29. Nica
29
NICA
Ryan’s face was all hard lines. The blonde hanging off of him wore a placid smile. She leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. He ducked away from her grasp. I bristled.
“Get out of here.” I sounded like a lioness growling at her prey. It was so fierce that Henrik growled with me.
The woman ignored me and looked at Ryan. “Can we go inside and talk, honey?”
At no point did I consider fading into the background. At no point did I wonder if I had a right to be there. I walked up toe-to-toe with her and crossed my arms. “Take your fangirling, stalker ass back to wherever you came from. It’s Christmas Day, for fuck’s sake. Have a little self-respect. My man isn’t into puck bunnies.”
“Woof!” Henrik seconded me.
“I’m well aware of what my man is and isn’t into.”
I rasped a laugh. “Wow. A little of my own medicine, huh? It’s clever, I’ll give you that. But I’m out of that game for good, so you’re a little late. Now, fuck off. We’re busy.”
I turned to Ryan. “Shall we?”
His brows were at his hairline. “Oh, we definitely shall.” He took my hand and let me punch the code for the lock. Just before he followed me inside, I heard him say, “Goodbye, Amanda. Take care of yourself.”
The door clicked shut. The lock whirred back in place. Henrik smiled his Corgi smile up at us.
But I spun to him as my blood ran cold. “Hold on,” I hissed. “That was your ex ?”
Ryan nodded slowly. He seemed to be in a daze. “You just told my ex-fiancée to fuck off.”
“I called her a puck bunny!”
His lips twitched. “You did.”
“I thought she was a crazy fan!” My hand clapped over my mouth.
Ryan’s grin stretched wide. He dropped to his knees in front of me and hugged my waist. His head rested on my stomach. “I definitely love you, Nica Solance.”
Confusion and horror went silent in my brain. I let his words wash over me, wrap around me like his arms had done. “Because I’m insane?”
“Because you’re you . Because you didn’t for a second flinch or think you shouldn’t speak your mind. But I guess I love you most because you let me. And that feels like a very special, very rare thing.”
My hands threaded into his hair. It was hard to talk with so much emotion choking me. “All of that. All of that is why I love you right back, Ryan Molloy.”
He lifted his gaze to me. “Good,” he whispered.
That green stare went wicked. I held my breath as he popped the button on my jeans. “Do you think she’s still standing out there?” he murmured with a kiss on my belly.
“I could look.” It would’ve been hard since I couldn’t stop staring at him, but still.
“Mm, no. I will. You go to the bed and wait for me.”
I bit my lip and nodded. Ryan spanked me lightly and stood up, turning back to the door. As I headed for the stairs, I heard him speak to her.
“Really, Amanda? Two years, and you think you can just show up? … Obviously not. Obviously, Henrik and I both don’t want you to… Please. Just go. This is embarrassing for you, and I…”
Ouch for her. I broke into a little jog as bubbles danced in my chest. I didn’t need to hear more of that. All I wanted to hear was?—
“You better not have any clothes on.”
“Ooft.” His voice startled me as I was stripping out of my jeans. I landed on my ass on the floor and watched him walk in.
Ryan breathed a laugh, picked me up, and tossed me on the bed. He tugged my jeans off, stripped himself naked, and climbed over me. Before I could speak, he claimed my kiss. We were both a little sweaty from the skate, and neither of us gave one damn. He was warmth and safety and sex all around me. I melted into the mattress, into the feeling of being sheltered by his body.
Into his love.
Ryan pulled back an inch and gazed down at me. I removed his glasses and set them on the nightstand. “Nica,” he whispered.
I nodded, agreeing to everything he didn’t say. “Ryan.”
This wasn’t our usual tempo or style. Ryan lowered down, kissing me. Holding me. We rolled across the bed, unable to stop touching each other. My throat still had that knot of emotion in it. Every time he kissed me somewhere new, that knot kind of glowed.
How, how, how did I get this lucky? What did I do so right? I come from nothing. I’ve made do for so long. Somehow, that making do led to… this? A freaking love story? Do I deserve it? I don’t know, but, god. I want it. I love it. I’m keeping it.
“I’d like to keep you, Goalie.” My voice was a raspy croak. I opened my eyes and smiled at him even though tears blurred my vision.
He blinked and smiled. “You have me, Trouble. No question there.”
We made slow, lazy love forever. Forgetting about showers, dinners, and gifts until inky dusk darkened the house. At last, we shuffled back downstairs in the matching bathrobes he’d come home with last week. White fluffy clouds of fabric with my monogram on the chest. How could I say no? I fussed around in the kitchen but had to admit we were way too late to cook. In the end, it was Chinese takeout in front of the tree.
And a sapphire necklace that made my jaw drop.
After I’d tried to protest it was too much, I let him put it on me. We lay staring at the fire from the sofa, me between his legs with his arms around me from behind. Henrik curled up on our feet. I rested my head on his chest and tipped my gaze up.
“This was the best Christmas ever.”
He kissed my forehead. “I quite agree.”
“Same time next year?”
“Sounds good to me, Trouble. Sounds damn fine to me.”