Chapter Nineteen Willow #2
I’m certain I’ve heard him wrong.
“Leo, Grammy winner, lead singer of the iconic rock band Nash. That one?”
“He’s the only one I’m aware of.”
“Oh My God! I would have had hair-and-makeup people come to me, Ryker!”
“Why? You’re fucking stunning. You look amazing. Listen, I know this could get boring—”
“Boring?”
“—and as soon as you’re ready to go, you just tell me, and I’ll whisk you out of there.”
“You think it’s going to be boring?”
He smiles that huge, full-on smile that I love so much and eases off the freeway onto an exit ramp. “I love it when you get all worked up, Trouble.”
“I’ll hand it to you. When you decide to surprise a girl, you go all out.”
“I try.”
He’s still chuckling when he turns onto a driveway and shows his tickets to the security guard at the gate. We’re given instructions on where to park, and before I know it, I’m walking around a massive stone house to an area that looks like something out of my wildest dreams.
A rich-people dream.
Puget Sound is in the background, calm and blue as the sun sets behind it. Tables are covered in pretty pink linens and place settings, and people are already seated and talking, or wandering around, mingling.
Servers walk through with trays of champagne, and I can’t ignore the little stage set up with instruments and microphones, and I am so out of my element.
But there’s no time to be shy, because Ryker’s recognized immediately, and we’re drawn into conversations about his retirement.
I’m surprised by how many people offer condolences about Ray.
And Ryker never leaves my side.
“Ryker.” Will Montgomery himself approaches us, his arm wrapped around a pretty redhead—I assume his wife—and shakes Ry’s hand. “Congratulations on your retirement. I wasn’t expecting that. What are your plans now? Aside from what we’re doing, of course.”
What are they doing?
“I have a ranch in Montana that needs my attention,” Ry replies and glances down at me. “And excuse my manners. This is Willow, my girlfriend.”
“Hello.” I shake Will’s hand.
“My wife, Meg,” he says, and I shake her hand too.
“I’m a fan,” I tell him unapologetically. “You lead in and continue to hold the record for all-time passing yards, passing touchdowns at fifty-two in one season, and, well. I could go on, but you already know your stats.”
Will’s smile spreads over his face, and Ryker squeezes my hand.
“Great, his head’s about to get really big,” Meg says, shaking her head with an amused grin.
“I like your girlfriend, Ry.”
“I do too,” Ryker says with a smile in his voice. “Her mind is a steel trap for stats.”
“So what made you start this particular organization?” I ask Will, who smiles at his wife.
“That’s on me,” she says, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “I was a foster kid. Leo was actually in some of the same homes as me. Anyway, it can really suck, and we’re in a position to help. So we help.”
“And now, with Ryker joining us, we’ll be able to help more,” Will says, and my eyes fly up to Ryker, who’s frowning down at his untouched glass of champagne.
“It’s a big deal,” Meg adds, and I’m so damn proud of my man, I let go of his hand and loop my arms around him.
“I’m proud of you.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I’ll tell you more later.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“We have to go welcome everyone,” Meg says and smiles at me. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
“Same here. Thanks for doing this. I love it.”
Ry and I stay standing where we are as Will and Meg take the little stage and Will reaches for the microphone.
“Hello, everyone,” he says, catching the crowd’s attention. “I wanted to take a moment before dinner starts to say thank you for being here, and for supporting our Foundation for Foster Kids. We sold every single ticket for this party, and I know it’s not because I’m pretty to look at.”
That gets him some laughs.
“I know you’re here for Sid, and we’ll bring her out in a bit.
The ten million dollars that we raised here tonight is going to go a long way toward making some kids’ lives better.
For that, I am deeply grateful. Now, before we go, I wanted to quickly introduce you to my new cochair of the organization, Ryker James. ”
Everyone turns to look at Ry, who smiles and gives them a wave. He kisses my temple and then joins Will on the stage.
“Thank you,” he says. “I’m proud to be here. I know what it feels like to be a kid without any options, and if I didn’t have the adoptive parents who took me in when they did, I likely wouldn’t be here, at this fancy party, hanging out with the likes of all of you.”
I swallow hard and brush a tear aside.
“So it’s an honor to help this organization in any way I can. And yes, we raised ten million dollars tonight, but we’re always taking donations.”
He winks as everyone laughs, and then steps aside, and Will takes over again.
“Have fun tonight, everyone,” Will says, and then Ryker is back at my side.
“We have so much to talk about later,” I say to him before cupping his cheek and kissing him sweetly. “You’re incredible.”
He just smiles, and we go back to mingling.
I can’t believe it, but as time passes, I actually loosen up. Even though I’m surrounded by movie stars and elite athletes and celebrities that I never thought in a million years I’d ever be in a room with.
Is that Vaughn Barrymore, the actor?
Holy shit.
Dinner is delicious, and then I really need to find a restroom.
“I’ll be back,” I say to Ry, who frowns down at me.
“Where are you off to, Trouble?”
“Restroom.”
“I’ll go with you.”
I shake my head at him. “I’m fine.”
“I’m not.” He holds my hand and asks for directions, and then he’s tugging me inside the house, and we find the powder room that guests are welcome to use.
“I’ll be right out.”
I’ve just washed my hands and am drying them when the door opens. Ry slips in and then shuts and locks it behind him.
“I don’t want to watch you pee, Ry.”
His lips quirk up, and then he gestures to my clutch. “Do you have lipstick in there?”
“Sure, I—”
But I can’t get another word out because his lips are on mine, and my back is against the wall.
“I want my hands in your hair,” he murmurs against me, “but I won’t mess you up. Everything else is fair game. Got it?”
“Christ, Ry, everyone is right there.”
“Then you’d better be quiet. Can you do that for me? Can you be a good fucking girl and stay quiet while I fuck you like I own you in here?”
Holy shit.
“Ry.”
He grips my face and makes me look at him. “Answer me.”
“Uh, yeah. I can stay quiet.”
He brushes his lips over mine. “Good. You’re so fucking incredible, Wills. Out there talking with those people like you were born for it, your sexy-as-fuck voice seducing me all damn night as you walk around in this dress, with those shoes.”
“You bought them,” I remind him, and he grins against my skin as he kisses down my neck.
“And I’m damn proud of myself for it.” He reaches under the hem of my dress and works my underwear down my legs, brings them up to his nose and breathes in deep. “These are already wet.”
I can’t even reply. This might be the sexiest moment of my life.
Ryker unfastens his pants and pulls his already-hard cock out, then picks me up, braces me against the wall, and plunges right inside me.
“I’d love to get on my knees and eat you,” he growls against my lips. “To worship you the way you should be right now, but we don’t have time, and if I don’t feel your sweet little pussy wrapped around me, I might go out of my mind.”
I tip my head forward and bite his shoulder, trying to keep my screams inside.
“Good girl. Fuck, you take me so well, Wills.”
“Oh my God,” I moan against him, already so close to coming.
Suddenly, there are voices outside the door, and my head whips up and my gaze locks on his.
He presses his hand to my mouth and slowly shakes his head as he continues to pound into me on long, hard thrusts.
“Shh,” he whispers and then leans in to press his lips to my ear. He grinds the base of his cock against my clit. “Come for me, baby.”
I whimper and then quiver around him in a spectacular climax, and he follows me right over, grunting as he grinds into me.
“Shit,” I whisper.
“Did I hurt you?”
I chuckle. “No. Holy fuck, Ry.”
With a satisfied smirk, he lowers me to my feet, my legs shaky and weak, and then quickly cleans me up the best he can, and I fix my makeup. Aside from flushed cheeks, I don’t look any worse for wear.
“I need my panties back.”
“Not a chance, sweetheart.”
“Ryker.”
“Ready?”
I glare at him, but he just smiles, opens the door, and when he sees the coast is clear, leads me back to our table.
“Look, Trouble,” he says, “we’re just in time for the concert.”
“You’re a menace, Captain.”
“Never claimed otherwise.” He kisses my temple as we sit, and then the evening turns completely surreal as Sidney herself takes the stage and starts to sing my favorite song of hers, “Life in the Slow Lane.”
The woman plays for almost two hours. Leo Nash joins her for a couple of duets, which feels like a dream.
And when it’s all over and we’re back in the car, my gaze turns to my man.
I’ve known him more than half my life.
And yet I forget that there’s this side to him. This wealthy, celebrity, elite-athlete side that I so rarely ever got to see. By the time he was über rich and famous, I had a little boy at home to tend to, and Ryker was still just my best friend that I spoke to on the phone all the time.
“Who were you supposed to take to this tonight?”
Ry’s gaze whips to mine, and he scowls. “What?”
“You bought two tickets six months ago, Ry. Who did you plan to bring with you? It’s okay—I know there were plenty of women before me. Neither of us was a virgin.”
But man, I hate thinking that he originally had another date lined up for tonight. I don’t want to think about him with anyone else. But did he buy these earrings six months ago too? Were they meant for someone else?
He blows out a breath. “Do I have to fuck you again already, in this car, to remind you just how goddamn obsessed I am with you, Wills?”
“I’m not doubting that. It’s just a question.”
“I’m not even going to think about any asshole who’s had his dick inside you before me because I’ll just want to track him down and make him choke on it.”
“Ry—”
“But to answer your question, I was hoping Gid would come with me.” He shrugs. “He donates to this organization, too, and I thought I’d bribe him into coming out for it. But it worked out well, because I had you with me, and you were amazing tonight.”
His praise makes me smile.
So no. The earrings are just for me.
“Gideon wouldn’t look as good in these diamonds as I do.”
He smirks and kisses the back of my hand.
“But back to what you said about our pasts. I’m not going to write you a list of all the women I fucked,” he continues, and my smile fades. “You don’t want to know that, Wills.”
“No. I don’t want to know that. And I don’t want you to do that either.”
“Good. I don’t want to know about your past either. As long as we’re both healthy and safe, and on the same page, we’re fine.”
“Agreed.”
“But I will make one thing crystal fucking clear right now, and I want you to listen to every word I’m about to say.”
I link my fingers in his and hold on to him. “I’m listening.”
“It doesn’t fucking matter who was here before. For either of us. Because there will be no one else.” I feel my jaw drop for the second time tonight, and he glances my way. “You’re mine. You’re all I see. You’re all I want. That’s never going to change.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” He gives my hand a squeeze. “Now, what was your favorite part tonight?”
“When Sidney and Leo sang together. What about you?”
He huffs out a laugh. “Fucking you in the bathroom, sweetheart.”