Blake

The end of vacation was coming, and I hated it. 

Ryder had started his morning runs again, which left me to waking up in an empty bed.

On a brighter note, Cole and Troy seemed to have turned over a new page and were somewhat agreeable to the rest of the house. Kayla even sat next to Troy at a bonfire the night before.

A knock at the door made me realize I'd been staring at the ceiling. "Who is it?" I asked without moving.

"Your smokin' hot bestie. Who else would it be?" Kayla sounded from the other side of Ryder's door. "Is your man in there with you?"

"No," I giggled.

"Are you decent?"

"Does it matter?" I responded.

She laughed and opened the door. "Nope! So I was thinking," she said as she climbed onto the bed and sat on her heels. "We are all kind of going in different directions soon and I was hoping to get all us girls together for brunch."

"That sounds lovely. When?"

"Today? In," she glanced at her watch and then pursed her lips. "In about an hour?"

Glancing at the alarm clock on the dresser. 9:00 AM. Ryder should have been back already.

"I'm down. Are the guys going?"

"Nope. Again, I just want to get us girls together. One last girls date before we scatter into the wind."

"Okay, but you know you can't get rid of me that easily, right? There will be more time to hang out, it's not like we will be too far away!"

"True. I think Pittsburg is only about six hours from DC. We could make monthly lunch dates in the middle."

"I would love that."

Diving into the pillows, Kayla wrapped me in a hug. She stopped mid squeeze to inhale deeply into Ryder's pillow.

"Holy fuck!" She buried her head into his pillow, and I laughed! "No wonder you've been fucking so much! He smells amazing!"

I laughed harder and joined her. Instead of getting up and moving, we lay there and chatted about the crazy whirlwind of a vacation we were having. 

When Ryder finally came through the door, he gave us a lopsided smirk and pulled off his shirt with one hand.

"Gooood mornin' Ryder," Kayla said as she ogled at him.

"Morning ladies," he returned. Walking around the bed, he gave me a kiss before disappearing into the bathroom.

Kayla let out a low whistle. Giving her a shove, she rolled off the bed and out the door; I closed it behind her in a fit of giggles.

When Ryder reemerged from the bathroom, he cautiously checked the room to make sure the coast was clear.

I recapped what Kayla had brought up and he smiled. "I think Scott has been wanting to go do something away from some of the others," he raised a brow and I knew exactly who he was referring to. "May take Jamison too."

My phone pinged followed by his soon after. A group text had been sent and I read it out loud, "Last party of vacation. Kegs, pizza, music, and good vibes tonight." I looked up and gave Ryder a look of annoyance. I said, "Sent from Cole. I wonder if he even asked anyone else about doing this thing."

"At least we are getting a heads up this time." He pulled his shirt on and gave me a partial smile. "If you let me, I'll show them all that we don't care what they think."

"Oh yeah? And how would you do that?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see," he said into my lips before searing his lips against mine. Coming up breathless, he whispered something else before leaving me to my morning.

For most of the morning, I felt like I was walking through a cloud of thoughts. The words from Ryder twisted in my head and it did not go unnoticed. 

Jen smoothed her hand over mine at the restaurant and gave me a concerned look.  "You okay, B?"

As I looked over at her, I nodded. 

"Then why do you look like you're not here with us?" Kayla said as she put down her menu.

"Probably because my head is elsewhere. Sorry." I confessed.

"No need to apologize, just talk. What's eating you?"

"Ryder," I answered.

Kayla and Jen exchanged a look and I knew before they said, "Yes, we know he is."

Emily looked innocently lost to the sexual inuendo that they had made.

"Seriously, I think I've lost my fucking mind about him. I don't know what to do."

"Um, what do you mean? You like him, right? It doesn't get much easier than that," Jen said.

"I had a dream that I asked him to move in with me."

Kayla's brow shot up with an amused smirk.

"But you guys just met. You didn't know him before the trip, did you?" Emily asked.

"No, you're right. I know it sounds insane, but I'm kind of okay with it," I confessed to them. "I just really like him and everything with him feels easy."

"Have you talked to him about all this?" Kayla jumped in.

"No. It seems like when we are together the heat rises so quickly, that we don't get to some of the conversations that could potentially cool things down."

"And what if they heat things up instead?" 

"I guess that is a possibility," I shrugged and stirred my drink with my straw.

"But... you're never going to know unless you talk to him. You should pull him aside tonight and see what he says," Jen suggested excitedly.

"Yeah..." In my head the worst-case-scenario would be that he would turn me down and possibly humiliate me for wanting to have more of a commitment. At the same time the best-case-scenario was well within my perception of what he and I could be.

"Yeah?" Kayla questioned me.

"I know that I will only get answers if I ask the questions. I also know that I could get an answer that I don't want. Ryder just seems to have a lot more going on than he talks about."

"Then crack him open." Kayla motioned like she was breaking an invisible stick.

I chewed on my lip and stared at the table setting. The waiter interrupted us and took our orders, which lead to the conversation switching gears. 

As our morning rolled into the afternoon, we lost ourselves in conversation and shopping.

We pulled Emily out of her book long enough to get her to splurge on a lingerie spree. I watched as the girls I had come to love as sisters laugh, joke, and carry on. Each of us had changed so much since when we entered college and it seemed like a chapter was closing. 

Stuck in my head, I wished I knew what was coming in the next part of my life, but there were so many unknowns.

By the time lunch and shopping were done, I wasn't any better. Thoughts ruled my movements as I climbed out of the car at the lake house. 

I wandered into the kitchen for a drink when I realized the one person I wanted to see, wasn't around.

"Where's Ryder?" I asked as I scanned the open area. Troy gave me a cocky smirk and grabbed a bundle of grapes from the fruit on the counter.

"No clue," Cole was quick to reply.

"I think I saw him head upstairs," Troy chimed in as he headed out the back door.

I glanced toward the stairs and then back at Cole. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No," Cole shrugged with genuine confusion. "I've been downstairs. Fell asleep watching a movie. Is there something I'm missing?"

"No. I just don't trust Troy."

Shaking his head, Cole said, "Get over it, Blake. He doesn't want any trouble. I brought him here to have a good time."

"Get over it?! And he doesn't want any trouble?! Are you kidding me!" My blood was quickly reaching its boiling point. "You may still not believe me. You may still think I'm a liar..." I said it because I knew it would strike a nerve. "I may not know everything that happened to me that night, but I do know that Troy took advantage of me, and he abused your blind trust in him to doubt me."

"Blake," he dropped his head to one side and sighed. "It isn't that I don't believe you, it's just that I know Troy, and he isn't like that."

"So, I am a liar..." placing my hand on my chest and stopped talking. He looked up at me and I said, "Who do you know better? Your twin sister or your flake of a friend?"

I didn't need an answer. I didn't want his excuses. Walking away, I climbed the stairs two at a time. 

I dropped my bags on my bed and headed to the bathroom.

Leaning over the sink, there was Ryder. Washing his face as the pink water ran down the drain.

"What happened?" My brow pinched as he looked up at my reflection in the mirror.

"Same shit, different day."

"Who?"

"Troy." He grabbed a towel and dried his face. The split on his lip wasn't as bad as the shiner that was forming.

"What did he do to you?" Gently guiding his handsome face to look at me, he didn't move from his position at the sink.

He let out a humorless laugh and said, "He hit me."

"Because?"

"He is a dick and was mad I called him out on his shit."

Seriously?! I thought to myself and rolled my eyes. As I turned to storm from the bathroom, he looped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him.

"Just stay," he whispered.

"He can't just get away with treating you that way!"

"Just stay," his voice was quiet as he nudged his head into the nook of my neck.

"And I can't believe Cole just let it happen!"

"Cole had nothing to do with it," Ryder whispered.

I huffed and wanted to be mad, but it was hard when he was holding me and his voice was so calm.

Rubbing my hands over his, around my waist, I breathed him in and closed my eyes. After a moment, I entwined my fingers with his and pulled him with me.

"Where are we going?"

"Just come," I said with a wink over my shoulder.

Through my room, down the stairs, and sat him down on the couch. With a wicked smirk, he tilted his head and watched as I disappeared into my father's office. He always kept a first aid kit there.

When I returned, Cole and Troy were coming in from outside. I made eye contact with Cole as I made my way over to Ryder. Shifting my stare to Troy, I climbed into Ryder's lap. I took silent joy watching Troy's Adam's apple bob as he quickly glanced to Cole then back to me.

"What's going on, Blake? I know you guys-" Cole's voice was strained as he came through the kitchen. Stopping short as he saw Ryder's face. "What the fuck did you do to him, Blake?"

"Me? Not Me!" I finally looked away and focused on Ryder. A spritz of the hydrogen peroxide to a cotton swab and then to his lip. As I pulled it away, I watched as the cut reacted. White bubbles fizzed from the open area. 

"What happened to you Mathis?" Cole asked as he came to stand behind me.

"Troy paid me a visit," he replied to Cole as he looked at me.

"Dude, Troy, what the fuck?"

"I'm not sure I know why he is accusing me," Troy said casually, coming up to sit on the arm of the loveseat next to us.

"Cut the shit, Troy. If you touch him again-" I said.

"You'll what, Blake?" Troy's hands shot out to his sides and he shook his head in a confidant show of denial. "You gonna hit me, Blake? You never were one for violence or to back up your words."

I shot off Ryder's lap as I lunged at Troy. Cole was there in front of me, blocking my path while Ryder's arm circled my waist.

Troy laughed as both guys tried to ease my temper.

"A lot has changed since we last saw each other, Troy. I'm not the same girl I was back then," I seethed.

"Whatever you say sweetheart. I think we all know the truth," he mocked as he walked away. 

"Ryder, I hate to ask this," Cole's tone was serious, "but can you take her upstairs? I need to go have words with Troy."

I looked up at my brother and saw that his entire demeanor had changed. Giving me a kiss on my forehead, he followed Troy.

Watching as he left, I turned to look at Ryder. Equally as confused as I was, he pulled me toward the stairs. 

Raised voices came from outside on the back deck and I didn't need to be there to know what they were talking about.

Cole had finally confronted Troy about the party. 

He was finally willing to be aggressive with his questioning, but it seemed Troy was playing his usual game. Deflecting with some half-truth and questioning Cole back instead of actually answering.

When Ryder and I finally got into my room, he immediately shut my window and closed the thick curtain.

I wasn't processing the situation. In my head, Cole still loved Troy like a brother and still questioned my side of it. Everything was starting to weigh on me and I was suddenly exhausted.

"Hey." Ryder towered above me. At some point I had sunk to my knees on the floor. "You look drained. Bed?"

"Yeah," I muttered and added, "as long as you come with me.".

"I'll join you in a minute, but for now come on, let's get you up." Helping me stand, he led me to the bed. On my cue, he helped me push down my shorts I'd been in and tucked the blanket around me. "I'm going to go eat something. Do you need anything?"

I shook my head and stared, blankly, at the opposite wall of the room.

Ryder left quietly and I dozed off.

Sleep was light as I thought of everything that had been left unsaid. I still hadn't talked to Ryder about what was happening. 

I woke to weight shifting on the bed behind me and the blanket lifting and settling. The room was dark, but I could still see. He didn't talk or shift much, and knowing he was with me was enough.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," I said knowing I needed to just get it out of my system.

Behind me, he made a noise that acknowledged he was listening.

"This trip has been a bit of a rollercoaster and we haven't known each other long, but..." I paused to gather my thoughts. With the weight of his hand on my hip under the covers, I continued. "I really like you, Ryder. So I need to know what happens from here."

The silence hung between us for a moment and I said, "You know that I start a new job soon and I know you mentioned your family's business... Is there a future for us? Do you want to see where this goes? I do... I just need to know where you stand with it all."

Falling silent, I needed Ryder to answer.

His weight shifted closer and his arm curled down between my thighs. Before he spoke, my mistake hit me, and my body tensed. I hadn't looked behind me to see that it was actually Ryder.

"Pittsburgh, right?" His warm breath on my neck and knowing the hands on me were his, caused an instantaneous reaction low in my belly.

"Yeah," I answered.

"How crazy would I be if I wanted to move in with you?"

 "Wait," I turned and his hand readjusted to rest on my waist. "Seriously?"

His gaze drifted to my mouth as he slowly wet his lips. Slowly nodding, he watched my reaction.

My heart was hammering in my ears as I smiled back at him. I bit my lip in hopes that I wasn't dreaming.

"Can I admit something crazy?"

"Please do."

"I wanted to ask you the same thing but was worried you may think I was moving too fast."

"You wanted to know how I felt about you and the answer is that I've been attracted to you since the moment I saw you. I wanted to taste you the moment you pressed me against the door on that first day. I knew I wanted to get to know you when you gave your brother attitude about me. The turning point was when I stopped caring about what your brother wanted. I wanted you." 

His honesty washed over me and I cupped his face in my hands. A wave of nerves ran through me and I asked, "So you like me?"

"More than a little bit, yeah." 

My body was floating in the moment. He pulled me into him and pressed his mouth to mine. I couldn't remember being that happy, ever!

Breaking away, I said, "Shouldn't we help get ready for the party?"

"They wanted to plan it, let them set it up. I have more important things to do."

Flipping me onto my stomach, he led my knees under me and my hips up. Ass in the air, I stretched my arms above my head, under the pillows.

His hands traced over my ass on either side. He moaned as he gripped my cheeks, saying, "I fucking love your ass."

I wiggled my rear for him. Gasping as his hand landed with a crack. Pleasure ripped through me as he rubbed the sting away.

When he peeled my underwear away, I felt the warmth of his mouth over where he had spanked me. Gently kissing my welted skin, I whimpered, and pushed back into him.

His thumb swiped over my back entrance and I clenched in response. Traveling further, he gripped my ass and spread me. My breath warmed my face as I pushed further into the mattress. 

Cool air hit my hot core and I shook with the anticipation of him.

"You never gave me an answer, by the way," he said as he missed my ass.

"About what?" Lifting my head to peer over my shoulder.

"Wanna move in with me?"

With a laugh I asked, "You want that answer right now?"

"What's wrong with right now?" He blew cool air on my core making me close my eyes and moan.

When he didn't say anything else, I asked, "Well are we dating?"

"I think we should." He nipped my inner thigh and I yelped. "What do you think, Blake?"

"I think we should also," I breathed into the sheets.

His reply was physical; dragging his tongue from clit to slit. Digging his fingers into my flesh, the sensations were intense and threw my body into a hypersensitive state. 

When I reached back for him, his larger hand gathered my wrists together, effortlessly. Holding them to my lower back, I was restrained, and my core flooded.

"So now that we're dating, move in with me?"

I could feel him stand behind me as the pressure from his one hand adjusted.

My head was in a fog, but I knew what I wanted. "I'd love to."

"Good." I could hear his clothes drop to the floor and his hand freed me.

Rolling to face him, he smiled down at me, fully bare and aroused. A giddy charge built under my own desires, and I needed him. 

"Come'ere boyfriend. I need you to fuck me," I said seductively. Sliding myself further onto the bed he followed my movements.

His eyes roamed my body as his gaze turned wild. "I love the sound of that." Crawling after me, he slowly pushed my legs to his shoulder, trapping them with his strong arm, as he teased my entrance with his thick fingers.

My back arched and my body moved to meet his. 

Smoothly, he rolled on a condom and teased my clit. With a gentle care, he entered me, never breaking eye contact. It was in that moment that I could feel his emotions and unbridled desires for me. There was tenderness and unspoken promises.

With a half-smile, he picked up his pace. His free hand snaked up my stomach to grip my breast and I cried out his name at the pleasure.

The slow start turned into something dirty and wild. I needed this as much as I needed him tenderly. As if he knew, his hand gripped my throat and my eyes rolled back.

There was no question, I trusted Ryder with everything.

My orgasm slammed into me as Ryder pounded into my pussy. Seeing stars, I jerked and shook under him. Following after me, he claimed my mouth as his chest heaved and he came undone.

As we recovered in each other's arms, I yawned and snuggled closer to him.

"None of that. We have a party to go to," he said as he slowly untangled himself from the bed.

"Do we have to?" I groaned.

"Don't you want to have one more party with the people in this house before we go and become respectable adults?"

I could hear the amusement in his voice and I laughed. The party wasn't the issue.

One big unknown was what had happened with Cole and Troy. Another decision I needed to make was whether or not I wanted to hear what Cole thought after talking to him.

Looking at Ryder, I knew that the party really wouldn't matter much. I had what I wanted.