With a chuckle, I brushed my lips against hers. “Tell me what I need to do.”
Ava’s eyes lit with excitement. “There’s only one thing I can think of that will fully show me you’re one hundred percent still alive.”
With a raised eyebrow, I tried to come off as being calm, cool, and collected. But inside, my body was behaving like a sixteen-year-old boy wanting to have sex for the first time. “That is?”
“Make love to me, Ryder.”
My heart dropped as I looked into Ava’s eyes. “Now?”
With a chuckle, Ava shook her head. “As much as I want to say yes, I think it would be rather rude to disappear from dinner.”
“Who cares!” I said as I pulled her body closer to mine, pressing my hard dick against her body. I’d been dreaming for weeks of this woman; I wanted her this instant.
Ava’s eyes danced with excitement as she slowly ran her tongue along her teeth. A low growl formed in the back of my throat as I debated dragging her off somewhere.
“Hey, love birds, Mom is getting pissed and you know she means business when she sends the pregnant sister out to get you.”
Glancing up, I smiled at my sister. “Tell Mom we’ll be right in, Dani.”
With a lift of her eyebrow, she gave me that look. “You better get your ass in there.”
“One minute is all we need.”
Dani gave me a wink before turning and heading back into the house.
I looked back into Ava’s beautiful blue eyes. “When?”
“Tonight. After I know my parents are asleep. Something about having sex in the same house as my parents is a bit … unsettling.”
With a smile, I placed my finger on her chin and brought her lips to mine. “I promise they’ll be none the wiser.”
Ava giggled. “Okay, ‘cause if they ever found out, my father would kick your ass.”
My smile faded as Ava closed her eyes and made ready for my lips. Swallowing hard, I gave Ava a quick, but soft kiss. “Great. Now I’m going to be freaked out.”
With a laugh, Ava grabbed my hand as we walked back into the house together. The second we stepped back into the dining room, all eyes fell on us. I couldn’t help but notice Reed glance down to see our hands intertwined. He looked quickly back up at Ava and then me. With a weak smile, I nodded my head and said, “Sorry about that.”
“That’s twice you and my daughter have gotten up from a dinner table. Anything I need to know?”
Ava squeezed my hand as we headed back to our seats. “No, Daddy. All is fine.”
After taking my seat, Jase leaned over and said, “Dude, I love seeing the smile on Ava’s face, but you hurt her, I hurt you.”
Turning to look at Jase with wide eyes, I whispered, “Point taken.” When I looked over to Ava’s brother, Walker, he communicated the same damn thing with the look on his face. With a smile, I gave him a nod of acknowledgment and turned back to my father. The look on his face told me I was going to be having a conversation with him later about this as well.
My eyes turned to Ava who was now smiling and talking my sister’s ear off. I couldn’t help but feel happiness bubbling over. Of course my smile faded when I caught Reed giving me a death stare.
This should be an interesting evening.
DINNER DRAGGED ON and was followed by drinks in the parlor as Ryder and I stole glances every now and then. Each time my heart would beat a little harder in my chest. The idea of being with him tonight was almost too much to take. My lips still tingled from his kiss. My skin still on fire from where he touched me.
“I’m pretty sure if you keep staring at my brother like that, his pants are going to just fly off at any moment.”
Dani stood before me with her hands rested on her belly. “Is it that obvious?” I asked while looking around the room.
“Oh yeah.” Dani looked over her shoulder toward her sister, Jennifer, and her friend, Destiny. “You’ve got Destiny over there in a huff, but I have to admit, it’s been fun watching her all evening try to capture my brother’s attention.”
My eyes narrowed as I stared at Destiny. Her long blonde hair was perfect. Not a strand out of place. Her toned legs told me she most likely ran or at least paid a small fortune for a good trainer at the gym. “Does she live here in Montana?”
Dani took a sip of her water. “Yep. Her father is best friends with my father. He owns the ranch right next to ours. Growing up, I think it was almost expected that Ryder and Destiny were to date. They were the same age, liked the same things, and were good friends.”
Jealousy raced through my veins as I tried to not picture Ryder and Destiny together. The thought made me feel sick.
“Don’t think too much about it, Ava. Ryder never really was that into Destiny. I think he dated her more to satisfy my father over anything else.”
My interest was piqued. “Why did your father want him to date Destiny?”
Dani shrugged as if not giving it much thought. “I dunno. Maybe thinking someday the two ranches would merge or something. Who knows why my father does anything he does. He loves his kids, but he has always put the ranch first before any of us.”
Turning to look at Dani, I wanted to ask her more, but decided to let it go. Ryder showed no interest in Destiny, and I knew there was nothing there for me to worry about.
As the evening dragged on, I grew more and more anxious to be alone with Ryder. Images of my dreams replayed in my head. Ryder had been talking most of the evening with Walker and Jase, while my father and Layton spoke with Nate, Sr.
Needing to at least be closer to Ryder, I made my way across the room as Ryder headed toward me. The moment our eyes met, I couldn’t help but smile. It felt as if the entire room full of people faded away, leaving just the two of us.
Stopping in front of him, Ryder’s smile nearly knocked me off my feet. “Hey,” was the only stupid thing I could manage to say.
“Hey, back at ya.”
“So, I’ve been thinking.”
Ryder’s eyes looked over my body in a hungry way. “About?”
“Tonight.”
“What about tonight, Ava?”
The way his voice vibrated throughout my body had me wishing I hadn’t made my way over to him. My body was now aching to feel him. To learn every little thing that turned him on. His lips were begging to be nibbled on.
Feeling flushed from my thoughts, I shook my head. “I need some fresh air.”
Ryder held his arm out for me as I laced it through his while we made our way through the living room and toward the front door. Once outside, the cool night air hit my face and cooled off my desire some.
Ryder wrapped his arms around me and buried his face into my neck.
“I want you so badly, Ava.”
My head dropped back to his chest, allowing him easier access to my neck. His lips moved across my skin, leaving a burning trail in their path. “Ryder.”
“We have three days before you leave to head back to Texas. I want to spend every minute with you.”
Ugh. The reality of our future hit me right in the face. I couldn’t forget Ryder was moving to Montana. I was about to sleep with a man who I knew I might not be able to have a future with. That scared the hell out of me.
The night sky caught my attention. It was then I saw how massive the sky was and the amount of stars you could see.
“Wow,” I whispered. “Look at the stars.”
Ryder chuckled. “Hell, this is nothing. I’ll take you somewhere tomorrow night and show you what a true Montana night sky looks like.”
A bubbling feeling of excitement filled my chest. “I’d love that.”
Turning, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “For now, though, I need you to kiss me.”
Ryder’s eyes lit up. “My pleasure.”
The second his lips touched mine, I was lost in the perfect blissful moment. Ryder moaned softly into my mouth and my stomach clenched with desire as I tightened my arms around his neck. He slowly lifted me
off the ground as his hard length pressed against my body.
I wasn’t sure how long we kissed for before I felt my feet touch the ground again. Ryder slowly pulled his lips away from mine, and I fought with everything I had not to beg him for more.
His hands cupped my face as our eyes locked. “I’ve never in my life felt like this, Ava.”
My heart dropped in my chest as I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling like an idiot. “Me either,” I finally said as I felt my cheeks heat. “I’m so glad we bumped into each other.”
Ryder grinned and was about to say something when the front screen door slammed shut. “Ryder. I hate to interrupt you, but I really do need to talk to you.”
Looking over Ryder’s shoulder, I saw one pissed off Destiny standing there with her hands on her hips. Ryder sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “Do you mind if I talk to her?”
“Of course not. I’ll just head back in.”
As I walked past Destiny, she gave me the fakest smile I’d ever seen. I reached for the door and glanced over my shoulder. Ryder was watching me as I walked into the house. I wanted to gag when I heard her start talking. She obviously knew I could still hear her when she busted out with, “Ryder, I’ve missed you so much.”
Walking into the foyer, I made a gagging motion as someone busted out laughing. To my surprise, Jennifer, Ryder’s other sister, was standing there looking at me. My face turned red with embarrassment.
“Don’t worry about Destiny. Ryder won’t even look twice at her. I’m pretty sure everyone in the room tonight could see the way my brother was looking at you.”
I swallowed hard and placed my hands on my cheeks to cool my face down. “Well, I um, I’m not really sure how to respond.”
Jennifer laughed. “No need to. I have to say, though, I’ve never seen my brother so caught up in a girl before. Granted I live here and he lives in Texas, so I’ve never really seen him in a serious relationship before. Oh my God. I’m rambling on and on.” Shaking her head, she scrunched her nose up. “Tell me how you met.”
“Well um, I had just been dumped at the cake store by my fiancé and was walking down the street on the phone with my mother when we ran into each other.”
Jennifer’s eyes lit up. “Wow. He broke up with you at the cake store?”
With a wave of my hand, I chuckled. “It was for the best. I quickly realized it wasn’t love I was feeling. Especially when I ran into Ryder.”
“And it was love at first sight? Did you feel a spark between you? Did your skin feel as if a blaze of fire was moving along it when Ryder touched you?”
I stood there staring at Jennifer with a stunned look on my face. “Ahh—”
She spun around as she wrapped her arms around her body. Stopping, she quickly ran over and took both my hands in her hands. “What did he say to you? Did you exchange numbers?”
“Well no, we didn’t. I hadn’t even gotten his name. I called him … mystery man.”
Jennifer gasped. “No!”
“Yes!” I said with a little bit too much excitement.
“Then what happened?”
Okay, I had to admit, I was getting caught up in her euphoria. “Well … I thought about him for a few days. His amazing eyes were constantly in my dreams.”
“Oh, Ryder does have beautiful green eyes.”
I nodded. “He does.”
“So go on! Go on!” Jennifer said as she hopped a few times.
“I saw him at a club. I was drunk out of my mind and he ran into me again.”
“Again? It was destiny!”
Jennifer was really much too caught up in this story and I had to admit, it was fun pulling her along. “Yes. I was drunk, though, and ended up not really remembering anything other than the fact that your brother brought me home and took care of me when I was sick from too many shots.”
Her body relaxed as her eyes went dreamy. “Ryder always was the romantic one out of my two brothers.”
With a smile, I looked down. “So anyway, being the gentleman that your brother is, he arranged to have my best friend there when I woke. Well much to my surprise, I found out he had stayed all night.”
Jennifer slammed her hands over her mouth. “No! Did you … you know?”
I widened my eyes. “I wasn’t sure. I figured we had, but I didn’t … you know … feel different.”
Jennifer looked at me with a lost look on her face. “What?” she asked.
“You know. I didn’t feel different.”
She slowly shook her head. “Oh, I wouldn’t know, Ava. I’m a virgin.”
Oh. My. God. That explained this whole crazy conversation. Jennifer had to be at least twenty. I was super impressed she had kept her virginity, especially since she was knock-me-over gorgeous. “Oh. Well, at any rate, I had to be at my father’s house that day for this huge meeting he was having with two gentlemen from Austin. My father and Layton were talking about going organic.”
Jennifer jumped up. “No freaking way! Ryder and Nate?”
With a giggle, I nodded. “Yes! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Ryder standing before me. Of course, then I got mad because I thought we had slept together and how could he sleep with a girl so drunk out of her mind.”
“Right. Of course, that would be a douche move for sure!”
I glanced through the front window and saw Destiny was still talking to Ryder. Turning back to Jennifer, I gave her a sweet smile. “But your brother is far from being a douche. He simply took care of me while I suffered from taking way too many shots.”
Jennifer sighed. “And you have been dating since. How sweet.”
I shook my head. “Oh no. We haven’t been dating.”
With a frown, Jennifer turned her head and looked at me with a stunned expression on her face. “But, the way you look at each other. You were just kissing on the front porch.” She let out a confused chuckle. “I’m confused, Ava.”
“Don’t be. It’s not that complicated. We just needed a little push I guess. I think it’s safe to say I’m very much interested in your brother.”
Placing her hands over her heart, Jennifer sighed loudly. “Oh. My. Gawd. That was the most beautiful love story I’ve ever heard.”
My smile faded. “Well, I think our story is just beginning, at least I hope it is.”
“Oh my gawd! That’s such a beautiful thing to say, Ava! I’m so happy Ryder has found you. It’s like destiny met fate! Oh it’s all so perfect.”
Now I’m so confused. What is happening?
“It’s like watching one of my romance books coming to life before my eyes.”
Ahh. It all made sense now. “Jennifer, have you had a chance to talk to my mother yet?”
Shaking her head, Jennifer said, “No. Why?”
I laced my arm in hers as we made our way back into the living and over to my mother.
“Jennifer, this is my mother, Courtney. She’s an editor. She loves romance books.”
I thought Jennifer was going to leap into my mother’s arms. “Oh. My. Gawd!” Jennifer said as she quickly began spitting out book names. One look from my mother and I knew I’d be catching hell later on from her. She loved talking books, but talking to Jennifer would wear her out and she would quickly find my father and say she was ready for bed.
My evil plan of getting my parents up to their room early was working. Even though I just came up with it two minutes ago.
I WANTED TO punch myself in the face as I listened to Destiny tell me how much she deserved a second chance.
I held up my hands to get her to stop talking. “Destiny, stop. Please just stop talking. There was never anything real between us. It was something our fathers wanted. I’m not even living here; I live in Texas!”
With a smile, she placed her finger in her mouth and bit down on it. “But, you’re moving home.”
I needed to nip this in the bud and quickly. “Destiny, I’m with Ava.”
Her eyes widened. “With Ava? As in, you’
re dating her?”
Were we dating? I mean, hell, we made plans to have sex later. I’d consider that dating.
“Ryder? Are you going to answer me?”
“Yes, Destiny. Ava and I together.”
“Exclusive?”
My mouth dropped open as I stared at her.
“Yes, exclusive. Jesus Christ, Destiny,” I said as I raked my hand through my hair.
“Destiny, I’m about ready to head on out.”
I glanced over to the door and saw my sister, Jennifer. With a smile, I walked past Destiny and kissed my youngest sister on the cheek. “We didn't get a chance to really talk.”
Jennifer smiled a smile so wide I couldn't help but chuckle. “It’s okay, I got to talk to Ava, who I love by the way! I might love her mother a bit more though and possibly might have scared her some with my book talk.”
My sister Jennifer was an English literature major and loved to read. “I’ll be sure to let her know you’re not crazy.”
Hitting me lightly on the chest, Jennifer winked. “Treat her right, Ryder. I can tell she’s special.”
“Oh gag me,” Destiny said as she pushed past my sister and I. “I’m ready to go.”
Jennifer rolled her eyes before giving me a hug goodbye. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Be careful driving, Jennifer.”
“Will do! Bye, Ryder.”
My sister took off like a bolt of lightning and made her way through the house, saying goodbye to everyone. Destiny kissed my parents goodbye and followed Jennifer out the door. One quick look around the room and my eyes caught that smile. Ava stood across the room chatting with my sister Dani and her husband, Rich.
I made my way over to them and heard Dani telling Ava goodnight.
“You’re not driving back tonight are you?” I asked as I slid my arm around Ava’s waist. I was making it very clear to everyone we were together. I couldn’t help but catch Nate’s smile as I briefly looked his way. Tomorrow I’d be having a nice little chat with him about the stunt he pulled in the barn today.
“No, we’re staying in my old bedroom.”
Dani’s mouth dropped open with an idea she pretended she had just come up with. If I knew my sister, she’d been cooking it up for a few hours. “Hey, I’ve got a great idea. Maybe we can go for a hike tomorrow morning, show Ava a little bit of Montana.”