the bar, and saw Ryder watching her. He pointed to her right, and she looked over to see a band setting up.
Her heart skipped a beat, and excitement pulsed through her.
Tonight, they were going to dance.
The first time he'd kissed her had been at her prom. On the dance floor.
And in a few minutes, she would be back in his arms.
Chapter Seventeen
Zoey was completely engrossed in Jaimi's story about how Dane and Ryder had dressed up as Santa's elves and climbed through the window at Chase's house on Christmas Eve, wearing red tights, green felt shoes, and jingle bells on their cowboy hats when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She didn't have to turn around to see who it was. The way her belly jumped and her breath caught in her chest told her exactly whose hand was so warm and solid on her shoulder.
And the fact that every woman at the table looked past her with huge grins on their faces might have helped.
"Hey, Ryder." Lissa beamed at him, looking absolutely delighted. "Are you being rude enough to steal Zoey from us?"
"I am. I pride myself on breaking all standards of polite and proper behavior, by doing things like stealing Zoey for a dance." His fingers tightened on her shoulder. "ZoeyBear? May I have this dance?"
Yes. She took a deep breath, then turned around to face him. His blue eyes were heated and intense, then he smiled, that amazing smile that had always made her want to smile back, regardless of how tough her day was going.
Like now. Her smile came to life on its own, and she grinned at him. "You're such a pest. Clearly, dancing with you is the only way to make you go away."
"Damn straight it is." He slid his hand down her arm and encircled her wrist with his fingers, a gesture both gentle and commanding, the dichotomy that defined him. "Until later, ladies."
Zoey shot an apologetic look at her brand-new friends. "Sorry about this—"
"Oh, babe, don't be sorry," Erin said. "We are all highly familiar with the irresistible temptation that a broad Stockton chest presents. You go right ahead while we fantasize about what's waiting for us when we get home tonight."
Lissa grinned. "Yes, enjoy, for sure."
Heat flared in Zoey's cheeks, but before she could think of an adequate retort about Stockton chests, Ryder had already pulled her away from the table, his hand sliding down her wrist to her hand. As his fingers entwined between hers, Zoey's heart started to hammer.
What was he doing? What was she doing? What were they doing? "Ryder—"
"My favorite song." They reached the dance floor, and he turned and pulled her into his arms in a single, seamless move. "You remember this?"
The first notes dropped into her heart, and she nodded, clasping her hands behind his neck as she let him pull her against him. His chest was indeed broad, and it seemed to pour heat into her body where they were touching. "It's from my prom."
"It is." He locked his hands on her hips, not quite on her ass, but very close. "You recall dancing to it?"
She looked up at him, surprised by the subtext to his question. "You remember?"
"Our first kiss? The song that was playing when I kissed you for the first time? Fuck yeah, I remember. For the last ten years, every time I've heard that song, I've danced that dance with you again, and shared that first kiss with you."
"Oh." Her throat tightened. That was incredibly romantic. "I didn't think you would have paid attention to the song."
"Ahh…ZoeyBear. You were my sunshine. I noticed everything about you." He smiled. "I need to kiss you again. This song requires it."
Her heart was racing so fast now that she was certain he would feel it thundering. "Okay."
"Okay," he repeated, with a grin. "That's it? Just an okay?"
She raised her brows. "For the last ten years, whenever I heard that song, it made me hate you for kissing me and then leaving me."
He blinked, clearly startled by her comment, that had taken a flirty, fun conversation and sent it right into an ugly past that she'd thought she'd sealed away.
Regret flicked through her. "I didn't mean—"
"You did, and that's okay." He palmed her lower back. "Hate isn’t a healthy emotion, and it's a popular song, so you need a new association with it."
"Like what?" She issued the challenge, knowing full well what he was going to do about it, because he was right. She did need a new association with it, and she knew what she wanted.
"Like…this." He bent his head and kissed her. Deep. Unhesitating. The kiss of a grownup seduction, not a tentative prom date kiss.
Need raced through her, need that had been building all night. Need driven by stories about the Stockton men, romance, and living life with passion. She threw herself into the kiss, holding on tightly as the kiss turned from hot to scalding. His hands slid down to cup her butt, tongues got involved with decadence and temptation, and suddenly, she couldn’t get close enough to him.
He pulled her more tightly against him until her breasts were pressed against his chest, making her nipples tighten with need and desire…and maybe a little bit of pure lust.
She lost track of the music, if it was even still playing anymore. All her senses became consumed with Ryder, with the raw strength of his muscles, the delicious scent of his aftershave, the prickle of his whiske
rs against her face, and the way his hands romanced her ass, her lower back, and her shoulder blades.
Ryder was hers. He'd always been hers. Her bedroom floor was where he'd slept so many nights. She was the one who crashed in his room. She'd been the one to elicit that beautiful smile from him. No other girls had ever had the intimacy that she'd had with him, for as long as she'd known him.
He'd made her leave town for her own good, not because he didn't want her.
He'd wanted her. He'd wanted to keep her. And now...the way he was kissing her…it made her feel safe again. It was safe to give herself to Ryder. He wouldn't cheat on her like her ex had. He wouldn't steal from her. He wouldn't do anything, anything, that he thought might harm her.
She pulled back, searching his face. "Do you remember when you asked me if I still trusted you?"
He nodded, sliding one hand through her hair. "I do. You said you weren't sure anymore."
"I wasn't."
"But now?"
Her heart tightened. "I believe in you, Ryder."
His face lit up. "Thank you."
He looked so happy that her heart seemed to fill with sunshine. "I needed this. Us. To heal what was between us," she said, not quite able to stop herself from running her hands over his upper arms, over his biceps. "I needed to feel safe in your arms again."
His smile faded into seriousness. "You will always be safe in my arms, ZoeyBear."
She nodded. "I know." She wanted to ask whether she'd be safe outside his arms, outside this intimate moment, but she didn't dare. She didn't want to look past what they were sharing. She didn't want to think about life, and how she still had so many things to fix about herself, so many things she had to figure out, so many scars she still had to heal.
Right now, she just wanted that feeling that Ryder gave her. "I even forgive you for crashing girls' night."
He grinned and nodded past her. "Looks like it was coming to an end anyway."
She looked over her shoulder just in time to see her dates nearly sprinting out the front door. They all waved cheerfully at her, and then they were gone. She shook her head. "Those women are trouble."
"Thank God for that. My brothers couldn’t handle any other kind." He nodded at his table. "Looks like my ride took off. Can I get a lift with you back to the house?"
She saw then that Keegan and Brody were gone as well. Manipulative bastards, the whole lot of them. She sighed melodramatically. "I'll give you a ride, I guess."
"Great." He slid his hands around her waist. "Just one more dance before we leave?"
She grinned. "Just one."
"One is all I need."
She raised her brows. "For what?"
"To seduce you." Then he kissed her, fast and hot, the kiss of a man with a purpose, who had no intention of giving her room to resist.
Which was fine with her, because right now, all she wanted was him.
Chapter Eighteen
Zoey knew what was going to happen before they got home.
She knew what was going to happen before they'd walked into the quiet house, with Brody and Keegan already retired to their bedrooms.
She knew what was going to happen when Ryder walked her to her bedroom door.
But the fact she knew didn't do a damn thing to keep her hands from trembling and her heart from pounding as she turned to face him in her doorway. "Thanks for a great night, Ryder."
He smiled, trailing his finger down the side of her face. "My ZoeyBear," he said softly. "You smiled tonight."
She was still smiling. "I did."
"You feel better?" There was an undercurrent to his question, a subtext she couldn't quite decipher. "Better than when you first came back to town?"
She cocked her head, considering the question. "You know, I do, actually. My heart feels so much lighter than it has in a long time." She smiled. "Lissa, Erin, Jaimi, and Mira are so great."
He nodded. "They are." He moved closer, his eyes searching hers. "And?"
She breathed deeply, well aware that his hips were less than an inch from hers. His chest, too. They were so close, so connected, hovering beside each other. He smelled so good, like warmth and safety and man. "And what?"
"Anything else about the evening meet your fancy?" His lips were almost on hers, so close she could almost taste them.
"You mean the band? They were good."
"Yes, they were." He nuzzled the side of her neck, just barely skimming with his lips. "Anything else?"
She closed her eyes, pressing back against the doorframe. Her bed was only a few feet away, and they both knew it. There was no way she could initiate, though. Would he? Neither of them would be that stupid, right? To take this thing that was sizzling between them and take an irreversible step, like they had so long ago. "Keegan and Brody are nice."
"Fuck them." He gently bit her collarbone. "I want you thinking only about one man when I'm this close to you."
She opened her eyes. "What man is that?"
He met her gaze. "Me, ZoeyBear. Me."
"Ryder, my best friend?" The question hung in the air. Friend.
He went still.
She waited. Not sure what to say. Not sure what she wanted to say. Not sure what she wanted from him.
Finally, he pulled back far enough to look at her face. "Answer one question for me, Zoey."
She nodded, her heart pounding at how serious he looked. "Sure."
"Do you feel happier when you're with me, or when you're not with me? Truth."
"With you." The answer was instant. She didn't even have to think about it, and it tumbled out before she had time to consider whether she wanted to admit that, either to herself or to Ryder.
It didn't matter, though, because the moment she said it, he smiled, a gorgeous, heart-melting smile that seemed to reach inside her and ease all the pain that still lived there. "That's what I thought." Then he slid his hand behind her neck, drew her to him, and kissed her.
She had no chance to summon resistance. Her need for him had been building since she'd first seen him at the Wildflower Café. And tonight, in his arms, laughing with him…her need had reached a point where all it would take was one tiny spark for it to explode to life.
His smile was that spark.
She melted into the kiss, her arms going around his neck, her heart aching with need for him.
He leaned into her, so her back was sandwiched between his body and the doorframe, trapped… No. It felt more like she was protected, instead of trapped. It was exactly where she wanted to be, exactly whose arms she wanted to be in.
Ryder's hands went to her hips, and then he slid them up to her waist. She knew before he did it that he was going to lift her up, and she moved with him, wrapping her legs around his hips without breaking the kiss.
He supported her, his arms solid and strong around her as he carried her across the room to her bed, easing them both onto the soft comforter without breaking the body contact between them. The mattress sank beneath them, inviting them into the safety of her bed.
He grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it swiftly over her head. For a split second, she was embarrassed, highly aware of Ryder's gaze on her body. Then she saw the look of complete reverence on his face, and her tension vanished. "No one has ever looked at me the way you do," she whispered, unable to take her gaze off his face as he ran his hands over her ribs and stomach, reveling in each touch.
"No one knows you like I do," he said, bending down to kiss her belly button. "No one but me knows the fears that haunt you. No one else knows just what to say to make the nightmares leave you. No one else can get that smile out of you when the tears are trying to crush you."
Her throat tightened, and she had no words. He was right. Of course he was right. She'd let him get closer to her than she'd ever let anyone get, even her ex-husband.
He kissed his way along her ribs, and then pressed a kiss to her nipple through her bra. She gasped and arched into the kiss, as spirals of fire rippled through her. "Ry
der," she whispered.
"Yes?" He pulled off his shirt, and her heart caught at the sight of his body. When she'd seen him naked before, she'd been so in awe of the experience that she'd barely taken time to notice him, but he'd been leaner then, more sinewy.
Now, he was chiseled muscle and strength. His abs were ripped, and his biceps were pure temptation. "Holy crap," she whispered. "You're like a Greek god."
He laughed, the rich, deep sound making her heart lighten. "I'm your Greek god, baby. Take advantage."
"I might have to." She sat up, and pushed him onto his back. He rolled over easily and clasped his hands behind his head, crossing his ankles in a position of complete submission.
"God, you're like the ultimate dessert." She sat on his hips, straddling him, and flattened her hands on his stomach. "I can literally feel your six pack beneath my hands. Every ridge of muscle."
He grinned. "For the last ten years, I've been trying to think of the best way to get you into bed. I figured you're super shallow and superficial, so a chiseled set of abs seemed to be the best plan."
"It totally is. If I'd known you had these, I would have jumped you that first night in my apartment when we were unpacking." She ran her hands along his ribs and then to his shoulders. "What the hell, Ryder? Your shoulders are incredible. And your biceps?" She ran her hand over them, desire mounting in her belly. "You're completely out of my league. I think I need to go sleep in the garage or something—"
"No." His face darkened, and before she knew it, he'd flipped her onto her back, pinning her arms to the bed above her head. "Listen to me, Zoey. You are an incredible woman. Smart. Beautiful. Capable. But that's not why I'm in bed with you right now. I'm here because there is no one but you in this world who matters to me. You could weigh six-thousand pounds and have purple skin with bumps all over it, and you would still be the most beautiful woman to ever exist."
Her throat tightened. "Ryder—"
He didn't pause to let her speak. Urgency coursed through his words. "I need you to understand this, Zoey. Your heart and your soul are like sunshine, pure, gorgeous, and flawless. That makes everything about you a treasure. Never ever put yourself down like that. Never doubt your worth. Never doubt who you are. Do you understand?"
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