Page 74 of Deserving Ryleigh
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Almost a week later, The Refuge was in a whirlwind. Even though there were no guests, therewerestill people at the retreat. Now that Harold Lodge was behind bars and the threat to their livelihood was gone, everyone was throwing themselves into the preparations for Alaska and Brick’s wedding.
As far as Tiny was concerned, the couple was the cornerstone of this place. The people who’d made the rest of the owners see for themselves that love was possible. After Ryleigh’s dad had canceled an entire month of reservations just to be a dick, they’d rescheduled most of the stays, but kept a week clear and were going ahead with the decision to throw one hell of a weekend party for the couple.
Tiny and the rest of the guys had also discussed it, and decided that since there were no guests, they wanted to serve alcohol at the reception. Not enough for everyone to get completely drunk, just so that those who wished could have a glass of wine or two, or a beer, and of course, toastto the married couple’s happiness with a glass of champagne.
The mood around The Refuge was almost giddy. The staff members were happy to relax before getting back into the swing of having paying customers once more. And all of Brick and Alaska’s friends had been encouraged to invite whoever they wanted to the wedding.
Henley asked her previous neighbor, Cheri Singleton, and her daughter to come up from Albuquerque. Jasna was allowed to invite Sharyn, a friend she’d made in art camp, and her mom. Reese had of course invited her brother Jack—also known as Woody—and his new wife, Isabella, to come back. Maisy invited the cook in her previous home, Paige, who’d been more like a mom to her. Brick’s mom was attending; Tonka had asked if it was all right for him to invite his former partner, Raiden, and his wife, Khloe. They were coming to New Mexico from the small town of Fallport, Virginia.
And Tiny invited someone he’d actually only met a couple of times, but chatted with via phone and email plenty. A man named Matthew Steele, otherwise known as Wolf, and his wife, Caroline. Wolf was a retired SEAL very well known in Navy circles. He and his wife had been through their own hell, and Tiny couldn’t wait for her to meet his Ryleigh. From what he knew of both women, they’d be like two peas in a pod. Sweet, considerate, and strong as hell when things went sideways.
Most guests had already arrived and were having a great time. It felt right to give Brick and Alaska this huge celebration for their wedding ceremony. Robert was outdoing himself in the kitchen, cooking up a storm, andStone and Owl had been busy giving aerial sightseeing trips to their friends and family.
Cora and Pipe also had their hands full with their new fosters. Joyce, Kason, Shannon, and Max had arrived two days ago, and were still adjusting to life at The Refuge. They seemed like good kids, just unsure and shy, which hopefully would fade as they realized they weren’t going to be separated. Jasna was in the same grade as Kason and it helped that the two already knew each other.
Tiny had been busy himself…with Ryleigh. After taking a couple days to recover from her first time, she’d been insatiable. Almost desperate to know everything she’d been missing out on when it came to sex, and Tiny was more than happy to oblige her curiosity. She was his perfect match, both in and out of the bedroom.
She gave him space to do the things he enjoyed, like hiking with their friends, but made sure he knew how much she missed him when they saw each other again. And she’d been busy as well, babysitting for Reese and Henley, entertaining Jasna after school, helping make sure the cabins were ready for everyone’s arrival, and generally pitching in wherever and whenever she was needed.
But when they arrived back at their cabin at the end of each day, Tiny had her complete attention. They made love over and over, deep into the night, and she was thrilled to learn that he’d been right. Sex hadn’t hurt since that first time. Of course, Tiny made sure she was soaking wet each and every time before he entered her. They’d already made love in every position he knew, and some he’d never even heard of. But since Ryleigh was a master at all things computer, she’d unearthed some kinky things that Tiny was happy to try. Some worked, others hilariouslydidn’t, but adding laughter to their lovemaking was another bonus, and something Tiny hadn’t experienced before.
He loved her. So much it was almost scary.
Ryleigh tried to hide her continued worries about her father, but she wasn’t very successful. Tiny didn’t begrudge her the few hours in the mornings when she obsessively searched the web for signs that Harold had left behind any last-minute surprises, but now, nearly a week after he’d been taken into custody, she still hadn’t found anything. Which was a relief for everyone.
They’d just finished with some wedding prep and were back in their cabin, making a quick lunch. Wolf and Caroline would be arriving in about an hour, and he couldn’t wait to introduce them to Ryleigh. She’d heard a little about them from Tiny already, but Tex had actually reached out when he heard the couple would be coming to The Refuge, and he’d told Ryleigh even more. Everyone was a little disappointed when Tex himself couldn’t come, but they understood. One of his daughters had a ballet recital he didn’t want to miss. Family first, always.
“What if they don’t like me?” Ryleigh asked nervously.
“They’re going to love you,” he reassured her.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m thinking you’re biased.”
Tiny chuckled. “Maybe, but I’m not wrong. You’re likable, sweetheart.” He didn’t like the doubt on her face, or the fact she looked away from him.
He stepped in front of her, giving her no choice but to look at him. “You are,” he insisted. “The first day you were here, you had Jess and Carly wrapped around your little finger. You won over Alaska in your interview, and no, don’t even try to tell me you somehow managed to swayAlaska’s opinion of you with your internet skills. You might have gotten the interview with some fancy finger work, but you got the job on your own. The guys all respect and love you, and don’t think I’ve missed how close you and Jasna are.”
Tears filled Ryleigh’s eyes, but he went on.
“And you know how hard I triednotto like you…and failed completely. Even when I was trying to convince myself you were here with bad intentions, I still couldn’t keep my distance. I didn’tneedyou to move in here to keep my eye on you. There were a dozen different ways I could’ve done that…but Iwantedyou here. Under my roof. Even when I was mad at you, there was something about you that I just couldn’t resist. Didn’t want to.”
“A dozen different ways?” she asked with a small sniff. “Like what?”
Tiny’s lips twitched. “I don’t know, but I could’ve figured something else out. My point is…Caroline and Wolf are gonna love you. With my luck, they’ll probably try to get you to move to California so they can see you more often. Set you up with one of the SEALs they work with out there—which isn’t happening, by the way. I hope it doesn’t embarrass you, but they know the gist of your story, why you’re here, about your dad. Wolf was pissed and Caroline wasn’t much better. They’re going to adore you, hon. You just need to be yourself.”
She still looked skeptical—and Tiny made a decision.
He put down the spoon he’d been using to stir the tuna salad he was making and placed his hands on her shoulders. He pushed her backward until she was leaning against the counter. “Jump up,” he ordered.
“Why?”
“Because. I want to eat you out, then fuck you from behind right here in our kitchen.”
And just like that, their previous serious conversation was forgotten and anticipation filled the air.
“I have a better idea. Why don’tyoutake a step back and let me give you a blow job? Every other time I’ve tried, you’ve gotten impatient and haven’t let me finish.”
