Upside Down (Breaking the Rules #3) - A.M. Madden Page 0,76

a small fortune on because he’d known it would bring a smile to Liliana’s face one day… okay, and also because it would drive my sister nuts. All of it came from a place of profound generosity.

I also loved his dry humor. When Ricky had seen Rebecca wasn’t kidding about putting the toy in the garage to keep from hearing it humming at all hours of the day, he’d retaliated by having a giant pink elephant delivered the next day, making the giraffe look tame. Laughing my ass off when Marco dragged that monstrosity through the house had earned a punch to my biceps from Rebecca. They’d come to an understanding—Rebecca wouldn’t put his gifts to the curb provided he deleted the app off his phone.

Meanwhile, Ricky and Riana had meshed perfectly. As they chatted like long-lost friends, I tried to appear indifferent and failed fantastically. Especially when he used the opportunity to siphon every bit of information out of her that he could get. From silly things like the fact that I despised sweet potatoes, to more personal tidbits such as how much I loved massages.

Having Riana there had made me realize there was a lot about Ricky that I didn’t know. And after dropping her off at my sister’s house before heading to his condo, I said as much. “I need one of your friends from home to come visit so I can pick their brain like you did to Riana. Or maybe I have a long chat with Damon.” Ricky sliced his focus away from the road to look at me. “What?” I asked.

“I was planning on paying my mother a surprise visit.” His knuckles gripped the steering wheel as he stared straight ahead and asked, “Would you like to come?” My silence caused him to backpedal a bit. “You know what? Bad idea. I know I had already invited you, but I understand if you feel it’s too soon. She’s your mom on steroids when it comes to her nosiness. I just thought maybe—”

“Shut up.”

“Shut up?” His brows rose challengingly.

“Yeah. You talk too much. I would love to come home with you.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Cooper

In the weeks that followed Liliana’s birth, we all seemed to fall into a comfortable routine. And then, I woke up and it was July.

During the day, Ricky would come over, and we’d entertain Antonio in the pool or take him to the beach to give Rebecca and Marco a break. Watching Ricky interact with a toddler was hilarious. He spoke to him no differently than he did to an adult, and more times than not Antonio would stare at him and then look to me for guidance.

But come the evenings, we preferred to be at Ricky’s place in quiet solitude. Sometimes we’d bring dinner in, sometimes we’d cook, and most nights we’d sit on his balcony enjoying the ocean breeze. While he flicked through news channels and stock reports on his laptop, I’d read. Even with the lack of conversation, I felt this unexplainable connection to him.

What we did do every night was get each other off. It was more of the same, but if at all possible, each time he made me come was more intense than the last. Stranger still, returning the favor never failed to turn me on as well. We had yet to “take it to the next level,” and I was the one itching to.

The more he dragged this on, the more I wanted it over with. Like a virgin knowing the first time wouldn’t be pleasurable, the need to get past that and on to the good stuff consumed me. Especially when he taunted how much better it could get. But Ricky had the patience of a fucking saint… and I didn’t doubt he enjoyed tormenting me.

More times than not, I would go back to my sister’s place to sleep. Ricky had made it clear he preferred me in his bed and accused me of being an epic cocktease. But I felt after spending so much time together, we each needed the space, especially since we had yet to have that talk.

Through it all, Ricky had become more than a man pushing my sexual boundaries. He had become a friend. I was going to miss him. Having only five more weeks until I had to get back to Jersey had cast a shadow over our budding relationship. I wasn’t worried things would end, but the logistics were a gray area that we hadn’t discussed. Most important, I