Stealing Ryder (Sharing Harper, 2)

by Murphy, V

  “Sam. You lookin’ to drink another one of those?” he asked, pointing at my already half-downed beer.

  “Sure. Why not, right?”

  “That’s the spirit.” He pointed and motioned to the bartender for a refill on the beer I was drinking.

  Fuck him for doing this for me. I was doing this because of Ryder. I was doing this because he knew how sensitive I was, and now he was taking his ex-wife as a date to a wedding.

  “So, you single?” I asked, winking at him.

  Seriously, who lets their drunken best friend blurt that out at a bar? How can you be that insensitive of an asshole, not to pull your girlfriend, who you practically live with, aside and tell her?

  I was going to lie to this guy and live my life as a different person, even if it was just for tonight. I needed to be someone else for tonight. I needed to be the old Harper, the one who would fuck anything blind.

  “I am. Are you?”

  I thought about this. Was I single? What didthis even mean for us? I can’t even begin to explain how I felt, or fathom how I should’ve felt right then. I wanted to feel angry, bitter, or sad, but I felt numb to the world. It’s my go-to emotion: numbness. It takes the pain and suffering from my world and transported it somewhere else. Fuck this. Seriously. I can’t do this anymore. I couldn’t be with someone who doesn’t make me a priority. I had been there and done that. Never again will I be someone’s number two when I deserve to be number one.

  “It’s complicated,” I answered, while drinking the beer the bartender had just poured.

  Where do I go from here? Do I run away like I am used to doing, and fall back into my old habits of sleeping with random men, like I was trying to do right then? Do I go home, or go back to his place? I didn’t know what to do. I simply had no idea where to go from here. I’m lost, alone, and sick and tired of feeling like this all the time. When would it be my turn to be in love, and life be a little easier? When would it ever be my turn to feel like someone in my life is there to make me happy, and not just to turn around on me? Who could answer these questions for me?

  “You ever been in love?” I asked randomly, taking him off guard, knowing never to hit on a guy by talking about love or their exes; but this was different.

  I needed to know if all men acted like Ryder. Ryder was always supposed to be there for me…always. Now he was going back to Texas, and who knows if he even considered asking me. This wouldn’t be a big deal if one, he wasn’t taking his ex-wife as a date to a wedding, and two, if he wasn’t going to a place that was emotionally devastating for him. Ryder hadn’t been back to Texas in years because he hated his family and what they did to him, shunning him because he didn’t believe in what they wanted.

  “Love? No. Not in love; don’t plan on falling in love. You into that kinda shit?” the stranger next to me asked.

  I pondered the question for a second. Could I ever open up to trust Ryder again after all this? Everything for us was intense and fast. We fell in love too quickly, and we fight at the drop of a hat. It was as if the world was trying to force us together while pulling us apart. We needed each other because of this unexplainable emotion we contained, but at the same time, no one around us knew what to do. Kylee was jealous, his parents probably hated me because I wasn’t Kylee, and Finn was a stupid drunk. How can you be with someone when everyone works so hard to keep you apart? Maybe it’s just not worth it anymore….

  “Yes, I do believe in falling in love,” I said, after waiting a couple seconds to think about it.

  Of course I wanted love. A couple months ago, I would never admit to this kind of thing. I would never confess I wanted to be in love with someone; but now, everything was different. With Ryder, I felt the world around me. I felt what happiness and joy was like. I felt what it meant to be full and complete, but that meant I could also feel sorrow, anger, and betrayal. Like right then, I felt betrayed by him.

  “You wanna go someplace a little more quiet?” the stranger asked.

  Did I? Did I want to go home with him and do all this all over again? What would Skye think? More importantly, what would I think about myself again? I would be that Harper I vowed never to be, and here I was doing the same thing again.

  No, I don’t think I wanted to go home with him; I wanted to go see Ryder. I’d like to give him one chance to make me believe him but if he couldn’t, I was done. That was it for me. Everyone deserved a second chance, I believe that fully, but sometimes second chances lead to third and fourth and I don’t want that. So one more chance for Ryder. I would at least give him thatGive him the chance to at least explain what Finn meant, or what he was going to be doing with Kylee and Houston. Ryder made me feel, period. He allowed me to experience what emotions were, and sometimes that meant feeling a loss like this. But that low feeling was countered by an unexplainable emotional high. I needed him as much as I knew, deep in my heart, he needed me.

  “Sorry, I don’t think so. Thanks for the beer,” I said, and walked out, priding myself on how I didn’t go home with him. I walked out with my head held high.

  I was still that independent Harper everyone knew, but this time, I had the support of a man who loved me. When I got outside, I hailed a cab, and drove straight to Ryder’s house.

  ***

  I pulled up to the expansive beach mansion and quickly paid the cab driver. I was fumbling for my key in my purse while standing on the front step when I heard the door rush open.

  “Harper,” Ryder said breathlessly, the lines in his forehead etched deep into his skin. He was stressed, and the redness of his eyes showed his worry and exhaustion.

  “We need to talk,” I said, pushing past him and walking towards the kitchen to get a glass of water.

  “I know; I should have told you earlier. I am so sorry,” He pronounced, helping me get the water from the filtered jug.

  “I don’t get why Finn had to tell me when he was drunk. I don’t even know what’s going on. Tell me,” I demanded.

  “I got invited to an old friend from Texas’s wedding, Kayden Knox. His fiancé, Savannah, also knew Kylee. They figured we were still married and would come as dates, and asked if we would be in their wedding party. When I called Knox, he said he figured since we were married and already invited, we didn’t need plus ones. I told him that Kylee and I had divorced, and I was seein’ you.”

  “Okay, so did you get the plus one?” I interjected.

  “Not exactly. Something about there not being enough plates; but I thought it would be okay with you because it was right around when school would start, and I knew how busy you said you were goin’ to be. I just figured…”

  “I know what you figured, Ryder, but you can’t just not ask me. Even if I was going to say no, don’t you think it’s important to ask me if I wanted to come? I mean, you are going to Texas for the first time in four years. I would invite you if I ever went back to Chicago, just for moral support.”

  “I get it. You have every right to be mad at me, and you have no idea how bad I want you there with me. I was goin’ to tell you, I swear to you, I was; I just didn’t get the chance to before we met up with Finn. I didn’t want our night to be completely ruined.”

  “But it was anyways. Don’t you see that? It was ruined because this got out and I had to hear it from Finn and not from you,” I said, watching him from across the kitchen. He didn’t get close to me; instead, he stood by the sink, running his hands through his hair repeatedly.

  “Yeah, I do. Please, Harper. Please, forgive me. I don’t know what I would do without you. Why does it always seem like there is something keepin’ us apart? I need you in my life, and I don’t know where I would be without you here.”

  I thought about what he said, and truthfully, I felt the same way. I needed him with me every second of every day, but I also knew his other responsibilities. If an old friend wanted him to stand up in his wedding, I shouldn’t be the one to stop him. I had to trust Ryder wasn’t going to be like my abusive ex, Tye. I h
ad to trust that Ryder wouldn’t betray me and leave me for the next best thing.

  I could see tears welling up in Ryder’s eyes and moved over towards him. When I got close enough, he opened his arms wide, and I ran towards them. These were the arms I felt safe in. These were the arms that comforted me in my darkest times, and carried me through the happiest. It’s so hard to fall in love, but when it’s right, you know, because everything seems to just click.

  “When is this wedding, anyways?” I asked curiously when we parted briefly.

  “It’s in late August, so pretty soon. I would fly out on a Thursday and be back on a Sunday. I want you to come with me. I don’t care what Knox says, I’m sure he will be fine with it. The asshole is rich enough; he can afford another plate. Plus, he owes me a couple favors.”

  “No, I want you to go. You should be able to go to a wedding without me, especially if you’re a groomsman. I’m just scared with Kylee there. I mean, what if she convinces you to stay.”

  “She wouldn’t. I would never factor her opinion into that conversation without gettin' you involved too. We would have to come up with a solution and then talk to her. You come first Harper, always and forever.”

  “Are you guys staying at the same place?” I asked, really hoping that Ryder wasn’t going to be staying anywhere near Kylee.

  “We are both stayin’ at Knox’s place, but it’s huge. He has somethin’ like 30 rooms in the entire house, so I won’t even see her unless it involves Evelyn. I promise you, I won’t go near her.”

  “Are you going to visit your parents?” I asked hesitantly, knowing that talking about his parents always caused friction. Instead, I glanced over at him, and he appeared to be calm. He was listening to me and answering all the questions I had. I think he wanted to ease any worry I had.

  “No. Kylee is going to Houston with Evelyn to visit her parents, but we already discussed that I will not be goin’ anywhere near them. Kayden’s mansion is in Sugar Land, which is a city on the outer limits of Houston. I am not ready to see my parents. They didn’t care about their son, and haven’t called me in almost four years, so why should I reach out and contact them?”

  “I know it’s hard, baby,” I said, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

  “Will you please forgive me? I know I suck, but I need you here with me.” He gestured at his house.

  “I need you to promise you’ll talk to me first before you go tell your friends, especially when its something serious like going back to Texas for the first time in four years. Okay?”

  “I am so sorry; I really shouldn’t have. Yes, of course. Next time, I will tell you immediately after somethin’ happens, but now, I need you,” he said with aggression and gentleness at the same time.

  He pulled me deep into his chest, and I could smell the sweetness of vanilla and mint. I breathed him in heavily, and felt his arms tighten their grip.

  “I love you so much, Harper,” he muffled into my hair, while kissing the outer lobe of my ear ever so slightly.

  “I love you, too. I am going to miss you when you are gone,” I said truthfully.

  “You have no idea how bad I am goin’ to miss you, but the invitation is open. If you want to come, I will make it happen.”

  “I want you to make me feel better,” I whispered in his ear, insinuating that I needed him inside of me. I wanted him exploring my body and showing me what I meant to him. I wanted him to run his fingers through every nook and cranny my body had to offer. I needed him to make love to me…now.

  His fingers pushed through my hair, pulling back slightly, and his lips came across my neck. He started kissing me, easing down my neck with his lips pressingly lightly. When he got to the middle of my neck, he started sucking on my tender skin, while letting out slight groans between ragged breaths. Gently, he nibbled the skin on my neck, and dug his teeth in just enough to cause a flutter down in the deepest parts of my sex.

  His kisses didn’t stop, but all the while, he moved his hands towards the hem of my shirt and pushed up, exposing my navel. My black lace bra was exposed and he moved his mouth down towards my breasts. He took his time, gently easing his way down. While pushing aside the cup of my bra, he exposed my flushed skin and he grabbed my nipple with his teeth, pulling up on it, sending a burst of painful pleasure throughout my body.

  His hands went behind my back, and slowly, he took off my bra with one swift movement of one hand. My breasts spilled out and his tongue continued circling my nipple while his hand explored the other. He took his time, caressing me with gentle ease and hungry moans.

  When he was finished, he moved slowly down my navel, kissing me on the way down, and letting his tongue drag until I felt a need claw from the inner-most part of my body. A need to feel him inside of me, but instead of obliging, he was teasing me, making me want more from him. His mouth moved gently, and when he got down to my center, he licked around carefully, but quickly unbuttoned his pants and let his boxers drop with a thud on the floor.

  Every time I saw him without clothes on, I was mesmerized by the beautiful, masculine creature that stood in front of me. His abs looked almost drawn on they were so perfectly formed, and when he sucked his breathe in, they flexed naturally. His black hair was slicked back and longer now, which contrasted violently with his ice blue eyes and his crisp features. His jawbones were perfectly chiseled; they emphasized a contoured look most makeup artists would die to recreate. The slight shadow on his face created a stubbly look that tickled me when he ran his face over my bare skin, but was so completely sexy. When I would look at him, I wondered how I got so freaking lucky to be with a sex god like him.

  “You look so hot like that, Harper. I want you like this all the time,” he commanded while staring at me.

  He grabbed the button of my shorts with his mouth and with a quick movement, he pulled with his teeth, and my jeans unbuttoned. He quickly removed them and added them to the pile already on the floor. His hands moved towards my underwear, and in one swift move, they were ripped in two and fell on the floor.

  “I’m going to have no underwear left to wear if you keep doing that,” I huffed, but secretly thinking it was the hottest move he could ever do.

  “I’ll buy you more.” He oozed with sexual desire and determination as he moved towards me. We were now on the floor of the kitchen, but he grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder with my ass up in the air.

  “Hey, what the…” I shouted as he opened the patio door.

  We were standing on the balcony now, and I could hear the waves roaring onto the shore below us. It was pitch black, and the only light that illuminated was the one coming from the living room. I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel him grabbing my waist. He pressed me hard against the balcony, which was only wide enough for my ass. He propped me up and growled as he pressed his throbbing erection against the top of my thigh. The slightest touch of him sent a cold shiver spiraling through my spine.

  Just as the cold ocean wind was blowing against us, he gripped tightly and shoved inside of me with such force, I screamed out in pleasure.

  “Hold on,” he commanded, as he thrust his rock-hard cock inside of me with such vigor, I thought the balcony was going to break from underneath me.

  I arched my back and let my hair flow in the wind as he pounded into me over and over again. I couldn’t contain myself, so I howled out loud with great force and pleasure. I was definitely a screamer tonight.

  He grabbed me from off the balcony, and while he stood with his back against it, he carefully bounced me up and down his large cock, making me moan as he dropped me down, and pant as he pulled me up.

  “Fuck, Harper, you are so goddamn wet,” he cried out, collapsing against the cold, wooden balcony.

  He mounted me, and I could feel the cold wood of the balcony at my back. I took in the ocean waves as they crashed to shore. I was taken back to the first time we made love on the beach, and suddenly, this moment became much more emotional. I needed to feel him inside of
me, and without having to say it, Ryder understood. He slowly and repetitively moved every inch of his cock in, then out of me. He tooks his hands and gripped my shoulders as he explored the deep part of my pussy with his cock.

  He stared at me with his brilliantly blue eyes; they sparkled, even in the darkness. I observed each work of art on his body, gently touching the tattoo on his shoulder with the tips of my fingers. I took my time exploring each nook and cranny of his body. I took my time; in this moment, Ryder was the only thing that mattered in the world.

  He was now watching himself glide in and out of me. Ryder arched his back and put his hands to his ass as he pushed inside of me at a quicker pace. Almost unsure of what he would do with his hands, they found their way to my backside, while he pulled our torsos closer, causing our chests to touch as our bodies engaged in a duet of movement. His fingertips found their way to my breasts and pulled on them lightly, the pressure causing me to groan with pleasure.

  His cock was throbbing inside of me, and the continuous movements had me crying out. I needed him to thrust faster and deeper inside of me.

  “More. Faster, deeper,” I managed to squeak, and he obliged and put more pressure on my clit. Every time he thrust inside of me, I could feel his fingertip massaging my clit with pleasure. He was fueling my desire, and I was on the brink of releasing.

  “I want to feel you cum inside of me, baby,” I called out.

  This got him excited again, and he picked me up from the ground and hastily dropped down on the patio recliner with me on top. I bounced up and down quickly, shoving his large cock deep inside me. Ryder grabbed my hips, guiding me up and down, over and over.

  “Fuck. Fuckkkkk!” He moaned.

  “Make me….cum,” I screamed after him, needing him to release the built up pressure inside of me.

  He grabbed me again, and pushed me back to the balcony railing. Quickly, Ryder spun me around, and I braced my hands on the railing, prepared to take this pounding from him as he entered me from behind. I stood on my tiptoes as he thrust his enormous cock deep inside of me. I needed this release, now!