The room was starting to get dark, but Peyton was feeling too boneless to move to turn on a light. She was thoroughly exhausted and far too comfortable naked in Ryder's arms. He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder and she hummed with pleasure.
If she’d thought his kisses had ruined her for other men, they were nothing compared to the way he’d made love to her. It was like riding a roller coaster–frenzied and out of control one minute and then soft and tender the next. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was her usual dinner time but didn’t want to ruin the moment by asking about what they were going to eat.
Even though she had worked up an appetite…
Ryder continued to kiss along her shoulder and neck, and Peyton couldn’t believe his stamina. They’d made love twice and in her own limited experience, that was impressive enough. Hell, when he’d pinned her under him the second time, she was pretty sure the shocked look on her face was almost comical. Not that Ryder had commented; no, he was pretty much focused on making her feel good.
Mission accomplished.
The slight sting of a bite made her jump, and she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Hey, what was that for?” she teased.
“Well, you were very quiet and I thought I should do something to get a response out of you.”
“You could have just said something. No need to go biting.”
“You didn’t seem to mind my biting earlier so…” Carefully, he rolled her over so she was facing him. “And I certainly hope to see where else I can taste you later.”
Now she knew her eyes went wide. “Later?”
“I have big plans for the rest of the night and they all involve you being naked and willing,” he told her, making her shiver with delight.
Before she could answer, her stomach had a little something to say. Loudly. Peyton ducked her head and groaned. “Um…”
Ryder’s arms tightened around her before placing a kiss on the top of her head. “I think that means I need to feed you first.”
She burrowed down under the blankets, which really just put her at eye level with his chest. “You can just throw the cookie at me and I’ll eat it down here before I die of embarrassment.”
To her surprise, Ryder joined her under the blankets. “I thought we already covered the part where you don’t need to be embarrassed with me.”
“Ryder…”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m hungry too.”
“Well…maybe I feel a little better…”
“And I think we should go across to the diner and eat there. The menu was a little impressive.”
Tossing the blanket off so she could see him, she smiled. “Really?”
“I’ve learned several things about you, Peyton. And one of them is that food is very important to you.”
“Does that mean you won’t judge me if I eat some of that cookie before we go to dinner?”
“Only if you’re unwilling to share it,” he teased before leaning in and kissing her thoroughly.
Yeah, she’d share the cookie and anything else he wanted for more of this.
It took several minutes, but they reluctantly got out of the bed. Peyton knew she had to shower before they went anywhere, and was about to ask Ryder if he wanted to join her when his phone rang.
A weary sigh was his response when he looked at the screen.
“Who is it?”
“The mechanic from the airport. I need to take this.”
“Go ahead. I’m going to grab a quick shower,” she told him, but he was already answering the phone.
As much as she wanted to linger under the hot water, she wanted to eat more. So it was super quick, and she was out and drying off in less than ten minutes. There was a knock on the bathroom door before Ryder peeked in with a bashful grin.
“Damn. You’re out already,” he said. “I didn’t think I was on the phone for that long.”
“You weren’t,” she assured him, walking over and giving him a quick kiss. “The water pressure was amazing, but I didn’t want to spend too much time in there.” Then, with a soft laugh, she added, “Plus, I’m that hungry.”
Fortunately, he laughed with her and pulled her to him. “Any chance I can take a quick shower, too?”
“Absolutely!”
“What if I’m not as fast as you?”
“Then you’ll just have to meet me over at the diner,” she said with a sassy wink before pulling out of his arms and heading for her suitcase.
But she never made it.
Ryder came up behind her and hauled her into his arms before depositing her on the bed and covering her body with his.
“Ryder!” she cried out with laughter. “What in the world?” This was a side of him she’d never seen, and if anything, it made him even more appealing. He had her hands pinned above her head and as she squirmed beneath him, the only thing she accomplished was having her towel unwrap.
“What if I told you dinner was being delivered in thirty minutes?” he murmured, kissing his way from her jaw to her shoulder.
“I…I thought…” she panted, as his mouth captured her nipple. “I thought we were…oh that feels so good…going out…and…and…” The moment she gave up trying to speak and bucked beneath him, Ryder released her hands. Peyton immediately raked them through his hair, holding him to her.
“I took a chance and ordered in,” he told her before moving to her other breast. “I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving the room.” When he lifted his head and gave her that heated gaze she was already addicted to, she didn’t care if they never left this room.
Or ate dinner.
“Are you disappointed?” he asked.
Shaking her head, she guided him back to her. “Just promise we’ll make good use of our time before dinner arrives.”
His smile was slow and seductive. “Duchess, I promise you’ll be very satisfied with how we spend our time.”
And when his head lowered again, Peyton was pretty sure Ryder Ashford was never wrong.
The room was pitch black and Ryder hated the fact that he was awake.
Beside him, Peyton was sound asleep and would occasionally let out a soft snore that was kind of adorable. His arm was around her and their legs were tangled together and it was a contentment that felt slightly foreign to him. All he knew was that he wanted more of it–not just for a night or for a weekend, either–more as in…indefinitely more.
Peyton brought out a side of him that Ryder thought simply didn’t exist.
He came from a rather serious family–there wasn’t a lot of laughter in his life. Responsibility and the importance of an education had been drilled into him since he was a young boy. And while he loved what he did for a living and found it satisfying, he never felt a sense of…joy in it. Working with Peyton these last few weeks showed him he could have heated debates and deep discussions and conversation as well as laugh and learn new things. He’d always been inquisitive, but he felt like this was the first time he was truly enjoying what he was discovering.
And it was all thanks to the woman in his arms.
Softly, he kissed her forehead and she hummed sleepily.