by Jewel, Bella
What have I done?
What did I do?
How could I treat her like that?
Shakes hijacked my muscles. I sucked in a trembling breath, closing my eyes tight. “Vesper…shit, I’m sorry.”
She sucked in a breath; the noise of dogs splashing up river was the only sound apart from sparrow chatter in the willow above us.
She didn’t reply.
Panic replaced my fear.
Hoisting myself up onto an elbow, I rolled her onto her back and gazed down. I was terrified I’d find tears and disgust. Mortified and horrified that I’d ruined the best thing that’d ever happened to me.
Only, her face was pink and shiny. Her lips puffy and red.
Her eyes captured mine. “If you ever do that to me again, Ryder Carson…”
She didn’t finish.
My mind ended her sentence with every terror I felt.
If you ever do that to me again, I’ll report you. I’ll tell the town what a monster you are. I’ll kill you.
However, her lips didn’t twist into hatred. Her hand came up to cup my cheek, pulling my face down to hers. As our lips met, she murmured, “That was the single most amazing insane sexual experience of my life. And if you ever do that to me again, I’m going to have to marry you.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Vesper
“YOU DID WHAT NOW?” Polly’s voice entered my ear with a disbelieving shriek. “I didn’t hear you correctly over the smugness in your tone.”
I giggled. “I slept with him.”
“Ugh, there’s that smugness again.” Polly huffed dramatically down the phone. “And by him, I’m taking it the wiener owner you swore you would never, ever touch?”
I rolled my eyes, reclining on my bed and staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day at the surgery and with just me on duty with Amanda running the appointments and any pop ins, I was knackered.
Not to mention, I’d had to dash to the doctors on my lunch break for the morning-after pill after our risky sexcapade on the river bank.
You told him you’d marry him if he ever did that again.
For the past twenty-four hours, I’d suffered embarrassment, shock, and disbelief. Had I truly said that? After only a few days of dating?
He had to know it was a joke, right?
And besides, the sex…holy cow, the sex.
My nipples hardened.
Every time I thought of the way Ryder thrust into me so quick and possessive, I got wet. The mental image of how it would’ve looked to anyone perving on us made my body spindle for another release.
Every damn time.
It’d distracted me all day. Caused me to make little errors in my paperwork that I couldn’t afford to make.
And Amanda was no better at helping fix my work faux pas.
We really need to hire another vet.
With my day off yesterday and Polly’s today, it was too hard to keep going the way we were. We needed better structure if we were going to do this long term. We needed more than one day off every six.
“I did. I touched it. I squeezed it. I let it do naughty things to me.” I lowered my voice. “And I liked it.”
Polly giggled. “Well, I’m glad one of us is getting some.”
I sighed happily, optimistic for my best friend. After all, she was pretty, smart, and had good prospects. If I was this loved up, she could be too.
She just needs a tiny bit of help.
Twirling my hair, I said, “I told you that guy we looked at on that dating site passed my sleuthing.”
She pretended to gag. “I’m old fashioned, Ves. I’m open to internet dating—hell, I met Jason from Call for Company in our last year of uni, remember? That lasted a few months, and he was a nice guy. But I want to find someone because of joint interests, not because a random app said we’re compatible.”
“Internet dating is a joint interest. You have that profile box that gives you the opportunity to write exactly what you want to share.”
“I know…I don’t, ugh. It’s just…you and Ryder seem more…organic. I guess.”
“Organic?”
She sighed heavily. “I’m not making any sense.”
“You’re not, I agree. Was it because you had such a great day off you’re relaxed and not ready to work tomorrow?”
Polly growled. “Unlike some of us who were busy having sexy naked time, I was cleaning my house, browsing the supermarket, and running errands that I can’t do any other day. I’m exhausted, Ves. I need someone to pour me wine, massage my back, and then give me an orgasm with his talented man wand.”
I laughed. “Well, get off your pity party and go find one.”
“Did I mention I don’t like smugness on you? I might have to tear up our friendship agreement.”
I grinned. She would never do such a thing. We were stuck with each other for life.
That’s a point.
Polly was my other half—the one person I spent most waking hours with. Ryder was fast becoming the other most important part of my life. Therefore, they would have to get on if I was to have the perfect relationship I wanted.
Deciding to begin ‘get Polly to adore Ryder for my sake’ operation, I said, “Do you know why I was at his house at one a.m. the other morning?”
“Because he dipped his ‘you can touch this’ stick in sherbet and called you over to lick it off?”
“No, but that’s not a bad idea.” I sat up, hugging a pillow as Visa strutted her stuff on the end of the bed. “He’d rescued a Pusky Bull from a dog fighting ring. Poor thing was scarred and terrified. But he made him a grotto complete with toys and food. He even wheel-barrowed him to the lake to spend the day with us swimming, and tucked him back into bed when we got home.”
“Whoa, hold up. Wheel-barrowed? Is this a new sex position I’m missing out on?”
“I think there is a sex thing about a wheelbarrow, now you mention it. But no, I mean the dog was literally in the wheelbarrow.”
“Wow.”
“I know. Once we’d finished swimming, he asked me show him how to change the bandages and give the dog his medicine so he could keep on top of his care while I came to work.” My heart fluttered. “He’s truly one of a kind, Pol.”
“Oh, no…”
“Oh no, what?” I sat up straighter. “You okay?”
“I’m okay. But are you okay? That smugness has just morphed into sappy wonderment. Don’t tell me you touched it and now in love with it that fast? What did he do? Drug you?”
Worse, he took me on my hands and knees and showed me just what it means to let go.
“Don’t be absurd. I just appreciate kind people looking after mistreated animals, that’s all.”
“That’s all, huh?”
“That’s all.”
“So it wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that whenever you mention his name you float away like a lovesick pony?”
“I’m not a lovesick pony.”
“Prove it. What did he do when it was time for you to leave last night?”
My mind skipped despite myself to the excruciatingly hard goodbye. After spending all morning at the river, we’d returned to the house where Ryder handed out dog kibble and treats before making us a rustic style fish and chips with trout he’d caught up river a few days ago. We’d eaten on the deck while Scar chewed on some jerky and the cutest pot belly pig arrived to investigate our scraps.
The way Ryder looked at little Hippo as he introduced me had taken what was left of my heart and made it completely his. He’d hoisted the little pink and black pig into his arms and given her kisses on her snuffling snout before treating her to a crust of bread from his plate.
I’d heard of people having pigs as pets—supposedly they were cleaner and smarter than dogs—but I hadn’t had the privilege of meeting one.
As afternoon turned to dusk, and the dogs were semi cleaned the best we could with towels and given their dinner, we returned to his work-in-progress-lounge a
nd turned on the TV. I didn’t think either of us watched it as the moment he opened his arms for me to slot against his side, all I could think about was his touch on my skin, his heart matching my rhythm, and the awful, awful knowledge that I would have to go soon.
And when it came time to escort me to my car, the way he clutched my hand told me everything I needed to know.
Ryder Carson, caring rescuer, perpetual renovator, and insanely talented sex god, didn’t want me to go.
He wanted me to stay.
I just didn’t know for how long.
Or how quick I was prepared for this relationship to escalate.
His kiss goodbye said everything we didn’t and the drive home was the loneliest I’d ever felt even though I was so damn happy to have met him.
It was an awful conundrum. To be obsessed with someone and miss them at the same time.
“Earth to Ves. Hello, chickadee? What sex fantasy are you reliving?”
I cleared my throat. “Sorry, not sex. Just doing what you told me to do. Remembering what he did when it was time for me to leave last night.”
“And?”
“And…it was what he didn’t say that felt the strongest.”
“Oh God, that’s it. I’ve officially lost my best friend. You’re going to replace me with him and we’re just going to be work colleagues who barely tolerate each other and then one day you’re going to want to sell your side of the practice and leave me a spinster and all alone with useless Amanda while you go off and have puppies and kiddies and dreams made of cotton candy.”
I laughed, even though my heart hurt that she thought I could ever abandon her. “You know I would never do that to you. If for some reason you scare off the opposite sex so much, I’ll even let you share Ryder. We’ll be wives. After all, you secretly have lesbo fantasies for me. We’ve already covered that.”
The slight melancholy of the conversation switched to ridiculousness. “Eww, you and girl on girl. I think you need to get a three-way out of your system, you dirty minx.”
“Ryder says I’m dirty, too.”
“Okay, that’s my cue to leave.” Her tone was tired but happier, hinting it wasn’t just exhaustion from a day of chores but the past six months of running our surgery. It wasn’t a long time. But when we saved lives, euthanized lives, and acted as consoler to the owners of pets they adored, it was a freaking eternity. “You’re annoying me.”
I giggled. “You’re annoying me.”
“Well, good job we get to annoy each other in person tomorrow, isn’t it?”
My mind flitted to the operation we had scheduled for an elderly Papillion in the morning. “After the surgery tomorrow, how about we look into putting out an advert to hire someone?” I put a hand over my eyes, wondering how the hell we’d do that with our start-up debt but knowing it had to happen.
“Like who? We’d need a decent salary to tempt anyone to come to this tiny town.”
“We could just tell them there are hot men.”
“One hot man.” Polly corrected. “And you’ve taken him off the market.”
“Whatever. He’s not off the market.”
“Okay, seeing as you’re so dense. Let’s do a test. How many times has he texted you today while you were working?”
Ah, ha. I had her on this one. “Not once.”
“Okay…that’s because he’s seen you in action and knows how hard you work with no time to check your phone.” A smile entered her voice. “How many times has he text since you’ve been home?”
Dangnamit.
I sheepishly looked at the message thread of the past few hours while I cooked, scratched Visa, and climbed into bed. “Sixteen.”
“And there you have it, councillor.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s off the market.”
“Whatever, Ves. Go to bed before I get mad at you.” She laughed. “Sleep well. See you at seven tomorrow.”
She hung up before I could argue.
Not that I would argue. It was past midnight, and we had to be fresh for the Papillion’s sake tomorrow.
I needed to rest.
But that was before Ryder somehow sensed my phone was no longer in use and another message popped into my inbox.
Ryder: I’m hard and thinking about you. My hand wants to help out with my problem but my imagination is telling me to wait until I have you beneath me again.
God, I wanted a rerun of what happened at the river.
Beneath you or on all fours?
My lethargy switched to prickly heat.
Me: Perhaps your cock and your imagination can have what they both want.
Ryder: Oh, I love a problem solver.
Me: What problem would you like to solve? I’m here to please.
Ryder: How about the hard pressing issue currently in my fist?
Me: Oh dear, it sounds rather drastic. I would recommend studiously relieving the pressing issue.
Ryder: And what should my imagination be doing?
Me: Picturing me naked and my mouth inching closer and closer to your pressing issue.
Ryder: Jesus, woman.
Me: Even swearing on messenger is hot when I know what you’re doing to yourself.
Ryder: How do you know? Do you have cameras in my home?
Me: I can imagine. I’m picturing you naked on your bed with your cock in your hand and sexy face all scrunched up as you jerk.
Ryder: Nailed it. Want to come around and see the real thing?
Me: No.
Ryder: Why not?
Me: Because I’m elsewise engaged in my own pressing problem.
I bit my lip, unashamedly stroking the wetness he’d conjured. I could’ve said I had an early work appointment (which was true) or been coy about sexting, but this was too much fun and I’d promised myself to have fun from now on.
Ryder: Thanks for that.
Me: Thanks for what?
Ryder: My pressing problem is sorted.
Me: Just the thought of touching myself got you, huh?
Ryder: Just the thought? Ves, just the memory of you makes me so fucking hard. Just the replay of our time together makes me ache in so many places. You’ve ruined me and now I have to sleep to get over this fact.
His honesty blew my mind. My fingers swirled fast and sure on my clit. I knew how to get myself off quickly and knowing Ryder had already orgasmed while thinking about me was the last catalyst I needed.
My body erupted.
Bands of pleasure quaked my core.
When I could hold my phone again without shuddering with bliss, I typed: My pressing matter has also been taken care of.
Ryder: Goddammit, I wish I’d been there to watch.
Me: An encore could always be arranged.
Ryder. You’ll get a standing ovation.
Me: I’ll hold you to that.
Ryder: When can I see you again? Scar and I miss you.
The fact that Scar was holding on pleased and saddened me. It couldn’t be easy being breathless but between the drugs and Ryder’s care, I had no doubt he would be loving life and I could understand the reluctance to let go just yet.
Me: Day after tomorrow? I have a few surgeries coming up and another online conference to attend.
Ryder: If I didn’t love animals so much I’d hate them for stealing your time.
Me: If I didn’t love animals so much I’d stand them up just to feel you inside me again.
Ryder: Ves?
Me: Yes.
Ryder: I’m so damn lucky you moved to this town.
Me: I’m the lucky one. Goodnight, Ry.
Ryder: Shit, you called me Ry. My pressing problem has just returned. Thanks.
I smirked, snuggling into my pillows as Visa positioned herself in her favourite place on top of my head and swatted my curls.
Me: Maybe postpone that one. I’ll help you out with it next time we see each other. Now, I really do need to sleep. But rest assured, I’ll be dreaming of you.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ryder
“IF YOU EVER DO THAT to me again, I’m going to have to marry you.”
I couldn’t stop the repetition.
The glorious, terrifying, amazing repetition.
Had she meant it? Or was it heat of the moment stupidity? I’d suffered such insanity when I was about to jizz on Vesper’s yellow curtains. The idiocy of Mrs. Lesley thinking I was her cousin, coupled with the desperate desire to climb inside her had had thoughts of marriage sprouting all over the damn place.
Jokes were fine.
Humour was awesome.
But what was that saying? There is no truer thing said than in jest?
Were Vesper and I playing a game of honesty hidden in quips and one-liners? And if so, just how deep did her feelings go for me and just how deep did mine go for her?
And why did the thought of finding out the answers to those questions fucking petrify me?
“Hey, Ryder?” David bellowed up the stairs. “Special delivery of Kookaburra Kool white paint. Did you want it in the foyer or lounge?”
Thank hell, my foreman interrupted my thoughts. It was getting scary there for a second. Shrugging away the last of daydream cobwebs, I rearranged my trouser pistol from the semi-erection I’d caused thinking of Vesper on her knees by the river and descended the steps two at a time.
I’d been on the roof all morning replacing reflective metal sheeting, and my skin had picked up an extra layer of tan. I’d been in my bedroom changing into a darker t-shirt as the sun couldn’t burn me with sun lotion but it somehow managed to roast me through a stupid white t-shirt with no SPF value whatsoever.
I had no intention of being a lobster when I saw Vesper tonight.
“Just put it in the lounge for now. I think that colour is designated for the corridors and guest wing.”
“Righto.” David nodded as I leapt off the final step.
Grabbing a handle on the ten litre buckets of paint, I helped haul the six tubs to a vacant spot in the lounge. I couldn’t wait to start slapping it on the walls. The amount of demolition, rebuild, and preparation that had to happen before painting always went slow. But the moment paint was applied, boom, progress.
