Page 167 of What are the Risks
“I missed you and your dick, Wheels.”
Ryker laughed. “We both missed you too, Rubz.”
With a deep exhale, I lowered onto him, taking him slowly so that I could adjust. Relief flooded my core as he filled me – like I’d been incomplete until this very moment.
“Fuck,” I breathed.
“Fuck,” he agreed.
His palms settled on my ass as I steadily circled my hips, his own raising to meet mine.
“You always feel so good,” he growled.
“You always make me feel so good,” I moaned.
As much as I wanted to take this slow and make it last all night, I knew my first release wouldn’t be far off. A pulse was already thrumming beneath my skin, threatening to spill over.
Grinning against my lips, Ryker ran his thumb along my cheek. “Rubz, you do realise this is forever now, right?”
I smiled back. “Good.”
EPILOGUE
Call in sick
Ryker
The house was dark and silent when I walked in, which came as no surprise considering it had just gone four a.m. I’d come straight from the airport, fresh off an away game. No matter where we played or when the game ended, we always flew home the same night, so I was forever getting home at ungodly hours.
Living with Ruby, ungodly hours was something I’d become familiar with. Her shiftwork was intense. It never ceased to amaze me how she could sleep all day – even through the daytime noise – then eat breakfast at seven p.m. like the day was only just beginning. I was a routine kind of guy, and her lack of one had been an adjustment.
Sometimes our different schedules felt impossible. Days could pass without us crossing paths at home, and on the worst of them, opposite time zones and our jobs meant we couldn’t even manage a proper conversation.
A day without Ruby was a day wasted in my eyes.
But no matter what, we made it work. And whenever we were reunited – even if it was at four a.m. – it was always worth it.
Leaving the lights off, I used the dim beam from my phone to trace the path to our bedroom.
Ruby and I were still living in the apartment we’d found when we first moved to Seattle, right before my rookie year kicked off. It was dead centre between my training facility and the hospital.
Ruby had landed the graduate place – no surprises there – and had been offered a permanent position when her contract ended – no surprises there either. My girl was an operating nurse whizz.
While my rookie contract was only for four years and I’d just kicked off my third season, with how things were going –unofficially– Ruby and I knew we’d be in Seattle for a long time yet. The team had no plans to let me go, and I had no intention of leaving. I loved it here, and Ruby did too.
Discussions for my next contract were already underway. I left most of it to my agent – he was a better negotiator than me. I’ll admit, I’d been happy with the original offer, but he was confident he could lock in a better deal. I guess that’s what I paid him for.
Knowing we’d be here for years to come, Ruby and I had bought a block of land and were partway through building. It was a place to finally call our own – our first real home together.
A lot had happened to it over the off season. Not only had the house taken shape, but most of the interior fittings had been finalised as well. We were on track for handover next week, but before that, the builder had asked Ruby and I to check over the place for any last minute changes we wanted fixed before then.
I opened the bedroom door as quietly as possible. The room was dark and still, the only movement coming from the ceiling fan.
After slipping off my sneakers, sweats and hoodie, I climbed into bed behind Ruby. It was toasty beneath the covers – even toastier when I moulded my body around hers.
Her breathing shifted as she began to stir.
“Shh,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. “It’s just me. Go back to sleep.”
