Page 44 of The Single Dads Club
I love seeing her like this, happy and carefree. There are still a lot of hard times ahead, including the awfulness of losing Andi and adjusting to parenthood. None of it will be easy, which is why we need to savor the good times even more. I intend to show her how to do exactly that.
“Come here, baby.” I haul her onto my lap, and Ryleigh giggles when I tug her close. “So glad you came back. And I’m so damn glad you agreed to take Ella. That was a very brave thing to do.”
“Kiss me,” she whispers, and I do, a lot.
She shifts her hips so we’re pressed even closer. The heat of her sex is right up against my growing cock.
“We had our first fight as a real couple—sort of—so does that mean we’re about to have make-up sex?” I grip her ass in both hands.God, I can’t get enough of her.I pray she says yes.
Ryleigh smiles as she leans down and kisses me some more, still rocking her hips in a way that’s killing me as she runs her hands through my hair. “Take me to bed and let’s make up,” she murmurs.
I carry her into my room—scratch that,ourroom—and take my time stripping her of her tank top, shorts, and panties. When she’s bare, I kiss every square inch of her from the delicate column of her throat to her full breasts, down to her stomach, until I reach the juncture between her thighs.
“Alexei ...” She moans, fisting her hands in my hair as I taste her.
“You’re perfect,” I murmur, kissing her inner thigh.
Only once I’ve coaxed an orgasm from her body do I lie down next to her. Then I spoon my chest against her back, wrapping her tightly in my arms. She parts her thighs, inviting me in, and I enter her from behind. It’s heaven to hold her like this and take her at the same time. I kiss the back of her neck as Ryleigh begins to work her hips against me.
“Yes, baby. Fuck.” I pump my hips harder, my eyes falling closed.
“Alexei.”
“That’s it,” I say, bringing one hand between us to rub her slick flesh. “Come for me.”
A few moments more and she does, her body clenching wildly around mine until I groan and follow her over the edge.
Chapter Sixteen
Alexei
“You can’t be serious.” I shoot a look at Ryleigh, and she rolls her eyes.
God, she looks beautiful tonight. She’s wearing a little black dress and bright red lipstick. I secretly love that she’s made such an effort for our date night.
She leans forward, placing her elbows on the table. “What? It’ll be good, I’m sure.”
“No way. No fucking way I’m letting you order just a salad at an Italian restaurant known for their homemade pasta.”
She chuckles at me, shaking her head. We’re on our first real date in what feels like an eternity, having gotten my mom to watch Ella, which wasn’t difficult since she begs to see her almost daily.
Ryleigh and I have been living together for two months, and things have been perfect. It hasn’t always been easy, but we’re learning to navigate the rough patches together. She and Ella even traveled with me to my away game last weekend since I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing them for forty-eight hours.
Ryleigh eventually relents and closes her menu. “Fine. Lobster fettucine.”
I grin. “That’s my girl. Go big or go home, baby.”
She rolls her eyes and leans back in her seat. “You’re going to make me fat.”
I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. “Not a chance. I love your curves.”
The server comes and takes our orders. I can see the diners at the table beside us have spotted me and know who I am. I smile politely and tip my head, hoping they won’t come to our table and interrupt a rare date out with Ryleigh. But knowing me, since I’m grateful for my career and fans, I’ll sign their autographs without complaint if they do walk over.
To my agent’s surprise, my relationship with Ryleigh hasn’t caused the distraction Slate anticipated. If anything, Ryleigh’s brought a sense of order to my life. Along with a whole lot of happiness and love that wasn’t there before.There are no more fights with journalists or headlines about me losing my cool on some asshole. There’s just me and my girls.
Andi is in her final days, and we bring Ella to the hospital often where Andi strokes her hair or holds her frail hand. I never imagined she’d have such a sense of peace, but seeing the way Ryleigh and I care for her, I know she’s comforted knowing her daughter will be in good hands after she’s gone. I even hired a photographer to come with us last time, photographing Andi and Ella together—a memento that Ella will hopefully treasure when she’s much older and able to understand the sacrifice her mother made for her.
“I love that you don’t have a game this weekend. It’s nice having you home,” Ryleigh says, taking a sip of her wine.
