Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Ryan
I’m quiet as I move through the house, humming a tune I’ve been working on since we arrived. Something’s not connecting for me, and it’s frustrating. I shouldn’t be surprised; my creativity has been close to zero since losing Katie. But, since being in Magnolia Grove, I’ve tinkered with a few ideas and can feel creative juices flowing. Unfortunately, they’re going in three different directions and so far, it’s all a mess.
I step onto the deck, looking over at Laney’s yard. A few lights glow inside the house but it’s the greenhouse that catches my attention. Did she decide to work instead? I wouldn’t mind watching her in that space again. The entire process is fascinating, and I admit to doing some online reading about what she does. What I found was a lot of science and data that surprised me. I had no idea it was such an intricate process.
Since I’m not a creep, I move inside and try to channel the anticipation coursing through me by picking up toys and straightening pillows. The décor in this house is minimal, which I suppose makes sense since it’s a rental. That also means there’s not a lot of things for me to distract myself with, so I move to the kitchen.
Wiping counters and placing a few dishes in the dishwasher, I consider looking off the deck again when I hear a faint knock on the door. Taking a deep breath, I take a second to shake off my nerves. I cross the room and catch myself in the mirror on the wall. I don’t look any different than I did the last time we saw one another but still, I run a hand through my hair, trying to tame the messiness after wearing a hat.
I open the door, a smile on my face, and my breath falters slightly. Standing on the stoop, Laney has changed out of her holiday themed shirt and is wearing a loose-fit sweater, one shoulder has slipped, exposing her bare skin, her legs are clad in a pair of leggings and she’s wearing... reindeer antlers. I chuckle and step aside.
Once inside, she slides her feet out of the slippers.
I close the door. “Those are unexpected.”
“They were a gift from the Jubilee committee. Kind of silly but also adorable. I wasn’t sure if Pep—Violet?”
“Pepper is what everyone calls her.”
Laney nods and follows me into the main part of the house. “I wasn’t sure if Pepper would be awake and thought she’d get a kick out of them.”
“Wine? That spot of tea?”
She laughs. “Water is fine.”
While I get us two glasses of water, Laney moves around the space, looking at the décor and finally settling on the sectional. She looks at the fireplace that’s more decorative than functional and smiles.
“Here you go.”
She takes the glass from me and lifts it to her lips, taking a small sip. I take the seat next to her and lean back into the cushions, my arm resting on the back. My hand is close enough I could touch her with a slight movement. She leans forward and sets her glass on the coffee table.
When she moves back to her spot, she buries her face in her hands. “I’m nervous.”
Thank goodness I’m not the only one. “Me too.”
Her eyes lift to peek through her fingers. “Really?”
I nod and stretch over to place my glass next to hers. I watch as she moves her hands to her lap, fingers twisting. Her unease is evident, and I hate that she may feel uncomfortable.
Gently, I shift closer, closing the space between us and placing my hand over hers. I watch as her shoulders drop. Our eyes meet and my thumb traces circles along her soft skin.
“Yeah, really. There’s something happening here that scares the shit out of me. I came to Magnolia Grove to get some space from all that we lost, I never expected to meet someone like you.”
Laney sinks into the cushion and sighs. “Ryan, we hardly know one another.”
She has a point but still, something is there. Not much can come of it. We live in two different states and my life is a cluster, to say the least.
“That doesn’t mean there isn’t chemistry. You’re a scientist, you understand chemistry.”
An eyeroll and then a smack on my arm cuts through any of the awkward tension that was lingering. We laugh and talk about the Jubilee and the anxiety she felt being on stage. Slowly we find ourselves closer, her legs are stretched over mine and my finger plays with the loops of her sweater.
“I need to know how a Violet gets the nickname Pepper. By the way, I love the name Violet. It’s timeless.”
“Can’t take the credit, Katie, Pepper’s mom, picked it out. Actually, when she was about ten years old, she decided her daughter would be Violet and her son, should she have one, would be named after her father.”
“What’s his name?”
I cringe a little and say, “Steve.”
Laney snorts out a laugh and covers her mouth. “You can’t be serious.”
When I don’t answer, she laughs some more. Finally, she settles down and smiles at me, causing my heart to flip. “You almost had a kid with the same name as my dog. That’s hilarious.”
I lift a brow, and she lifts a hand to playfully smack my arm but I capture it in mine and shift so her legs slide from where they rest on mine. With a swift motion, I tug her forward, but she catches herself from tumbling with her hands on my chest. My hands slip around her waist and her eyes stay on mine as I position us so she’s moved to my lap, a leg on either side of me.
“Do you want the story or not?”
She smirks and nods her head. “When Katie was pregnant, she was reading every baby book available. She found one that used different peppers to represent the size of the baby. So, we started calling the baby Pepper. Then when she hit her second trimester, all she wanted was spicy food. So, Pepper stuck.”
“That might be the cutest thing ever. I have a distant cousin called Peanut. I think I’d rather be a Pepper. Plus, he’s like fifty-five and still Peanut. Come to think of it, I don’t think I know his actual name. Huh.”
I lift my hand, thumb tracing the bottom of her lip. “You are meeting a different version of my daughter, but she is a spicy little thing, full of sass. Pepper is more fitting than Violet these days.”
It’s slow but we’ve moved closer to one another. “I know you said we don’t know one another but I want to know you, Laney.”
“Langston.”
Her response isn’t what I expect, and I lean back, searching her eyes for an explanation. “My real name. Laney is a nickname. Not nearly as cool as Pepper but my full name is Langston Ann. My gran called me Laney Ann my whole life. You may hear it when you’re in town.”
“Langston,” I say, the name rolling off my tongue with ease. It fits her but so does Laney. Kind of like two sides of one woman.
“Well, I’d like to get to know both Langston Ann and Laney Ann. If I’ve learned anything in the last year, it’s that life is too short. I never understood that expression as much as I do today. Tomorrow isn’t promised and I won’t let something that could be special pass me by. It’s not just me, Pepper is part of the package, but the way she is when you’re around, it brings out the part of her that’s been missing.”
Laney shifts on my lap, making me groan. It’s been a long time since a woman has been this close to me. My focus has been elsewhere, and I’ve never been one for casual hookups. Having this beautiful woman on my lap, her heat pressed against me, the need to feel more of her builds.
I lean forward, pulling her lips to mine. It’s a soft kiss, one to remind her of our connection. The way we fit together perfectly the other night. How real our shared connection is. Her hands cup my face and then slide around my neck, her elbows resting on my shoulders as she controls the kiss. My hands settle on her backside, lifting her slightly and settling her closer but still with too much space between us. Laney slips her glasses to the top of her head and with more force, pulls me to her.
Soft mewls from deep in her throat light a fire inside me. It’s been so long since any desire built this quickly. I feel a teenager again, needing to touch and rub. Pulling her against me, her hips rotating slightly, a moan escapes as I move my lips to her neck. I tug the sweater down more, my tongue following her clavicle.
“Ryan,” she moans as my lips climb back to a spot on her neck right below her ear. Her breath hitches and she melts into me, hips shifting again. I can tell she’s close, a climax building inside her.
“Fuck, Laney.” My hands slide under her sweater, the softness of her skin a tease of what I know is beneath her leggings. She continues to move, chasing what I know she needs. “That’s it, baby. Are you going to come?”
Her words are mumbled as she gasps, her head dropping to my shoulder.
“Ohmygod. What just happened?”
I chuckle and pull her close to me. “Do I need to spell it out?”
The glare I’m given is enough to remind me to shut my trap. Still, a smirk isn’t something I can easily hide.
“Do not get embarrassed. This was not what I planned when I asked you over. This is a pleasant change of events, and I have no regrets.”
Laney looks down between us then looks up, eyebrow raised.
“Nope. No regrets. I would like to spend more time with you. I’d really like to take you out on a date but with Pepper, I don’t have anyone?—”
“Honey will watch her. They have a whole fist bump thing between them.”
That blush is back on her cheeks, and I lean forward to kiss her. Mostly because I can.