Chapter Four

 

Sunlight hit her face, and Sky yanked up the comforter to cover her head. Was it morning already? She dreaded waking up only to see Rodney slumped on the living room couch, beer cans all over the floor and coffee table. She always cleaned up after him, even when she needed to rush to work for an early meeting.

Strange. Usually she woke up cranky from a lack of sleep. Sky couldn’t recall the last time she’d slept this soundly. What had changed?

Wait a second. She took a sniff of the comforter. Not the brand she used but it was familiar. She peeled it off her and sat up. Her old room stared back at her—pink walls, old posters, sturdy desk. Even the bookshelf where she kept all her accounting text books lay intact.

She stood up, walked over to her desk, and ran her finger over the wood. No dust. Her heart warmed, thinking about Ryker, having her room cleaned along with the rest of the house.

I wanted you to have a home to return to.

Yesterday, she called him, and he came to take her away without hesitation. Sky touched her lips, remembering the searing kiss he gave her, the look of pure and undiluted lust in his intense blue eyes.

Her nipples hardened just thinking about Ryker pressing his huge body against hers.

The door swung open.

“Morning. Slept well?”

She turned, mouth going dry at the sight of Ryker leaning against her doorway, barefoot, shirtless and only wearing a pair of well-worn denim jeans with plenty of holes in them and a t-shirt. She took a deep breath and walked up to him. Sky didn’t know where all her courage came from, but she touched his chest.

She stilled as he lifted her fingers and pressed a kiss to them. Sky gasped when he tugged her close for a tight embrace, his grip like steel, but she didn’t want him to let go. She sagged against him and closed her eyes. So warm. So solid. Back when they lived together, she always felt like he’d distanced himself on purpose and always held himself back.

“You’re home,” he said simply. “Still can’t believe it.”

“I’m glad I made that call.”

He spun her by her shoulders, flashing her a wolfish smile that made her insides melt. “Oh yeah. You definitely owe me for yesterday.”

“Oh? What do you want in return?” she asked, smiling.

Two years ago, she’d felt awkward, unsure of herself when it came to flirting. Ryker telling her he only saw her as a kid sister had shattered her, but now, she understood his reasoning. He only wanted the best for her. In some ways, she had a feeling Ryker still felt some guilt for what River had done to her.

“A good morning kiss.”

“That’s all?” she asked.

“Nope, that’s just the first of my many demands.”

She tiptoed, feeling shy all of a sudden, but he gripped her shoulders and leaned in close for another mind-numbing kiss. Sky gripped his biceps as he deepened the kiss. The apartment faded away from her sight. All that mattered was Ryker’s body, pressed up against her, and Ryker staking his claim on her.

He pulled away, the devil in his smile. “I made breakfast.”

She blinked. “What about work?”

“I took the morning off. I’m heading over to the restaurant after lunch.”

She brightened. “I want to come if Giovanni’s still in his old office. Do you think he’ll have time to see me?”

Ryker chuckled. “Of course. He’s semi-retired now, or that’s what he claims anyway. Marco’s always been complaining that Giovanni’s never stepping down. It’ll be good. The guys would be glad to see you.”

“Then it’s settled.” Sky realized she’d missed this so much, not just Ryker but the rest of the Familia. They headed to the dining room.

Sky eyed the two heaping plates of pancakes, bacon, and eggs with skepticism, before her stomach let out an embarrassing growl.

“Sit,” Ryker ordered, pulling out a chair for her.

“What a gentleman,” she remarked, sitting down. Sky reached for the coffeepot and poured herself, then Ryker coffee.

“Well, we both know I’m far from that.” Ryker took the seat next to her.

“That’s what I’ve always like about you. You’re honest.” She took a forkful of eggs and bacon and sighed. “So good. When did you learn how to cook?”

Ryker laughed. “I didn’t. I got breakfast from the diner two streets down and plated the food.”

“Sounds like my Ryker.” The words slipped out by accident, and she blushed. She had no business calling him hers, and yet, his confession last night had changed everything. He fell silent, and she gave him occasional glances as she ate.

“Did you mean what you said last night?” She had to ask. They moved the plates and cutlery to the sink. “I’ll wash, you dry?”

“The usual, huh?” They worked side-by-side, and this took her back to all those evenings when they had their meals together. They also always split the household chores.

With him standing so close, their shoulders brushed against each other.

“I meant every word,” Ryker said simply. “I know what I said to you two years ago hurt you deeply, but I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it.”

Sky shook her head.

“I don't resent you for making that decision. I was an adult as well. I could have refused to leave, but I chose to go. You’ve already done so much for me.” She finished the rest of the plates, leaned against the sink and looked him in the eye. “I’ve always wondered if you hated me, even if just a little, or if you took me in out of guilt.”

Ryker set the plate he’d been drying down, along with the kitchen towel. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Well,” she began, then hesitated.

Sky never brought the subject of the past before, didn’t dare to. When she woke up five years ago in Ryker’s bed, still reeling and hurting from the gangrape, she wondered if she’d been dreaming.

Any other man in Ryker’s line of work would have finished the job. Yet Ryker chose to save her and end his own brother. Even after she healed, he could have just told her to forget what happened and left her. Instead, he’d offered her a place to live, knowing she was about to become homeless.

Ryker said it was because Giovanni wanted him to keep a close eye on her in case she’d talk to the police and tell them about River, and River’s connections to the Familia. She always believed that reason, but now, she understood he’d simply wanted her close by, for his own personal reasons.

Sky didn’t think after what she’d gone through, that she could survive by herself either. Her faith in humanity had been shattered after seeing what guys like River were capable of. Ryker and the Familia, they gave her a reason to live. They became the family she never had. She knew without a doubt they’d have her back no matter what. All she could offer them in return was her loyalty.

“You’ve never talked about River,” she finally said. Sky always knew they needed to have this conversation sooner or later.

“I never regretted killing him, if that’s what’s been eating at you. I promised my mother I’d look out for him, but he was getting out of control. If I didn’t end him, Gino and the others would have done the job for me.”

Ryker reached for her hand and traced the old winding scars there, his expression contemplative. It struck her that Rodney always seemed repulsed by her old injuries, but Ryker had no fear of touching them.

Ryker went on. “What River did to you was unforgivable. I kept thinking if I’d noticed him spiraling out of control sooner, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened to you.”

“We wouldn’t have met otherwise. The past can’t be changed, and I think Fate put me in your path for a reason.”

“Sky, the same blood runs in my veins. It’s a fucking miracle you’re still able to talk and be near me in the first place. Don’t you ever wonder if the same cruelty exists in me?”

She stared at him, wondering if some kind of insanity had taken a hold of him. “Is that also why you turned me down all those years ago?”

“Sweetheart, you’re too good for me, for this world of mine,” he said in a gentle tone she didn’t believe he was capable of.

“You gave me a choice all those years ago. I chose wrong. Back then, I felt like a kid who didn't know what she wanted. Don’t ever think that way. You’ll never be like your brother, and you proved that when you chose to save me.” She closed the distance between them and he held out a hand, which she took. Sky let him envelop her in another warm embrace. “Ryker, I want to be here. I want to be yours.”

“I’m not going to ask you again,” he said. Ryker set her long hair aside to plant a kiss on the back of her neck that sent tingles down her spine. “When I want something real bad, I usually go for it, but with you, I’ve been careful.”

“I know.” She clasped his fingers in hers.

Ryker had been holding back all these years, terrified he’d become his brother and end up hurting her. He also didn’t want her to feel trapped into a life she never chose, except this time, she made her own decisions. She understood him a lot better now.

“There’s no need to hold back anymore,” she told him. “I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.”

“Mine,” he said, turning her so she faced him. He repeated the word, this time with more certainty, as if it were fact.

He edged her towards the closest wall. Sky froze, unprepared for what he did next. Ryker knelt in front of her, but there was no mistaking who was the one in control here.

“Lift up your shirt,” he ordered.

She shivered, then did as he asked and pulled up her favorite sleeping shirt—which was one of his old shirts. She blushed. At this angle, he could see her bare breasts and how her nipples pebbled for him.

Sky sucked in a breath as he reached for the hem of her panties and yanked them down, exposing her cunt. Sky was relieved she had shaved down there two days ago. Never before had she felt so exposed, or so sexy. Her experience with sex was limited—Rodney pumping in and out of her in the dark before exploding into the condom and leaving her completely unsatisfied. Sex had been uninteresting to her, scary even.

With Ryker, she felt like he’d introduce her to a whole new world of pleasure.

“Such a pretty pussy. I’ve dreamt of this, of eating you up, hearing your sweet cries and wondering how you’d taste.”

God, even his mere words turned her on. She parted her legs wider for him, allowing him further access. He gripped her thighs firmly, before leaning in close enough so his day-old stubble brushed against her smoothly shaved mound. Then Ryker stuck out his tongue and flicked it over her clit.

Sensation flooded her body as he closed his mouth over the sensitive bud and sucked on it. She gasped, eyes wide as he took his fill, licking and exploring her pussy lips with intense concentration on his face. God knew she’d fantasized about this, about Ryker between her legs, rendering her unable to think. Was she dreaming?