Chapter 5 #2
I was almost positive my eyes had been wide the entire time, in surprise of almost everything they did. I would give these women one thing—they really knew what they were doing. I don’t think I’d ever paid this much attention to my skin, nails, or hair ever in my life.
They’d somehow turned my feet baby soft in a matter of fifteen minutes before painting my nails a gorgeous lilac color.
They had exfoliated every inch of my body and coated it in lotions and other expensive products I didn’t understand while I stood there in a small camisole bra and panties.
That was all before they did my toenails, taking the lilac color and mixing it with blue glitter, making special care to add in little silver moons onto each and every nail.
I was absolutely shocked by the end of it, and they hadn’t even been completely finished!
When I had talked to them about my hair, I’d expressed that I didn’t want to lose any of the length or change the color, so we decided on doing some soft long layers throughout, with slightly shorter layers around my face to add ‘dimension’ and to ‘frame’ the face.
I honestly had lost track of the terms they threw at me—but by the end, when they blow dried my hair with a round brush, it was the softest and healthiest it had ever been in my life.
Once I was wrapped up in a robe, I had thanked them so much that they had finally started laughing as we walked towards my bedroom door.
I turned pink in the face to find Ryder standing there, offering me an amused look as he nodded towards the women in greeting, all of them breaking out into what sounded like French before waving goodbye.
I looked up at Ryder and found him staring down at me with a relaxed affection I wasn’t used to.
“That was…amazing,” I whispered in shock. “I didn’t even know you could do all of that!”
Ryder’s laugh was charming and filled with authentic happiness.
I leaned into him, the movement natural as I tried to stop overthinking whatever this was between us.
An impossible task, to be sure, but it didn’t feel as insurmountable when his large hand slid around my waist so that I was enveloped in his tobacco-and-citrus scent.
“Your home is beautiful,” I admitted, his burnt orange eyes catching every expression that crawled over my face.
Although much like Tore, I imagined it was hard seeing my expressions from all the way up at 6’6’’.
Unlike Tore’s bulky muscles, though, Ryder was a bit leaner in build but very cut, which was obvious in the most casual outfit I’d seen him wear—a simple t-shirt and jeans, bare feet.
My eyes darted down to our bare feet, and I wiggled my brightly painted toes.
“That’s a pretty color.” He ignored my comment about his home, something sad flashing through his gaze.
“It is—you should paint your toes.” I offered a small smile. “Or I could paint them for you.”
His eyes jumped with mischief as he ran a hand through his thick black hair that hung to his shoulders. I had wanted to run my fingers through it so many times—including now—but I held back, partly because I would probably have to jump to reach him.
“I would be okay with that.” He smirked. “At that point you should do my fingers—that way everyone can see it in class.”
I bit down on my lip. “You would be cool with that?”
His eyes began to shift into a burning inferno. “Would I be okay with having your mark on me, kitten? Absolutely.”
My breath caught as I felt everything slow. I could hear what he was saying, what he meant, and I found my insecurities with our relationship and situation were fading far faster than I would have guessed. Was it possible he really felt as strongly as me?
“Personal shopper is here!” Julian’s voice called from somewhere down the hall.
“Personal shopper?”
“This would be Caedmon attempting to not overdo it.” Ryder fixed the strap of my robe so it was comfortably tied and led me forward down a luxuriously decorated hallway to turn a corner.
For the second time today, I was absolutely transfixed, and not by the gorgeous city views or expensive furnishings.
No, this had to do with the hundred bags and boxes that covered the floor.
Julian sat on the couches with Tore, looking beyond amused as Ryder kissed the top of my head and walked towards the kitchen. Dakota looked over at me as Caedmon talked to a tall, skinny man holding a checklist and looking around, seemingly accounting for all the gifts present.
“Caedmon?” I called out. His gaze snapped to mine as he offered me a heated look, his eyes running down my robed form.
Dakota said something to him, but Caedmon turned from both of them and walked to meet me in the sea of bags.
I looked at all the gorgeously wrapped boxes, vaguely recognizing some of the names on them, but only from fashion magazines.
“What is all this?” I asked softly.
“I went overboard, probably.” Caedmon ran a hand through his hair and then offered what I think was supposed to be a relaxed smile as his ears turned pink. “I know you ordered some stuff online, but I got you…more.”
Looking around, realizing this was all for me, I broke out into a laugh, nearly a hysteric giggle. “You think? Holy crap.”
Caedmon seemed to relax, offering a small huff of laughter, as I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed.
I went up on my toes and offered my lips as he pressed a soft kiss.
I spoke earnestly then. “Thank you so much, Caedmon. I’m not used to accepting gifts or getting them, but if you love doing it, then I will always be okay with it. ”
Even if it was a bit crazy.
“I hope you mean that.” His eyes flared as he kissed me again more forcefully before pulling away and nodding towards the bags. “Want to open one?”
“Sure.” A goofy grin slipped onto my face.
Before, this would have made me feel anxiety or overwhelmed because I would have felt like I owed him. Now, though? Now that I knew this made him happy? I didn’t really think of it as my clothes or my possessions; instead they were things that made Caedmon feel good to buy.
Maybe all of this was a bit crazy, maybe he was a bit crazy…but I was okay with that. I was more than okay with anything to do with Caedmon.