Ryker's Guide (Spicy)

Leather Pants and Pretzels and Dates

Meriwa

"Mer, why do I have to try this one?"

Meriwa giggled as Daryl held up the tight leather pants she'd picked out for him to try on. His perplexed look was entirely adorable and highly amusing. "Because they're hot and you're hot and they'll make your ass look hotter."

In response, the cowboy huffed dramatically, but she didn't miss the smirk of amusement on his face as he went into the dressing room. Grinning, Meri pulled out her phone and texted the picture she'd taken of Daryl trying on the tight cycling pants at the sporting goods store to Carbry. Her mate was off working in Sweden, and although she was sad and missed him, spending the day with Ryke and Daryl had actually been a lot of fun.

After a moment of thinking, she yelled over the door to the dressing room. "And don't look at the price tag! I'm warning you!"

"I'm trying not to, Mer!"

Grinning, she returned the phone to her pocket then plopped down on a chair in front of the dressing room to wait as Ryke arrived with a cup of mini pretzel bites. Once her eyes fell on him, she grinned brilliantly before reaching out and demanding one. "Oh! You brought snacks."

He glared at her, but there was no heat in his scowl as he sat down on the arm of the chair she was sitting in. "Don't eat them all before Daryl gets any, jerk."

Meriwa snorted before sticking her tongue out at the man and stealing another one just as Daryl was opening the dressing room door. "Mer...I think I need a size up."

Meriwa laughed when Ryke's mouth opened in a gesture of surprise before he spoke. "Nope. They fit you perfectly. We're getting them."

Daryl frowned, turning to look at himself in the mirror and giving them both a delectable view of his ass. "But...I don't even know how much they are, and I don't know where I'd wear them. And these have been treated so much that they don't even look like leather anymore. I-"

"Shhh. Ryke brought us pretzels." Meriwa's words drew Daryl to look at his mate curiously before he strode over and started shoving pretzel bites into his mouth.

"We're buying those pants." Ryke's words were final, and the accompanying glare he gave Daryl revealed the man's confidence in his own statement.

In response, Daryl grinned innocently and spoke over a mouthful of food. "Nope. I'm gonna go take these off then we're going to go for burgers and milkshakes in that 50s style restaurant in the middle of the mall."

"Oh! I love that place!" Meri grinned as Daryl handed her a pretzel.

"I know you do, silly. Here. Watch my Ryke while I take my pants off." With that, he strode back into the dressing room, and that's when Meri noticed a few patrons, both male and female, watching her cowboy. Their lascivious glares made her scowl even though she knew it wasn't right to be jealous. It was just they were trying to have a fun day and people had been staring at Daryl the whole time.

Curious, she looked up at the man sitting beside her. If Ryke was upset by all the people, he didn't show it as he smirked and called out to the cowboy. "Can we watch you take your pants off?"

From the small changing room, Daryl snorted. "At home, yes."

Ryke rolled his eyes before scowling when Meri took the last pretzel bite from his cup and began to nibble it. Smiling sweetly, she bit the thing in half before holding the remainder of the pretzel out to him. "Share?"

He continued to glare until he let out a soft laugh and grabbed the offered pretzel then tossed it into his mouth. "Always, Princess."

Following his words, she smiled shyly as Daryl exited the dressing room and carefully placed the expensive pants on the return rack. Today had already been a blast, and they weren't even done yet.

***

Several minutes later, they were walking towards the restaurant when Meri suddenly realized they were passing the body shop that she liked. "Oh! Guys, I need shampoo and conditioner. Someone keeps stealing all of mine."

Beside her, Daryl leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Alright. That place doesn't look as crowded as it normally does. How about you two go get what you need and I'll get us a table at the restaurant?"

"I..." Before Meri could finish her sentence, Daryl was sprinting off in the direction of the restaurant, which was right in front of her.

"He's hungry." Ryker explained in her ear, causing her to jump then frown.

"Howcome Daryl is always hungry?"

Ryker shrugged, looking sad for a moment as he explained. "It's something to do with his supernatural metabolism. It's getting worse, I think."

Meri pondered this for a moment, finding herself worrying until Ryker grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers then began leading her into the store. "But he's going to order a ton of food and probably have it half eaten by the time we join him, and Carbry is working with the Knight Corp nutritionists. They'll figure something out one of these days for him. Come on, let's get that coconut lime shampoo you like so we can get back to the cowboy."

Meri blushed as she looked at their intertwined hands. "How do you know what shampoo I like?" When she looked into his eyes, the amusement she read there told her the answer. "You've been using my shampoo and conditioner?!"

He shrugged, refusing to let go of her hand as they made it to the display. "It smells good. Better than Carbry's thousand dollar hair goop, that's for sure."

She laughed as she reached out and grabbed the last remaining bottles on the lower shelf. She couldn't easily hold them both one-handed, so Ryke grabbed the conditioner from her and held that then began leading her to the checkout line where he gave her hand a squeeze.

Meriwa bit her lip and stared at the bottle in her hand as she finally worked up the courage to ask what had been on her mind all day. "Is this a date?"

Beside her, Ryke snorted as he turned his attention to the display of fragrant hand sanitizer bottles next to him. "Nope. Not a date."

She sighed, finding herself overcome by the irrational urge to kiss his jaw since his head was turned away from her. "Okay. I...Oh, wait! Shit. I forgot my wallet!"

Her words brought Ryker to look at her and snort. "Don't panic, Princess. I'll buy it. But we're gonna go back and get more because I'm not going to run out of shampoo again."

"Ass. And you don't have to buy it." Meri laughed quietly as they made their way back to the shampoo and conditioner. She stared for a moment at the only remaining bottles, which were on the top shelf and way out of her reach until Ryke let go of her hand so that he could grab two more bottles.

She was about to thank him when he was leaning over and kissing her forehead softly before speaking quietly. "I don't mind buying them. And it's not a date, but I'm having fun."

His words made Meri flush with pleasure as he guided them back into line to wait. After a moment, he added. "And...did you forget you're a goddess, Princess. Couldn't you just poof your wallet here?"

When it dawned on Meri that Ryke was actually right, her mouth opened in surprise. How could she be smart one moment and dumb the next? Instead of responding verbally, Ryke chuckled before pressing his lips against hers and kissing her surprise away.

Sure Ryke was insisting that this wasn't a date, but it definitely felt like a date. And, Meri felt extremely happy about that revelation and the fact that Ryke was holding her hand once more and that Daryl was waiting for them at that 50s diner place.