Page 47 of Broken Butterfly
His hesitation is enough for me to pivot around him and set up for a three-pointer. It swishes in with ease, and Devon and Trevaughn shout in celebration.
“Thanks, babe,” I say, patting him on the chest.
“Oh, no you don’t, sweetheart. You can’t say shit like that to me and not expect a reaction.”
“All’s fair in love and basketball.”
Ryder stalks forward and I retreat back a step, a giggle escaping.
“Come here, Elizabeth.”
I love seeing that heated look in his eyes that I know is all for me.
“We have a game to finish.” I giggle again and sprint over to where I can seek protection behind my teammates. I blow Ryder a kiss over Travaughn’s shoulder.
The game is down to which team can make the final basket. Odds are not in our favor since Fallon has possession of the ball. He pretends to do an overhead pass to Ryder but instead sprints away from Trevaughn. Devon blocks Fallon, arms wide, then snatches the ball in a lightning-quick move when the ball is mid-bounce. As I turn, I smack into Ryder’s hard chest, grabbing hold of his fleece jacket to steady myself.
“I should call foul.” His warm breath fans over my face, his hands trailing over my winter coat to my dip above my hips.
“In that case, you owe me about a half dozen free throw shots,” I tell him.
“Were you serious about earlier?” Ryder asks, his voice dropping to a husky murmur. I’m already hot and sweaty from running around the court, and Ryder’s question has my body temperature ratcheting up several more degrees.
“I trust my body with you.”
Ryder and I have had a lot of sex the past ten days, both of us rabidly insatiable for one another. We had a lot of sex before. Each time with him feels like the first time. Ryder could twist me in a pretzel and hang me from the ceiling, and I would trust him to take care of me, knowing the end result would be nothing but endless pleasure.
Someone calls my name, but I can’t seem to break my gaze from Ryder’s serious, amber one. Every part of him is drop-dead gorgeous. His heart is pure and kind. He’s supportive and protective without being overbearing about it. He always puts me first. How did I get so lucky? Too many emotions are flying around inside of me. Tears prick behind my eyes making them shimmer and glassy. Ryder notices and caresses my cheek in his cold hand.
“I love you so much, Ryder.”
I watch the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallows. He folds his arms around me and lifts me in his arms. It’s like we’re hugging a goose-down pillow between us because of all the winter gear we’re wearing. He holds me like that for several minutes until it dawns on me that we’re in the middle of a basketball game. I look over and see Fallon and the boys messing around with the ball at the other end of the court.
“Who won?”
Devon answers me. “They did. Mr. Fallon got in a lay-up.”
“We didn’t want to ruin your moment,” Fallon quips, and shoots the ball one-handed into the basket.
Ryder sets me down. “It means a lot that you wanted to share this with me, Elizabeth. Coming here. Wanting me to join you and Fallon for the remainder of your trip. Thank you for letting me in.”
“You were already in, Ryder. You’ve had a permanent place in my heart ever since you sat down beside me on the third-grade reading rug.”
“It’s not just that. I’ve spent the last week with you and Fal, and I’ve gotten to see why it was so important for you to have this time away from me, and from the guys. Fallon was right. If you had stayed, we would have made things worse for you. Put too much pressure on you. Jay and I would have more than likely been in daily fistfights with one another. So, thank you for letting me share in your journey. I love you, sweetheart.” He bends down and graces me with a kiss so soft and pure, my bones turn to liquid.
We’ll return home tomorrow and this magical, carefree bubble I’ve been living in will come to an end. It will be back to the real world and all the problems that await me. Am I ready? With Ryder by my side, I will be.
Chapter 14
“I’m scared.”
“We’ve got you. We will not once leave your side,” Ryder ensures me, linking our hands together. I rise up on my tiptoes and kiss his soft lips, needing that connection to help settle my quaking nerves. I look over at Fallon on my left and he takes my other hand in his.
Ryder, Fallon, and I spent the past ten days flying from Barcelona to Venice to Amsterdam, then finally to Sydney, Australia with a return stopover in New York. Venice was gorgeous, truly a city meant for lovers. Ryder and I spent a day, just the two of us, walking the floating city, riding a gondola, and sightseeing. We visited a glass-making shop and tried our hand at blowing glass. It didn’t go so well. The number of pigeons in St. Mark’s Square was astonishing. I got pooped on by one while I was waiting to climb the Basilica’s tower. Someone in line told me that it was a sign of good luck. Yeah, but no. Being shit on by anything, even a bird, is not good luck.
While in Amsterdam we walked the Red Light District because I was honestly curious to see this most infamous place. Despite having Ryder and Fallon by my side, I was propositioned by not one but three different men asking me how much for my services. Ryder and Fallon were not amused. Fallon took us to see one of the ‘naughty’ shows and laughed the entire time at my reaction, which was mostly me with my eyes closed and my hands covering my face. Luckily, I also had Ryder’s shoulder to hide my scandalized, red face in. After the show, poor Fallon went through packs of gum as he avoided all of the coffee shops that sold weed.
After leaving Amsterdam, we didn’t stay long in Sydney, only two short days. A bit exhausting because of the jet lag, but Fallon promised Ryder he would have us back home by Thanksgiving, and we were quickly running out of time. The spring weather in Sydney was hot and sunny while we were there, so we took advantage of it and spent most of our time at the beach. I was terrified of going into the water. I’ve watched shark week on television, so I know what lurks off the Australian coast. Not to mention that program I saw about Irukandji jellyfish. The waves there were also much bigger than what we get back home in North Carolina. I kept to the shoreline and enjoyed watching Ryder and Fallon battle it out on surfboards that they rented.
