Claiming Felicity (Ace Security #4)(23)

They kissed for several minutes. Neither willing to be the first to pull away. Felicity participated in the kiss the same way she did everything else . . . with all she had. She didn’t meekly sit there and let him kiss her—her tongue pushed against his and learned every inch of his mouth. When he growled, she moaned right back. She took what she wanted.

And it was hot as hell.

Ryder felt her heart thumping under his hand, and he wanted nothing more than to pick her up and throw her down on the couch he’d been sleeping on for the last week and show her without words that she belonged to him. That he’d keep her safe. That he’d kill anyone who dared hurt her. But the vibration of her phone brought him back to his senses.

It rattled against the tabletop with every text that came through.

Ryder pulled back and ran his hand over the top of her head. He licked his lips and tasted her on him. His cock was rock hard, and it took everything he had to remove his hand from her chest and reach for her phone. He handed it to her without breaking eye contact.

She blushed, but accepted the cell. She looked down and chuckled. “Alexis is impatient. Says that if I’m not over at her house in fifteen minutes, she won’t be responsible for what she does to Grace’s babies.”

“She’s not much of a kid person?” Ryder asked.

“No, it’s not that. She loves kids. But I think sometimes having the twins is a bit overwhelming for her.”

“Then we should get over there and let you give her a hand,” Ryder said softly.

She nodded, but when he stood up, she asked, “Um . . . Ryder?”

“Yeah, love?”

“What are we doing? We can’t start something with him out there.”

“We already have.” And with that, Ryder turned his back on her to grab his jacket. If she thought she was going to backtrack and pretend he hadn’t gotten under her skin, she was mistaken. That kiss hadn’t been an I’m-testing-things-out-to-see-if-I-might-like-you kiss.

It was a claiming.





Chapter Eight

“What is up with the two of you?” Alexis asked quietly two hours later.

Felicity looked down at the baby in her arms so she didn’t have to look at Alexis and shrugged. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb, girl. You and Ryder have been stealing glances at each other all afternoon.

“It’s complicated,” Felicity told her.

“It’s really not,” Alexis argued.

“It is. Besides, I haven’t known him that long.”

“I knew the first time I saw Blake that he was the man for me,” Alexis said without a trace of self-consciousness.

Felicity gaped at her. “You did?”

“Yup. And he only saw me as an annoying younger chick who he had to work with.”

“There’s no way. He loves you.”

“He does,” Alexis agreed. “Now. But when he first met me, he thought I was a rich spoiled brat who was fucking around and only wanted to work at Ace Security for some reason he didn’t know or understand.”

“Wow. What changed?”

Alexis shrugged. “I guess he got to know me. Saw how much I enjoyed what I did. That I wasn’t going to up and quit.” She flipped her light-brown hair behind her shoulder and smirked. “Then he took a look at all this”—she indicated her curvy body with a hand—“and couldn’t resist.”

Both women chuckled.

“It’s different with me and Ryder. I think he’s just . . .” Felicity’s voice trailed off. She didn’t know what Ryder was. “He’s one of those guys who wants to make sure everyone is safe. He doesn’t like injustice.”

Alexis’s eyes narrowed as she eyed Felicity. “That might be true, but that is not why he’s giving you fuck-me eyes.”

“Alexis!” Felicity admonished and covered Nate’s ears. “You can’t say things like that around the babies.”

The other woman laughed. “They’re like five months old. They have no idea what I’m saying. And don’t change the subject. I know what I see. And if you think he’s only sticking by your side because he wants to get the bad guy, you’re insane.”

Felicity snuck another look over at Ryder. He was sitting next to Blake, and they were both bent over a stack of papers, flicking through them. Every now and then they’d exchange words, but for the most part, they were concentrating on whatever it was they were looking for.

Just as she looked over at him, Ryder looked up, catching her eye. He smiled at her and mouthed, “You okay?”

She nodded and forced her gaze away from him back to little Nate in her arms. The baby was adorable and sound asleep. Both he and his brother had been fussy when they’d arrived, but after a bottle and some snuggling, they were sleeping once more.

“He can’t go more than a couple of minutes before checking on you,” Alexis said softly.

“He’s going to get hurt because of me,” Felicity said, looking at her friend.

“No, he’s not.”

“He is. I’m poison to be around. I shouldn’t be here. I—”

“Look at him, Felicity,” Alexis ordered.

Without thought, she did as she was ordered. Alexis kept talking, soft and low so the men couldn’t hear her.