Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
CASEY
Istrolled to Ryker’s front door with a handful of red roses.
Tonight was the night. He deserved to know how I felt about him.
Hell, I’d almost blurted it out in the stands at the scrimmage in Tontozona.
Being away from him for almost a week had been torture, even though camp had been outstanding this year. I knocked.
The door swung open, and Ryker stood with a gorgeous smile on his face. “Shit, are those for me?” His cheeks flushed pink.
“They are.” I handed the roses to him and kissed his cheek. The scents of garlic, cheese and meat hit my senses. “Smells good in here as usual.” I sauntered inside.
“It’ll be ready in a few minutes. Beer?” He strode into the kitchen, grabbed a vase from an upper cabinet and filled it with water.
“Of course, but only one. I’ve got actual practices now in the morning.” And Coach was working us hard. I grabbed a beer from his refrigerator. “When is Wes’s first game? I’d like to see it.”
“Oh, I think in two weeks.” He set the flowers in the vase and placed it on the table. “All your training with him over the summer is paying off. It looks like he made varsity. He found out today.”
“That’s awesome.” Setting my beer on the table, I wrapped him up from behind and planted a kiss behind his ear. “I knew he could do it.” My heart grew heavy with emotion. Helping Wes had also been good for my game, according to Coach.
Buzzing filled the air. “Shoot, that’s my phone.” He rushed to the stove and picked it up off the counter. “Hello? Gabe?”
Shit, the lawyer I’d set him up with. I wanted to hear this conversation. “Hey, put it on speaker.” I grabbed my beer, snicked it open and jogged into the kitchen to stand next to him.
“Hey, Gabe, I’m putting the phone on speaker. Then I don’t have to repeat everything to my boyfriend.” He gave me a wry grin and tapped the phone’s screen.
“Okay. Hi, Casey.”
“Hello, Gabe.” I sipped my beer. Gabe wasn’t only a brilliant lawyer, but he was a drummer in a popular band. At some point, we should go to one of their shows.
“So, we’ve gone through your mother’s text messages and can’t find any evidence that she knew about the burglary.
Carl mentions several times that the home they went to was his parents’ house.
” He paused. “He also mentions a few times that the items in the house were his. So the text messages back her deposition.”
“What did Carl tell the court?” Ryker lowered his brows.
“It was as I thought. He told bold-faced lies in his deposition. He stated she knew everything, and she was fully in on it.”
“If this guy loved your mother, why the hell would he do that?” Heat wavered through my chest. What kind of asshole does this?
With a shrug, Ryker said, “I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t love her. Maybe he’s a psychopath who used her.” He clutched his T-shirt over his heart. “Son of a bitch…”
“Also, because Carl accepted a plea deal, there was never a formal trial, and the judge didn’t see any hard evidence.
” Gabe tsked. “I’m taking this information to the parole board, and I’m hoping to get her parole granted and her crime reduced to a misdemeanor.
” He breathed in deeply. “Unfortunately, I found out that having it expunged completely after her pleading guilty would be next to impossible.”
Ryker sighed. “But a misdemeanor means she’d be able to work certain jobs she wouldn’t have otherwise, right?”
“Yes,” Gabe said. “It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than where she’s at.”
“When is the parole hearing scheduled, and if it goes well, when is her release?” I peeked at Ryker, chewing his lower lip. They’d already cleared me for visitation. Had it even been worth it?
“The hearing is next week, but it can take a few weeks or a few months to grant the parole and release her,” Gabe said. “But because of these circumstances — basically an innocent woman serving jail time, I’ll ask for them to expedite the case and her release.”
“When can I bring her home?” Ryker pursed his lips.
“I’ll let you know after the hearing. But I would expect two months max,” Gabe said. “Ryker, she’ll need some time to adjust. She spent over a year in prison.”
“Yeah, I get you.” His throat dipped with a hard swallow. “I need to prepare for it.” His gaze met mine. “I’ll sleep on the couch for a few weeks while she adjusts and then find a place to live.”
Widening my eyes, my pulse quickened. Fuck, should I ask him to move in? I loved him. Why wouldn’t I? But I lived in Tempe, and his shop and family were in Mesa. Fuck, it’s not that far, maybe twenty minutes to half an hour, max?
“That plan sounds good,” Gabe said. “I’ll call you after the hearing and let you know what’s next.”
“Thank you, Gabe. You’ve been a tremendous help.” He wound an arm around my waist.
“You’re welcome.” Gabe’s smile carried in his voice. “This is why I take these cases. The reward far exceeds any money.”
“Talk to you soon,” Ryker said.
“Yep, have a good evening. Bye now.” The call ended.
With a sniffle, Ryker dropped the phone to his side and turned to me, burying his face in my neck. “She’s coming home, babe.” His breath hitched.
Babe? My heart danced against my ribcage. “She is.” I enveloped him in a tight hug and kissed the side of his head.
“And it’s all because of you and your dad.” He lifted his head and swiped at his eye. “Casey, I want you to know how much I love you.”
“What?” I blinked. The fucker said it first.
“I, uh, I love you?” He lifted his brows.
“Yeah, I heard you. I love you, too. That’s why I brought you red roses this time.” Cupping his cheeks, I pressed a hard kiss on his mouth, full of all the emotion swirling in my chest. As I broke the kiss, I pressed my forehead against his. “I wanted to say it first.”
“It wasn’t a challenge.” With a smirk, he kissed me again. “You’re so competitive.”
“Yeah, but it gave me you.” I patted his ass as my stomach growled. “Where’s my dinner?”
“So demanding…I love it.” Laughing a scoff, he opened the oven door and peeked inside. “It’s ready.”
“Good, let me set the table for us.” I rummaged around the now-familiar kitchen, taking out plates and silverware. When had I become so domestic? It was Ryker. He did this to me. I glanced at him, cutting the lasagna into squares. We’d confessed our love, and nothing ever felt so right.
After dinner and cleaning the dishes, we set aside a plate for Wes to heat in the microwave when he returned from practice and then made our way to the couch.
He tapped his index finger on the side of his beer can, resting in his lap. “It’s hard to believe Mom will be home in a few months.”
“Yeah? How do you expect it to be?” He’d mentioned having to sleep on the couch. I drank the rest of my beer and picked up a bottle of water I’d set on the coffee table. I was only having one beer, since I had practice in the morning.
“I’m not sure. I suppose she’ll need help with the rent and bills until she can find work.” He sighed. “If they reduce her crime to a misdemeanor, she’ll still have to admit her incarceration.” He drank some beer. “I can’t imagine that looks good on a resume.”
“No, probably not, but I wonder if employment programs exist for ex-prisoners?” I’d have to investigate it. “Maybe Gabe could provide resources for you?” I drank my water.
“That’s a good idea.” With a slight grin, he set his beer on the coffee table and shifted to angle toward me. “There’s only another hour before Wes comes home.” His grin widened, and his gaze dropped to my mouth.
“Yeah? What were you thinking?” Like I didn’t know. I edged closer to him, sliding my arm around his shoulders. “Maybe a little of this?” I pressed my lips to his and slipped my tongue inside him, tasting beer and the hint of garlic from our dinner.
With a soft groan, he slanted his mouth over mine, placed his hand on my chest and then pinched a nipple. “Take me tonight, babe.”
“Yeah?” I nibbled along his jaw and to his ear, brushing my lips over the shell. “I like it when you call me babe.” As I flicked my tongue inside his ear, his hand fell to my shorts and rubbed my swelling cock. Sensation sparked in my balls, and my dick tingled. “Can I bend you over this couch?”
“Yeah.” His breath caught, and he tipped his head back.
I bit his neck and slipped my hand under his shirt, then found a nipple and teased it into a hard nub. We’d never fucked out in the open before, only in a bedroom. This could be fun.
With a moan, he left me and rose from the couch, a coy grin curling his lips. “Be right back.” He jogged through the hallway to the bedrooms.
I glanced out the window. The curtains were still open. That would have to change. Hopping off the couch, I shut the curtains and checked the lock on the door. We didn’t need Wes to come home early and walk in on us. With it locked, we’d have time to react.
Ryker returned fully undressed, his stiff cock bobbing between his legs, and lube in his hand.
“Oh, nice.” Shimmying my t-shirt off, I threw it on the couch and then shucked my athletic shorts down my legs.
After padding to him, I wrapped an arm around his waist, cupped his cheek and devoured him in hungry kisses, our hot cocks slotting together.
I loved kissing him, rubbing against him, pretty much anything that included him.
With a long moan, he kissed me with abandon, his tongue crashing against mine while he squeezed the globes of my ass.
My cock throbbed and pulsed against his, leaking precum. I couldn’t wait to be inside him. Especially now, being certain of his feelings for me. Breaking the kisses, I said, “Babe, I want to make love to you.”
With the corner of his mouth lifting, he stepped to the back of the couch and bent, resting his forearms along the back. “Have me.”
Goddamn, he was a sight, with his long dark bangs falling around his face, his eyes dark and his lips red and swollen. Padding to his ass, I skimmed my hand over the smooth, rounded muscle.