Page 20 of Battered Moves

“My next one is going to be the color of your eyes,” he says, and I laugh.

“Stop it, cheeseball,” I say.

“No cheese, just a bit of sweat,” he says, rubbing his nose on mine.

I chuckle, and he pecks me on the lips before turning and going to the register to ask for the strings he ordered. I stroll around, mentally making a note to shop at this place for Ryder’s Christmas and birthday presents.

I stand beside Ryder as he continues to chat with the guy behind the counter, who has long hair and a surfer vibe, but I suppose that’s the norm for most Miami guys.

“That your girl, Davies?” he asks with a glance at me.

Ryder smiles and puts his arm around my shoulder, kissing my temple.

“Yep, I hit the jackpot,” he says, and I grin at him.

“Seems like you were good in a past life,” the guy says, handing Ryder a bag before he winks at me. “You know where to find me when he messes up, pretty girl.”

Ryder turns us and mutters, “Get in line,” before leading me out of the store.

We spend the rest of the day shopping, and it’s a blast. I never would’ve thought that Ryder would be the guy you could take with you to go shopping, but he loved picking outfits for me, and I had to try on everything while he chose what we were going to buy. He also bought me a truly sexy black lace lingerie set, but I told him he would only see it when I wear it at home. The heat in his eyes was scorching.

We also found some new Chucks for Ryder and a birthday present for Chase that I’m happy with. It took some time to get it made, but I just told the vendor what I wanted and we came back an hour later to pick it up. We took a break to eat some pulled pork sandwiches and drink a slushy, then we headed into a grocery store to get some water bottles and snacks for the ride home.

The day went by so fast, and now it’s already evening. The sun is setting over the ocean, and I stand to watch the sunset while Ryder puts our bags on the backseat of his car.After, he comes up behind me and puts his arms around me.

“Thank you for today, Liv. It’s been the best day in a long time,” hewhispers in my ear.

I let myself lean back into his embrace and turn my head, kissing his cheek.

“I loved it too. You’re a great shopping companion,” I say, and he chuckles.

“I’m anything you want me to be, baby.”

* * *

Ryder

Liv and I get into the car. She sighs when she looks at the GPS, which tells us it will only take thirty-five minutes to get home.

“I’m not ready to go back yet,” she whispers.

I check the clock. It’s already half past seven and getting dark outside, but I have no qualms about driving in the dark.

“Want to take the long way home?” I suggest. “We could take a more rural road with less traffic, but it will take us approximately two and a half hours to get home.”

“You would do that?” she asks,beaming at me, and I chuckle.

“And get more alone time with my baby girl? Of course I would. Let’s go,” I say.

“Perfect, I’ll just let the guys know that we’ll be late,” Liv says giddily, getting out her phone to text them.

We drive for a little over an hour, singing to the songs Liv chooses and enjoying each other’s company. I have my hand on her knee, and it all feels just right. It’s so dark around us, I can barely see anything outside of the headlights, and we only encounter three or four cars the whole way. Suddenly, the stereo goes dark and the music cuts off.What the fuck?

Despite my car being fucking old, I installed a new stereo system, complete with GPS and other features, to improve the sound quality. Except as I push the buttons to turn it back on, nothing happens, and Liv notices my frustration.

“Don’t worry, I have my own little jukebox with me,” she assures me with a laugh and playfully boops my nose. “Sing for me, Ryder,” she says. I grin and attempt to nibble on her finger, but she withdraws it too quickly.

“What do you want to hear, baby?” I ask.

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