Chapter 20
Ishika
Once we reach Ryan’s home, we trail up the stairs to his bedroom and hit the shower together. It’s like we have been living together for years. Everything feels so natural around him.
After a quick shower, I wear one of his tee shirts and as I am slathering his moisturizer on my legs, Ryan declares he is going to race me down to the kitchen.
I am the first one to get to the stairs.
But he catches up to me quick. On the stairs, Ryan lifts my knee-length tee shirt and slaps my bare ass.
I squeal and skip down to the living room and screech to a halt when I spot Owen sitting in the kitchen with his jaw wide open and a half-eaten granola bar in his hand.
The poor man is shocked. I know how we look.
I’m wearing Ryan’s tee shirt that sits below my knees, my hair is wet from my shower, and I have no pants or underwear on.
My clothes are in the dryer and I wanted to wear his clothes.
Ryan crashes into my back and nuzzles into my neck. I am squirming and struggling in Ryan’s hands, but he gets bolder and friskier as his hand lowers to my thighs.
“Hey, Owen!” My voice hits an octave to evade a catastrophe.
“O! Interesting! Very Interesting!” Owen recovers from his shock quickly and smirks. “I’ll go out and pretend to play with Rufus while you guys sort yourselves out.”
The screen door collides with the frame as he exits into the backyard.
“I can’t believe he saw us like that,” I groan, covering my face with my hands. Ryan turns me to him and kisses me. Passionately. Tongue sliding down my throat and having his way with my mouth.
“Do you think he heard us?”
“You were pretty loud in the shower when I was getting the mud out of your nooks and corners.”
“Shut up. I’m never showing Owen my face again.”
He goes to peck my nose and I shove the flats of my palms in his chest, trying to push him away. “What are you doing? Owen will see us.”
He grabs hold of my wrists, blocking my karate chops and twists my wrists behind my back, capturing me easily with his huge body.
“Hey, when your man kisses you, you own it,” he says, looking into my eyes.
“So you’re my man?” I ask, holding my breath.
“Of course I am.” A challenge is in his eyes, a determination in his stance.
“Brent tried to act all territorial once. I didn’t like it. I told him to get lost. He had to apologize for his behavior only then did I forgive him.”
Ryan stiffens. “I’m not Brent. I thought we established that,” he conveys in a deep menacing voice and steps back.
I wince realizing what I said. I am not comparing them.
I meant to say I didn’t like Brent being bossy, but Ryan, I love when he acts like an alpha caveman.
I love his attention. He treats me like a queen, and he fucks me like he can’t get enough.
But this dude, he gets riled up so quick that he doesn’t leave room for any clarification.
“This is who I am, Ishika. I get jealous. I’m possessive and I’m protective of what is mine. If I feel like kissing my woman, I’m going to kiss her whenever I want. With or without an audience.” His mouth is in a thin line and his sharp jaw juts out as he clamps his teeth in rage.
“Now say the same thing without the anger,” I say, coming closer to him and raising on my toes to kiss the bottom of his throat.
He sighs as he inhales me in and I wrap my arms around him. His heartbeats are loud and agitated so I place a kiss on his heart. “I know you’re not Brent. You will never be. Because you are so much more, Ryan. And I love the way you are. Unhinged. Raw. Passionate. And mine.”
I sag into him with relief when he bends down and gives me his mouth to kiss.
I hate fighting with him.
“Oh boy, they’re still going,” Owen jokes, as Rufus finds his way back indoors and barks a few times at us, then decides to burrow himself between Ryan’s legs. Ryan chuckles, breaking the kiss. Ryan sits down on the floor and scratches Rufus behind his ears.
“You miss me, buddy? That’s right Rufi, you can kiss me.
I’m never gonna call you territorial,” he says, looking at me.
The dog pants and licks him. I give him my best eye roll and move to the side.
More gibberish talk ensues between the master and the dog.
Once Rufus is confident that he is still the center of Ryan’s attention he decides to let us be and settles down on the floor to lick his balls.
“I’m hungry, bro. Do you think you can reschedule your bonding with this lady and that dog to another time?” Owen says.
Ryan crosses his arms. “Ah! For a minute I forgot that I have an annoying sibling.”
“Hey. I didn’t know you had plans. I can come back for dinner.”
“Yes,” Ryan says.
“No. Stay,” I say mortified. “I’ll be right back.”
I am about to leave, but Ryan pulls me back for a swift hard kiss on my mouth and a smack on my ass before he dismisses me.
Lord, he is so shameless. His brother is in the same room with us.
“So I have questions for you, bro? The showerhead big enough for both of you?”
Ryan whacks the back of Owen’s head and that’s my cue to bolt upstairs.
Thankfully the dryer has my clothes dried and warm. It takes me two minutes to dress and jog back downstairs. By then Owen is already on onion chopping duty and Ryan is getting the ingredients out of the pantry.
“I’m ready. Where do you want me?” I ask Ryan.
He tilts his head to the side and waggles his eyebrows, and then he points with his eyes to his groin.
I am relieved Owen didn’t see that. I narrow my eyes and say, “I’m flexible, you know. I’m multi-talented. Let’s start at the table, I can take charge here and you can put things in my mouth as you go. I can let you know how they taste. You see I’m a connoisseur of sorts.”
Owen sniggers at that. I rewind and replay the sentence again. Ryan grins, biting his bottom lip and shaking his head.
Okay, now I see how my word vomit can also come across as dirty sex talk.
“Aarh!” I grab a dishcloth and throw at Ryan. “Fine. Whatever.”
He chuckles, grabbing me by my hips and lifting me on to his kitchen counter. “You sit here, look pretty and keep talking to me. So tell me more about your connoisseur of sorts things.”
He hands me a bowl of pistachios, goji berries, and almond flakes.
Owen makes me a cup of coffee and pulls out a box of chocolate cookies from the top shelf.
Just like that I fit in. I become part of Ryan’s life.
I watch Owen and Ryan bicker with each other but there is also a bond so strong between them.
“You guys went to the lookout point this morning and you didn’t get the breakfast burritos? Such a shame. There is a café down the hill, Ishy, they specialize in burritos,” Owen says.
“He promised me he will take me there next time,” I say, munching on some almonds.
“Next time, huh?” Owen probes on. “So let me get this straight. First, he takes you to Dad’s favorite spot, the mountain’s lookout point on a secret date, and then he promises to buy you burritos next time, hereby confirming a second date.
He took you to a movie that he knew would scare you, and then I bet he played Prince Charming pretending to save you.
And now, he is cooking you his signature pasta dish.
Something’s fishy, Ishy. My brother never brought a girl home before. I think this is his midlife crisis.”
Ryan has this goofy grin on his face and he doesn’t stop Owen from spinning theories. He concentrates on kneading the dough for his pasta.
“Oh! You know he picked wild daisies for me. Does that mean he needs therapy?”
Owen instantly freezes. Ryan lifts his gaze at the same time. Something passes between the two brothers as they look at each other. Owen gives Ryan a soft smile. I don’t know what they are telepathically communicating, but I feel like an intruder.
“I’ll go make a call.” I am about to excuse myself but Owen stops me.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to make this awkward for you, Ishy, but my dad used to pick flowers for my mom and then cook her lunch.” He smiles sadly at me.
I can’t fathom the heartbreak that these boys had to go through when they heard the news.
“I miss him, Ryan. I miss Dad so much,” Owen says, his voice shaking.
“I’m sorry for the things I said. I was angry and I blamed you, but I didn’t stop to think it was hard for you too.
You were still in high school and you were doing it all alone.
The bills, Mom’s illness, the unanswered questions, and the paperwork to sort legal obligations.
I could have helped, you know? I could have stayed back.
I thought you didn’t want me, that you couldn’t wait to get rid of me. ”
“I’ll always want my brother by my side,” Ryan says with thick swallow.
Owen goes over and hugs his brother. I have to blink back my own tears when they hold each other tight. A minute later, Owen slaps Ryan’s back and steps aside. Then he looks at me and says, “My brother is one of a kind, Ishy. You landed yourself a really good man.”
“So I keep telling her,” Ryan adds, grinning at me. “But something tells me she is not convinced.”
“You just wait ‘til you eat his pasta, Ishy,” Owen says, attending to his onion and tomato chopping duty again.
“Is he any good? I have eaten a lot of great pasta, mind you. The sauce does it for me every time. Is his sauce any good?” I ask to Owen’s back.
Ryan steps closer to me and pounds his chest like a gorilla. “Seriously, woman, you are questioning my sauce? Once you taste my sauce, you won’t be able to walk away. You’ll want me to cover you with my sauce.”
“Is it a hot sauce?” I grin. “Because I love to lick some.”
“Quit it, you guys. Our dog is still underaged,” Owen adds.
The atmosphere is back to being playful. As Owen turns back to his chopping board, Ryan rolls my nipple between his fingers first, and then gives it a pinch and a tug. I gasp, the tingle is so good, but I glare at him mouthing in silent plea, “Behave.”
The hot ass winks at me. That cocky dimpled smile, all so tantalizing.
Owen speaks up. “You asked if Ryan is any good? Well, he’s the best. I keep asking him to apply for that show, Fantastic Feasts. I bet he would win the title. He keeps ignoring my get rich quick schemes.”
“You mean the web series of that cooking show where they hire amateur home cooks and train them in four weeks? Then they tour all around the country, setting up pop-up restaurants?”
“And they pay really well and set you up as a superstar chef in one of their restaurants if you win. The last girl who won the title has her own bestselling cookbook. She also has a frying pan brand with her name on it that sells like hot cakes. Now imagine Ryan, his tattooed body, his six-pack, he wipes his sweat as he flips an omelet in the air. You know who can sell more frying pans than the last winner of Fantastic Feasts? This dude. My brother. Ryan so deserves to be there, Ishy. Maybe you can try and convince him to apply,” Owen says. He almost sounds desperate.
“Not that again,” Ryan remarks exasperated. “Who will pay the bills, the repair shop can’t close, the house? And Mom? Someone needs to check on her.”
“I’ll take care of it all. Mom is my responsibility too.
You know what this guy did, Ishy? He was accepted into the one of the best schools, he could have gone to Maynar University along with Aariv, but he didn’t go.
He stayed back to care for Mom. He took care of the bills and sent me money every month when I was in college so I could concentrate on graduating and not worry about applying for part-time work. It’s my turn now, bro.”
“You’re getting a job and getting out of here. Go live in a big city and make new dreams happen. That was the whole point in sending you to college,” Ryan is stern.
“I’m not going anywhere. I want to be here. I want to be with my family and you are not my guardian to send me away and make decisions for me. This is my home, damnit,” Owen yells back. “For once let me face something.”
Ryan mumbles a curse and Owen kicks a chair.
“Hey, so the closing date for the applications of this year’s entry into Fantastic Feasts ends this month. I have decided, Ryan, you’re applying,” I say.
“Ishika, don’t—” Ryan snaps.
“Yes, Ishy. Don’t. He’ll come up with a million excuses. Like the world cannot function if he takes a few months off to do something for himself. Good luck convincing your boyfriend. He has all these grand plans for me. But if I want the same thing for my brother, I am wasting his time.”
I jump down from the island and walk over to Ryan.
Pulling his face down so his ear is to my lips, I whisper, “You can tie me up and use me anyway you want. Free rein. I’ll also dress up as a nun and have a midnight confession with your cock.
Please, please, please. If you give this competition your hundred percent, you’ll make your good girl very happy.
” I extend my tongue to lick his ear and tug his earlobe.
The art of seduction to get your man to yield.
Aced it.
By the time I remove myself from his hard body, his eyes are dark, his cock is erect, and I am the one smirking.
“Do you know thousands apply for that show? It’s hard to clear even the first round,” Ryan says, sounding breathless while staring at my lips.
“My boyfriend can’t be such a pessimist, babe. It’s hard, not impossible.”
Yes, I went there.
I called him my boyfriend and it’s up to him to decide if he wants to laugh or take me seriously.
“If you clear the rounds, do you promise to stick ‘til the end? They paid a quarter of a million to the winner last year. Imagine what it will do for your career. You can finally open Dad’s restaurant one day,” Owen says in excitement.
“Oh, he will stick ‘til the end, Owen, and he will make a huge splash in the history of cooking shows. Because my boyfriend isn’t a quitter. I’m just worried about how I’ll handle other girls going crazy over a hot tattooed apprentice chef. You see, I’m very territorial about my man.”
Ryan pulls me into his arms, crushing me to his chest. “I’ll tattoo your name on my heart before I go on the show. For the entire show, I’ll wear a tee shirt that reads, ‘Property of Ishika Fernandes.’ Your boyfriend has his eyes only for you.”
“Fuck! Yes!” Owen screams, pumping his fists in the air and crashing into us for a group hug.
I have a boyfriend.
My boyfriend is going to be on a cooking show.
Woohoo! Best Sunday. Ever.