by Amy Marie
“You look sleepy.” My voice croaks.
He smiles. “I made you a bath. Come on.”
I allow him to help me up and practically carry me to the awaiting bath. “Turn around,” I tell him before I pull my panties down.
He eyes me. “Seriously, Spark. If I let you go then you’re going to fall and I told you before, your naked body is engrained into the back of my eyelids.”
I hesitate and groan before giving in and sliding my panties off of me. He gently holds my hand and helps me into the warm water. I sink down, laying my head on the edge of the tub.
“Too hot?” he asks from beside me.
“No.” I shake my hazy head. “It’s perfect. Thank you. How did you get into my house?”
He laughs. “Noelle gave me a key.”
My body relaxes more as I feel him bring water up and over my shoulders and collarbone. “Aren’t you worried I’m going to give you whatever bug I have?”
“You mean the flu? No. I had my flu shot. Did you?”
I open my eyes finding his. “No,” I whisper. I can’t say much more because the stare he is giving me is that of a caretaker. Even sick I thought he would use this as an advantage to get closer to me. To touch me but all I see is someone who is concerned and wants to take care of me. “Thank you,” I say but it doesn’t feel like enough.
Braden never took care of me when I was sick. He was always worried that I might contaminate him. So, all those times I just wanted to be held when I didn’t feel well I had to cuddle up with my pillow and make do on my own.
Ryder smiles. “Of course.”
When the bath starts to get cold he helps me out and into some warm pajamas. As I lay in my bed I hear him messing around in the kitchen and when he walks back in he has a bottle of water, some crackers and the charger for my cell phone.
He places the items down on the nightstand and plugs my phone in. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
Leaning down, he brushes a kiss underneath my ear. As he turns to walk away I call out his name, “Ryder. Will you stay?”
He pauses. “Are you sure? I can sleep on the couch and you can just yell if you need anything.”
“Yes. I’m sure,” I reply. “But I’d like you to just hold me if that is okay.”
He nods and says, “Anything you want,” as he crawls behind me and pulls me to him.
~~
My body is stiff, and I feel weak as I wake up the next morning after an x rated dream. I take a quick inventory finding the nausea is gone and the headache is dull but I feel warm. Feverish. It must have to do with the over six foot man, who was the star in said dream, wrapped around my body. His hard muscles pull me against him, and his fingertips are hovering just under my belly button causing my hormones to go into overdrive. I shift and freeze as his morning wood makes its presence known. I can feel his breathing on my neck and it starts to become longer. Deeper. Heavier. His hands move, dropping lower, caressing the skin above barrier of my panties. I want to grab them and push them between my folds. His erection hardens, if that’s even possible, and my body lights up starting in my toes and shooting straight up to my chest. My hands reach down, feeling brazen and more turned on than I’ve been in a long time, and lie on top of his putting pressure on them. Directing them past the elastic of my thong and lower.
“Hadley,” he whispers, taking a nip out of my shoulder. “How are you feeling?”
“I’d feel better if your fingers were inside me.” It has to be the flu. It’s made me crazy because there is no other way I would’ve said that otherwise. Or maybe it was the dream but I’m desperate for his touch.
He takes the lobe of my ear between his teeth and sucks. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” His voice comes out raw and primal, sending shivers down my spine.
I reach back behind me, snaking my free hand into his boxers and gripping his dick tightly. I drag my fingers up and down his length. “I mean it, Ryder. I need this right now.”
A satisfied groan escapes his lips as he pushes himself up and down in my hands. His fingers go to work rubbing through the juices that his nearness has created. I haven’t been this wet in a long time.
“God, Hadley. I missed this,” he says pushing two fingers inside me. I buck at the invasion and squirm as he scissors them within me hitting every nerve ending they can. My pace on his cock quickens as does the tempo of his fingers.
We’re panting, writhing beneath each other’s hand, and I quickly feel myself come to the brink. “Ryder...” I whisper.
“I can feel you, Hadley. I can feel your walls clenching around my fingers,” he says picking up the pace. “I know your body like the back of my hand. Come for me, Hadley.”
His words send me over the edge and my hand grips his dick harder as I ride out my wave. He stiffens underneath me and breathes out my name before he lifts up my shirt and his warm liquid spills onto my back.
I fall onto my stomach so none of it seeps onto the sheets. Ryder doesn’t move for a moment before saying, “That looks fucking sexy.”
“Ryder!” I yell over my shoulder.
The bed springs up and a minute later he is rubbing my back with a warm towel. After I’m cleaned up I reach over and grab my water bottle and one of the crackers. I sit against the headrest and watch Ryder as he walks back in from the bathroom.
I lift the food and drink up. “Thank you for this.”
He reaches over me, grabbing a cracker of his own. “I was so worried about you yesterday. I tried to call you a dozen times and nothing. I finally called Jace for Noelle’s number since no one was answering at your work and she told me you called out and were sick.”
“I’m sorry. I could barely even lift my head to see who it was.”
“Or put on anything other than panties. Do you know how hard it was, or I was when I walked in and saw your ass hanging out in the air? I had to remember you were sick before I violated you,” he says.
“That would have been a nice way to wake me up, though I did puke once you did.”
He shakes his head to, I assume, get the mental image out of his head. “I have to get to work but do you want me to do anything before I leave. I hate to go when you aren’t feeling better.”
I finish chewing and swallow the cracker. “I’m doing a lot better than yesterday.”
He sighs and looks away from me. “Yea. Me too.”
The way he says it concerns me. “Did something happen? Was it Braden?” I cringe when his name leaves my lips.
He shakes his head no. “My partner and I got shot at. He got hit and I didn’t but I feel like it’s my fault.”
My stomach drops and not from the flu. In my two years with Braden I was always worried about something like that happening. When he was on nights I would barely be able to sleep knowing that the harshest crimes happen during the nighttime hours. Knowing that Ryder actually got shot at makes me feel nauseous all over again.
“Is he going to be okay?” I ask rubbing his forearm up and down.
“Yea, it’s just a flesh wound to his left arm. He didn’t even have to stay overnight. I just hate that we didn’t catch the guy.”
“Are you scared to go to work today?” I ask only because he looks nervous.
“No.” He laughs. “But I’m pretty sure that your boyfriend will be riding along with me today.”
I almost forgot they work together, almost. “He’s not my boyfriend, Ryder.”
“Well.” He pulls me closer. “The spot is vacant. Is this something I could fill?”
I laugh. “Well, I know you want to but right now I think we need to just see where things go. Be friends.”
He nods and then kisses me on the cheek before getting up. “Well, I don’t know if your friend Noelle ever put her fingers inside you but please give me a call if she ever plans to. I’d like to be there...or videotape.”
I smile as I watch him collect all his things. He kisses me on the cheek again and reminds me to call or text him if I n
eed anything. As the door shuts behind him I fall back onto my bed and look up at the ceiling.
What the hell am I doing?
I don’t want Braden.
I don’t know if I want more with Ryder but what we did this morning felt so comfortable and sexy as hell.
I need to take my time. Make sure everything that needs to be said is said. He needs to explain why he said what he did about me under those bleachers. He needs to know why I left and he needs to know about our baby.
My hand on Hadley’s lower back feels natural, like it belongs there, as I lead her into Jace’s house. It’s been a few days since she had the flu and besides being a little weak she seems to be recovering just fine. Thankfully, I didn’t get it.
“Well, look who the fuck it is!” AJ calls from his place on the couch.
I shake my head. “Do you ever get up off your lazy ass?”
“Never.” He jumps up eyeing Hadley next to me. “But for this fine specimen of a woman I would.”
He reaches his hand out and when Hadley lets him take it he places a kiss on her fingers. “The name’s AJ, and you must be Hadley.”
Her cheeks flush. “I am.”
I shove his shoulder. “Get your hands off, AJ. This one is mine.”
Hadley looks up at me with a smirk. “You look fucking hot when you’re jealous,” she says repeating the words I said to her at my sister’s house.
“Well,” I lean in and whisper so only she can hear. “Feel free to make me jealous anytime you want.”
She shivers, and I take pride in knowing that I gave her them. She hasn’t mentioned our manual stimulation from Tuesday morning but I feel like she is being more receptive to me. Whereas before she would take her time answering my texts or send my call to voicemail, now it seems like she is the one initiating. For the first time since I’ve found her again she called me last night “just to talk.”
We sat on the phone for an hour talking about our day. I told her about Nate returning to work but never mentioned Braden giving me desk duty all week since the domestic disturbance call on Monday. He and I just coexist at work and I’m thankful that we don’t have to interact as much. She told me she secured her second solo event. I’m proud of her and I really hope that she is happy doing what she is doing. I could feel her face light up over the phone when she said Noelle told her she believed and trusted in her.
As everyone else gets to Jace’s house I introduce Hadley. When Wendy walks in I feel Hadley tense up and I ease her by grabbing her hand. This time around, even though we are “friends”, I want her to know that I won’t hide her again. When we become official again, and we will, I will make sure that everyone knows she is mine.
Wendy smiles at her and introduces herself. If there was tension between the two of them you wouldn’t know it. When Valerie is the last to arrive we all put our jackets on and head out the door again.
“You sure you’re up to doing this? I don’t want you to get sick again,” I ask as we pile into AJ’s truck.
She nods. “I’m sure. If I start to feel bad I’ll just take a break.”
I pull the glove off of my left hand and the one off her right and clasp them together. “Friends don’t hold hands this much, Ryder,” she says looking down at them.
“Yes, but friends who want to be more than friends do,” I respond, settling into my seat for the long drive to the tubing hill. Every time she tries to pull away I grip her tighter. I think she is doing it on purpose because each time she giggles a little bit. It’s a beautiful sound. After a few weeks of down and out Hadley, I feel like she is starting to loosen up a bit more.
When we arrive at the hill, it is filled with people. It looks almost too crowded, but that doesn’t deter us. We all love to go tubing together and this is our favorite spot. Piling out of the truck our first stop is the rental shack where we can rent double and single sledding tubes. I rent one for Hadley and me. While waiting for the rest to get theirs, I take in Hadley’s smiling face.
Her grin spreads from one cheek to the other as her eyes light up looking at the hill before us. She’s wearing a pink Columbia jacket and a white hat that holds down the strands of dark hair that flows over her shoulders. I can’t help but fall for her even more every time I see her. It feels like she was the missing piece all along. I know I hurt when she left but I thought I was getting by. Getting through it. I guess I was wrong. I’m yet again a changed man with her in my life.
“What are you looking at?” she asks.
I didn’t realize she had turned my way. I lift my hand, brushing a gloved finger over the exposed skin on her face. “My missing piece.”
Her head falls into my hand, and I linger my thumb over her lips. She doesn’t make a motion to move so I lean in and gently place my lips on hers. The spark that ignites jolts me, and I deepen the kiss never breaking the barrier of her mouth.
“Come on you crazy kids,” Jace calls over my shoulder. I pull away from Hadley and find her pupils dilated. Her chest heaving up and down.
“What was that?” she whispers.
I shrug before picking up both of our tubes. “A friendly kiss.”
~~
The climb up the hill is steep and long. Wendy, AJ, Valerie and Jace all follow us. The girls complain but Hadley is keeping up like a champ. When we reach the top, I set the tubes down and look out towards the north. The sky is clear, and the wind is minimal. It’s a beautiful day to race down the hill covered in snow.
“Who wants to go first?” Wendy asks from besides us.
Without hesitation, both AJ and Jace take their spots ready to race like they always do. They make everything a competition. I don’t know how they haven’t killed each other yet. They shoot off down the mountain and Wendy and Valerie take their vacant spots. We watch as Jace hits the bottom line first and then the girls take off.
I set my tube down and sit on it, waiting for Hadley to do the same. When she doesn’t I look over and find her staring down the hill.
“What’s wrong, Had?”
She shakes whatever thought was in her head and says, “This hill is much higher than the one by my house. I’m scared.”
The vulnerability she exudes is sexy but confusing. This is the girl who wanted to parasail and zip line. I know last week we didn’t actually skydive but I feel like the adventurous Hadley was still there.
I reach out towards her as a line forms behind us. “Come here.”
She does as I say and I grab onto her, causing her to fall into my lap. “Ryder!”
“We’ll do it together,” I whisper into her ear.
She relents and sits between my legs. “Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you.” I push back her hair and kiss her neck.
She hums. “Why’s that?”
“Because,” I start to push off the ground, “anytime I get to have my body flush with yours, material between us or not, I am thankful for it.”
The wind starts nipping at our uncovered skin as we fly down the hill. Hadley’s elated screams fill the air and all I can do is smile. She starts to laugh and puts her arms up in the air.
“Do you feel free, Hadley?” I loudly ask into the winter chill.
“Yes!” she hollers. “It’s amazing.”
At the bottom of the hill she jumps off the tube, barely containing her excitement. “Again!” She points to the stairway leading back up, where the rest of our group has started to ascend.
“Yes, ma’am.” I agree, standing and picking up the tube.
She walks over and wraps her arms around my torso looking up. “Ma’am huh? Sounds sexy.” Her body shifts when she leans up and places a chaste kiss on my lips.
I slowly pull away. “What was that?”
“A friendly kiss.” She winks and lets go of me, taking off towards the hill.
I’m not sure but I think I fall in love with her more and more with each passing day and today is no exception.
Three more treks up the snow
hill and back down on the same tube I’m wound up tight. Her smile and her carefree attitude have me reeling and those friendly kisses aren’t going to tide me over much longer. I need more.
The café that sits alongside the rental shack is spacious. The ceiling is two stories high, and the west wall of it is made up entirely of glass so you can watch snow tubers and boarders fly down the hill. We choose a table next to the fireplace and the guys head over to the cashier to get some hot drinks. I order both Hadley and I hot chocolate and then turn to watch the girls all chatting with one another. They are all smiling and I pray that Hadley accepts Wendy. I may have slept with her, something I still need to tell Hadley, but Wendy is in love with AJ. We stopped our rendezvous a long time ago once I realized the man she was lusting after was my best friend. He knows about our trysts but I can see he might want her too. Jace, on the other hand, is completely blind when it comes to Valerie. Even though they constantly see each other at JV Fitness, the gym they own together, I don’t think he even has a clue.
I watch as Hadley throws her head back at something Wendy says and it makes me smile. Maybe there is hope though she never gave the vibe that it would be a problem.
Jace’s hand comes down hard on my shoulder. “You buy the ring yet?”
“No.” I shake my head, never taking my eyes off of her. She must sense it because she finds me and blushes. “But I swear if she ever mentions the word marriage to me I’ll run to the nearest jewelry store.”
“Holy shit,” AJ chimes in. “He was joking. You two aren’t even dating yet. Didn’t she friend zone your ass?”
I turn to grab our drinks before muttering, “Not for long, my friend.”
When I arrive back at the table I’m met with a fit of giggles. “What’s so funny, ladies?”
Hadley can barely breathe she is laughing so hard. “Valerie’s face after she just called Noelle a ‘dumb slut who didn’t know what she had with Jace’ and Wendy informed her that she was my friend and boss.” She snorts and they all erupt in another fit of laughter.
I set Hadley’s drink in front of her. “I fail to see how that’s funny,” I state confused. Girls are insane.
