Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
noia
“Well, that just happened,” I say to Goonie.
Leg in the air, he just gives me a low meow before he turns his attention back to cleaning his ass.
“Thanks for the pep talk, fur ball,” I snort.
I grab my phone from my purse and collapse onto the couch. My heart is still hammering from what went down at the bookstore and I need to talk to someone before I spontaneously combust.
Sasha picks up on the second ring. “Hey!”
“I need help,” I blurt out. “Serious, life-altering help.”
“Did you kill him? Because I have muscles and a shovel.”
“No, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to die of embarrassment.” I groan and pull a pillow over my face. “He took me to a bookstore and read a sex scene to me out loud. From my own book!”
My bestie’s cackling laughter fills my ear. “Oh my god, that’s brilliant! Which scene?”
“Ironically, the library scene from Heartstruck.” I let out an exasperated groan. “You know, the one where he goes down on her against the bookshelves?”
“Holy shit! The one where he’s all…” She lowers her voice in her best MMC impression. …‘I need to taste you’? That’s one of the hottest scenes you’ve ever written!”
“Yes, and he read it in his deep, growly voice while staring into my eyes the entire time. In public!”
Sasha’s laughter only escalates. “I think I’m in love with him already.”
“This isn’t funny!” I protest, trying to fight a smile. “A reader recognized me, too. And she recognized Ryder as Ryder! Well, as the guy that inspired him, but still.”
“Heartstruck is about one of his military buddies, right? And he’s mentioned in the story.”
“I mean, technically, yes. Like that makes it any better? Ryder was never supposed to be real!”
Tossing the pillow aside, I get up and start pacing the living room. “And now he’s planning some kind of boundary-pushing surprise for me tonight, and I’m kinda freaking out.”
“Boundary-pushing how?” I picture her leaning in as she waits for me to tell her all the juicy details and sit back down on the couch in a huff.
“I don’t know. But after what happened at the bookstore and last night when he...” I trail off, realizing I hadn’t told her about our fake date.
“When he what?” Sasha pounces. “Noia Lynn Wilde, what are you not telling me?”
I sink deeper into the cushion. “Last night, he finger-banged me against the wall and then went down on me until I came so hard I nearly passed out.”
“Damn. That good, huh?”
“Mind-blowing,” I admit, heat creeping up my neck. “But then I panicked and all but ran away.”
“Of course you did.”
“But this morning I apologized and I told him I want to stop running. That I want to experience whatever this is that’s happening between us.” I stare up at the ceiling. “So he took me to the bookstore.”
I sigh. “I must be losing my mind.”
“Or maybe,” Sasha says thoughtfully. “You finally get to live the life you’ve been writing about for years.”
I groan. “That’s what he keeps saying.”
“Sounds like a smart man. I can’t wait to meet him. So, what are you going to do about tonight?”
“I don’t know. Just... try to be brave, I guess?” Nerves ratcheting up, I twist a strand of hair around my finger. “Maybe try not to overthink everything for once?”
“Good answer. I want every sordid detail when I come up this weekend.”
“You’re still coming Friday?”
“Try and stop me. I’ve already packed three bottles of wine and my good underwear. You know, just in case your man has any equally hot, single friends.”
I laugh. “I’ll let you know if any happen to materialize.”
“Perfect. And Noia? Stop fighting this. You deserve a little magic in your life.”
“I’ll try. And I promise I’ll tell you everything that happens between now and when you get here.”
“You’d better. Love you like crazy, lady.”
“Love you too.”
After hanging up, I stare at the blank wall for a few minutes, trying to process everything that’s happened so far. Then I grab my laptop and head to my room. If I’m going to come to terms with any of this, I need to get it all down.
For the next few hours, I lose myself in my words, describing every detail I can remember.
The heat in Ryder’s eyes as he read to me and the way my body responded to his deep, gravelly voice.
About my growing certainty that whatever is happening between us is something I know I can’t control and that maybe I don’t want to.
The words flow easier than they have in months. I describe everything in vivid detail, not holding back on my conflicted feelings or the simmering attraction threatening to boil over. By the time I’m done, the sun is starting to set, casting long shadows across my desk.
My phone buzzes with a text, making my heart jump.
RYDER: Be ready in 30. Wear something comfortable but sexy. I’m on my way.
ME: What exactly constitutes ‘comfortable but sexy’?
My heart trips when I read his reply.
RYDER: Something easily accessible… *devil emoji* *eggplant emoji* *squirt emoji*
Now I’m even more nervous, but also very… aroused.
I save my work and shut my laptop, wondering what the hell he has planned. But if those emojis are any indication? I’m in for one wild night.
A shiver of anticipation slithers up my spine.
Twenty minutes later, I’m wearing a short black skirt paired with a soft blue cropped sweater. My hair is down in soft waves and I even put on a little makeup.
Glancing in the mirror one last time, I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and take a deep breath and whisper, “You can do this.”
The unmistakable rumble of an engine reverberates from outside.
Ryder’s home.
My body instantly responds, a delicious warmth spreading between my thighs, knowing he’s just outside.
When the door slams open, Goonie darts under the couch and I turn away from the hallway mirror just as Ryder strides in. His eyes, dark and intense, find mine immediately.
Shutting the door behind him with a decisive click, his leather jacket comes off in one fluid motion, revealing a tight black T-shirt that clings to every muscle. When he tosses his keys onto the counter, the metallic clatter makes me jump.
“I hope you’re ready, kitten. We’re going to have so much fun tonight,” he growls, voice pure gravel and sex. “Where’s the book?”
My mouth goes dry and I squeak, “Book?”
“The one you got at the bookstore today.” His eyes travel slowly down my body, lingering on my bare legs before they travel back up to where my stomach is peeking out between my skirt and sweater.
“It’s...” I swallow hard. “Upstairs… on my nightstand.”
“Perfect.” He crosses the room in three long strides and takes my hand. “Because we’re going to need it.”
“For what?” I ask, pulse racing as he tugs me toward the stairs.
“Part two of our date.” His thumb strokes my wrist in slow, lazy circles, sending shivers up my arm. “Tonight is all about pushing boundaries, remember?”
“Right.”
“Trust me,” he murmurs. He leans in close, breath hot against my ear. “By the time I’m done with you tonight, you won’t be thinking about anything except how good I made you feel.”
“Oh,” I whisper, heat flooding my face.
His eyes darken. “Unless you’re not up for it. Say the word and we can just watch a movie instead.”
I take a deep breath, remembering my promise to myself and to him. “No, I want this. I want... whatever you want.”
His smile is slow and dangerous. “That’s my girl.”
The possessive edge in his voice makes my heart stutter and my body hum with anticipation.
One thing I do know for sure—whatever happens tonight—nothing between us will ever be the same again.
“Wait for me on the bed,” Ryder instructs, voice low and commanding as he leads me into my bedroom. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
My heart hammers against my ribs as I perch awkwardly on the edge of my mattress with the book we bought sitting untouched beside me.
Through the bathroom door, I hear the water start running, and my imagination immediately conjures images of Ryder naked in my shower, water cascading down his tattooed chest.
Squeezing my thighs together does nothing to ease the ache pulsing between them.
I glance around my room, suddenly self-conscious about the rumpled sheets and the stack of romance novels sitting on my nightstand. There’s even a half-empty wineglass from last night that I forgot to take downstairs.
God, he must think I’m a slob.
After what feels like an eternity, the water shuts off. I hold my breath, waiting, my fingers nervously toying with the hem of my skirt.
When the bathroom door finally opens, I nearly swallow my tongue.
Standing in the doorway with nothing but a white towel slung dangerously low on his hips, Ryder’s hair is slicked back and wet.
Droplets of water still cling to his chest, tracing paths over his tattoos and between the ridges of muscle before disappearing beneath the towel.
Steam billows around him like some kind of sensual special effect.
Jeez, Louise.
“See something you like?” he asks, voice husky as he watches my eyes devour every inch of him.
I can’t speak. Can barely even form a coherent thought. My eyes are fixed on a particular droplet making its leisurely way down his abs, following the dark trail of hair that disappears beneath the towel.
“I asked you a question, kitten.”
My eyes dart up to meet his and his lips quirk up in an infuriating smirk as he takes a step closer.
“I—” My voice cracks. I clear my throat and try again. “Yes.”
His eyes immediately go dark. “Good. Because you’re going to love what I have planned.”
The next thing I know, he’s standing directly in front of me, so close I can smell the clean scent of my soap on his skin.
“Are you nervous?” he asks, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
Not trusting my voice, I shake my head with the lie.
He moves over to my desk, pulls out the chair, and takes a seat. His legs are spread almost wide enough to see up the towel, stopping just short of heaven.
“Take off your top.”
My breath catches and I hesitate at the command.
“Now,” he says, voice dropping to a rough whisper.
Hands shaking slightly, I reach for the hem of my sweater.