move for a while.”
He sinks his head into the bean bag. “Does that mean I’m forgiven, then?”
Is he?
I touch my chin. “Hmm. Let me think.”
Ryker draws a breath. “I really am sorry, you know. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that and stormed out.”
I look at him. “Why did you?”
He touches his forehead and sighs. “I guess I was angry. But not at you. At myself. Listening to you talk about all the places you’ve been, all the experiences you’ve had, and then having you ask me questions about where I am and where I’m going, I just suddenly felt like… like a failure.”
So that’s why he snapped.
“Trust me,” I tell him. “I had no intention of making you feel that way.”
“I know. None of it was your fault. All you did was tell me about the life you lived these past several years, which I asked you to. And believe me, I am so proud of all you’ve accomplished, of what you’ve become. I was in awe of everything you’ve done. I still am. But then I got envious.”
My eyebrows furrow. “Envious?”
“You followed your dreams. You went places. You went on adventures. You… flew. And the whole time you were flying, I’ve been stuck here in Chicago behind a desk.”
“I thought you went to Switzerland,” I tell him. “I saw a picture of you there.”
“Yeah, I’ve traveled,” Ryker says. “But mostly for business. Most of the time, even when I’m in another country, I’m still behind a desk or at a conference table.”
“But it’s what you want, right? It’s the life, the career you chose?”
He shrugs. “I’m not even sure anymore. Looking back, I think I just went with the flow. My father and my older brothers were all working for the company so I went and did the same. It just seemed like the natural thing to do.”
I can imagine it did. Raise a dog with wolves and it starts acting like one. If my parents were both famous astronauts or esteemed doctors and then my brother decided to follow in their footsteps, I might have done the same.
Ryker turns his head to look at me.
“What?” I ask him as I look into his brown eyes.
“I’ve never told anyone that before,” he confesses. “Not even Joel.”
I smile. “Then I’m honored.”
His eyebrows furrow. “Are you? Or are you disappointed? I won’t blame you, you know. I took the easy route. I should be disappointed.”
And he is. I can see that in his eyes before he looks away.
“Hey.” I turn my body towards him and place my hand on his cheek so I can hold his gaze. “I’m not. I’m not disappointed in you, okay? I was just curious about your life, about you. I hate that there’s so many things I don’t know about you anymore.”
“Me?” Ryker chuckles. “Like I said, I’ve been here the whole time. I haven’t changed.”
“And I have?” I ask him.
He doesn’t answer. He just looks into my eyes, his own pair of brown ones burning with flames that warm my chest and scorch my skin at the same time. I can’t breathe.
Then Ryker lifts his hand to touch my cheek as he finally speaks. “You’re as beautiful as you were the last time I saw you.”
The words light me on fire. I grip his shoulder and lean forward. My eyelids close. A moment later, his lips meet mine. As soon as they do, my heart flutters. As our lips collide over and over, excitement simmers in my veins anew. I caress his jaw. His hand strokes my cheek.
Then he pulls away with a smile. “And as messy.”
I frown. “Messy?”
“You always did like making a mess, like when you were trying to put mustard on your fries and got it all over the table instead.”
I laugh as I remember it. I can’t believe he does.
“I hope you didn’t spill anything when you were serving princesses,” Ryker says.
“I did not,” I tell him. “Actually, I’m very clean when I cook. You should see my station.”
“And your apron?”
I touch the nape of my neck. “Well, aprons are meant to be dirty.”
He chuckles, then goes silent. A light blush coats his cheeks.
I narrow my eyes at him. “You just imagined me wearing only an apron, didn’t you?”
Ryker purses his lips.
“You know, I could wear one for you,” I tell him in a mischievous tone as I run my finger down his chest. Then I bring my mouth against his ear. “And I wouldn’t mind if you got