Page 118 of Clashing
Ryker
I’dneverbeenagreat picture taker, but I got lucky one night. Scarlett didn’t notice me snap it. Didn’t know it’d been my background for weeks. Her on the couch, Grayson lying on her legs while Demon licked her. Her eyes were closed—the only downside—but she had a huge smile, her face scrunched up as Demon covered her in slobber. It was the cutest damn thing I’d ever seen. I couldn’t help but capture the moment so I’d never forget it.
God, I’m so in love with her.
Love. I never thought I’d say that, but if I was honest with myself, I’d been in love with her for a while. Every interaction from the first moment I saw her pushed me in deeper, and I couldn’t recall what dumbass version of me ever turned down a relationship with a woman so goddamn incredible. I should’ve been the one asking—no,begging—for a relationship.
Maybe it was time I did.
I couldn’t take it anymore. The sneaking around. Not seeing her every day. Not waking up to her brown eyes every morning.
I was done.
My hands shook, but I was going to ask her to be with me. I couldn’t wait for her to make the move. I needed to be with her. I needed to be the person she leaned on. The person she trusted. The person she spent the rest of her life with.
The person she lives with.Although too stubborn to admit it, she was a mess in that apartment. Any chance she got, she insisted we go to my place instead. On the rare occasions we stayed at hers, she couldn’t relax. Jumped at every noise. Jolted if a door slammed. It fucking broke me to watch her try to force herself to be comfortable in a place she couldn’t be anymore.
Which was why I planned to take two big risks today. Ask her to be with me, and ask her to move in. For her sake and mine. I was sick of not spending every spare moment with her.
Because she was tense, I texted her to let her know I was on my way. Then, once I parked, I texted again to let her know I’d turn off the alarm.
Inside, she opened the door before I made it to the top of the stairs. “Horny already?” She smirked. “It’s barely ten.”
“I’m constantly hard for you, sugar.” I curled my hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a brief kiss. “I don’t know why this is a surprise.”
“You should’ve called. I would’ve come to you.” She pecked me on the lips. “I need to eat first, though. I’m making breakfast. Want some?”
I dragged out a kitchen chair and sat. “I’ll take some if you have it.”
“I’m not capable of cooking for one person. Or two.” She smiled sheepishly. “I grew up cooking for several people. I learned from Dan and he always had friends over. I have no idea how much to make for a single serving of anything. Like, how much spaghetti do you even cook for one person?”
I couldn’t stop my lips from curving up. She was fucking adorable.
“Better than not enough.”
“Are you actually being positive?” She arched a brow. “Mr. I-don’t-know-how-to-smile is finding a silver lining?” She flitted over to me and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. “Are you sick?”
Itskedand tugged her down to straddle my lap. “Hilarious.”
“I know. My humor is why you can’t stay away from me.”
“It is.”
She rolled her eyes and peppered kisses down my neck, her hands twisting in my shirt.
Fuck, I love when she touches me.I palmed her ass and pulled her more snugly against me. “I’m serious, Scarlett.”
She nibbled my neck. “Uh-huh.”
If I didn’t talk soon, her mouth would have me doing a different kind of talking. I eased her back. “I mean it. I love your sense of humor.”
She tilted her head. “You’re being weird. Normally you’d have my clothes off by now. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” I nuzzled her nose, and her brows furrowed. “Maybe I want to be with you like this. Eating breakfast and talking.”
“You don’t socialize.”
“I don’t usually. I never want to.” My pulse raced and turned the rest of me into a fidgeting, anxious mess. “I want to with you.”
