Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
LYNAE
S itting in Ryker’s truck, I’m still shocked by what happened tonight. I can’t believe he fired Tonya. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about him cheating on me like Sayler did. Not that I wasn’t glad Sayler was finding sex somewhere else, but I don’t want that with Ryker.
I’ve struggled with my emotions since last night when Tonya told me she was dating Ryker. My heart hurt, and I was pissed, but now I’m relieved and upset with myself for believing it. He watched me all night tonight and hasn’t left my side.
He followed me back to my house, where we left my car. Now, we are crossing the vineyard to where his house is located. When he pulls up, I remember seeing this house from across the lake during one of my walks with Isla. He parks, and I glance around, noticing how the stars reflect off the calm lake. He walks around the truck and opens my door. I reach out my hand for him to help me out, but he bypasses it and grabs me around my waist. He lifts me out and sets me on the ground next to him. I love how small and petite I feel beside him. He takes my hand and leads me up a set of stairs to the front door. It opens into a large room, beautifully decorated in soft grays and creams. The walls are a slightly bluer shade of gray, and I’m shocked by how homey and comfortable it all feels.
“Wow.”
“Yeah, my mom and Isla decorated it after it was built. Are you hungry?” He walks to the large kitchen in the open concept area, and I shake my head.
“Your dad fed me well. I’m fine.”
“Come on, I’ll show you around.”
He takes my hand and leads me upstairs. There are two bedrooms up here, one bathroom, and a loft that overlooks the living room below us. He then shows me the downstairs. There’s a room decorated in a soft blue, with floral accents.
“This is Isla’s spare room. She stays here a lot.”
“Oh, okay.” I smile as we move on.
I glance around the large game room. It has a huge television, a sectional sofa, and a pool table. He guides me outside next, and the lake is right there, with a boat tied to a dock.
“This place is amazing.”
“Come on. I have one more room to show you.” He tugs on my hand, and we head back inside. As we turn down the hall, he points out a small bathroom and the laundry room. Ryker stops at a door, then turns to face me. “This is our room.”
“Ours?” I look at him.
“When you realize I’m not going away—and that we are meant to be together forever—you’ll move in.”
He opens the door, and I’m overwhelmed with emotion. “Ryker, we can’t do this just because we are having a baby together.” The room is dominated by a large bed and done up in soft gray colors.
Ryker turns me to face him before dropping to his knees in front of me. My breath catches.
“Ly, I know you just got out of an awful marriage, so I’m not going to push. But expect me to ask you several times, because I want our child to be born into our family.” He takes my hands in his and kisses the backs of them. “I care about you a lot. I knew the moment I saw you across that bar, you were mine. I tried to find you, so the baby has nothing to do with how I feel.” He kisses my bump, then rises. “I don’t expect a yes yet.” He kisses my forehead before turning to walk out the door, leaving me alone in the room.
I walk to the bed, barely able to step up to sit on it. I look around the room, replaying his words in my head. I want a family. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. But he didn’t say he loves me, and I’m scared to trust my feelings yet.
When Ryker takes me home, he walks me to the door and kisses me softly on the lips.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. We’re shopping in Flagstaff for baby stuff, and then Sunday is dinner at my parents’.”
“Um.” I want to tell him no, but I can’t. “Okay.”
“Lock up, little vixen.” He watches me from beside his truck.
I step inside my house, feeling so lonely, and lock the door behind me before heading to my room for the night.
Ryker
W e pull up to my parents’ house, where I grew up, and I see everyone is already here. Lynae tried to talk me out of bringing her, but I wouldn’t hear it. She’s trying to put up those walls again, but I won’t let her. She’s wearing a heather gray dress with a denim shirt tied over her baby bump.
I walk around the truck and help her down. Every day, I check on her. We went shopping yesterday and got baby furniture for my house. She keeps saying she needs some for her house, but I ignore it every time. She’ll be living with me and married to me before this baby comes. I have at least twenty more weeks to convince her to marry me. I’m taking my dad’s advice and giving her a family. I’m also not pushing her for sex, but I can’t wait to get back inside her.
Her hand in mine feels perfect as I lead her inside.
“Mom, we’re here,” I holler, and she comes around the corner from the kitchen. It’s been a habit since I moved out to announce when I’m home. Even though I don’t live far from them, it still feels like coming home when I step through these doors.
“Hey, kiddo.” She walks over and takes me in her arms. “Hello, Lyn.” She smiles softly at her and pulls her in for a hug. My mom is a couple of inches taller than my woman. I love how my family is with her. Isla comes around the corner, and she pulls her in for a hug too.
“Hey, girl.” She looks at Lyn. “Can I?” She points at her stomach, and Lynae laughs as she nods. My sister rubs her stomach and leans down to it. “I’m your auntie.”
I turn Lyn to face my brother when he steps inside from the back deck, followed by Lance. I see Dad working at the smoker and grill.
“Lynae, this is my brother, Logan, and his daughter, Reese.” Reese reaches for me, and I take her. “And you remember Lance from fire safety day.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lyn says as she shakes my brother’s hand. “She’s beautiful.” She turns to Lance. “Nice to see you again, Lieutenant Courtney.”
“Call me Lance.” He laughs.
“He’s both my boss and my cousin on my mom’s side,” I clarify, noticing the question in her eyes.
“Do you know what you’re having yet?” Isla asks, and we both turn to her.
“We’ll find out tomorrow,” Lyn says softly.
“So it’s true?” Rowdy laughs as he steps into the room, leading his girl and her son.
“Yes, I told you.” His mom Gibbs smacks him. She’s notorious for doing that to us boys.
“Yeah, but I thought you meant he was going to adopt him, like I am Archer.”
“No, it’s my kid in her belly, asshole,” I argue with him.
“Ryker, mouth.” My mom raises her voice.
“Yes, ma’am.” I turn back to Rowdy. “Lynae, this is my cousin Rowdy, his girl, Coral, and their son, Archer.”
“Wow, there are a lot of babies here.”
“Yep, I can’t wait until I have one,” Isla says, and four pairs of eyes focus on her.
“Over our dead bodies,” I proclaim, with Rowdy, Logan, and Lance agreeing.
“Now, boys, you know she’s an adult now. I mean, she’s the same age as Lynae and Coral,” JoAnna adds.
“No, she isn’t. Lyn is twenty-two. Isla is only twenty.”
“I was twenty-one when we got pregnant.” Lyn chuckles as she rubs her stomach.
“Don’t make me take you home and spank you, vixen,” I growl into her ear, making her tremble. Her body wants me, but her mind keeps stopping her.
We follow everyone out to the patio, where Dad is putting food on the table.
We sit down and enjoy a meal together. We haven’t done this in months. I hope we can continue so Lyn can see the big family she will be getting.
“Next weekend, don’t you guys have tower training?” Logan asks as he returns from laying Reese down. He and Reese live here with our parents while his house is being finished. He’ll have a place across the lake from mine. Eventually, Isla will build there too.
Rowdy’s place is up above all ours and looks down at the vineyard. It’s the property he and his mother chose. Because his father died when Rowdy was a baby, they moved home, and Aunt JoAnna built her house up there. She was still dealing with the loss of her husband at the time, and because my dad and he were twins, she didn’t want to see my dad as much. I understand. If I lost Lyn, I’d want to be away from everyone too, especially if she had an identical twin. I never got to meet Uncle Jared. My brother did, but he only has a few memories because he was so young.
“Yeah, we do,” I answer. “Why?”
“Just wondering when you all will be able to help me move. The house should be done this next week.”
“Your house is the one across the lake from Ryker’s, right?” Lynae asks, and I can’t wait until she says, “ours.”
“Yep.”
“Oh, Logan, when will you be able to start interviewing those nannies?” My mother interrupts our conversation.
“Let me get moved in first.”
“Okay.”
“Speaking of which,” I say, “how about Sunday?”
“Sounds good.”
A couple of hours later, we pull into Lynae’s driveway. I hate dropping her off and wish she were coming home with me instead. She smiles at me as I reach in to help her out.
“I loved spending time with your family. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Of course. You’ll go with me next month when we do it again.”
“Oh, I don’t want to overstay my welcome. Plus, that’s so far off.”
“Come on, baby.” I walk her into the house and wait for her as she changes into something more comfortable.
I have the movie queued up that we are going to watch to relax. I talked her into letting me stay for a movie, seeing as she doesn’t have to work tomorrow. It’s a teacher in-service day, and she has her appointment.
“What time will you be here tomorrow?” she asks, and I almost swallow my tongue when I turn to face her.
She’s wearing loose-fitting pink pajama pants and a sleeveless top that crosses over itself, opening to allow her to nurse after the baby is born. All I can think about is getting my mouth around those rosy nipples again. She settles on the sofa, leaving space between us, but I’m not having that. I pull her into my body, and she snuggles in as we start the movie.
After a few moments, I notice she’s squirming. As for me, I’m having a hard time just sitting here with her fresh, floral scent washing over me. My mouth waters, wanting to get between her legs again. It’s been so long since I’ve had her essence on my tongue, and my body is primed for her right now. She squirms again, shifting her legs, and I look down at her. Her nipples are pebbled behind her shirt, and I know what her problem is.
“Baby, you okay?” I ask, hearing the gruffness in my voice.
Her head lolls back on my arm, and she looks up at me. I can see the need in her eyes. I lean down and take her lips in a thorough kiss. Before I know it, I have her on her back, and I’m over her body. Her legs open, and I nestle into her core. I can feel the heat radiating from her sweet pussy through our clothes. I pull away from her lips, and they are nice and swollen. I slide open her shirt and see her breasts behind the soft sleep bra she’s in. I pull it up to expose her rosy nipples. The small buds harden from the cool air in the room. I lean down and take one in my mouth. I move to her other and lave it, sucking it deep, until she’s moving under me.
My hand slides down her belly and into her sleep pants. She arches, urging me to move my hand to her core faster.
“Relax, sweetheart, I’ve got you.”
My fingers slide into her panties, and she’s soaked. I almost bust a nut in my jeans, she’s so hot and wet. Slipping a finger between her folds, I bypass her clit and go for her core, where I bury my finger in her tight heat.
“Yes, please, Ryker.”
I lean back down and suck her nipple into my mouth again as I fuck her with my finger. I add a second, and when she starts to tighten around them, I use my thumb to rub her clit. She rips her mouth from mine and moans long as she comes.
“Fuck, baby, I need inside you.”
“I—” She pauses, and I know I’m going home to take a cold shower.
“It’s too soon. I know.” I pull my fingers from her core and lick them clean, watching as her eyes dilate.
I stand up and adjust myself as I look down at her. I left a small hickey on her breast, and they are still shiny from my mouth. Her pants are partially down, but she’s still covered.
“I better go, or I’m going to talk you into letting me fuck you.”
She bites her lip and nods as she fixes her clothes.
After I watch her lock herself in, I get into my truck and head home, where I take myself in my hand and come hard in my shower. I can’t wait much longer.