Page 187 of Desperate Pucker
His lips pull into a sexy smile. “You are.”
He sets the flowers on the nightstand, then goes back to kissing me. He slides his hands up my sleeping shirt—one of his old Bashers t-shirts—and cups my breast. I moan.
Just then, Bruce hops on the bed, then climbs up Ryker’s back.
I burst out laughing. Ryker chuckles before reaching around and grabbing him. He sets Bruce on my lap, and I kiss his fuzzy head.
“You’re such a little cockblocker,” Ryker mutters, but there’s an affectionate gleam in his eyes as he pets Bruce’s forehead. Bruce instantly starts purring.
My phone buzzes with a text. I swipe it from the nightstand and see that it’s a message from Ingrid in the group text we have with all the ladies.
Hey! Just listened to your podcast episode. It was incredible <3
I smile, heartened by her message. Before I can reply, I get a bunch more texts.
Sophie: Just finished listening to it! So proud of you, Madeline!
Bella: Same. You’re a badass for telling your truth.
Maya: Listening to it now and I’m cheering for you, Madeline!
Abby: Going to listen to it this afternoon! Can’t wait! You’re amazing, Madeline!
My eyes prick with happy tears. My friends are amazing.
“You okay?” Ryker asks.
I sniffle and nod, then show him my phone.
His gaze turns warm as he skims the texts. He kisses my forehead.
I get another text, this time from Libby.
Just wanted to tell you that your podcast is a hit!! It reached 100K downloads in the first two hours it was live! And the response has been SO positive! People love you for sharing your story, Madeline <3
More happy tears prick my eyes. I show Ryker her text, and he hugs me.
“You’re incredible. So incredible,” he rasps.
While I reply to my friends’ texts, his phone starts buzzing. When he looks at the screen, a soft smile quirks up the corner of his mouth.
“The guys say congrats on your podcast episode. They said you did an amazing job.”
That warm feeling hooks behind my heart, burrowing deeper.
“They want to celebrate with drinks at Spanky’s tonight, if you feel like it,” Ryker says.
I smile. “I’d love that.”
We walk out of my apartment to head to Spanky’s. Ryker holds my hand as he heads for the stairwell, but I stop him.
“Let’s take the elevator,” I say.
Concern flashes in his eyes. “Wait, really?”
I nod, despite the nerves crackling inside of me. “Yeah. I think I can do it.”
A soft smile pulls at his lips. “Okay.”
