Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
LYNAE
S tretching, I feel warm and content. I slept so well. An arm slides across my body and pulls me into theirs, and I jolt upright. Turning, I see Ryker shirtless, lying on top of the covers on my bed. His hair is mussed up, and he chuckles as he tries to pull me back down to lie with him.
“Ryker, what are you doing here?” My curls are in disarray around my head. I reach up, trying to smooth them down. Since I cut my hair, they’ve come out more. The only way to control them is to spray them down and start over.
“I wasn’t going to leave you.” He slides off the bed, and his jeans settle low on his hips.
I lick my lips, lost in how sexy he looks. My body remembers everything he made me feel that night. I want it again. I pull my lip between my teeth and bite down a bit harder.
“Little vixen, you keep looking at me like that, and I’ll stop being a gentleman and show you how to bite that lip.” His voice has a husky tone to it, and my eyes drag down his body as I watch him adjust his cock.
“Holy hell.” I gasp.
He leans over and pulls me to the edge of the bed. I rise up on my knees, succumbing to the moment. He takes my lips in a soft kiss, but then presses against them harder. I start to open for him when his teeth impale my lip, and I moan. My core softens, and my panties dampen.
“Fuck it.” He pushes me back onto the bed, kissing me.
My hands are all over his body. Tracing his muscles, sliding over the dips and valleys. His hands are in my hair, holding my head, as he devours my moans and cries. I wrap my legs around his hips and start to move against his erection. I remember how it felt sliding between my folds, and I throw my head back as I moan long and loud.
“I’m going to fucking take you, Lyn.” His voice is full of grit and desire.
He slides his hand under my hoodie and tweaks my nipple. He leans back and lifts my hoodie, taking it off in one motion, and then his hot mouth is on my nipple.
“Yes. Please, Ryker,” I beg.
He moves to my next breast, and that’s when my alarm starts blaring, reminding me I have work today. We both groan, and I roll to the other side of the bed.
“Shoot.” I glance at him. He looks like he’s about to grab me. His eyes are laser focused on me. I shake my head as rational thoughts return.
“We can’t do this, Ry.” My breathing is shallow.
He rises from the bed and walks around it toward me. “We can if you’d let it.”
“Friends, remember?” I place my hand against his hot chest and push him away.
“Okay. Friends.” He pauses. “For now.” Then he turns and walks out of my bedroom.
I collapse on the bed with a huge sigh. That was so close. I almost lost it with him. I want to.
My alarm goes off again, and I shut it off as I head toward the bathroom, where I take a cold shower.
When I walk out, I expect to find him gone, but once again, he surprises me. He’s standing in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in hand, leaning casually against the counter, his long legs crossed at the ankles. I can’t help but take him all in. Every long, lean muscle of him. I’m in hell. I watch as he stands to his full height and sets the mug down on the counter. My breath hitches as he moves across the room toward me. My hands suddenly feel clammy. My core is throbbing, and I can feel my clean panties dampen.
“Little vixen, I’m going to get into that tight pussy again. Even if it’s only as friends with benefits.” He leans down and kisses my forehead, and I’m disappointed it wasn’t my lips. He turns away from me and heads for the sofa, where he grabs his shirt and pulls it over his head. “I’m on shift at the fire station tonight, so I won’t be able to come over later. But I’ll make sure that food gets delivered.”
I shake the sexy thoughts from my head. “I have to work at my second job tonight.”
“You don’t need a second job. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He turns and walks out the door, and I’m left bereft and wanting. I wonder if he left me like this on purpose, because I’m not going to last much longer if he keeps this up.
Ryker
I t’s been a couple of days since I last saw Lynae. After my shift, she came up with excuses as to why I couldn’t come over. I know she’s trying to keep her distance from me, but I’m not going to let that happen.
I’m off this weekend, which makes it the perfect time to take her to my house. I also want to take Lyn shopping for baby things. She told me she hasn’t found out the baby’s gender yet, but we can find out together at her appointment next week.
I head through the back door of the restaurant that leads into the kitchen.
“Hey, Dad,” I greet him, and he fist-bumps me as he works on something at the large stove. “Thought you had a head chef for this instead of you doing it?”
“I do, but sometimes I like to get in here and test out new dishes.”
I lean back against the counter and watch him. He’s just as tall as my brother and me. We get our dark hair from him, but he’s got gray in his beard. I used to love watching him cook. He leads a kitchen like Logan and I lead on our jobs, completely in control. Nothing ever fazes him. He taught us patience when working with other people.
“Dad, did you have a hard time getting Mom to agree to be yours when you first met?”
He chuckles and looks over his shoulder at me. “Lyn giving you issues?”
“Only I call her Lyn,” I growl.
“Too late, son. Everyone calls her that. You come up with your own nickname for her. And to answer your question, yes. Your mother gave me a hell of a run. In the beginning, she was so focused on school and getting a job that she didn’t care about me. I had to prove to her I was hers too. Lyn has been hurt.”
“How do you know?” I know because she told me, but it was like pulling teeth to get that much out of her.
“You can see it. She’s alone in this world. Show her that she’s a part of a family now. How about we hold a family barbecue this weekend?”
“Sounds good.”
“Order up,” he calls out.
“Thanks, Jaden.” Lyn’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and I whip my head up.
She’s standing there in skintight black pants and a black shirt that doesn’t hide her baby bump or her full breasts. Her black apron is tied over the swell of our child.
“Ly, what are you doing here?” I bark at her, and she turns around to see me.
“Oh shoot.” She bites that lip, and I can’t stop my legs from moving.
Ever since I had her under me on Wednesday, I can’t stop thinking about getting her there again.
“Stop.” She holds up a hand, and I walk until it’s pressed into my chest. “Let me take this out, and I’ll be right back in. I can’t believe you came here to stop me from working.” She shakes her head, and I turn to look at my dad as he chuckles.
“I didn’t know she worked here.” I defend myself. “I told her to quit her second job.”
“Don’t make her quit,” my dad begs. He struggles to find good workers.
“I’ll see. She shouldn’t be on her feet that much, between school and here.”
“She only works every Friday and every other Saturday.”
“I’ll talk to her.”
She returns a moment later and drags me to the side, away from everyone.
“I know you want me to quit, but I like working here. However, now that I know your girlfriend works here too, I’ll quit if you want me to.”
I shake my head, unsure I heard her correctly. “Girlfriend? Yeah, my girlfriend works here. I told her to quit because she shouldn’t be on her feet that much.”
“What? Your girlfriend is pregnant too. Don’t you wrap that shit up?” Fire bursts in her eyes, and I’m turned on until I register what she said.
“I’m talking about you. You’re the only woman I’ve taken bare. You’re my girlfriend.”
“I’m your friend.” Her hands land on her hips, and I push her against the wall behind us and press my body into hers.
“You are my friend and a girl. My girlfriend. Feel that,” I growl into her ear. “Only you get me that fucking hard. Only you make me feel out of control.” I nip her earlobe. “You are my girlfriend.”
“No, I’m not. Tonya told me she was your girlfriend. When I came to work yesterday to cover for another server, she cornered me and told me she was your girlfriend, and that it didn’t matter if I had your baby.”
I rear back. “That fucking bitch.” I walk out of the kitchen with Lynae chasing after me.
“Not in the main room, Ry. Don’t scare away my guests.” My father barks from behind me. He overheard part of our conversation and knows what’s going to happen.
I stomp to the hostess station. I turn to see my dad still behind us. “You got her, please?” I nod to Lyn, and he nods his head. I watch as he pulls Lyn back. When she starts to struggle, I soften my brow, knowing I’m upset. “Babe, stay with my dad. I’m just going to clarify something.”
“No, Ry, I don’t want to interfere in your relationship.”
I look over her head, knowing I can’t keep my promise not to hurt her if I keep this from her. “Dad, can you follow us out?”
When I turn back, I find Tonya watching me. A look of hatred passes over her face when she looks at Lynae and then to her stomach.
“Outside. Let’s go.” I direct her out of the restaurant so we won’t be airing this in front of the customers.
“Honey, we can talk after work. You didn’t have to come by and see me, but it’s sweet.” Tonya’s voice is full of sugary sweetness and seduction, but it does nothing for me.
“Out.” I point to the door. She walks out the front door, and my father follows with Lyn at his side.
As soon as the door is closed behind us, I look at Tonya and then back to my woman. There are tears in Lyn’s eyes and it guts me. “Lyn, I’ve never dated this woman. She’s asked me out several times, but I’ve never dated her, not once. I swear. Remember what I promised,” I tell her and then turn to Tonya.
“You’re fired. You lied to the mother of my child.” Tonya’s eyes flare wide as she looks at Lynae’s stomach and then back to me.
“Wait, that’s really your baby?” Tonya sputters.
“It is. Now, get off our property.”
She pulls her shoulders back. “You can’t fire me, only Jaden can.”
I watch as my dad bristles from her calling him by his first name. Only a few people call him Jaden, most here call him Mr. Murphy or Chef Murphy. Lyn, I noticed, is among the few.
“My son told you you’re fired. Don’t make me have you removed from the property. I don’t employ liars.”
“But, sir.”
“No.”
“You bitch.” She rounds on Lynae, and I’ve had enough.
“Get in your car and get off this property now, or I’ll tell every business in this town that you’re unemployable. This is on you. Lynae had nothing to do with this. You did it.”
“But, Ryker, we could be so good together.” She turns the sugar back on, and this time she tries to add tears, but they don’t faze me like Lyn’s do.
“I’m only good with one person, and that’s Lynae. Now, leave.”
I watch Tonya storm to her car before I turn back to face Lynae. “I swear I never had relations with her at all. Not even a shake of the hand.”
“Really?” I watch as the tension leaves her body.
I move toward her, and my father turns and heads back into the restaurant.
“Really, baby.” I take her into my arms and tip her head back so I can place a soft kiss on her lips. “I think that’s enough stress for the day. Tell my dad you’re leaving so we can get out of here.”
She shakes her head. “No, I have a shift to fulfill. I’ll see you at my house after work.”
“Not happening.” I follow her back inside and sit in the kitchen, helping my dad when he needs it. After she finishes her shift, I follow her home.