Page 74 of Something Tangled Something True
Penny and Asier walk leisurely beside each other, keeping a steady pace so I don’t have to work too hard to hold her reins.A cool breeze blows against my skin, my curls flying around my shoulders as it passes. Crickets and frogs chirp and ribbit as the sun sets and the moon finishes her ascent.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I whisper, my voice thin.
“Absolutely,” Ryder agrees, his hushed, gravelly tone scraping along my arms like sharp edges of rock, littering myskin in goosebumps.
I twist to find him staring at me, not the giant, glowing moon in the purple-hued sky.
My chest heats, cheeks flushing as we continue down the path to the hill we were married on.
We continue in a comfortable silence, and when he breaks it, his words grate on my nerves.
“I’m thinking about hiring security for the ranch,” Ryder says, breaking the easy silence.
“For the whole ranch or just for us? Because I don’t want any special treatment, Ry,” I tell him.
“Lola, whether it’s Russ or Lemmon, they want to scare or maybe even hurtyou, not anyone else from the looks of it, so yes, I want security foryou.”
I huff in frustration, giving myself whiplash with my sudden mood swings today. “Fine. Where exactly are you planning to find this security guard, huh? Someone off Craigslist who could be working for Lemmon and we’d never know it?”
He sighs loudly, hanging his head as he steers Asier back toward the stables. “I haven’t gotten that far, darlin’. I wanted to run it by you first. If you’re against it, we can nix the idea for now, but if things keep happening, we’re going to have to explore our options.”
“If they keep happening, we can pick someone outtogether,” I agree, still mildly annoyed.
He reaches for my hand, holding it gently in his and pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
His lips stretch, and the smile he’s wearing could rival a thousand suns in its brightness.
“Why the sudden change in attitude?” I ask, smirking at his newfound excitement.
“I’ve got a surprise for you next week, and I just thought of something that’ll make it even more special.”
“Is it a personal stalker—” I clap my hand over my mouth, pretending to be sheepish. “Sorry, I meant bodyguard. A personalbodyguard.”
He rolls his eyes, leans over, and grips my hips, pulling me off Penny’s back and settling me between his legs. “Ry!” I giggle as he lifts the hem of my shirt, tickling the sensitive skin there.
“I love it when you scream your husband's name,” he taunts, his scruff scraping against my cheek, and I wish it was between my thighs. He continues to tickle me, and I swat at his hands. He slows his movements, only to drag his fingertips over my belly.
“Maybe if you’re a good boy, I’ll scream it in the bedroom sometime soon.” My breath gets caught in my throat as he slides his hand between my thighs, trailing heat with it.
“I look forward to being averygood boy for you, darlin’,” he whispers against my neck, nipping gently at the skin below my ear. A groan slips past my lips, and I melt into him.
My nipples are peaked, and the chill in the air does nothing to fix it as he continues whispering in my ear the entire ride to the stables.
Chapter Forty-Nine
AND THAT’S ON COMMUNICATION
THURSDAY, JUNE 19
I chewon my lower lip, waiting anxiously in the living room for Ryder to finish his shower before we have our video call.
My therapy session with Talia went really well on Monday. While I don’t expect it to have completely cured me of my apprehension, it provided clarity.
Which is why Talia suggested we try a couples session with her today. She gave me some homework to do over the last few days, which involved sharing with Ryder one fear, one dream, and one thing keeping me from reaching that dream and overcoming that fear. Not that it’s a surprise, but he was so grateful I opened up to him that not only was he totally on board, but he booked himself a solo appointment with someone else from the clinic. He even took the homework assignment we’d been doing for me and did itwithme.
I feel more loved and understood every day I’m with him, and it’s given me a newfound sense of hope for the future. But I have no idea what to expect of couples counseling, and that newness has me feeling a little sweaty and my chest tight.
He’s spent the entire week hanging fliers for my first danceclass happening tomorrow, picking me up off the floor when I fell apart, sure the studio wouldn’t be finished in time. We hadn’t even gotten the floors done until yesterday, but our parents came to help, and the guys from the biker book club rented a freaking truck to help us out.
