Chapter 26 Comfort versus desire
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Comfort versus desire
Ruby
An evil grin spread across Ryker’s face. Leaping from the bed, he scooped me up with ease before launching me onto the mattress. Before I had a chance to gather my bearings, he was hovering over me and tickling my ribs like we were kids again.
Uncontrollable laughter burst from me as I attempted to squirm from his grip, but it was pointless. He was too strong.
Snickering, he eased up, just enough for me to catch a glimpse of his dimpled grin – a dimple that had seemed so innocent as kids, but was now a romantic trope for every girl who looked his way.
“Are you cancelling the Uber, Rubz?”
“I’ll cancel the Uber, Wheels,” I panted, well and truly out of breath.
With a satisfied beam on his face, Ryker leaned back slightly to give me some breathing space. I needed it. My job kept me in shape – some shifts I even hit eighteen thousand steps – but there was something about being tickled to death that always left you winded.
Gently reaching forward, Ryker’s fingertips brushed my collarbone as he lifted the necklace from my neck.
It was three tiers – the first a simple, short chain, almost like a choker; the second a little longer, decorated with small diamantes; and the final so delicate it felt fragile, centring around an oval pendant engraved with R&R.
“You’re wearing my gift,” he said, seeming surprised.
“Of course I’m wearing it. I rarely take it off outside of work. It was my favourite graduation present.”
Ryker was the king of gifts. I don’t know how he always pulled them off. He was forever buying things I wanted, down to the sunglasses I’d had sitting in my wish list for months.
“Huh. I guess I’ve never noticed.” His gaze lingered on me, like he was seeing me for the first time. “I’ve never noticed how freakishly long your eyelashes are either. Are they real?”
I barked out a sharp laugh. “Of course they’re real. I’m one hundred percent genuine, which I understand might be a foreign concept to you.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean Kitty Banks.” The first girl he’d ever kissed, who wore so much self-tanner she was permanently orange.
“Giselle Sterling.” His freshman year crush, whose extensions likely cost the equivalent of my first car.
“And Sienna Davis.” The latest girl he’d introduced me to, whose breast implants were perkier than a pilates instructor’s ass. “You have a type, Wheels.”
“Do not.”
“You do. Just like every quarterback you grew up idolising, you’re drawn to perfect looking girls.”
He had the nerve to look offended, like I’d just dropped a bombshell. “You’re being judgy, Rubz.”
“I’m not. I’m merely stating a fact.”
“That I only date fake girls?”
“No,” I said, with a hint of remorse. “That you only date the kind of women who are flawless in every category – perfect face, perfect hair, perfect bodies. You know, those who appreciate the difference between bronzer and contour.”
Ryker was still hovering above me, his arms caging me in. His dark hair had fallen over his forehead since tickling me, making him seem messy and chaotic.
I... liked it.
Ryker was always perfectly kept together.
Whenever he called me after a shift, when my messy bun was coming loose and there were dark bags beneath my eyes, he’d appear like he’d just left the set of a high-end commercial, not a college class.
Even after a game or practice, when he was drenched in sweat, it only added to his appeal.
He was just a hot, picture-perfect guy – drawn only to women just as hot and picture-perfect as him.
“What’s the difference?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “I don’t have a clue.”
“You think I wouldn’t date you because of that?”
“I don’t think you’d date me for a lot of reasons.”
“Name one.”
“I can name one hundred. Can you name one why we should date?”
He smirked. “I can name one hundred.”
I snorted. “This should be good. Go on, give me one.”
“We get along.”
“Boring.”
He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, thinking. “We come from the same hometown.”
“Convenience isn’t a reason to date someone.”
As he briefly opened his mouth, only to shut it in defeat, I beamed triumphantly.
“Aha. You’ve got nothing, Wheels.”
“Give me time, woman. I’m trying to think.”
“Needing to think is proof you’re wrong. We’d be disastrous.”
Ryker started to protest, so I raised my hand, cutting him off. I had my reasons ready.
“Between football and my roster, we’d never see each other.”
“I suppose, but–”
“You’d drive me crazy with your protein diet.”
“You could use the extra protein. You’re too small.” His large hands roamed along the length of my ribs, the warmth seeping through the thin fabric of my dress. “Seriously, I could snap you, Rubz.”
“Please don’t,” I managed, masking a shudder as my skin tingled, like an electric current ran through his fingertips.
My body had never reacted to Ryker like this. Though honestly, I doubted it was even about him. It was just the fact that someone was touching me... it had been a while.
Even though Noah and I had been forced to go months without seeing each other, knowing he was there had filled a void I hadn’t realised existed until I lost it.
Ugh. Bri was right. I needed to get laid.
I held up a third finger. “Your love language is touch and I hate cuddling.”
“I’m touching you right now,” he countered, one eyebrow raised in challenge.
Oh, I was very much aware.
My dress had bunched up from writhing beneath him, so my underwear was barely covered, and I wasn’t wearing a bra because I hadn’t packed a strapless one, which I could only hope Ryker hadn’t noticed.
Drawing a steady breath, I continued listing deal breakers. “Not to mention it’d be freaking weird. I’ve had a burping contest with you before. It’s a hard rule of mine to never date someone I’ve had a burping contest with.”
Ryker’s dimple deepened. “I happen to think the fact you can burp the alphabet is seriously impressive.”
“No, you don’t. You’re only saying that because you don’t want to be wrong.” I attempted to shove his shoulder, but he didn’t budge. “Have you ever hooked up with a girl who has burped in front of you?”
“No. But–”
“There’s another reason!” I exclaimed. “You’re way too stubborn, Wheels. You always have to be right and in control. It’d drive me insane.”
“Dating me would drive you insane?” He flinched in mock offence. “You have three seconds to take that back, Rubz.”
“And if I don’t?”
With a smirk, he shifted his hands over my ribs, threatening me with another tickling onslaught.
“Three,” he whispered.
I quickly sealed my mouth shut.
“Two.”
His hands inched closer.
“One.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, bracing for impact, only it wasn’t his hands on my body that stole my breath... it was his lips on mine. Uncertain at first, but quickly gaining confidence when I didn’t push him away.
A sound escaped my throat – something between a whimper and a moan – caught between pleasure and surprise.
I briefly opened my eyes, checking this wasn’t some prank or magical act where he’d switched places with someone – that it really was Ryker kissing me.
Sure enough, it was still his body above mine, still his leg wedging between my thighs, and still his palms collapsing over my ribs to hold me steady.
When it became clear I was kissing him back – why was I kissing him back? – Ryker used his tongue to part my lips. As mine met his, a dizzying shudder rippled across my skin, paralysing me from the waist down.
Before I could wrap my head around what was happening, my arms instinctively looped around his neck, tugging him closer as I threaded my fingers through his dark hair. My limbs had taken control, and my brain was at the mercy of what felt good.
Ryker’s mouth moved over mine without hesitation, just pure confidence and skill. I hadn’t taken a breath in what felt like a lifetime. Was I even breathing?
Resting one hand over his jaw, I could feel the steady thrum of his pulse beneath my fingertips. It was pounding as fast as my heart.
I had no idea how long we’d been kissing for. Too long maybe, but also not long enough. Noah had never kissed me like this, not with the same intensity that Ryker was. It was like he was drowning and I was fresh air. I felt... needed.
When Ryker eventually pulled back, he quietly held my gaze, his focus unwavering. I tried gauging his expression, but he gave nothing away.
I wished I had the courage to break the silence, but my mind was drowning in dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin... and all the chemicals that made you feel alive.
A lifetime of friendship, and we’d never done that. Over my long-term relationship with Noah, none of the thousands of kisses had ever felt like that.
The count of boys I’d now kissed stood at two – Ryker and my ex. I didn’t bother comparing them. It would be like comparing your favourite chocolate and cereal – way too different. Familiarity versus sparks. Comfort versus desire. Safety versus thrill.
“I’ve always wondered what that would be like,” Ryker quietly murmured, after what felt like seconds – minutes – hours.
I swallowed thickly. “And?”
I knew what it had been like for me.
Groundbreaking.
Earth-shattering.
Life-changing.
I didn’t know a kiss could hold that much emotion.
Before Ryker could answer, the door was thrown open and Kyler stumbled inside.
“We need you downstairs, man. Pat is beefing with some jock and...” Kyler trailed off, scratching his head in awkwardness. “Shit. Sorry. I, ugh, didn’t mean to interrupt.”
I thought Ryker would pull away fast, putting space between us, but he stayed in place, bracing his body over mine.
If he wasn’t going to snap into gear, I would.
“You didn’t interrupt anything,” I said, untangling myself from Ryker with the same precision as removing an IV line. Touching him seemed too risky right now.
As Kyler studied me, I lifted my hand to cover my mouth, suddenly aware of how swollen my lips felt from that kiss. I could still taste Ryker on my tongue – peppermint and perfection... and confusion.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t fix the blush covering my skin, one which likely looked exceptionally bright in comparison to my white dress.
Kyler wore a smug grin as his gaze flicked between me and his captain. “You sure about that?”
I chanced a look at Ryker. He hadn’t moved. He was frozen in the exact same position, looking completely stunned, like he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just done.
I couldn’t either. And truth be told, I had no idea how I was supposed to feel about it.
Casually dragging a hand through his hair – the same hair I’d just had my fingers threaded through – Ryker sat up. “I’ll be down in a bit, Kyler. Can you give Ruby and me a second to–”
“No need.” I shoved past Kyler, heading for the door. “Have you seen Tori? I need a drink.”
With a frown, Kyler shifted uncomfortably, clearly trying to gauge the mood.
You and me both.
“Last I saw, she was in the basement with Brady.”
Without another glance Ryker’s way, I nodded and left the room