Chapter 33
Heather
The following Saturday, I woke up before Ryker and just stared at my ring for a few minutes. The past week had been a bit of a whirlwind.
I gave notice to my landlord and started packing. Mom helped until she returned to Phoenix yesterday. Moving day was in two weeks. Ryker being Ryker had decided to pay the rent for another month so I wouldn’t have to pack in a hurry.
Ryker stirred soon after, blindly putting his hand over my shoulder.
I loved that his first instinct was to reach for my side of the bed, check to see if I was still here.
I pulled back a little, teasing him. He stretched toward me even further, only stopping when his fingers grazed my thigh.
Then he blinked both eyes open. Groggy with sleep as he was, he smiled at me.
“Morning,” he said. “Is it late?”
“Nah, I just woke up early.”
He turned on one side, watching me intently. “You’re smiling. Why?”
“You were cute, trying to fondle me even in your sleep.”
“Hey, I’m an honest man. I want what I want.”
Yawning, I got out of bed. In a fraction of a second, Ryker was up too and trapped me between his body and the door. Damn, he was fast.
“What are you doing?”
“Not letting you go until you admit that you were teasing me on purpose.”
“You just woke up two minutes ago. How are you so good at blackmailing me already?”
He kissed the side of my neck, laughing. “You inspire me.”
“Oh, I see. So I brought this upon myself?”
He pulled back, cocking a brow. “You say that like it’s a hardship.”
I wiggled my ass, parting my thighs so I could accommodate him more easily.
“It can be.”
“You did not say that.”
“I did. Whatcha gonna do about it?”
His eyes flashed, before he whirled me around, putting my palms up against the door above my head, holding them tight.
I swallowed, exhaling sharply. I was not expecting that. Where my instincts were slow and groggy in the morning, he was already quick and alert.
He kissed along the back of my neck, first only skimming his lips, then teasing me with the tip of his tongue.
My whole body reacted to his attentions.
Letting go of my hands, he moved his mouth lower, tracing a straight line of kisses down my back.
At the same time, he skimmed his hands over the sides of my breasts, down to my hips.
Oh, wow. There had to be a rule against getting me so hot and bothered this early in the morning. How was I supposed to resist his charm for the rest of the day? Oh wait, I didn’t want to do that.
One hour later, the two of us and Avery walked into Tiffany’s.
“We’re looking for a ring for this little lady,” Ryker told the sales assistant.
I was in heaven, admiring the sparkly displays…
right until I saw the price tags. Wow! Everything had one digit more than I imagined even in my wildest dreams. How much had Ryker spent on my ring? And now on another one for Avery?
“Yes, an ekagenment ring, like Mommy’s. That means we will all be together for all times. Until Mommy and Daddy are really old.”
“We can even put it on a necklace,” I said. “That way you can also wear it after you outgrow it.” I actually had a more practical reason in mind, minimizing Avery’s risk of losing the ring.
“I have a better idea,” the woman said, clearly able to read my panicked expression. She reached for a drawer under the counter, pulling out a selection that was clearly for children. The price tags were also more reasonable.
“Would you like a necklace with a pendant in the form of an infinity knot?” she asked Avery.
“It looks like a bow,” Avery said skeptically.
“Yes, exactly. You know what infinity means? For all times.”
Ryker and I were content to watch them go back and forth over several options. He put a hand on the back of my neck, keeping me so close that my breast squished against his chest. I barely kept from grinning when he moved that hand a little lower.
“Why are you smiling like that?” he asked. Ah, I’d kept my grin at bay, but not a smile.
“I was wondering how long it would take you until your hand started… wandering.” I spoke in a low voice, even though there was so much commotion in the store that there were zero chances of being overheard.
“And?”
“You lasted seven minutes since we came in,” I informed him.
“That’s five more minutes than I expected.”
“Love that you’re not even pretending.”
“Should I?”
“Nah, I quite like knowing that you can’t resist me.”
He laughed, just as Avery turned around, proudly pointing to the infinity pendant the sales assistant had hung around her neck. Her smile was so huge, it was obvious she’d fallen head over heels for it.
“We’re taking it,” Ryker said to the sales assistant. Avery squealed when he paid.
“Thanks for doing this,” I whispered as we left the store.
“I love making our girl happy.” Our girl . Oh, heavens. I didn’t think I’d ever swooned quite this much. And when he kissed my forehead, taking my hand as we walked out of the store, I knew that he wasn’t anywhere near done.