Chapter 10
Ten
Ryker
Some days gut you.
I knew it was leukemia the second I saw her blood panel. I hoped I was wrong, hoped the lab made a mistake. Hoped for anything but what I had to say.
She’s six. She still thinks Band-Aids fix everything.
Her parents went quiet when I said the word, the kind of silence that feels like screaming. Her mom gripped the armrest so hard her knuckles turned white. Her dad blinked too fast and wouldn’t look at me.
I walk them through the next steps. Referrals. Blood work. Oncology. I say all the right things because I have to, but it doesn’t matter. No one hears you when you’re the guy who’s brought the earthquake.
My day continues after that, and so does theirs, but I keep thinking back to the moment I had to tell them. They’re changed forever, and I can’t shake that.
By the time I finish my shift, I’m exhausted and jittery.
I wish the usual basketball with my brothers wasn’t canceled tonight.
Going home feels unbearable. The silence, the thoughts—I can’t face any of it.
I need noise. A distraction. Something that won’t involve people asking me how I’m doing or looking at me with pity.
It’s been three days since I saw Ginny during—okay, and after—the venue planning meeting at our vineyard. When I reach my car, I pull out my phone and type a message.
Me: Drink at Mikey’s?
I stare at it for a second. Ginny doesn’t owe me anything. And this is probably a bad idea. She left my place without a goodbye the other day, and I’m fine with that. We’re supposed to be casual—scratch-an-itch casual, not text-on-a-bad-day casual.
Still, I hit send.
I toss the phone on the passenger seat and start the engine. The sun’s setting behind the hills, painting the sky in fire and cotton candy, but all I see is that little girl’s face. Her tiny fingers wrapped around the exam table paper like it could anchor her.
My phone buzzes. I pick it up at the next red light.
Ginny: Sure. I’m already halfway there.
I blow out a breath, feeling ridiculously relieved. What I should feel is stupid. This was never supposed to be anything more than a release valve for pressure I didn’t want to name. But in this moment, I know what I want isn’t a distraction. I want her.
Beyond our combustible chemistry, she seems to get me in a way I can’t explain. Doesn’t push. Doesn’t hover. She lets me be, which is exactly what I need tonight.
When I walk into Mikey’s, she’s already at the bar, a bottle of cider in front of her, her long auburn hair glowing under the overhead lights like fire.
She turns as I approach, and our eyes meet. In an instant, I forget all over again why I ever thought being near her was a bad idea.
“Hey,” I say, sliding onto the stool next to hers.
“Hey yourself.” She takes a sip, studying me. “Rough day?”
I nod. “One of the worst.”
She doesn’t ask why. Just flags Mike and orders me a beer.
God, I needed this. And I needed her.
Ginny doesn’t look at me directly. Not at first. She watches me through the mirror behind the bar, studying from a safe distance. Her fingers trace lazy circles around the base of her bottle.
“So,” she says casually, “when did you buy the bar?”
I look at her reflection, arching a brow. “Who told you?”
“My sister,” she says, turning to look at me, rather than the mirror. “She said you bailed Mike out after the divorce.”
I shrug. “It wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t want to sell to strangers. I didn’t want the place to close. He’s still running it. Most people don’t even realize it changed hands.”
She lifts her bottle and nods like she’s impressed. “Huh. I always thought the Paradise family was a little more…ruthless than that.”
I laugh under my breath and take a sip of the beer Mike delivers. “Yeah, that’s a myth. We’re not all wine-soaked villains plotting world domination.”
“Shame,” she says, and her mouth curves into that half-smile that always gets me.
She takes another sip from her bottle.
“Which one is that?” I ask.
She turns the label to face me. “Paradise Brewery, the mango flavor,” she says. “Was my drink of choice last summer. Still is, I guess.”
“Sweet and dangerous,” I murmur.
She arches a brow. “Just like me?”
I don’t answer. She already knows.
We sit in silence for a minute, but it isn’t awkward, just easy. Familiar in a way it shouldn’t be.
Then she says, “So…why’d you text me?”
I swallow, my fingers tightening around my beer. What I’m about to say proves I wanted something more than a distraction this evening. “I had to give a family some bad news today. Little girl. Leukemia.”
Ginny’s face softens. “Ryker…”
“I went into peds to avoid that kind of thing. Thought I could fix more than I’d have to break.” I shake my head. “Days like today make me feel like I was lying to myself.”
She shifts and bumps my shoulder. I catch the faint scent of citrus and sunshine. “I’m so sorry.”
I nod, not trusting myself to say anything else. The knot in my stomach hasn’t loosened all day.
“What can I do?” she asks. “To make it better?”
I look over at her. “You’re already doing it. Just being here is enough.”
Her lips part, like she’s expecting something else. Like she thought I’d say sex. I usually would.
Truth is, I need that too. The escape. The burn. But I won’t ask for it, not this time. Not like that.
Ginny finishes her drink, scoots the bottle across the bar, and slides off the stool.
“I’m gonna hit the ladies’ room,” she says. “Meet you at your car?”
I blink. “What?”
She gives me a look, pointed, amused, a little wicked. “Your car.”
Then she disappears down the hallway, leaving trouble in her wake.
It takes me a second to catch up.
My beer’s still half full, but I toss some bills on the bar anyway and wave at Mike. “’Night.”
“’Night, Doc,” he says, barely looking up as I head out into the cold.
The wind off the lake slices through my jacket, biting sharp at my neck. I stalk across the parking lot to my Armada, unlock it, and slide inside. The leather’s cold against my skin, and the interior still smells faintly like the pine-scented detailing from last week’s wash.
A few minutes later, the passenger door opens, and Ginny climbs in. Her cheeks are flushed, hair wild from the wind, and she’s grinning like she knows every thought in my head.
She buckles in and eyes the dash. “Big vehicle, Paradise. Overcompensating for something?”
I smirk. “When you’re six-five, you don’t fold easily into a sports car. Plus, I wanted something big enough to fit me and my brothers without having to amputate anyone’s knees.”
“Practical and luxurious,” she says, running her hand over the console. “Very on-brand.”
I glance at her, feeling a little…something. I’m not sure what. I’m not entirely in control of this situation. “You ready to go home?”
“Actually…” she says, drawing out the word like a dare, “I was thinking maybe we could take a drive. The lookout over the lake might be nice.”
I turn to face her, raising an eyebrow. “The lookout? As in, the old make-out spot?”
She shrugs, all innocence. “Is that what it is? Huh. I must’ve forgotten.”
I laugh, but my chest tightens with anticipation. “And what exactly are your intentions, Red?”
She doesn’t answer. Instead, she reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out something small and black. She places it in my hand—silky, soft.
Jesus. They’re her panties.
I look up, stunned, and she just grins. “Drive, Ryker.”
My fingers tighten around the fabric. “You’re gonna kill me.”
She smiles. “Not tonight.”
I practically floor it out of the parking lot, and she laughs, kicking my heart into an even higher gear. I chill out once we reach the street, and we drive in an electric silence for a few moments. I keep realizing how badly I’ve needed someone like her.
As requested, I stop the car at a secluded part of the lookout that has a fantastic view of the lake and valley, even at night. Once I put it in park, I turn to her, and our lips meet.
Her mouth is warm, and the world outside fades until there’s nothing left but us. After a few minutes, she looks at me. Meaningfully.
I haven’t had sex in a car for a long time, but I think I’m still limber enough. I release the seat back until it’s almost completely horizontal. I unbutton my fly and pull my pants down to my thighs. My cock stands straight. “It’s all yours to do with as you please.”
She takes it in her hands and strokes me. I relax into her touch. “So many options.”
She licks the head, and I have to shut my eyes to keep from shooting my load down her throat.
The heat of the moment, combined with the thrill of the unknown, heightens every sensation.
The feel of her hand on my cock, stroking me to the near-bursting point, is almost too much to bear.
I grip the headrest behind me, my fingers digging into the leather as I try to maintain some semblance of control.
“Ginny,” I groan, a plea and a warning all at once. “You’re killing me.”
When I open my eyes she looks up at me, and I know she’s feeling it too. Slowly, she moves up to brush her lips against mine, her hand never stopping its ministrations. “I told you…not tonight.” Her voice is a husky whisper against my skin.
Unable to resist any longer, I wrap my fingers in her wild hair and guide her mouth down onto me. She moans over me, a primal sound that sends shivers down my spine. Her warm, wet mouth envelops me, her tongue swirling around my tip before she takes me in until I’m hitting the back of her throat.
“Fuck!” I exclaim. My hips buck involuntarily as she begins to bob up and down, expertly alternating between long strokes and teasing flicks with her tongue.
I’ve always known Ginny had a way of making the mundane extraordinary, but this—this is something else entirely. The car feels too small, too confined for the intensity blossoming between us. I can barely think straight as I watch her, entranced by her confidence, the way she relishes her task.
“Damn,” I breathe, gripping the seat tighter.
Her gaze flickers up to meet mine, and she speeds up, driving me toward the edge. I fight to keep my composure as the rhythm of her mouth destroys everything rational in me.
“This is…” I can’t finish the thought as she swallows, sending a wave of pleasure crashing over me. I know I’m close. Too close. “Ginny! Slow down…please.” That last part slips out not as a command but as a plea for mercy, yet it only broadens her mischievous smile.
“Oh, but Paradise,” she teases, leaving me gasping for breath. “I thought you liked it fast.”
Before I can respond, she dives back down, taking me in completely, and I feel myself unraveling. My body betrays me as I lose control, a rush of heat surging through my veins.
“God…Ginny!” My voice cracks, struggling against the tide of bliss washing over me.
Before I make an ass of myself, I pull her off, reach for my wallet in the center console, and pull out a condom. “I only have one.”
“Challenge accepted.” She gives me a salacious smile.
“You sure?” My voice is rough. I don’t want to stop. But I want to be fair to her as well.
When she nods, I roll on the condom, but for one fragile second, I hesitate. Despite everything we’ve said, this feels like more. Like a promise I can’t take back. I lift her onto my lap and push up into her.
As she envelops me, a jolt of electricity courses through my body. She sinks down slowly, and I can barely contain my groan as she stretches around me. The sensation is overwhelming, a mix of heat and pressure that sends my head spinning.
“God,” I whisper, gripping her hips as she settles fully, her warmth an abyss I never want to escape.
Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “You okay there?”
“More than okay,” I manage. “You feel incredible.”
With a wicked smile, she begins to move, gradually picking up the pace. Each rise and fall sends shockwaves through me, through both of us, based on the look on her face.
I’m lost to the moment as she rides me with abandon. The car rocks slightly with our fervent movements, and she runs her hands over my chest, nails grazing my skin, leaving trails of fire in their wake.
“Harder,” she gasps, and that single command unleashes something primal inside of me. I grip her waist tightly and thrust upward, meeting her descent with force.
The sound of skin slapping against skin fills the enclosed space, and her eyes roll back in pleasure. Each thrust drives me deeper into the haze until all I can think about is the way her body moves against mine, how perfectly we fit together.
“Just like that,” she gasps. “Don’t stop.”
I grip her hips, feeling the tension build with every thrust. “I’m close,” I warn her, struggling to keep my voice steady.
“Me too,” she manages between gasps, her walls tightening around me.
My heart races as I feel that familiar edge approaching. With one final thrust, I push us over the precipice. Fire ignites in my core as I release inside her, filling the condom with everything we’ve built up in this cocoon of pleasure.
“Ryker!” she cries, her climax crashing over her. Her body convulses around me, squeezing tightly as she rides out the waves of ecstasy.
I pull her close as we come down from the high, our breaths mingling in the confined space. She rests her head on my chest. “I want you to come home with me.”
“That’s playing with fire,” she warns.
I rake a hand through my hair, still tasting her on my tongue. I know it’s a bad idea. But I still want her, and I hate how much that truth burns.
My phone pings, and I ignore it. But then come several more consecutive pings.
“You’re blowing up,” Ginny teases.
I reach for my phone.
Greyson: It’s a boy!
Greyson: Theodore John Paradise, born at 8:12 p.m., 8 lbs. 1 oz.
Greyson: Trinity was amazing, and both are doing great.
A grin cracks through my haze. “Another generation of Paradises is born. Greyson and Trinity had their baby.”
Ginny smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Sounds like you’re going to the hospital.”
I nod, but the moment stretches, heavy with everything we aren’t saying.
If this were something else, I’d take her with me. But instead I’ll repay her kindness by abruptly dropping her off. She gave me exactly what I needed tonight.