“That would be amazing!” Ava said with a grin.
“Perfect. We’ll chat more at breakfast. Right now, though, I’m exhausted and this pregnant girl needs to get some sleep.” Dani wrapped Ava up in a hug while I shook Rich’s hand. “It was wonderful meeting you and your family, Ava. I’m so glad you all decided to come spend a few days here with us.”
Ava’s face blushed. “It was wonderful meeting you too, Dani. I can’t wait to see more of Montana.”
Dani turned and gave me a wink. “Sleep good, Ryder.”
“Oh don’t worry, I’m sure I will.”
“Uh-huh. I bet you will.”
I wrapped my arm around Ava again as I watched my sister retreating out of the room. “I think I’m going to go say goodnight to everyone. I’m exhausted,” Ava said as she looked up at me.
“I won’t be too far behind you.”
With a sexy smile, Ava leaned up and kissed me on the lips as she whispered, “See you soon.”
My dick jumped in my pants at the thought of finally being with her. Trying to keep cool, I spent a few minutes talking to Layton and Jase before excusing myself and heading up to my room. I needed to take a quick shower before Ava came knocking on my door.
I GLANCED AT the clock and sighed. “What is taking her so long?” I said as I scrubbed my hand over my face while I practically put a hole in the rug from pacing.
Reaching for my cell phone, I went to send Ava a text when I realized I didn’t even have her number. My heart dropped to the floor. “How in the hell did I not think to get her number?”
I sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. Maybe she changed her mind. No … no way did she change her mind. I saw the look in her eyes. She wanted me as much as I wanted her.
The knock on my door was so light, I barely heard it. Jumping up, I practically ran to the door and threw it open. Standing before me was not Ava, but my brother, Nate.
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Nice to see you too, bro. You got a second?”
I quickly glanced down the hall. Ava was four doors down on the left. “No, I don’t have a second.”
Nate lifted his brows and wiggled them. “You got a girl in there?”
My head snapped back down to his as I pulled him into my room and shut the door. “No, I don't have a girl in here. What the fuck was that move you tried to put on Ava earlier today?”
Nate laughed. “Well, you weren’t making a move, so I figured you weren’t interested. I went in for the hit.”
Anger filled my veins as I balled my fists. “What did you just say?”
Nate brushed me off with his hands. “Calm down, I get you have a thing for her and she has one for you. I won’t make any moves on her again. Can we move on to the bigger problem you have right now?”
I stared at him for a good minute before I spoke. “So you won’t try to make any plays on her, am I right?”
“Yes, you’re right! Dude, I said I wouldn’t hit on Ava again. Even a blind person couldn’t have missed how the two of you were eye fucking each other all night.”
Feeling satisfied, I smiled. “Fine. What’s the bigger problem?”
“Destiny.”
I pulled my head back and laughed. “Destiny? Why is she a problem?”
Nate sat down on my bed. “I overheard her telling Dad her father has been pressuring her to marry so he could retire from ranching.”
With a shrug of my shoulders, I said, “So. How is that my problem?”
“She told Dad she wasn’t over you and started talking to him about combining the ranches if you two were to get married.”
I let out a gruff laugh. “Please, I’m not in high school any more, Nate. Dad is not going to try and pressure me into marrying Destiny.”
Nate stood up and looked at me with a concerned look on his face. “Listen, when you walked back into the house at dinner holding Ava’s hand, it was obvious to everyone the two of you are an item. Tell me you didn’t see the look Dad gave you when you sat down.”
I had seen it and I knew he was going to want to talk to me about Ava, but never in my wildest dreams did I believe he would be upset by me having a relationship with her.
“I think you’re reading too much into this, Nate.”
“Fine, then riddle me this, Ryder. How is this relationship going to work between you and Ava?”
“If I need to explain the birds and the bees to you, dude, you’re the one with the bigger problem here.”
Nate rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. “I’m talking about when you move back to Montana and she’s living in Texas. You and I both know the long distance shit doesn’t work out. No matter how much you said you weren’t into Destiny, it was the distance which ultimately caused you to break if off with her.”
“No, it was me realizing I didn’t love her or want a future with her.”
“Whatever it was, it didn’t work. Dad is going to remind you of that and we both know he wants Parker’s ranch, and if that means you marrying his daughter for him to get it, I promise you he’s going to push you in that direction.”
Taking Nate by the arm, I pushed him toward my door. “I know what I’m doing and I seriously doubt Dad wants anything bad enough to push his kid into doing something he doesn’t want to do.”
Nate stopped and looked at me with his mouth gaped open. “Do we not share the same father? The same man who made us both miss the state football championship because he wanted our help on the ranch that day.”
“I’m done with this conversation. Night, Nate.”
I pulled open the door to see Ava standing in the hallway.
“Ava,” Nate and I both said at once and a little too loudly.
Closing her eyes, she shook her head as the door across the hall opened. Reed came walking out and asked, “What’s going on?”
Ava glared at Nate and then me. “Nothing, Daddy. I was headed down to the kitchen to get something to eat. Ryder and Nate here ran into me as I was walking down the hall.”
Reed glanced between all three of us. “Huh. Okay, well don’t stay up late, sweetheart.”
I couldn’t read Ava’s eyes. She looked mad, disappointed even. “Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t be.”
Spinning on her heels, she headed downstairs. I wanted nothing more than to follow her, but Reed was burning holes into me with his death stare.
“Well, good meeting, Ryder. Talk to you tomorrow.”
With a smile, I nodded my head and smiled. “Yep. Later.”
Reed stood there for a few minutes waiting for me to go back into my room. “All right then, night, Reed.”
With a grunt, he said goodnight and went back into his room. I stood in the hallway unsure of what to do. When Reed opened his door again and looked out at me, I knew I had to go back into my room.
I shut the door and cursed under my breath. Ava was headed to the kitchen and I was trapped in my own room.
“Fuck.”
My phone buzzed on the dresser as I walked over and saw I had a text from Nate.
Nate: High school. Late night meetings in the barn. You catching my drift?
With a smile, I fist bumped and sent my brother a text back.
Me: Thanks dude.
After slipping on a pair of boots, I made my way over to the window and threw it open. I couldn’t even count on my hands how many times I climbed out of my window to sneak out.
Leaning out, I looked over to the trees Nate and I used to make our escapes.
Shit. It sure seems a lot higher.
And dangerous.
With a deep breath and a silent prayer, I climbed out the window and reached my foot out for the metal roof. I made my way over to the large group of oak trees. Twisting and turning my way through the trees, it hit me. “This shit was easier at seventeen.”
“What are you doing?”
Stopping, I held onto the trunk tighter as I looked down at Ava standing in the yard.
“I’m climbing d
own a tree.”
“I see that. Why are you climbing down a tree?”
Letting out a frustrated sigh, I started carefully making my way down again. “To get to the kitchen, Ava!”
When my feet finally hit the ground, I dropped and kissed the grass. “I made it!” I said in a hushed excited voice.
“Oh yay!” Ava said. “Why didn’t you just use the stairs like a normal person?”
“Your dad was watching my door.”
Ava placed her hands on her hips. “Is that why you never came to my room?”
Wait. What?
“Me? You were supposed to come to my room.”
Ava’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “Ryder, the girl never goes to the guy’s room!”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know … she just doesn’t. It should be the guy coming to the girl. You know … like a guy riding up on a white horse and whisking her away and talking all romantic shit and stuff.”
“You’ve been talking to Jennifer, haven’t you?”
Ava giggled. “Whatever! I got tired of waiting for you, so I came to your room only to find Nate there.”
“He stopped by to talk to me about something.”
The light from the full moon lit up Ava’s face beautifully. “So, talking to Nate was more important than sneaking to my room and having hot, passionate sex with me?”
I nearly choked on my own spit.
Finally finding my voice, I asked, “Hot sex?”
Ava took a step closer to me. “I believe I said hot, passionate sex.”
“I can’t take it anymore, Ava.”
With an innocent smile, she tilted her head and walked up to me. “What can’t you take anymore, Ryder?” Her hand moved down and cupped my hard dick. “This?”
With a moan, I dropped my head back. “Why do I feel like a high school kid having sex for the first time?”
My body trembled when Ava’s lips moved across my neck. “How many times have you snuck down that tree to be with a girl, Ryder?”
I pulled my head forward and looked directly into Ava’s eyes. “The moment I met you, Ava, I forgot every girl I’ve ever touched, kissed, or had sex with.”
Her breathtaking smile caused my world to stop. “You just swooned me, Mr. Montgomery.”
“Is that so?”
Ava’s hand moved up my body as she placed both hands on my chest. “I feel your heartbeat,” she whispered.
“I want to feel yours, but with your skin touching mine.”
Her lips parted slightly as I reached down and picked her up. With a squeal, Ava laughed. “What are you doing?”
“Why were you outside, Ava?”
“W-what?”
“Why were you outside?”
Chewing on her lip, Ava whispered. “I was going to throw little pebbles at your window because I knew my father would be watching your door, and I can’t take waiting to be with you a second longer.”
My stomach felt like I was on a roller coaster as I stared into her eyes.
“What are you doing to me, Ava?”
Her eyes searched my face. “I could ask you the same thing.”
I quickly headed away from the house and toward the barn.
“We’re going to the barn? That doesn’t seem very romantic for our first time together, Ryder.”
“Just wait, Ava Moore. If you want romance, that’s what you’ll get, buttercup.”
DID HE JUST call me buttercup? Something about it made my insides melt.
Ryder walked past the barn and continued on walking away from the house. “Um … I don’t know how to tell you this, but you passed the barn.”
“We’re not going to the barn.”
“Are we gonna find a tree or something? That also doesn’t seem like a fun first time. I mean, call me old fashion, but I’d at least like to actually lay down when we make love.”
Ryder laughed. “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much? Hush up before someone hears you.”
I glanced back at the fading lights of the house. “I’m pretty sure my dad can’t hear us this far out. Unless he has me bugged … which I wouldn’t be surprised.”
With another chuckle, Ryder shook his head. “We’re going to the original house.”
“The original house?” That’s when I saw the small stone structure. “What is this place?” I asked as Ryder walked up to the large wooden door.
As he set me down, I glanced back over my shoulder. I could barely see the barn in the distance. “I didn’t even know this little house was here!”
Ryder reached up and took a key down and opened the door. “You can’t really see it through the trees. My grandfather built this house for my grandmother as a wedding present.”
The old wooden door creaked open as Ryder took my hand and led me into the darkness. The smell was familiar, and I couldn’t help but smile. “It smells like my grandparents’ attic,” I whispered.
Never letting go of my hand, Ryder walked over to a table where he opened a drawer and took something out. Hitting a match, he lit an oil lamp. The entire room filled with light as I sucked in a surprised breath.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
The room was probably the size of my living room and bedroom in my condo back in Austin. In the corner was a small kitchen area. A table that could seat two sat across from the kitchen. In the middle of the room was an old antique sofa that was flanked by two small tables that had oil lanterns on them as well. The sofa table that sat in front of the sofa looked fragile, but held a small bouquet of flowers along with a sketchpad.
“Who lives here?” I asked.
“No one really. I’ll sometimes stay here when I come to visit if I need some time to myself. It’s usually my mother who comes in here. She grew up in this little house and often spends time here.”
“Did she put these flowers here?”
Ryder walked up to the flowers and ran his fingers along one of the flowers.
“Yeah, she brings them for my sister, Kate.”
“Kate?” I quickly ran through his sisters’ names. I knew I had them right. Before I had a chance to ask, Ryder turned and looked at me.
“My sister Kate was the oldest. She loved this little house and always said it was going to be her house someday. Every day she would come after school and sit on the sofa and draw. She wanted to be a designer and would tell us how proud we would all be when her designs were on the runways of Paris.”
My heartbeat increased as I instantly felt a connection to Ryder’s sister. I was so afraid to ask the next question. “W-what happened to her?”
Dragging in a deep breath, he looked away. “She died the summer before her senior year of high school. She slipped coming down the stairs, hit her head and broke her neck. She died instantly. Her boyfriend was the one who found her.”
My hands covered my mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
Ryder smiled and nodded. “I didn’t bring you hear to tell you a sad story. I brought you here to start a new one.”
My chest fluttered. I was feeling so many different emotions. “A new one?”
His hand caressed my face softly as his thumb ran lightly over my skin. “Yeah, buttercup. Our story.”
I’d never in my life felt this way, and I was beginning to wonder if this was what love really felt like. There was no way I could possibly be in love with Ryder. There was no doubt there was something amazing between us, but I wasn’t ready to say it was love.
“You swooned me again,” I whispered.
Ryder’s lips moved lightly across mine as he softly spoke. “I’m starting to think this swooning thing is something good.”
A moan escaped from my mouth when his hand cupped my breast. “Very, very good thing.”
The warmth of his body was gone and I instantly missed it. Ryder lifted the oil lamp and held it up, lighting up more of the space. It was then I noticed it was two stories.
“There’s an upstairs?”
Ryde
r smiled. “Yeah, the bedrooms are up there. Only two.”
I walked around the small room and took everything in the best I could in the light and current state I was in … which was a complete mess. From the story about his sister, to his utterly beautiful job of sweeping me off my feet. My libido was begging for me to strip down in the middle of the tiny room and beg Ryder to take me.
“Oh Ryder, this is so charming. I’d love to see it during the day.”
His arms wrapped around my body as he nestled his face into my neck. “I can arrange for that. Only if you promise to spend the night with me here.”
With a smile, I lifted my hand and ran it through his soft hair. “You have no idea how happy you just made me.”
He spun me around and looked deeply into my eyes. “Let me make love to you.”
My lips pressed together as I fought to talk without my voice cracking. I’ve never had a guy romance me like this before. I’ve heard stories about things like this, mainly from my mother when she and her book club would talk about a book they just read and their current book boyfriends, as they called them. A few friends in college would share stories about how romantic their boyfriends were, but no one had ever treated me or talked to me like Ryder did. I thought I had found something different with Johnny, but I was so wrong. I never knew what falling in love was until I met Ryder. The way he made me feel was … magical.
“Please, Ryder. I can’t wait any longer. Please.”
With my hand in his, he led me up the narrow staircase. On each side there was a door. Ryder turned to the right and led me into a room that was just big enough to hold a full-size bed and two small nightstands. The only other thing in the room was a quilt rack that housed a few quilts on it.
“Everything is clean; my mother thought I might want to stay here.”
I nodded my head as I tore up the corner of my lip. What if I sucked? I mean, I thought I was pretty good in bed, but I never really thought to ask any of my past boyfriends how they rated me.
Ryder dropped my hand and walked over to a side table. Placing the oil lamp on it, he turned and looked at me.