Ryder was leaving again, and in a split second I made a decision with that knowledge.
He asked me to trust him, to give him forty-eight hours before he could tell me everything that he was hiding from me, but I couldn’t. In that moment, I simply couldn’t. I waited over a year to find out what he was up to, and I couldn’t wait another minute longer. Before I realised what I was doing, I grabbed Dominic’s car keys from the table in the hall, quietly exited my house, jumped in his car, and began to follow Ryder at a safe distance. I was doing what I should have done a long time ago, I was going to find out for myself what he was up to, and I only prayed it wasn’t as bad as what I imagined it to be.
Please, God, I silently begged. Don’t let this break me.
Three years ago…
“I’m going to grow old with you.”
My lips twitched, but I kept my eyes shut.
“You do realise it’s incredibly weird when you stare at me while I’m sleepin’, and say things like that to me unconscious form, right?”
I felt the heat of Ryder’s palm press against my bare stomach as he moved closer to me.
“You say weird,” he murmured, and I could hear the smile in his tone, “others would say romantic.”
I giggled. “Sorry, it was weirdly romantic. How’s that?”
“It’s an improvement.”
I blinked my eyes open, squinting until they adjusted to the light of our bedroom. I lifted my arms above my head and stretched. When I made sounds that resembled a baby dinosaur, Ryder laughed and poked at my sides causing me to squirm.
“You always sound like you really enjoy your morning stretch.”
“I do,” I nodded. “It wakes me up and feels good.”
I looked at Ryder when he turned on his side and leaned his head down to mine, brushing his lips against my cheek. He parted his lips and gently flicked his tongue over my skin, causing goosebumps to break out over my flesh.
“Do you know what else feels good in the morning?” he murmured, trailing gentle kisses down my neck then to my sweet spot below my earlobe.
I licked my lips. “A foot massage?”
“How about a clit massage?” Ryder asked, his hot breath fanning my face before he brought his talented lips back to mine.
I burst into a fit of giggles when he pulled his mouth away and rubbed his nose against mine.
“We can’t,” I stressed, trying to sound firm. “I heard you shuttin’ me alarm off. I have to get showered and dressed for work.”
“I’ll get you to work on time,” he said softly. “I promise.”
Well, maybe, if we were quick and—no! Don’t be weak, Branna. You can’t be late for work.
I groaned. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. You rocked me world twice yesterday, can you not wait until I’m home lat—”
“No,” Ryder cut me off. “I need to be inside of you. Now.”
I knew talking to him was going to get me nowhere, so I needed to physically move away from him. I pushed the bed sheets from my body and shivered when a cool draft spread out over my naked body. I made an attempt to sit up, but as soon as my body was exposed, Ryder pounced on me like a teenager with a raging hard on; only he was a grown man with a raging hard on.
“You can’t say no and then expose this masterpiece to me. No. Not fair. You aren’t allowed to do that.”
I laughed as he wrapped his arms around my body, rolled over, and pulled me on top of him. I adjusted myself until I was straddling his stomach. I looked down at him and shook my head when I found his eyes were locked on my breasts.
“You’re such a man.”
Ryder didn’t bat an eyelid. “Thank you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m goin’ to be late for work.”
“You won’t,” my sex crazed fiancé assured me. “Your alarm doesn’t go off for another hour and a half, the alarm you heard me shut off was mine. I’m going for a run with Dominic in twenty-five minutes.”
I let what Ryder said sink in for a few moments, and then I flat out glared down at him.
“It’s half five in the mornin’?”
Ryder nodded, still not looking away from my breasts. I glanced away from him, and looked over at the window where sunshine streamed in through the opened curtains. Summer time in Ireland meant sunlight was shining bright at unholy hours of the night. I considered five a.m. night-time. I gritted my teeth and looked back down at Ryder, annoyed at finding him licking his lips as his eyes feasted on me.
I reached down and pinched his nipple, gaining his attention.
“Ow.”
“Don’t ‘ow’ me,” I quipped. “What the hell did you speak to me for if I didn’t have to get up yet?”
He grinned. “Scoot your ass down a little and you’ll feel why.”
I growled. “Sleep wins over sex every time, I thought I told you that already!”
His lips quirked. “Huh, mustn’t have been listening to you when you said that.”
Shocker.
I climbed off Ryder, and fell onto my side of the bed, facing away from him.
“I’m goin’ back to sleep, keep your dick and hands away from me.”
He was silent for a few moments and I thought that he accepted what I said as law, but that was until I felt something press against my hip.
“What did I just say?” I asked, trying my best to keep my voice even.