Kenzie leaned over and kissed him. “I feel the same way. Now, are you telling me the real Ryker is actually a honky-tonk-dancing, beer-drinking, burger-eating guy?”
“A long time ago, yes, I was.” Ryker took a bite of his burger and groaned. “You’re right, this is the best burger I’ve ever had.”
“What happened to make you stop being the old Ryker?” Kenzie asked and immediately saw his whole demeanor change. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready.”
“Thank you.”
Kenzie realized after a beat that was all he was going to say, so she switched topics. From what she gathered, something happened around senior year of high school and it involved his truck. He’d tell her when he was ready. So, she asked about the time before senior year and how he’d how earned enough to buy the truck when he turned sixteen.
“I ran a lawn mowing service in Shadows Landing to get that truck,” Ryker said with a laugh. “I should have known then that I was destined for business. I ran the company and had my cousins all mowing yards. I think we mowed ninety percent of the lawns in Shadows Landing through high school.”
Kenzie smiled at the image of all the Faulkner men mowing yards. “Let me guess, you didn’t mow a single one.”
Ryker shook his head. “No, I mowed my share. I also realized if I did it shirtless, I got bigger tips. Of course that didn’t really start to matter until I was almost eighteen. Before then I was pretty scrawny. I was really tall and lanky. When I turned seventeen, I started to fill out.”
“The women of Shadows Landing must have cried when you went off to college,” Kenzie teased. “So what kind of job did you have during college?”
“You’ll laugh,” Ryker said, hiding behind his beer.
“Cross my heart,” Kenzie said, using her finger to make a cross over her heart.
“I ran children's services with my fraternity. People would call me and I’d set a family up with one of my brothers for babysitting, sports coaching, tutoring, and stuff like that.”
Kenzie’s mouth dropped open, but it wasn’t with a laugh. “That’s genius!”
“Thanks. I still have the company, but now it’s nationalized.”
“Oh my gosh! You started that company you see advertising about hot college guys doing a variety of things for hire?”
“That’s it,” Ryker admitted. “No one knows that, though.”
“I won’t tell a soul, but now you have to tell me. Did you actually babysit?”
“I was the most requested babysitter during my time in college,” Ryker said proudly.
“That’s why you were so natural with baby Chase. I know your reputation in the business world, so it was hard to reconcile the man I saw with his family. Now it’s all making sense. The real you is a fun-loving, kid-loving, beer-drinking man.”
“Only with you.”
Kenzie saw Ryker was very serious when he told her that. “It’s a shame. I really love this side of you, but I’m glad you’ve shown it to me because it’s what connects us. I can’t relate to hostile takeovers and building empires, but I can totally relate to you working through school, babysitting, and being a small-town guy.”
Ryker laughed and Kenzie was struck by how good it sounded to hear him do so. His whole body shook when he laughed. It wasn’t one of those chuckles that didn’t reach his eyes. It was a contagious laugh and she was quick to join him even when she didn’t know what he was laughing about.
“You’re the only woman to say that’s what she loved about me. Usually, it’s my money and the power I have that they love.” Ryker looked at her with his eyes bright with amusement. “Not you. You like my old pickup, me in jeans, and your date of choice is a honky-tonk.”
Ryker reached over and pulled her the short distance over to him. Her hands rested on his chest and their legs were pressed together as he held her in his arms and looked down at her. “You, Kenzie Carys, are a very special woman.”
Kenzie was going to tell him he was a pretty special man, but Ryker bent and kissed her. She marveled at how much could be conveyed with a kiss. He’d kissed her slowly before. It had been as if they were getting to know each other through a kiss. He’s kissed her passionately before telling her he wanted her, even though he’d never pushed her for a physical relationship. However, this was different. It was relaxed as if they were completely comfortable with each other. It spoke of trust, mutual respect, and of a deeper connection. It was simply heart-stopping. The way he touched her, the way his lips moved over hers, and the way they seemed to share the same breath.
“Let’s finish dinner and then we can dance some more before we head home,” Ryker told her after ending their kiss.
A short time later, they were spinning around the dance floor, both of them laughing and kissing as they came together before spinning apart. The sexual tension was growing as the night went on. Ryker’s hand dipped lower on her back, he pulled her tighter against him, and the way his arm brushed the side of her breast had her ready to tear off her clothes and jump him in the truck.
The problem? Ryker was on his best gentlemanly behavior even as he stoked the flames of passion. He kept his hand on her upper thigh the entire drive home. His fingers were gently squeezing every now and then, making her move uncomfortably in the seat, trying to get him to move his fingers just a little to the right to relieve the tension coiling inside her.
“Would you like me to drive your car home? I’m really uncomfortable with you driving home so late at night,” Ryker said when they pulled into his driveway.
Kenzie glanced at the clock. “I’m wide-awake. I’ll be fine.” Probably because she was too sexually worked up to even think about being tired.
“Since it’s your date tonight, are you going to walk me to the door and kiss me?” Ryker asked with a boyish grin that melted her heart.
Kenzie laughed, slipped her hand into his, and walked up to the patio door. She felt a little silly as he pretended to be nervous, waiting to see if she kissed him. The kiss started with a laugh but ended with her plastered to Ryker’s body.
“I have a long day tomorrow, but I thought we could see each other after you spend the afternoon with the girls on Thursday. I can take Friday off. We could go out on the water for a bit and then that night my cousin Harper’s bar is always fun. What do you think?” Ryker asked.
Kenzie’s heart fluttered as she realized he’d actually take time off from work to spend with her. That was huge for him and she recognized that and appreciated it. “That sounds wonderful. I love being out on the water. I usually go to Isle of Palms and just sit on the beach on my days off. It soothes me. But then we have to survive my reunion.” Suddenly she was less and less interested in going. Right now she didn’t care one bit what Hailey-Jean or Bo was saying about her. She had Ryker, who saw her for herself and appreciated her.
“Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of the reunion.”
“We’ll need to leave early on Saturday. It’s a bit of a drive,” Kenzie said, not looking forward to the reunion one bit. She didn’t feel like defending herself or her new, but now very real relationship.