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“I’ll call my whole family to help with packing... and we’ll bring your stuff to my place.”
Oh my God. I fought the silly impulse to press my palms against my chest, but I really felt as if I might just burst from so much joy.
I couldn’t believe that he wanted to intertwine our lives so deeply, that he wanted both of us to be such an integral part of his life.
“Between you and me, I think Avery’s going to be psyched. She loves my place.”
I scoffed, playfully rolling my eyes. Duh, of course Avery loved it. I was psyched too.
“Shouldn’t we go to the ballroom? Otherwise we’ll miss the moderator,” I said.
“Yes, you’re right.” He straightened up, as if he’d suddenly remembered something. Dropping his hand from my face, he took a step back. “Let’s go.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever have enough of these events,” I said once we arrived at the venue, looking around with a smile. A wedding had taken place over the weekend, and a group of men were rearranging the tables. The moderator of the next event, a woman in her forties, waved to Ryker. After he introduced me to her, they started talking about the order of speeches. I volunteered to guide the men setting things up according to the chart lying on one of the tables, since every gala had its own seating arrangement.
I felt Ryker throw me sizzling looks every now and then but kept my composure, even though I was blushing madly. But when he surprised me by appearing behind me and kissing the side of my neck, my entire body turned to goose bumps. Hot damn.
“The moderator just left. I’ll help with the table coordination,” he said just as he let me go. Something tugged at the pocket of my dress. When I touched it, I realized there was a note half-stuffed inside.
Had Ryker just put it there?
“Ryker!” I called out after him. He looked at me over his shoulder, but merely mouthed “Later.” What?
I felt giddy, and instead of finishing assisting with the table placement, I slipped behind a partition in one corner, where the audio equipment was hidden. My stomach was full of butterflies as I opened the note.
Meet me in the room upstairs, behind the red curtain, after everyone’s gone.
My pulse quickened, thumping in my ears. I remembered the last time he’d given me a note like this. I’d gone there expecting a kiss, perhaps, and I hadn’t come out the same. What should I expect this time?
What could he possibly tell me that couldn’t wait until we were home?
That question bounced in my mind for the remaining hour. I became more nervous with every passing minute, especially once everyone left.
If I didn’t know Ryker was meeting me behind the curtain, I would have thought I was completely alone.
I crossed the empty ballroom with quick strides, barely keeping myself from breaking into a run. I was smiling from ear to ear. My heartbeat was so erratic that I felt light-headed.
When I entered the changing room, Ryker was already there, leaning against a wall, smiling widely.
“Hi! What are we doing here?” Oh God, why was my voice so throaty?
“Come closer.” His tone was playful, but his gaze was so intense that I instantly felt the air between us charge.
“Tell me, first.”
He said nothing, but he walked toward me until we were close enough to touch. He brought a hand to my face, caressing my cheek.
“Remember the first time I asked you here?” he asked softly.
I nodded.
“What did you think I wanted?”
“Something you couldn’t do with everyone watching,” I teased. Ryker laughed, sounding so happy that it warmed me on the inside. “What do you think I have in mind now?”
“Better not be sexy times,” I warned. Ryker grinned.
“No, not quite.”
