Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
RYDER
“ S hit,” I mutter seconds before Eve tries to take a step forward. I grip her hip tighter, keeping her next to me. The elevator door opens, but none of us make a move to get off as the doors shut again.
I don’t even remember the girl’s name that’s undressing me with her eyes right now. I haven’t given her a second thought since I left the bar that night. She glances at Eve, and her devious smile has me holding my breath.
“Don’t get too attached to this one. He’s emotionally unavailable. The most you will get out of him is a quick finger fuck and a blowjob.” Eve’s eyes narrow, and I start to say something, but she stops me.
“It’s a little too late for that. I’m already attached. So attached, in fact, that I married the man.” She holds up her hand, and the diamond sparkles as the light hits it. “As far as being emotionally unavailable, I don’t see that at all. Just this morning when he was deep inside me, and I mean deep inside because let’s face it, his dick is… huge ,” she mouths, holding up her hands a foot apart, “he had no problem telling me how much he loves me.”
I bite my cheek to stop from laughing. I watch her jaw drop as she stares at Eve. The door opens again, and her friend grabs her arm. “Let’s go. He’s so not worth your time.”
She clamps her jaw shut and glares at me before shooting another look at Eve. A look that I know is going to be followed by something that I’m not going to like hearing. No one is going to disrespect my wife.
“I would be real careful what you say to my wife. Word gets around real fast in this small town, and we wouldn’t want people to think poorly of you.” My threat obviously gets to her because she presses her mouth in a hard line before giving me daggers and letting her friend drag her away. The doors shut again, and I press the stop button on the elevator.
“You can’t just stop the elevator, Ryder.” She stops pacing to look at me before avoiding my eye contact again. She continues to walk back and forth in the small space, and I hate that she was brought into a situation like this.
“Yes, I can. I’m not leaving this elevator until I know you are okay. Look at me, Eve.” When she doesn’t stop pacing, I reach out and bring her to me. Holding her face in my hands, I force her to meet my eyes. “I need to know what you’re feeling. I can’t tell if you don’t look at me.” Her blues meet mine, and I breathe a little better when I don’t see hurt staring back at me.
“I’m fine,” she sighs. “Obviously, I don’t like the thought of you and her together, but we’ve moved past that, and I’m not dredging it back up again. I know your heart, and I’m confident in what we have. Her little digs pissed me off, but they didn’t hurt me.”
“I’m pretty sure you got the last dig.” Amusement reaches my eyes as she fights back a smile.
“It did feel pretty good to get my word in face to face.”
“It was hot as hell, too. My huge dick was getting turned on.”
She laughs as I grin at her. “Yeah, well, I had to get her where it hurts. I could tell she still wanted you, and I needed to remind her of what she’s missing and what is mine.”
“Mmmmmm. I like that.” I walk her back until she’s against the wall. She gasps when I press my body against hers, and she feels how swollen I am.
“Ryder…what if there are cameras? Or worse, they are calling the fire department because they think the elevator is stuck.”
I kiss her neck and lightly suck the area behind her ear. “There are no cameras. I already checked,” I murmur against her skin and swipe my tongue out to taste. “I didn’t press the emergency button, so we have time in this old elevator before anyone even knows it’s not working. Don’t you want to feel what is yours?” I whisper in her ear.
I press further into her as my hand skims her thigh before meeting her panties. This dress has been driving me insane since I first saw her in it. I move the lace to the side and slide my fingers into her wet pussy. She moans at the invasion, and my dick reacts with a deep throb.
“Answer the question. I want to hear you say it.”
“I want to feel what’s mine,” she breathes.
“There’s my good girl.” I quickly free myself and replace my fingers as she wraps around me tightly and takes me all the way in. God, I’ll never get used to how fucking amazing she feels.
Grabbing her behind her knee, I hold her leg in place as I go deeper and touch places where only I have been. No one but me has ever felt her like this, and no one else ever will.
I go harder, giving us both what we want. “Oh God, Ryder, I’m close,” she pants.
“I’m right there with you…I’m always right there with you.” I groan as I feel myself tighten, and her pussy starts to clench me. I silence her cry as my tongue dives into her mouth to taste hers.
Our orgasms collide as our bodies embrace one another. She’s gripping my shirt as her body trembles beneath me. My muscles strain against the fabric as I empty inside of her on a moan.
I hold her tightly against me as our bodies fight to return to reality.
“Is anyone in there? We noticed the elevator had stopped. If this is an emergency, please let us know so we can call the authorities.” The intercom voice fills the elevator, and I grin against Eve’s neck. Lifting my head, I see her face bright red, and her eyes widen.
“We’re good,” I say, winking at Eve and holding back a laugh when her cheeks flush even more. “Sorry, I must have pressed the stop button by accident.” I slowly pull out of Eve, already missing her warmth, before adjusting her panties and smoothing down her dress. Grinning wickedly at her, I fix my pants before pushing the button to get the elevator going again.
Grabbing her hand, I pull her to me as she nervously fixes her hair and tries to look innocent. “It’s fine,” I chuckle. “You look beautiful. No one will know.”
The doors open, and a crowd has appeared. She sinks further behind me as we walk out. A few people chuckle and give us knowing smiles, while one guy has the balls to clap. I ignore the disapproval looks on the older couple as we pass them.
“They completely knew,” she whispers when we are alone.
“Yeah, they did,” I laugh when she playfully swats me. “It was worth it, though.” I hug her, bringing my lips to hers.
“You think the elevator would have been enough,” I hear someone say as they walk by.
“You’re just jealous you’re not getting any lately.” Her friend laughs before they disappear into the crowd.
“Oh my God,” Eve says, burying her red face in my shirt. Chuckling, I lead us over to the table in the corner with the best view. A reserved sign sits on the table, and I pull out Eve’s chair before taking a seat.
A bar is set up in the middle, with barstools surrounding it. It’s filled with people chatting and drinking. Various couches and outdoor furniture are spread throughout for those wanting to socialize with cocktails and appetizers. Smaller tables are lined up near the railings for couples wanting a more romantic setting.
“This is beautiful.” I watch her take in the ocean view that’s spread before us. The sun is setting behind us, and the golden hues touch her hair, illuminating the strands of red and gold.
“It’s breathtaking.”
She meets my eyes and laughs. “You’re not even looking at it.”
“I’m looking at what’s most beautiful to me.” I watch the red that appears dance along her cheeks. Her eyes are bright blue in this moment as her long lashes slowly lower before lifting again.
“How did I get so lucky? You, Ryland, and this little one,” she says, placing her hand under the table to touch her belly. “It scares me so much at times that it’s too good to be true.”
I reach for her hand and hold it across the table. “I ask myself that question every day. It scares the hell out of me, too,” I softly chuckle. “When I lost my parents, it took me a long time to release that fear that I wouldn’t lose anyone else.”
“And then I left.” Her blues fill with sadness, and I grip her hand tighter.
“But you came back. You, Ryland, and this baby,” I say, glancing at her stomach…“that’s what I focus on now. Not being sad about the past or fearful of the future…it’s being in this moment now with you and our family. It’s loving you all as much as I can while we are together.”
She nods her head and blinks back the tears. “I love you.”
“And I love you, my evening sun.” Her smile is radiant as I lift her hand to kiss the underside of her wrist. “Now, let’s get some food into the two of you. I hear they make a mean mocktail here as well.”
“I might go crazy and get two.” She laughs and picks up the menu. “I didn’t know they did reservations here,” she points to the reserve sign.
“They don’t. You should know better than anyone that I can be very persuasive when I want to be.” Her eyes darken as the corner of her lip turns up.
“The poor hostess didn’t stand a chance, did she?”
“Not in the slightest,” I grin. “I wanted the best table in the restaurant for my wife, and I made sure I got it.”
The waiter comes over to take our drink and appetizer orders. By the time dinner is over my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. It was nice to laugh and talk about all the good times we shared when we were younger and not have any of the pain there that has clouded my memories these past three years.
I pay the tab, leaving a generous tip before we make our way back to the car. The elevator is packed on the way back down but it doesn’t stop me from remembering as we both share a look that tells me we are thinking about the same thing.
With my hand on her lower back, I lead us to our car before helping her in. I decide to take us for a drive before we head back home. Jake texted us at dinner with a picture of Ryland sleeping next to him in his bed so I know she’s good for the night. I want to enjoy this night out with Eve just a little bit longer.
I shoot off down the coast, taking us out of town and along the more deserted roads. Shifting gears, I glance over at Eve, and she has a dreamy look on her face. She’s always loved going for drives as much as I have.
I open up the car more for her, knowing she loves to feel the power beneath her. I don’t go as fast as I usually do because of our baby, but it’s enough to put a smile on her face. I enjoy the feel of the machine under me as I expertly shift gears around a corner. We are away from the water now and secluded as we take the winding road through the wooded area. A wildlife preserve surrounds us, and except for the occasional passing car, we are the only ones out here.
I feel her eyes on me as I downshift around another corner. Without even looking, I know her blue eyes are watching my every move. I can feel the heat in them as my skin prickles with awareness. My body feels her touch from just the energy swirling around us.
“It’s a beautiful car.” Her soft voice breaks the silence as I watch her run her hand over the dashboard before trailing down to the stickshift. Her hand lightly covers mine as I shift gears again. “Almost as beautiful as the driver.” My body instantly reacts to the tone of her voice and her body language.
For once in my life, I wish I owned an automatic. The need to reach over and feel how turned on she is right now is overtaking all my thoughts. I decide to play devil’s advocate and torture myself.