3. Chapter 3
Chapter three
Aspen
I wake up slowly to the feeling of soft kisses being pressed to my back. The bed moves, and I turn my head, smiling at the sight of Ryan lying next to me. He’s on his side, his head propped up on one hand, the other hand slowly tracing patterns over my bare back.
“Good morning,” I croak, my voice groggy. I’m not one of those people who wakes up gracefully. It happens in stages, and it takes a while with lots of eye-blinking involved. If I haven’t tied my hair before bed, it resembles a rat’s nest, and sometimes I even have dried drool on the side of my mouth. My first sleepover with Ryan scared the shit out of me. I was afraid to make myself so vulnerable in front of him and was certain he’d take one look at me in the morning and run screaming in the other direction.
He proved me wrong. He loves me, drool and all.
“One day I’m going to marry you, Aspen.” His face is serious as he watches his hand.
My heart skips a beat. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yes.” That traveling hand of his moves lower, his fingers nudging the covers out of his way.
“You’re awfully confident. Who says I want to marry you?” Tingles race up and down my back from his fingertips. I’m not at all serious because Ryan is the type of gorgeous in all the ways that count and I know I’ve hit the jackpot with him. Girls tend to do stupid things for guys like him.
His eyes darken. “Fate, destiny, the universe—take your pick. They made us for each other. And once my ring is on your finger, I’m going to put babies in your belly.”
“Hold on, Casanova. Who said anything about babies?”
“You know you want my babies.” The smile that tips the corners of his lips is sinful as his fingers travel down my back and over my ass. My eyes close, all my senses honed in on the burning path his fingers create, and helpless against the onslaught of feelings, I widen my legs in silent encouragement. He doesn’t disappoint, his fingers dipping down, teasing me with just the right amount of pressure.
“You’re so cocky,” I gasp, my toes curling with pleasure.
“No, baby.” He leans closer, his voice lowering and filling me with a delicious heat. “Just determined as fuck.”
I want to moan in protest when he removes his fingers, but before I can, his weight settles on my back, his legs bracketing mine. His hands slide up my arms, as soft as butterfly kisses, and with a firm, yet surprisingly gentle grip, he straightens them and tangles our fingers. He prods at my entrance, and I’m so wet, he slides in with ease, making us both groan. Once he’s fully seated inside me, he tightens his legs, squeezing mine together. Nuzzling his face in my neck so that our cheeks are pressed together, he starts rocking into me, keeping his pace slow and steady. He’s so deep and with my legs squeezed together, the friction is so intense, my helpless moans sound almost feral.
“I fucking love the sounds you make,” he groans, his fingers tightening around mine, the rumble of his voice against my ear shooting shivers down my back and arms. He withdraws slowly, and with a grunt, slams back. My whimper seems to ignite something in him because his fingers tighten around mine and his breathing speeds up.
His body envelops me, but instead of it feeling suffocating, I feel safe and cherished. It’s so good, so intimate, that tears spring to my eyes. I want to hold on to him with everything I have and never let go. I want to drown in his love and never come up for air.
The sensations his body evokes in me consume me, winding me tighter and tighter until I’m trembling, my heart a heavy drum in my chest beating out a crescendo that I know will be explosive when it peaks.
I know I’m not the only one feeling it. It’s there in his bunched muscles against my arms, the rhythmic clenching of his abdominals with every thrust, and his panting gasps in my ear.
This, this is not sex. This is pure magic and my body weeps for the pleasure of it. Finally, I can’t hold back the tide, and shuddering, I clench my fingers woven between his, his name a gasp of air as the wave crests over me, setting me afire from the inside out. I’m still lost in the sensations shuddering through my body when Ryan stiffens, my name on his lips, a groan that skates across my sensitive flesh, intensifying my shivers.
Once our breathing slows down, Ryan rolls onto his back and I scoot closer when he straightens his arm in invitation. Resting my head in the crook of his arm, I trail my fingers over his abdomen, tracing every line and ridge.
Lying together like this is as natural as breathing. I’ve had sexual partners before I met Ryan, the last being the boyfriend I had in college who dumped me when I dropped out to look after Mom. But all those sexual encounters? They pale in comparison to this. Sex with Ryan is more than just physical. It starts way before the actual act. It’s there in the way he looks at me with a profound acceptance of everything I am. The things he does for me without having to ask him; that come to him as naturally as breathing. It shows a level of care and consideration I’ve never before experienced. It’s the way he talks to me and listens to me that shows me he respects me and values my opinion. There’s a multitude of things that leave me in a perpetual state of want and need for him.
“I guess we should get going.”
He yawns, but his fingers don’t stop playing with my hair. We have a busy day ahead with shopping and cleaning to get the apartment ready for Hadley, so I know we should get up, but I’m comfortable and not in the mood to move just yet.
“Are you excited to see her?” I ask, looking up at him.
“I am. Before she left, we saw each other almost every day, so we’ll have years’ worth of catching up to do. The circumstances suck, but it is what it is, and I can’t wait for the two of you to meet,” he says, his eyes sparkling. “I know you and Hadley are going to hit it off.”
I hope so. She’s important to Ryan, so I want her to like me.
“Finally! I thought you were going to bail on us.”
“Sorry.” Furrowing my brow, I grimace at Rose while bumping Piper with my hip. She grumbles, sliding deeper into the booth. The entire gang is already here, and I hate being late, but it was beyond my control. I had bought the bedding, but we still needed curtains and odds and ends. After shopping, we cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, hung up curtains, made up the bed, and stocked the cupboards with necessities. “It took a lot longer to get the apartment ready than I thought it would.”
By the sounds of it, Hadley is a good friend of Ryan’s and I wanted to do everything I could to make her feel welcome.
“Why are you fixing the apartment? Did Ryan finally decide to rent it out?” she asks while pouring me a glass of margarita. “Speaking of. Where is my brother? I thought he was joining us?”
“He’s gone to pick up his friend. She’s staying in the apartment while she’s in town, so he’ll drop her off and join us after.”
I offered to accompany him to the airport, but he insisted I worked too hard and needed this time to let my hair down with my friends.
“Hadley?” I nod, taking the glass from her. “Hadley’s staying in the apartment?”
“Yes. Why?” I frown at the scowl on her face.
“I’m not her greatest fan.”
“Why?”
“Maybe it was because I was the annoying younger sister, but I always felt like she thought she was better than everyone else.”
“Huh,” I mutter, surprised. Ryan’s not the type of person who surrounds himself with negativity. He prefers to see the good in people and avoids drama, so he took it hard when he found out about Quinn’s affair. He’d been friends with both Quinn and Bailey for years and was a groomsman at their wedding. To say he was disappointed in Quinn when he stepped out on his marriage was an understatement.
“It’s been many years. Maybe she’s changed,” Maya says, her eyes on the stage.
“Doubtful,” Rose mutters.
“So, who are we listening to tonight?” I ask to change the subject. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt and form my own opinions. Following Maya’s line of sight, I see the entertainment for the night setting up.
“Some or other indie rock band,” she says, taking a sip of her beer.
“Are they any good?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” She shrugs. “I haven’t listened to them and neither has Nate.”
“Really?” I ask, surprised. Nathan always has a potential new band audition before allowing them to play in his bar. And he always asks Maya to listen as well. It’s their thing.
“Cassie heavily recommended them.” She grimaces, her thumb scratching absently at one of her cuticles.
“That girl needs a reality check. She struts around like she owns this place,” Piper says, drumming her fingers on the table.
“She’s not that bad.”
“No, Maya. She is. You’re too nice to say anything, but just because she’s been dating Nathan for a hot second doesn’t mean that she owns this place. It also doesn’t mean she can treat you like you’re nothing. Like you’re just another employee.”
She sighs. “Piper, I don’t want to get into that tonight. It’s one of my few nights off, and I want to relax.”
The band starts playing and we quieten down to listen. One minute in, my eyes meet Pipers’ and I fight back laughter when a wicked grin crosses her lips.
“Heavily recommended, you say?” she says to Maya, who’s watching the on-stage train wreck with her mouth hanging open.
“Nathan’s going to be so mad,” Rose chokes out, not bothering to hide her laughter.
I look back to the stage and holy shit, Nathan is standing off to the side, his jaw clenched and even from here, I can see his eyes blazing. A girl, who I’m assuming is Cassie since I’ve never met her, stands next to him with her hands on her hips, her mouth set in a stubborn line.
“I’ll be right back,” Maya mutters, and then she’s winding through people, making her way to Nathan.
“Is it bad that I’m happy right now?” The evil grin Piper sports sets us off again, and I’m still laughing when my phone buzzes.
“I’m guessing Nathan won’t be needing our feedback.” Chuckling, I grab my phone, my smile widening when I see Ryan’s message.
Ryan: Successfully collected the package. On the way home. Eta thirty minutes.
My laugh falls into a fond smile. He sure loves his spy movies.
Aspen: Don’t text while you drive
Thankfully Nathan ushers the train wreck off the stage and we get down to catching up and gossiping. Ryan was right. I needed this time to switch off, to forget about the endless list of things I need to do at the rescue, and stressing about where the money to do all those things will come from. Ryan would help me if I asked—he’s offered many times—but he’s already helping so much by not letting me pay rent and asking for more would feel like taking advantage.
I keep glancing between the door and my phone, waiting for Ryan. I’m hesitant to message him and come across as needy, but it’s been two hours, so surely Hadley should be settled by now.
Aspen: What time are you coming?
It takes him a few minutes to answer.
Ryan: Babe, would you mind if I give it a miss? Hadley’s exhausted and I’m not comfortable leaving her alone
Disappointment dips my stomach, but then I berate myself for being selfish. Of course, she’s exhausted. I would be too after an eleven-hour flight. But a heads-up would have been nice.
Aspen: Okay. I’ll see you later. Love you
Ryan: You’re the best. Drive safe
I’m dying to meet this mysterious friend of his, so after a brief debate with myself, I gather my bag and say goodbye to my friends.