Chapter Nine
Paisley
" I have a surprise for you," Ridley murmurs the next morning, tilting my head back against the shower wall. His lips brush mine. "Do you have plans today?"
"Lucy and I are supposed to have lunch."
"This won't take long," he promises.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see." He smirks at me, running a hand down my hip to squeeze my ass. "But only if you get dressed quickly."
"Then you're going to have to keep your hands to yourself, sir." I flick a soap bubble at him, laughing when it lands against his chest. "Otherwise, we won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
"Is that a challenge?" He quirks a brow at me. "Because we both know I can get you off in five minutes, Dimples. Two, if you keep calling me sir."
"Oh, really?"
His eyes darken as he presses up against me. "You know damn well how fast I can make you come, baby," he growls against my ear. "Don't make me prove it."
I slip my hand between our bodies, wrapping it around his hard cock. "Maybe I'll make you come first, sir ."
He growls softly, one hand encircling my throat. Heat glitters like diamonds in his green eyes. "Do it then. Make me come all over that perfect fucking hand." His lips quirk into a dangerous, taunting smile. "But be prepared to pay for it when you do, Dimples."
My stomach dips and spins, excitement firing through me. I love this bossy, demanding side of him. He's sexy every minute of the day, but the man is downright molten when he's not playing fair.
"Mm, no thanks," I breathe, pushing him away with one hand. "I don't think I want you coming all over my hand."
His eyes glitter dangerously as I sink to my knees in front of him.
"I think I'd rather have you in my mouth."
"Fuck," he growls, wrapping his fist around my hair as I lift his cock toward my eager mouth. I lick around the head, my eyes locked with his. The muscles in his chest and abdomen flex as he stares down at me, already breathing hard.
I flick my tongue along the slit, collecting the little beads of precum already gathered there. He groans softly, his nostrils flaring.
"Fuck!" he roars, slamming his free hand back against the wall when I swoop, swallowing down as much of him as I can in one greedy move. "Goddamn, baby."
I moan around him, loving the way he stretches my lips to capacity. Loving the way he groans and growls. Loving the taste of him and how he trembles in my hands. God, there's nothing about this that isn't absolutely perfect.
I work him over with my lips and tongue, taking him as deep as I can and sucking hard. My hand drifts down to his balls, rolling them between my fingers. Even though he was just inside me an hour ago, they're heavy with his need.
"You look so fucking pretty on your knees for me, Dimples," he groans. "Christ, you suck me so goddamn good."
I moan around him, bobbing up and down on his cock. My free hand slips between my legs, my thumb strumming my clit. Pleasure rolls through me in tiny waves, each ripple growing bigger.
"Oh, fuck yeah. Play with that pretty pussy for me." His hips move in little circles, as if he can't keep himself still while he's in my mouth.
I whimper around his cock, thrusting two fingers inside myself. I'm already so damn close. I always am with him. I live right there on the edge, ready to tip over into oblivion at any given moment.
Right before I can, he hauls me up into his arms, his dick slipping from my lips. I don't even have time to protest before he's inside me, slamming me down on him hard enough to steal my breath.
A strangled cry leaves my lips anyway, my head falling back.
He fucks me like he's desperate to get me there, pounding into me in ruthless strikes that have me freefalling over the edge in a matter of seconds. His name echoes around us in the confines of the shower as I tumble…and so does mine.
He buries his face in my throat, chanting mine as he spills into me in heavy pulses, his big body trembling around me.
"You're my world, Dimples," he whispers, his gritty voice filled with so much sweetness it brings tears to my eyes. He means it. But, if I'm his world, why hasn't he asked me to stay?
For him, I would. In a heartbeat.
" W e're going to the winery?" I ask, tilting my head to look up at Ridley as we stroll hand-in-hand toward the front of the building.
"Mmhmm," he hums, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Why?"
"It's a surprise."
"Why?"
His deep laugh rumbles between us. "You're shit at surprises, Dimples."
"Maybe because surprise is just another word for secret," I grumble.
He just shakes his head at me before pulling open the doors and ushering me into the foyer. Haven looks up at us from the front desk. As soon as her gaze lands on our interlocked hands, a big grin overtakes her face.
"I'm so glad I didn't break the two of you up forever," she says and then grimaces. "Um, I know I said it the other night, but I'm really sorry, Paisley. I genuinely didn't know that he hadn't left."
"It's okay," I say quietly, my heart squeezing in a vise.
She pulled me aside during karaoke night to apologize.
She was nearly in tears about the whole thing.
But it wasn't ever her fault. She didn't know.
Ridley and I messed up what we had back then all on our own.
That's on us, not her. "You don't have anything to apologize for. "
"I do," Ridley says, clearing his throat. His green eyes meet mine. "I'm so damn sorry, Dimples."
"I know," I whisper. "You don't have to keep saying it."
"But I will," he murmurs, cupping my cheek. "Until you know it'll never happen again, I'll say it every damn day."
What haven't you asked me to stay?
The question is right there on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it back. Now isn't the time to ask it. I'll do it later, when we're alone.
Instead, I just smile at him.
His brows furrow as if he sees something on my face, but he doesn't get a chance to ask about it before Jax appears in the doorway leading deeper into the winery.
"It's ready," he announces ominously.
"Good." Ridley's expression clears, anticipation overtaking worry. "You ready to see your surprise?"
"Yes. I was ready an hour ago, Ridley."
"Spoilsport." He taps my nose, chuckling, and then tugs me along behind him.
Jax steps out of the way, grinning at me.
Ridley doesn't say anything as he leads me down the cobblestone hallway, our steps echoing. The entire winery looks like it was imported directly from Italy and carved from the earth. It's beautiful.
Ridley leads me into the tasting room before closing the massive door behind us. One entire wall is full of casks. Another holds a display of their most popular wines.
A single bottle rests in a bucket of ice on a serving tray, alongside two glasses.
My brows furrow when I see it.
"We're drinking wine?"
"No. We're tasting a very special wine," he says.
"What kind?" I ask, genuinely curious now. Every wine they have is fantastic. If this one is special, color me intrigued.
"This bottle came from the first barrel I started aging when I touched down in Italy after the wedding," he says softly. "It's sweet, like you. It goes down soft, like you." He meets my gaze. "There's a hint of peach, just like you."
I swallow hard as he takes a step toward me, holding out the bottle toward me. I take the chilled bottle carefully, turning it around to read the gold label on the front. "Ambrosia Kisses?"
"I couldn't stand the thought of never tasting you again, so I tried to bottle your taste," he says softly, reaching out to touch my bottom lip when I look up at him. "I didn't get it quite right, though, Dimples."
He said that before, when he kissed me the day he fixed my tire. He said he didn't get it quite right. Is this what he was talking about? It had to be.
"W-why not?"
"Because you can't grow and bottle sunshine, baby."
"Ridley." Tears well in my eyes, a lump forming in my throat.
"I thought this wine would be the closest I ever came to tasting you again," he whispers.
"Every single aspect of it is you, down to the name.
It's been aging for the last three years, waiting until the flavor profile was just right.
" He tips my chin up, his thumb ghosting along my lips again.
"Never thought I'd be kissing you again when it finished aging, Dimples, but I'm so fucking glad it's your taste on my tongue right now, and not the wine. "
I sob his name, tears slipping down my cheeks. If ever I needed confirmation that he never stopped wanting me, this bottle in my hand is it. He crafted a whole damn wine just to taste a hint of me again.
"I love you," I choke, throwing myself into his arms.
"Christ," he whispers, holding me so tight I think he means to fuse us into one being. "Say that again."
"I love you."
His lips come down on mine, and I'm not sure whose tears I taste, but they taste like hope. They taste like healing. And they taste like us.
"I love you, Dimples. I never fucking stopped," he rasps. "Not for a second."
We cling to each other for long moments before he pulls back slightly, using his thumbs to wipe away my tears. "You ready to taste it now?"
I nod instead of speaking, not trusting my voice.
He takes the bottle from my trembling hands to decant it. I wrap myself around him as he lets it breathe for a few minutes before carefully pouring it into a glass and then handing it to me.
I swirl it around like Haven taught me to do years ago and then lift the glass to my lips.
Ridley watches silently as I take some into my mouth.
The sweet notes burst on my tongue, widening my eyes.
It's good. Really fucking good. The sweetness of the grapes and peaches meld with a tart bite of apple, blending perfectly.
"That's good," I whisper after swallowing. It goes down just as easily as he said. "It's really good, Ridley."
"You like it?"