Page 49 of Finding Love

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

The moment Brook’s body cooled from what they had just done, from what Ryder had just done to her, she opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling. Ryder was still pinning her to the mattress as he brushed his hands gently through her hair and his breathing slowed.

“I wasn’t going to fall for you,” he said softly next to her ear.

“You weren’t?” she asked, trying desperately not to sound too excited.

The truth was, she had fallen for him. Hard. Already, she was trying to figure out how to convince him to spend the rest of his life with her.

Sure, she knew there were a lot of things they would have to work out. Mainly, where they were going to live their happily-ever-after life together.

Her thoughts jumped to them living in Pride, in her dream home. She tried desperately to push away those thoughts because she realized his position and his responsibilities would keep him here in Seattle.

“No,” he said, leaning up on his elbows until he was looking down at her. Her eyes ran over his face. Even with a black eye, he was so very handsome. So very much… everything she’d never dreamed she could have.

His longer hair fell around his face and even though he’d spent the last few weeks indoors, far away from the sun, he was still very tan.

“Brook.” He cupped her face in his hands as his eyes locked with her own. “I love you,” he said.

Her breath caught and her stomach did little flips. “I love you,” she said almost too eagerly. Her voice practically echoed through the entire house.

He flashed a smile and then rolled over, taking her with him until they almost fell off the bed.

“Enough,” she said, laughing, “or you’re going to end up with more bruises.”

He stilled and kissed her one more time. “I’m still hungry. I’m going to grab that bag of chips.” He climbed out of bed and pulled on his boxers. “Want anything?”

She shook her head. “No, I want another look at those plans Parker sent over.” She pulled his laptop onto her lap as he left the room.

She opened the plans and her body warmed at the images Parker had come up with.

Most of the ideas fell in line with what she’d always imagined for the place. The walls would be changed from the stark white to more warm neutral tones. The honey-colored wood floors would be sanded and stained a softer tone. They would remove the dirty and broken tiles and replace them with soft wood-grain tiles or lighter colored silver or gray ones. They could decide on the exact color later.

The tiles around the fireplace would be removed and replaced with a wall of refurbished wood. Parker had done something like it in his and Sara’s place, which is where Brook had come up with the idea.

All of the light fixtures and appliances would be upgraded. The main bathroom would need a complete overhaul, as would the other bathrooms. She approved of all of the plans Parker had drawn up.

There were so many things to discuss when Ryder returned with a bag of popcorn, the potato chips, and a soda, and they sat up in bed going over each image.

They were just shutting down the laptop when Ryder’s phone rang from somewhere in the house.

“Shit,” he groaned.

“I think it’s in your pants in the hallway,” she called after him as he strolled out of the bedroom naked to search for the phone.

When he came back, he was frowning. “It’s the security firm. They want us to head into the safe room.” He grabbed a handful of their clothes, then scooped up a sleeping Willy and his laptop in his arms. “Come on.”

She had frozen. For some reason, his words weren’t registering. Her body wouldn’t move.

“What?” She shook her head.

“Brook.” He moved back to the side of the bed and looked down at her. “It’s probably nothing, but we’re better off heading in until they give us a call back. The officers are almost here.”

“I…” She looked around for her clothes but for some reason, her brain just wouldn’t function.

“Hey.” He tossed down the clothes he was holding so that he could touch her face. That simple contact broke the trance, and she grabbed the comforter and rushed behind him as he led her past their bathroom and into their closet. He stopped at the back wall. Then he handed her Willy as he flipped open a hidden keypad behind a row of ties. The back wall slid open silently, and he motioned for her to step inside before following her in himself. The wall shut behind them and low lights flickered on.

Black television screens filled a wall. There was also a sofa, a small refrigerator, and a computer desk.