“I can always put it back on.”
He kissed me ever so softly on the lips, causing my stomach to dance with excitement. Every time he kissed me, I was taken to a place I never wanted to leave. There was something so amazingly different about Ryder. He not only held my heart, he owned my soul.
The knock on the door had him pulling his lips away. I wanted to scream out for him to keep kissing me, but if I knew Jay, she would just walk in.
“That’s probably Jay.”
“Lucky me,” Ryder mumbled before sitting down on the sofa.
I was still limping a bit on my leg. It felt weak, but I wasn’t sure if it was in my head and I was just scared or it really was weak.
“Does she know I’m here?”
Pressing my lips together, I glanced over my shoulder. “No,” I said scrunching my nose.
Ryder smiled. “This should be fun.”
Opening the door, I smiled big. “Hey there!”
She whistled. “Damn girl. Are you hoping to get laid tonight?”
My face dropped. “Jesus, Jay. Really?”
Ryder wrapped his arms around my waist. Jay’s expression went from happy to shocked. “She already did, so she’s covered.”
“Ryder!” I exclaimed as Jay rolled her eyes and acted like she was gagging.
“Please tell me he is not coming with us.”
I put my hands up and looked between them both. “Now listen here. You both are special to me and I love you, y’all. But I can’t have my fiancé and my best friend hating on each other.”
Jay gasped and grabbed my hand.
“Holy shit! That diamond is huge.” She peeked up at Ryder. “I will say, you know how to say you’re sorry.”
He smiled, turned, and walked toward the kitchen. “I need a quick beer before we leave for some fun Salsa dancing.”
Following him, Jay pulled me to a stop. “Are you sure we can’t ditch him on the way to the club?”
“Jay! I love him and if you can’t get used to that we’re going to have a serious problem on our hands.”
She let out a frustrated moan. “Fine! If you really love him, I’ll behave … kind of.”
My face softened. “I really love him.”
I knew she didn’t want to do it, but she smiled. “I am happy for you and I’d never admit this to Ryder, but I think he’s a great guy.”
“Who’s a great guy?” Ryder asked walking up to us with a beer in his hand. Jay took it from him and gulped it down in one drink. Ryder’s eyes opened wide in shock.
“The guy I was trying to set Ava up with, but she insists she loves you so there goes that plan for tonight.” She shrugged and handed him the empty beer bottle back.
Rolling my eyes, I reached up and kissed his lips. “Ignore her,” I whispered.
Ryder winked and said, “Oh, don’t worry. Ignoring Jay won’t take too much effort.”
Sighing, I turned and said, “I say we get the show on the road. Let me slip on my shoes and we are set.”
Jay stared at the black flats I had on. “You’re wearing … those?”
“Yes. I have to, Jay. I just got my cast off; I can’t walk around in heels. I can barely walk around now in my bare feet.”
She snarled her lip. Her eyes dropped back down to the flats. “You can’t salsa dance in flats. That’s not sexy.”
“I think she looks sexy as fuck.”
“You would,” Jay bit back.
Lacing my fingers with Ryder’s, I smiled. “Let’s go before you two start at it again.”
RYDER AND I danced to a few slow songs. It felt so good to be back in his arms. Everything felt so right when we were together. I knew I needed to tell him about what I had read in Kate’s journal. When to tell him was the question though.
The song ended so we made our way back to our table. Ryder guided us through the crowd with his hand on my back. It was such a simple gesture, but one that always made my heart drop and my stomach dance in delight.
Jay had been dancing with one guy practically all night. The way they were grinding on each other was a bit unsettling. Jay hadn’t mentioned how things were with her husband, Phil. Her almost jet-black hair was pulled up in a slobby bun on the top of her head, but it still pulled out her blue eyes. She was the only person I knew who could get away with the brightest shade of red on her lips no matter if she was going out or going to the gym. She rocked it every single time.
Ryder leaned over and asked if I wanted another drink. “Yes! One more and then I’m done.”
With that drop me over gorgeous smile of his, he winked and quickly kissed me on the lips before heading over to the bar. I watched him walk away and I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes off of him. The way his ass looked in those jeans was almost sinful.
“God … is it getting hot in here?” I said to myself as I waved my hand in front of my face in an attempt to cool off.
Ryder walked up to the bar and waited in line to order our drinks. Smiling, I shook my head. He came for me. And he brought diamonds with him. He was a keeper.
When I glanced to the right, my heart stopped. I sat up straighter and blinked my eyes a few times. When he lifted his hand in a wave, I looked over my shoulder before snapping my head back to him.