3. Copulate #2
Zoe looked at him curiously, tilting her head and smiling so sweetly at him, it threw him.
Unsure what to do or say, he finished unbuttoning his shirt.
Quiet now, she leaned back against the vanity top.
After finishing off the last button, he slipped off the shirt and offered it to her.
“It will be less obvious if I wear your undershirt over my dress, instead of the shirt everyone saw you in.” Zoe set his button-up shirt neatly on the vanity next to her, and she tossed the bra into the trashcan.
He untucked his t-shirt and lifted it over his head, and before he could smooth his hair, he looked up and found Zoe’s smile was open, her eyes warm and inviting and, fuck it, she liked what she saw and hell, when was the last time anyone had even seen him without a shirt on?
Self-conscious now, Ryder laughed under his breath, his feet shifting under him, and he reached to hand her the t-shirt.
Zoe took the shirt and set it on top of the other. In the narrow space, she crossed the two feet that separated them and set her fingertips on his low abdomen.
In one brief touch, she’d found the precise spot to make him suck in protectively, the most ticklish spot on his body, and sent a lick of lust straight down to stir his cock to attention.
Breath rushed from his lungs, his abdomen tightened instinctively, and he laughed desperately.
The strap of her dress low and her top draped down and revealed the upper curve of the boobs she kept insulting, that so far, he liked. A lot.
With her hands so distracting on his bare skin, she tipped her head to look up at him, with a curious, sexy upward tilt of her lips.
As she rose to her toes and reached for him, he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. Soft and lush and certain, she kissed him with blazing honesty. He splayed a hand over her mid-back to hold her closer as he sank into the kiss.
Lips only, angling, testing, his pulse quickened under his burning skin.
A taste of tongue, sliding over each other’s, then she flicked the tips of his teeth with the tip of her tongue.
She reached and braced both hands around the back of his neck, pulling him closer and she delved in for a full, intoxicating kiss.
Spinning wildly, he matched her pace and took it further, higher.
Her fingers scrunched in his hair, one leg wrapped around him.
He lifted her up and set her on the vanity, hands braced on the counter as she gripped him close and he couldn’t tear away from her mouth.
Classic shitty timing, someone knocked on the door.
They froze.
He drew away far enough to look in her eyes.
No panic, but her flushed cheeks and smile were full of amusement, her nose scrunching and her eyes shrugged the uncertainty that mirrored his over what the fuck they were supposed to do.
“Out in a sec,” he finally answered.
She whispered. “No, make them go away.”
“I mean, it might be awhile,” he said louder, cringing and hoping to hell he didn’t know whoever was out there.
“Zoe? Are you in there?” the interrupter asked.
“Oh, Evan, good. Hang on,” Zoe said quickly. She hopped off the vanity and quickly grabbed Ryder’s t-shirt and tugged it over her head.
Ryder grabbed his button up and stuffed his arms in quickly.
Zoe, apparently, wasn’t at all embarrassed and tied the undershirt in a knot at the side as she reached for the door and eased the door open, while Ryder was still buttoning up.
Evan’s grin was ripe with amusement as he tilted a look past Zoe. “Hey, Ryder.”
A frog jammed into his throat, and all he managed to say was, “Evan.” Past Evan, he saw Jagger Prince snapping and bopping his fists together with self-conscious impatience.
“Everything… alright?” Evan asked Zoe, one side of his mouth lifting into a grin ripe with a snarky tease.
“My stupid strapless bra fell down and when I went to fix it, I broke one of the straps of my dress.”
“Right,” Evan said, nodding and scrunching his brow low with teasing disbelief.
She shrugged playfully and said, “And, well, um…”
He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and glanced behind him, then back at Zoe.
“Finn and Haley are leaving in a sec, but I was going to head out and beat the crowd, so if you want to come home now… and sit in back… or I was going to see if Pops could bring you home if you wanted to stay longer…”
Zoe glanced back.
The clock was ticking. Ryder had one shot at this, and the pressure was acutely on.
Cinderella probably had a torn dress and had to take a pumpkin taxi home because she and the prince had gotten frisky in the rose garden, and he found her shoe because he was the one who had taken it off her.
Ryder quickly said, “I can drive you home. Whenever you’re ready.
I’m staying here tonight, so…” Fuck. Subtlety was instantly erased with the urgent moment of required bluntness.
“Thanks,” Zoe said, a little breathless and mischief brewing in her look, and, fuck, he wished he didn’t have to rush off in the morning.
Evan pushed off the doorframe and looked equally awkward over the exchange. “So, um, I’ll see you at home… whenever…” he said to Zoe.
“Yeah,” she said, nodding and glancing behind him again.
He lowered his voice and said, “Seriously though, call anytime, if you need a ride, or anything.”
“I know,” she said. “Thanks.”
Another pang of envy smacked Ryder right in the gut.
Not only would his siblings not have been keeping an eye out for each other to notice that one of them had ducked out of sight with someone, but they wouldn’t have silently ragged each other with teasing looks, and offered to drop everything, even a night with a hotshot athlete, to come to the rescue.
Haley spent so much time with Finn’s family, Grady with Claire’s, and he was starting to see why. Polar opposite of theirs.
“See you,” Evan said to Ryder, tipping a nod.
Already blushing, Ryder released his last button and waved subtly.
Zoe quickly closed the door and leaned against it. “I’m never going to live this down.”
Ryder stalked toward her and framed one hand on either side of her, unable to resist; fearless when she looked at him like that.
He nipped a light kiss, enough to tease her into leaning in, and pulled away enough to see her frustration, that he wasn’t sinking in for a kiss like before.
“We can see off the newlyweds and then I can drive you home, or, if you want to stay and hang out a while—”
Before he could finish his thought, she had her hands gripped in his hair and tongue down his throat. Stunned, breathless, he tried to catch up.
When she released him, she gulped an overdue breath and asked, “Is there a sneaky way up to your room?”
Thrill surged through him, relief and lust and so much, and he stepped back and quickly tucked in his shirt. “Are you sure?”
Head tilting with a wicked dare, she tipped up her chin. “No strings, if that’s what you’re worried about. You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”
“I really do have a shitty reputation.”
She snorted a laugh and set her hands on her hips. “Not like that. I mean, you live out of state, and I’m not looking to start anything complicated. But I’m having a good time, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been spontaneous.”
He stepped close and touched his lips to hers, heat blazing back at him with a fiery sweetness. “Same.”
He stepped back slowly and drank in her expression, filing it away, and finally eased the door open.
Zoe tucked in behind him and slid her hand into his. It was enough. More than. He laced his fingers with hers and held tight, her confidence and sweetness completely turning him on end, fire sizzling and knocking him on his ass.
They subtly dashed back to the kitchen toward the back steps.
A wide doorway separated them from the kitchen, and Zoe slowed her walk and kept close to him. The safest route, as the other stairway would be visible and on display for anyone filtering in the foyer while the bride and groom began their exit.
One of the Halseth’s servers froze mid-drying, a towel and platter in hand, and spun around. Her long ponytail swished with the motion, and her jaw dropped at catching Zoe. The gape lifted into a knowing, teasing smile, and she nodded with approval.
Index finger over her mouth, Zoe shook her head and snorted a throaty laugh.
“You’re a crappy shield,” she hissed as they crossed the inevitable sliver of light, Zoe uselessly hiding behind him.
“Sorry I’m not six-five,” he mumbled, and flashed her a teasing look.
“I don’t date football players.” With her free hand, she pushed her hair back, an unshakable grin that was rich with self-assurance.
As soon as they rounded the landing, home free, Zoe took off running up the last stretch of steps. Ryder sprinted after her, a shock of a laugh radiating from his belly and rising through his entire body.
At the top of the stairs, she turned and wrapped her arms around his middle, diving in for a deliciously ravenous kiss.
Holy hell, he was floored. Unsteady on his feet, he pulled away long enough to open the door to the blue room. Lights from the party outside glowed in the window, the moon radiant against the dark sky, leaving the room draped in long shadows.
Zoe leaned against the door, clicking it closed, and tugged him close. Her soft moan hit him hard, her knee sliding between his legs, her hands around his shoulders, as she wrapped around him.
Not leaving room to second guess himself, knowing this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments he’d never forgive himself for passing on, he kissed her with nothing held back.
She slid her hands down and started working on his buttons.
He kissed down her neck, her shoulders, and—
“Shit.”
Teeth gritted tight, he froze.
“Condom,” he hissed.
Ryder’s shoulders dropped, his forehead tense, and he blinked long and hard to meet her look.
Surprise met him instead of a mirror of his aching disappointment.
A laugh ready on her lush lips, the corners turned up and a gleam in her gooey brown eyes, Zoe tapped her head back against the door and looked up at the ceiling.
“Dammit. I don’t suppose your mother stocks the guest rooms with… supplies?”
“No,” he grumbled, his mood quickly lightening to match her humor. “I, um… You don’t happen to have one of those Mary Poppins purses, do you?” he asked hopefully, captured in her look.
Gooey brown eyes studied him, searched his look, and she tilted her head subtly in a curious smile. “No,” she said with a laugh vibrating her voice. “Even if I did, I left my wallet in Evan’s Jeep.”
A flickering lightbulb hovered over his brain and threatened to burst if it didn’t pan out.
“Hang on.” He reached into his back pocket and drew out his wallet, cringing as he lifted the leather bifold.
“This may be a bust.” He didn’t even want to look.
Luck hadn’t been on his side lately. Between the emergency credit card and his health insurance card, a puffy square package contained his only hope of his luck turning.
“Ooo. Emergency stash, huh? Do this often?”
“I wish.” As he drew it out, fingering it between his forefinger and middle finger, he chewed the edge of his tongue and almost laughed at the absurdity.
“Trick I learned in college.” Miracle of miracles, the package wasn’t damaged, aside from worn corners from being stored so long.
He squinted to read the faded expiration date.
“Still good… expires next month. Thank fucking hell.”
Zoe laughed and plucked it from his fingers. “We’ve got one shot at this. Let’s make it count.”
Relief flooded through him. He grinned as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her matching smile. “It’s been a while, and you are so damn hot, I will do my utmost to make it last… or at least make it good.”
She nipped his bottom lip and led him toward the bed.