by Lexie Davis
“That is the goal.” She brushed his arm next. “This is the breaks of living with me. I get to annoy you for the rest of my life.”
The next time she moved to smear paint on him, he grabbed the brush. Ella’s eyes widened. He didn’t say anything as he grabbed her. His mouth crashed against hers as he pushed her up against the wet painted wall. She slid her short shorts down her legs before he lifted her up, pressing her against the wall while he undid his shorts.
He pulled his dick out and pressed it against her. “I’m going to be late and it’s all your fucking fault.”
“Do I look like I care?” Ella ran her fingers through his hair as she wiggled against him. “Being with me keeps your criminality down anyway.”
He pushed inside her and she squeezed her thighs around his hips. That moment was the best, the needy emptiness filled with the thick cock she loved. He nibbled along her neck as he squeezed her breasts, fucking her hard against the wall. All his sturdy muscles kept her pinned, kept her submissive to him. She loved it.
He stepped back, spilling paint all over the plastic, and laid her down. Gripping her hair to tug her hair back, he licked the column of her neck as he shoved deeper inside her. He didn’t fucking care that the club needed him. She needed him more in that moment.
One of the things that had changed a bit since they’d been together was Ryker’s view of the club. He loved it still, but he had a more balanced life. Or at least he thought he did. With his father gone, he had less problems to deal with and more moving forward with the way things should be. He also focused more on her. Two days ago, he joined her for lunch at the hospital. She barely had fifteen minutes, but he stopped by just to sit with her while she scarfed down her lunch. He wasn’t even sure they talked about anything other than how busy her day had been.
He knew she liked that he cared about her in that way. They went shopping together for furniture for their new house. He spent an entire day with her picking out sofas and beds and all kinds of crap he convinced her to update. He was proud of himself for not complaining once. The real kicker, though, came when they went to replace her car. She wanted to say something about it, but he gave her a look and she kept her mouth shut. Things were getting better and he liked the direction they were going.
Ella clutched his ass. The plastic stuck to her sweaty skin as his cock pounded into her. The paint he’d spilled drifted over to her, marking the side of her body green. Neither one cared. Soft little moans left her lips as he pushed her closer to bliss. She reached between them and stroked her clit.
He kissed her when he came. Hot, wild, and passionate. He stuck his hand in the fucking paint and pulled back cursing. Ella laughed.
“I need a fucking shower now thanks to you.” He laid his hand on her stomach, leaving behind a green imprint.
She smiled at him.
Glancing around, he saw a rag and grabbed it to wipe his hand off. “I think you did this on purpose.”
“I’m innocent.” She stroked her fingers along his sides.
“There’s nothing innocent about you.” He kissed her and pulled back, staring down at her.
For a moment, he simply took in the messiness of her hair. She chose to go makeup free and despite the paint covering them both, she took his breath away. How did she have so much power over him? The inner struggle of staying at home with her definitely played strong with him in that moment. They didn’t have a lot of time together, and he tried to keep his schedule in line with hers. But today, they had club business with the Mavericks of Mayhem. He had to introduce the real Roaming Devils, and correct the mess the idiot named Rat started.
“I wouldn’t change one damn thing either.” He pulled out of her and stood to tug his pants into place. “You’re so fucking beautiful. Fiercely loyal, independent, and smart. You take my breath away.”
“It’s a good thing I know CPR.”
He chuckled. “I do like the mouth-to-mouth thing.”
“Pick out a color for the room. I’ll go get the paint and finish this up.” She sat up, cringing as the plastic stuck to her and spilled the paint on her more. “The plastic was a bad idea.”
He held out his hand. “Yeah, we got it everywhere. It’s all over your ass.”
“Baby-poop green all over my ass. Nice imagery.” She glanced down. “And dripping down my leg.”
“I’ve got to go.” He leaned in to kiss her. “I love you.”
“What color do you want? Don’t say blue either. There’s a million shades.”
He walked away from her. “The color of your eyes.”
****
Ella worked all day on painting the massive bedroom. She was pretty proud of herself for her efforts, but it seemed far more logical to hire someone else to do it. Stepping back from the third painted wall, she dropped her roller and glanced at her phone. Ryker had been gone nearly five hours and hadn’t called once.
So she clicked on his name.
“Yeah?”
“Do you have any idea when you’ll be home?”
“Um, not anytime soon. Why? You need something?”
“No, not really. I’m taking a break from painting. When you get here, do not go in the master bedroom. It’s a surprise.”
“If it’s green…”
“It’s not green.” She rolled her eyes. “Promise me.”
“I promise.”
She tried not to feel bummed about him staying gone so long. She had a huge empty house all to herself, and while the apartment hadn’t been bad, the house felt worse. She didn’t realize how much she didn’t like to be alone. Maybe the fast pace of her job made it worse or more noticeable. She didn’t know, but she felt it.
“I love you.”
“Love you too, babe.”
He disconnected and Ella stuck her phone in her pocket. She’d been nauseated all day and didn’t know why. Food really hadn’t been much of a priority, but she needed to eat something. She went to the kitchen to search for something to eat. Maybe getting a big house was a bad idea. The silence was almost deafening. Ryker was right, yet again. A modest home would have been perfectly fine for them. It was, after all, just the two of them.
She grabbed some apples and almond butter and settled on their new couch in front of the TV. Part of the compromises they made when they moved in included Ryker keeping his recliner and full domain of the garage. He also put in a plea about the rooms he’d spend the most time in like their bedroom, bathroom, and living room. Everything else, she had free rein over. She dipped an apple slice in the almond butter and took a bite.
At some point, she must have fallen asleep. When she woke, Ryker had pried her plate from her hands and sat it on the coffee table. How she didn’t get almond butter all over everything, she didn’t know.
“When did you get home?”
“Just now.” He sat the plate on the coffee table. “I called you, sleepy head. You didn’t answer. I was going to bring something home to eat if you wanted it.”
He pointed to the apples. “Is that your dinner?”
“Yeah.” She stood. “I haven’t felt the greatest. I wasn’t really hungry.”
“You okay?”
“I guess. I’ve just felt like throwing up. I don’t know. I haven’t. It could be the paint fumes.” She smiled and sat up. “I’ve had a rough day painting that gigantic room. Did you see it yet?”
“No.” He sat down next to her. “I’m afraid.”
She smiled. “I think I did a good job. I have one more wall to do, but it’s going to wait. I’m tired.”
“I’ll finish it up.” He studied her. “No more painting.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m okay.”
“Not if it’s making you sick.”
She stood and walked around the sofa to the kitchen. “I’m a doctor. I promise I’m fine.”
“I’m your husband,” Ryker commented from the sofa. “Husband card outranks your doctor card.”
She laughed as she opened the refrigerat
or. “How does that work exactly?”
“It just does.” He came up behind her and kissed the top of her head. “I didn’t shower before I left earlier. When I went to the bathroom, I found green paint on my balls. Thank you for that.”
She grabbed a bottle of water. “I bet that was fun to wash off when it dried.”
“Hurt like a bitch.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “No more sex in paint. Or at least not without a shower afterward.”
Smiling, she nodded. “Go look at our room.”
He walked with her to the bedroom and flipped the light on. She watched as his face lit up. The blue color she’d chosen was a pretty damn close match to the color of her eyes. The paint guy looked at her like she was crazy for getting that color matched but went with it anyway. She also liked how happy it made him. The look on his face said enough.
“It’s not fucking green.” He kissed the side of her head.
“Yeah, well, I’m hiring professionals. What the hell was I thinking convincing you to buy this house? I’ve been here all day, home alone, and it has just about drove me crazy. It’s nothing like our little apartment. I’m in over my head.”
Ryker held her to him, rubbing the back of her neck. “Today was a rare day. I’m trying to keep my schedule with yours. When you work, I work. When you’re home, I’m home. We’re going to get sick of one another, I’m sure.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I don’t know. I really wanted someone to talk to after three hours. I thought about calling my parents, but Dad took Mom on that weekend getaway thing for their anniversary. I didn’t want to kill the vibe there. Bryan and Riley had their first date, so I was out of luck there.”
“Speaking of getaways, we still have our honeymoon to go on.”
She looked up at him. “We’re not doing that. Not right now.”
“Why?”
“I can’t take off for ninety days. Plus, I like our home. It’s gigantic enough that it feels like a vacation.”
“We could do a honeymoon in a few months.” He smoothed his hand down her back. “You’ll want a break from working all the time.”
She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his lips. “You make me happy. I’m not sure I’ve conveyed that really well here lately, but you do.”
“Yeah, well, I try.” He leaned in to kiss her before he moved away. “It’s been a busy fucking day. I need a shower and sleep.”
He’d gone to physical therapy like she’d requested. His shoulder’s full range of motion was back for the most part and he didn’t complain about how much it helped. Ella walked with him back to the living room. “What did you do?”
He didn’t normally talk about club-related stuff, but he’d give her a bit of his day every now and then. He sat in his recliner and flipped through the channels.
“I tried clearing up the fucking mess from Mississippi.” He stopped on some action movie and glanced over at her. “It should be taken care of, but we’ll see. Nothing is a sure thing.”
Ella nodded. She didn’t want to think about Mississippi. It still felt like a bad dream. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to hide them before he saw. She did a pretty good job before she sniffled.
“Hey.” He gave her his attention. “What’s this about?”
“I don’t know.” She blinked a few times. “I just missed you.”
He put the footrest down and waved her over. After pulling her onto his lap, he wrapped his arms around her. “You sure that’s what it is?”
He smelled like cigarette smoke and leather. She laid her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes. Everything felt weird. She was used to working nonstop and felt so tired she could barely lifted her head. She rarely ever hated being alone, yet she missed Ryker while he was away. Her anxiety level increased when she went to buy paint. She was fairly sure she could paint the bedroom any color she wanted and he wouldn’t care, but she had an intense need to please him.
“I’m okay.” He kissed her temple. “I told you I’m a stubborn ass. You can’t kill me so easily.”
She kissed him, turning slightly so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. The tears started to flow without any ability to stop them. Ryker smoothed his hands along her back comforting her the best he could. He was probably more confused than her about the whole ordeal.
“Ella?”
Her mind was a complete wreck. She’d missed him before, but she’d never really longed for him quite like she did in that moment. Part of it was Mississippi. Next time, he could get killed and she’d be alone in that house by herself. That part scared her. The other part was hormones. She didn’t normally get weepy, but everything seemed to make her cry lately. A puppy on TV brought on the waterworks.
She moved away from him, drying her cheeks on her shirt. “I can’t help it.”
He held her, one hand resting on the small of her back, while the other rested on her stomach. She didn’t look at him. Ryker had never really dealt well with tears and she didn’t want to make a big deal about it.
“It’s hormones.” The nausea all day, the emotional breakdown, the intense realization that she was alone and missed him to the point it physically hurt… She needed a medical test to prove what she thought, so mentioning it was not going to happen.
“You sure?” He squeezed her tighter. “You don’t normally cry during your time of the month.”
She smiled. “I’m sure.”
Ryker kept her close. “I’m sure there’s some girly movie you like on TV. We can go upstairs and watch something before we fall asleep.”
Standing, she moved to the side while he got up from the chair. Ryker went through the house to turn off lights and lock the doors before he joined her at the steps. She knew in dealing with him that he was completely male. Tears freaked him out. He didn’t know how to deal with hormones. He liked his way. But he offered to do something he knew would make her happy. That made her want to cry even more.
The Jack and Jill bathroom upstairs made for a great mock master. She changed her clothes while he grabbed a towel from the linen closet in the bathroom. The sounds of him turning on the shower filled the silence as she climbed into their bed.
She didn’t worry so much about him being a parent. She worried about him wanting their kid. He’d never really been around children, and even with the ones that came to their wedding, he didn’t interact with them much. She wanted to believe that he’d take care of his own. Deep inside, she knew it. But she also had a lingering thought of him resenting the kid and trying his best to keep as far away from it as possible. The ER was full of people that didn’t care about their kids. Not just bad parents, but people who actually did not want their kids too.
“What are you thinking about?” he stepped into the room, drying off with a towel. “You look deep in thought.”
She turned the TV on and rolled to her back. “Did you really read a parenting book?”
“I’ve read a few.”
“What did you think of them?”
He used the towel to dry his hair. “I thought they were stupid.”
She pursed her lips. He pulled the blankets aside and crawled in next to her. Ella lay there for a while, doing her best to not overthink the situation. Instead, she thought of nothing but him and their baby.
Would he really care about it? Her stomach twisted in knots. She sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. She thought about his persistent “no” when she asked him about having kids. He didn’t want the baby he conceived with Beth. Why would hers be any different?
She stood and walked out of the room. They had a bedroom downstairs they planned to make a guest room, but when she flipped on the light, she saw it as a perfect nursery. The only time he relented about children was their wedding night. He agreed to one. At the time, she thought it was something he wanted, but the more she considered it, the less it seemed. He didn’t want to be stuck with a kid while she worked. She always worked too. Her schedule wasn’t as bad as some physici
ans. She wasn’t on call outside residency. She normally only worked four twelve-hour shifts, but those shifts were all over the place. Some in the morning, some at night. Her mom wouldn’t mind taking care of the baby, but she didn’t want to do it by herself.
Tears streamed down her face as she walked in the room and glanced around at the space. Could they really raise a kid together?
“What are you doing?” Ryker stood in the doorway, wearing a pair of loose shorts that hung low on his hips.
“Nothing.” She wiped her wet cheeks.
He frowned. “What’s going on with you?”
“I’m just getting decorating ideas.”
“And the tears?” He propped his hand up on the door frame. “I don’t think it’s hormonal. What’s wrong?”
When she didn’t say anything, he tried again. “Ella, just tell me. What’s wrong?”
“To be honest, I don’t think you want a kid. Not even the one you agreed to on our wedding night.” She glanced around the room to avoid looking at him. “It just hit me today that I’m in this alone. You’ve made it all about me. If I want a baby, then you’ll give me one. That’s not how it works. At least not for me. It takes a lot to raise a child. I don’t want to do it on my own. I can’t do it on my own. We have to be in this together.”
“Are you pregnant?”
She stared at him. “I just don’t want to get that way and then you check out.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m not going to leave you.”
Ella turned, sobbing before she could stop it. It hurt to think about it. All the frustrations that came with parenthood would only lead to her holding a screaming child on her hip while he left for the club. Or he would simply avoid coming home, ignoring it completely.
He walked up behind her and pulled her into his arms. She closed her eyes and clung to him.
“I’ve got you.” He squeezed her tighter. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Ella laid her cheek against his chest, calming down. Thoughts still raced through her head. He kissed her forehead.
“I love you, Ella.” He held her close. “God, I love you so much. You are my life. I don’t know what brought on all this crap, but you belong right here with me. And whatever fucking curveballs life throws at us, we’ll deal with them together. I’ve got you, honey. You’re not alone.”
