This Time Around(18)

“I know, and thank you. I suppose I have Summer to thank for you growing a vagina?” I joke, moving the subject away from me.

Summer chooses that moment to walk in, carrying a tray. “Oh, so a man shows a little emotion and it’s a chick thing?”

“No.” Yes. “What do you have there?” I ask, peering up at the tray. She puts it in the centre of the table, and I see cheese, crackers, and cold cuts.

“Reid has such good taste in women,” I tell her, eyeing the food. Well, except for all the other women he dated before Summer. Summer wrinkles her nose, letting me know she’s thinking the same thing. “You’re right. He has bad taste; you’re the exception.”

“I’m sitting right here,” Reid growls, pulling Summer onto his lap.

I shield River’s eyes. “Keep it PG people!”

The doorbell rings, and Reid gets up to answer the door.

“Are you expecting anyone?” I ask Summer. She shakes her head no. A few seconds later, Xander walks inside, grinning widely. “What’s for dinner, sis?”





Chapter Nine

“Hello,” I say when the redhead answers the door.

“Right, the husband,” she smirks. “Hello, come on in.” With that, she walks away, leaving the door wide open. I step into their apartment and close it behind me. Walking into their kitchen, I find Isis now sitting on the countertop, eating cereal.

“She’s in her room. First door on the right,” she says just before she lifts the bowl to her mouth to drink the remaining milk.

I flash her a smile and then turn in the direction she pointed, stopping in front of the first door. I knock, entering when I hear her yell, “Come in!”

“Oh, my God!” she shrieks as I walk in on her standing at the end of her bed in nothing but a towel. My eyes devour the smooth bronzed skin on her bare shoulders. “What are you doing?” she asks, hiking the towel up. It gives me a glimpse of her toned thigh. I try to discreetly adjust my now hard cock, but she notices the movement immediately, and her eyes narrow.

“You told me to come in,” is all I can manage to say.

“I said I’m coming, not come in,” she growls. Droplets of water run down her arms, and I find myself suddenly feeling extremely thirsty. What wouldn’t I give to lick those off her. I notice her eyes widen, as if she suddenly remembered something, and then she slowly steps closer to the bed.

“Okay, you need to leave. Wait in the living room, please,” she begs. It’s her use of the word ‘please’ that has me instantly suspicious. My eyes give her a once over before moving to the bed. It’s then that I see what she didn’t want me to. I glance over at her, amused, chuckling when she turns red.

“I could take care of that for you, you know,” I tell her, gesturing towards the hot pink vibrator.

“Someone kill me,” I hear her mutter under her breath.

“Well, you know, an orgasm is known as the little death, so…” I trail off, letting my remark hang in the air.

“Ryan.”

“Yes,” I say, unable to rein in the huskiness of my voice. She is so fucking beautiful. Even more so than I remember, if that’s even possible. How is that possible? My tongue peeks out over my bottom lip, and her eyes are glued to my mouth. I know she wants me, that has never been an issue, but I want her head and heart in the right place. I don’t want her to regret anything we ever do together.

“Ryan,” she repeats, swallowing hard. I walk over to her, closing the space between us in a few steps.

“Your hair is dripping,” I say softly, grabbing the slightly damp towel off the bed and using it to dry her hair a little more. “You’ll get sick.” As gently as I can, I rub the towel over her hair, concentrating on the dripping ends. She waits quietly, but I don’t miss the stiffness of her posture.

“Can we talk?” I ask her, removing the towel and placing it back on the bed.

“What about?” she says, tilting her head back to look at me. Her wide green eyes peer up at me. Fuck. Those eyes. They entrance me.

“About us,” I say, my gaze not leaving hers. I need her to know I’m serious about this. About fixing us, this mess I created. I want my wife back. Suddenly, she spins around and takes a single step closer. She smells fresh, like soap and strawberries, and her hair is already starting to spring back into curls as it dries.

“Look, I don’t think…”

I reach out and frame her face with my hand, cutting off her objections. “Then don’t.” I lean forward and kiss her softly on the lips, unable to stop myself. I know I shouldn’t, but fuck, I want her so damn much. My heart is thumping out of my chest. I’ve wanted this moment for so fucking long; it almost hurts to finally have it. I don’t ravish her mouth like I want to. Instead, I hold myself back and kiss her gently, so scared that she will push me away. She responds timidly, opening her mouth for me so I can enter. I groan as our tongues touch, revelling in the scent of her, the taste of her. She lifts her arm up to hold onto my bicep, allowing the towel to fall onto the floor. My gaze instantly drops, and I get harder than I think I’ve ever been in my life. Reaching my hand behind, I grip her hip and pull her closer, rubbing my rough fingers over her smooth, creamy skin. A sigh escapes her mouth as I trail kisses down her jawline, sucking gently on her earlobe.