He collapses on top of me, barely keeping his weight from crushing me to the bed. We huff and pant, trying to catch our breath but still our eyes never leave each other.
“I fucking love you, pixie.” He growls that rumbly sound that makes my tummy flip.
“I love you, Ryder. I will always love you.”
Ryder
Uneasy
I swear I didn’t sleep all night. After I made love to her, my worship of her body didn’t stop. Her eyes grew dark with lust and desire when I pulled out the toys. I brought her beautiful pain and exquisite pleasure all night and into the next morning as I fucked her into unconsciousness.
Then I watched her. I watched her sleep in sweet, sweet contentment as she curled around me. I saw that moment of worry, that flicker when our eyes met. She was worried that without the alcohol and drugs and all the other garbage that I carried, my feelings for her would change.
She was right. They absolutely changed into something so potent and powerful, it nearly brought me to my knees. As long as I live, I will never feel for anyone the way I feel for Heaven.
I always knew Heaven and hell would collide. I just never expected it to be exactly what I needed to feel complete and whole.
They say that recovery doesn’t work when you do it for someone else. That it has to be for you. Well, I didn’t want to get better. I had no reason.
Until she walked back into my life, taking my bullshit and waiting on me to accept the truth. It didn’t take long. There was no way I was going to keep her away for very long, and I’m soextremely gladthis magnetic pull between us wouldn’t let me stay away because I don’t know how long her patience would’ve held out.
But knowing Heaven like I do, she would’ve waited an eternity. The woman is a saint.
That afternoon, we picked up Matt and Tyler. We took them to the zoo and then a movie later that night. Henry tagged along from a distance. The media had settled some, but anytime I was recognized, I quickly drew a crowd. I wasn’t going to let that stop us from having a normal day though.
The next morning, I took them to breakfast back at the diner where I first saw Heaven. Her old boss, Arnold, and the waitress she loved working with, Darla, were still there. They grinned widely, recognizing her immediately, when we walked through the door. We introduced them to Matt and Tyler and told the two boys the story of how we met.
I was a cocksure bastard back then, and, truthfully, more so now. But one thing that hasn’t changed, the woman that sat next to me was still the sexiest woman I’d ever seen.
Afterward, I put them in a car back to Craryville. I had business to take care of in the city before I could join them.
I’d come home to a few emails from my attorney. He knew I came home on Friday. It was hard to ignore the emails for a few days, but I’d made up my mind I was going to put this new family I’d gained first for a few days.
On Monday, I got down to business. First was calling Bastian. I wanted to hear from Maddox myself.
“Not letting you talk to him, Ryder. Not yet. His head is still in a bad place,” he told me.
“Don’t you think that isolating him from everyone is the cause of that?” I argued, fighting hard to keep my temper in check.
“That’s his choice. He knows all he has to do is cooperate.”
“Cooperate how?” I didn’t entirely trust Bastian and was worried he was making things worse than better.
“Face his shit. His father, our father, me. He won’t even consider it, and I’m not letting him go anywhere until he does. Or see anyone. He can keep staring at me.”
“It’s backfiring on you, isn’t it?” I don’t keep the smirk out of my voice. “You can’t control him, Bastian. Is it pissing you off?”
“Fuck off, Jamison,” he growls. “Making me wish I’d shot you in the face.”
“I’ll give you one more month, Bastian. Then I’m coming.”
“You think that’s what he needs? His co-dependent fuck buddy?”
“One month, Bastian.”
I can hear the grin in his voice. The challenge being accepted. “Bring it on,stronzo.”
After the call, I had the appointment with my attorney and the private investigator I’d been paying for over two years. Finally, after all this time, they had the information I needed to take care of my mother. What’s more, my attorney’s partners in London finally had the injunction Margret had in place, the one that kept me away from my grandfather, lifted. They also had all the documents I needed to remove her from her place of power where his care was concerned.
