Page 41 of Save Me

“I was hoping dessert would be here waiting for us when we got back,” Ryleigh said with a pout as she slid into the booth beside him.

Closelybeside him.

Her hand rested on his upper thigh as she smiled. “I guess we weren’t gone as long as I thought we were.”

“I told you we didn’t need to rush,” Arianna said in a loud whisper before she started to giggle. Then she looked at Ryker. “I had a lot of questions I wanted answers to but my sister is being frustratingly tight-lipped about the two of you.”

His lips twitched. “Is that right?”

“We’re private people,” Ryleigh said. “Right, babe?”

Babe? That was new.

“Absolutely, baby girl,” he teased before placing a kiss on the tip of her nose.

“Mmm…baby girl. I like that,” she murmured as she maneuvered herself until their lips were practically touching. “Say it again.”

“I will,” he promised huskily. “Later.”

She hummed again before twisting beside him and resting her head on his arm.

“Are the two of you going to come to dinner on Sunday?” Ari asked as she mimicked their pose with Will.

“Absolutely not,” Ryleigh firmly stated. “And boo on you for bringing up a sore subject when we’ve been having a good time.” Reaching over, she picked up her napkin and threw it at her.

“You’re right, you’re right, sorry.”

Dessert was served and most of the conversation centered on food after that.

“Hey, Ry, remember those Oreo brownies you made last month?”

She nodded. “Oh, yeah. They went fast.”

“Wait…Ryleigh made them?” Will asked in confusion before looking at Ari. “You said you made them?”

“Uh-oh…”

“Dude, seriously?” Ryleigh said with a laugh. “You still haven’t told him you can’t cook?”

“I’m learning,” Arianna argued. “Just…not that fast.”

“So…wait…you’ve cooked for me though,” Will went on. “The shepherd’s pie, the beef stew, the homemade rolls, lasagna…”

“Actually, I made all of that,” Ryleigh said around a mouthful of brownie and ice cream. “Ari’s a terrible cook.”

“I’m not that terrible,” she whined. “I can make some stuff, just not…you know…full meals.”

“What does that even mean?” Will asked, but Ryker tuned out. Taking the spoon from Ryleigh’s hand, he opted to feed her the next bite.

“So…you totally threw your sister under the bus.”

She nodded and licked the spoon. “That’s what she gets for bringing up our mother when I’m all relaxed.”

That made him laugh because she had zero guilt about the whole thing. “Fair enough. And all the cooking?”

“Oh, I’m a total badass at cooking. There are several specials at the pub that only I can make, and honestly, cooking is something I love to do. I find it very relaxing. And baking. But I don’t go as wild with that. Only the basics.”

“And what are the basics?”

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