Page 98 of A Lot Like Love
She stood on tiptoe so she could press a kiss to his neck, inhaling his cologne and running her hands down his back and to his butt. “You look good in a suit, but I’ll never stop admiring your ass in a pair of jeans.”
Ryder made a growling noise and planted his hands on her butt, making her squeal. “It just so happens that you look damn fine in satin,” he muttered. “Although you’d look even better out of it.”
They stared at each other, the heat between them scalding, but it was Ryder who sighed and took a step back. “I’ve got all night to pleasure you. Come on.”
* * *
Ryder waved away the driver and opened the car door for Chloe himself. He slid in beside her and took her hand, grinning as the vehicle pulled away and they headed for the chapel.
“Please tell me Elvis isn’t marrying us,” Chloe joked, dropping her head onto his shoulder.
“Damn, you don’t want Elvis? How about Cher?”
She laughed as he draped an arm around her. “I can’t believe you did all this.” Ryder watched as she held her finger out, admiring the diamond as it sparkled.
“Do you like it?” he asked. “If you don’t, we can change it.”
He’d never been so nervous buying a gift, but he wanted Chloe to have that ring on her finger for a long time, and it had sure put the pressure on.
“Ryder, I love it,” she said, snuggling closer to him, tucked under his arm, cheek to his chest. “I just can’t believe any of it, that we’re going to get married, that we’re even together right now.”
“We’ve come a long way from meeting at the rodeo.” He laughed. “Hell, we’ve come a long way from you offering to win back my ranch.”
She gazed up at him. “What I want to know was why you trusted me.”
Ryder stroked her hair, grunting as she slid one hand down his thigh. “Sweetheart, you had a glint in your eye that told me you weren’t bullshitting, that you needed a way to make money for school. You know, my granddad told me you were a keeper as soon as he heard what you’d done.”
She laughed. “Does he know what we’re doing right now?”
“No, but he will tomorrow when I fly you home as my wife.” The vehicle slowed, then stopped, and Ryder removed Chloe’s hand from his inner thigh. “As much as I’d like you to keep stroking me there, we have a wedding to attend.”
“Shelly’s going to be in heaven being looked after by your brothers.”
“Last I heard she was drinking them under the table. We’ll be lucky if she’s coherent enough to sign as witness.”
Chloe’s smile warmed his heart, her eyes meeting his melting something inside of him that he’d thought would always stay cold. He’d never had a mom to care for him, never let any woman in his life close other than to warm his bed, and Chloe had only been in his life a few short weeks and she’d already changed him.
“You know, I was going to challenge you to a game of poker,” he confessed. “I had this grand idea that if I told you the stakes, that if I won you’d have to marry me, that the only way for it to actually happen was if you toletme win.”
She shook her head. “You made me promise that I’d never let you win unless you were actually capable of beating me.”
Ryder leaned across and kissed her, the tangy taste of her lip gloss as familiar to him now as her perfume. “And I meant it. Which is why I decided it was best not to challenge you.”
She slipped a hand around his neck, giggling into his mouth. “Well, good. I would have hated to beat you and lose my husband in the process.”
Ryder reluctantly let her go. “You ready?” he asked, pushing open his door to get out and holding out a hand to her so she could follow.
“As I’ll ever be,” she replied, smoothing down the satin of her dress to show off a perfect set of curves that he was desperate to explore some more.
They walked hand in hand toward the Vegas chapel, greeted by a guy dressed in a tacky sixties outfit. When they stepped inside it was Nate that Ryder saw first, standing with his hands shoved into his suit pockets and a worried expression on his face that quickly turned into a smile. Chase was holding a beer and Shelly was saying something to make him laugh.
“The bride and groom are here,” Ryder announced, just loud enough to get their attention.
Shelly turned first, eyes widening as she saw Chloe. She was rushing at them within seconds, arms around Chloe in a big hug. His brothers came closer.
“I take it your plan worked?” Chase asked.
Ryder grinned. There was no erasing his smile, not today.
