Do Me Right (De Toi à Moi #1)

Sixteen

“Where’s Dana?” I asked as we walked into Ryder’s dark condo. He flipped a light switch on and a few lights turned on, leaving the entire space dimly lit.

“She goes home at seven every night,” he answered. He pulled me further inside and into the kitchen. When he pulled open the fridge, he grabbed a bottle of water and held up to me, silently asking if I wanted some too. I nodded eagerly. It had been a while since I last drank something.

After grabbing another bottle, he kicked the fridge shut and sat down on one of the stools in front of the breakfast bar. I stood there, fidgeting with the bottom hem of my dress. I suddenly felt nervous again. But I knew I shouldn’t have been. I had been at his place twice before already. And I’d had sex with him even more times already. Heck, I’d just had sex with him in the middle of a parking lot.

But everything felt suddenly different again. The air around me felt heavy. I could feel it weighing down on my shoulders, just like Saturday morning. But I wanted this. I wanted him to know that, for me, it was more than sex too.

Sex was never just sex.

Ryder noticed my sudden discomfort. “Hey, come here,” he said softly, holding out his arms for me. I silently stepped into his embrace, placing my hands casually on his shoulders. After our little adventure in the parking lot, he’d left his blazer off, so he was just in the soft cotton dress shirt. As usual, he’d rolled up the sleeves to show off his muscular forearms. I toyed around with the collar of his shirt, my eyes fixated on his  neck.

His arm draped around my shoulder as he pulled me into his body. We were face to face and he stared sweetly into my eyes, a small close-lipped smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. His fingers brushed my braid again. “You’re nervous again.”

I slowly nodded my head. “Why?”

“Because I know that, things are changing.” My voice was small as I spoke. “And it’s a good thing because I want it but–”

“I know.” He stopped stroking my braid and placed his hand on my cheek instead, gently running the pad of his thumb over my cheekbone. “But we’re gonna be okay, Belle. Stop thinking about what could go wrong and start thinking about why it’s so right.”

“I am. I know why it’s right. It feels right in so many ways and I know I said this before but, I just can’t stop thinking about the fact that you’re my boss.”

“I’m not your boss right now,” he breathed, his eyes twinkling playfully. “We will figure this out, Angel. But you and I, we’re so right. I knew it the very first time I saw you.”

“I know, I know I just, I worry a lot it’s, I shouldn’t let it ruin tonight. I’m sorry.” I shook my head lightly. I really did feel bad for putting a damper on the mood. I was the one who suggested I came with him, I should’ve pressed him against the elevator wall instead of second-guessing everything again.

Chuckling, he leaned in, nuzzling his face into my neck. “Relax, Angel.” His lips softly touched my skin. “I will keep you safe.” He pressed a kiss on my collarbone. “Tell me what you want.” Another kiss on my throat. “Tell me how you want the rest of the night to go.”

I licked my lips as he pressed one final kiss on my chest, right above my cleavage. I knew what I wanted to do. I knew exactly how I wanted to end the night. So I stepped out of his embrace, leaving him slightly confused on the bar stool. But before he could question why I had left him, I reached behind me and pulled down the zipper of my dress. It immediately loosened and I let it fall down to pool at my feet.

I kept my eyes on Ryder’s the entire time and watched how they widened at the sight of my matching lingerie set. He’d already seen the panties, but I knew that the second he saw the whole thing, he would be a goner. “Belle,” he breathed, his eyes wide as he stared directly at my chest. “That–”