“O-kay…”
“While I appreciate what you were trying to do, I don’t need you to save me! I am more than capable of saving myself. Believe it or not, I was looking forward to all aspects of the planning phase! I wanted to learn!”
“Peyton…”
“And you know what else? You’re the one who needs saving, Ryder, and I’m going to be the one to do it!”
Ryder was pretty sure his eyes were comically wide, but…
“I need to be saved?”
“Uh-huh. Definitely.”
“Definitely? How do you figure that?” Honestly, he knew she was right. There had been several eye-opening things about himself that had come to light in the last year and most of them happened since meeting Peyton. But he was curious just what it was she saw.
“I think you’ve spent far too much time on your own and doing things for yourself because no one else did. I mean, no offense, I’ve met your parents, and it’s obvious they weren’t overly nurturing.”
He nodded. “Go on.”
“And because your parents are so much like mine–well, at least my mother–I imagine you don’t know what it’s like to be loved and accepted just for you. That’s why you throw money at things and take control of projects. This way people have to look up to you or be thankful for you.” She cupped his jaw a little harder as she leaned in closer. “But I’m here to tell you that I don’t give a damn about your bank account. If you ever try to get your way with me by writing a check, I will strangle you.”
Swallowing hard, he nodded again. “Understood.”
Peyton relaxed and moved back a little, her hands sliding down to rest on his chest. “Good.” She smiled. “Ryder Ashford, I love our conversations and all the things we do together. I love laughing with you and all of our sexy time together.” She paused for a moment before adding, “And I do love the way you take care of me and look out for me. But I need you to respect me enough to let me make decisions for myself even if you might not agree with them.”
“I do respect you, Peyton. I swear. But…just like you pointed out, my whole life has been spent seeing how most people don’t really care about me as an individual. It’s always been about the money. I promise I’m going to work on it, but I can’t undo a lifetime of habits overnight.” His arms tightened around her. “So I think you’ll just have to be with me all the time to keep me in line.”
She smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
Ryder did too, but…he didn’t love it.
The master negotiator in him told him he needed to sweeten this deal to give them both–hopefully–what they wanted.
Taking one of her hands in his, he gave it a gentle squeeze. “All the time seems a little vague, don’t you think?”
“Well…obviously we both have to work so we know we can’t be together every minute of the day, but…it’s still good,” she reasoned.
His free hand reached up and cupped her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her soft skin. “I’m thinking forever, Peyton.” His statement was low and a little hoarse and he’d never been more serious about anything in his entire life. “I don’t want vague and I don’t want possibilities. I want you–forever.” Her soft gasp as those beautiful eyes went wide gave him pause. But then those perfect lips started to smile. “I know I should have planned this better, but I’m sitting here looking at everything I could possibly want in this world.”
“Ryder,” she whispered.
“You’ve opened my eyes to things I never knew I could have.” Then he laughed softly. “And that’s saying something since I grew up in a family where we could afford everything we could ever want. But you, my beautiful girl, are more than a want. You’re a need. The fact that you’re sitting here in my arms and you love me and accept all my flaws is…well…it’s humbling. And wonderful.” Shaking his head, he laughed again. “I feel like there are a million words trying to get out at the same time and I’m fumbling with them all.”
Leaning in, Peyton gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “You’re doing better than you think.” Then she kissed him again and lingered a bit longer. When she pulled back, she smiled warmly at him. “You once shared with me why you liked being around my family so much, and it was weird to me that you considered us such an oddity because we’re just us. This is the way we are and always have been. We all have flaws, but when you love somebody, you love their flaws too.”
This all felt too good to be true. Ryder knew he’d closed dozens of deals that had made him tons of money, and he’d traveled the world and saw every wonder there was to see. But this moment in the living room of an investment property was the most perfect moment he’d ever experienced. “I love you,” he said, just because he could.
Her smile grew. “I love you too.”
“I’m never going to get tired of saying that or hearing it so…you’ve been warned,” he teased.
“Well, just so you know…I feel the same way.” She squirmed against him in the sexiest of ways. “How about we take this inside and finish making up properly?”
This girl…
“Great minds, Peyton. This is why we’re perfect for each other.” And in one swift move, Ryder was on his feet with her in his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked to the bedroom.
Their bedroom.
Gently, he laid her down and couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of her there. “I haven’t slept in days. It’s not the same when you’re not here. I don’t sleep, I can’t concentrate…you’re my home, Peyton. My rock. My everything.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she reached up to him. “You’re going to make me cry,” she whispered. “You have to stop saying such sweet and romantic things.”
“Never,” he vowed. “Every day for the rest of our lives you’re going to know that you are loved for who you are. I’m going to be your biggest supporter and cheerleader and I can’t wait to see the great things you’re going to do.”
As soon as the words were out, he realized now was not the time to bring up business. Instead, she pulled him down on top of her and wrapped herself around him, and it was like everything felt right again.
Her hands raked through his hair–her nails gently scratching his scalp–causing him to moan with pleasure. She knew exactly how to touch him to get a response, and right now, Peyton was doing her best to make him crazy with need.
The kiss was hot and possessive one minute, languid and sweet the next. Every touch, every moan, every sigh turned him on. In his mind, he envisioned them making love slowly, tenderly, but it was obvious that wasn’t what either of them truly wanted right now. It was hard to say who stripped faster; the only thing Ryder knew was that he was glad he was dressed casually. The skin-to-skin contact was beyond satisfying, and when she let out a throaty purr as she wrapped herself around him again, it spurred him on.
Everything was a blur after that. It was sensory overload and as they moved together, sharing messy kisses while laughing and sighing pleasure, he finally knew what true happiness was.