12.22.2022
A/N: Smut warning:) Also, the cover photo for this chapter is one I took at Topsail Beach where the first book was based:)
My phone buzzes in my pocket, signaling a text message. "Hey Barry, will you cover table five for me while I take my break?"
"Sure." Barry replies with a smile. I thank him before heading into the back for my coat. Normally I wouldn't check my phone while working, but it was time for my break anyway and I doubted table five would need anything for a while.
The door creaks as I push it open, and I'm instantly hit with the brisk winter air. The cold feels good after the workout I'd gotten from the lunch rush, but I zip up my coat so I don't get too cold too fast.
The sky above is cloudy and grey, and I wonder once again if it'll finally snow. I really hoped so, winter became ten times more enjoyable when snow was involved. My phone buzzes once more and I glance down to see Rylie's name on the screen. A grin covers my face as I open her message. She'd attached a selfie of her and an adorable white puppy.
Ry- It's puppy day! This little guy was so sad after we gave him his vaccinations, but I cuddled with him while telling him stories of my unbelievably sweet, sexy wife, and he calmed down instantly. Then he demanded I take a picture so you would consider adopting him because he knows you'd love him!
My smile only grows as I type back my response to her.
Me- Only you have the ability to make me blush this hard from a simple text, Ry. And as cute as this little guy is, I don't think Harvey would appreciate another dog stealing away our attention...
I send the text and only have to wait two seconds before my phone starts ringing. The moment I answer, Rylie is talking.
"Did that really make you blush?"
"Yes, baby." I laugh. "Referring to me as your wife, especially with 'sweet' and 'sexy' in front of it is a sure way to make me blush."
"Noted." Rylie replies, and I hear the grin in her voice. "Now as for the puppy, he says he will be the perfect little brother so that Harvey will love him too!"
"Ry," I giggle, but she doesn't let me finish.
"Aspen, he is so cute. You can't tell just how cute from the picture, but I know you'd fall in love if you met him."
"Rylie, I'm already in love with him and he is so cute, but I don't know if a second dog is a good idea. How old is he anyway? A few weeks?"
"Six weeks old."
"We wouldn't even be able to take him home for two or three more weeks!"
"I know, but it would be worth the wait!"
"Can we talk about it once we both get home?" I ask with another laugh.
"Yes!" Rylie says excitedly, already knowing she'd easily get me to cave. "I get off work early today, so I'll stop by the store for groceries on my way home and get there probably around 5:30pm. Then we can change and talk about the puppy on the way to the light festival!"
"That sounds great, love." I smile, looking forward to this evening. "I love you so much, Ry."
"I love you, Aspen. Good luck with the rest of your shift! Oh, and tell Barry I say hi!"
"I will." I laugh. "Bye."
"Bye!" Rylie replies before hanging up. I miss her voice instantly, but know I only have three hours of my shift left and then I'll be home with her.
Here's to hoping the dinner rush goes by quickly!
The smile is still on my face as I glance back down at my phone, but it drops from my lips as my eyebrows draw together in confusion. An unread message from an unknown number shows on the screen, and I hesitate for a moment before clicking on it.
Unknown- Why did you do it?
The message contains only those five words, which leaves me more confused. Why did I do what? I think to myself. I don't remember giving my number to anyone new, so I have no idea who this could be.
Me: Who is this?
My reply is simple, but I needed more context if they wanted an answer to their question. Who sent a message like that as their first text to someone, anyway?
After a couple of minutes waiting for a response that doesn't come, I shake my head and shove my phone back in my pocket before heading back inside. "Even table five is more interesting than you, Mr. Unknown Number." I mutter before hanging up my coat and retying my apron before getting back to work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harvey greets me the moment I step through the door, and I laugh before scooping him up. "There's my favorite doorman!" I giggle as I scratch his ears. "Which reminds me, how do you feel about another one of you running around here?" Harvey cocks his head, not understanding a single word I'm saying. "Mhm. Well, you'd better figure it out before Ry gets home because there's a good chance you might be a big brother in the next few weeks."
Harvey only sticks his tongue out as he pants, and I laugh as I head into the bedroom. I set him on the bed before grabbing the laundry basket near the closet to begin putting clothes away. Next, I straighten up the living room and kitchen before sweeping and vacuuming the apartment.
As I'm lighting a candle in the kitchen, my phone rings. I set the lighter down and answer my phone, assuming it's Rylie or my mother. "Hello?"
"Why did you do it?"
The voice on the other end is faint, and I don't recognize it. I pull the phone away from my ear briefly and frown when I read the unknown number from earlier.
"Who is this?" I ask, hoping they answer my question this time.
"Why did you lie?" They say, ignoring my question.
"Lie? Who is this?" I ask again, feeling my frustration rise. They hang up without an answer and I jump as the door opens to my left. I set my phone down as Rylie comes through the door with her arms full of groceries.
"Who was that?" She asks, and I hurry over to help her put the groceries away.
"I'm not sure, I think it was a prank call. They also texted me earlier."
"Weird," Rylie responds as she opens the fridge. "Maybe just block the number?" She suggests.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." I reply, but before I can block them, she makes her way over to me.
"I missed you." Rylie's hands quickly find my waist, pulling everything else from my mind.
"I think I missed you more." I murmur as I pull her into my arms. Her smell instantly floods my senses, doing wonders to dissolve all of my frustration and stress that had built up during the day. Her screams are soft beneath my hands, but they're not the kind of soft I'm wanting to feel. Her skin, however...
My fingers quickly find the hem of her shirt and I slide my hands underneath, smirking when she shivers. "I missed touching you." I murmur as I run my fingers up and down her back.
"Mmm..." She hums as her eyes flutter closed. "You're distracting me..."
"Never." I grin. "Come sit with me." I break away reluctantly and pull her over to the couch and quickly wrap my arms back around her the moment I'm sitting. Rylie sits between my legs and leans back against my chest before closing her eyes.
"Long day, love?" I ask before kissing her cheek.
"Very. We had so many surgeries." She replies, but a smile quickly brings the corners of her mouth up. "But the vet let me scrub in for two of the surgeries, and I got to help with all three batches of puppies that came in to get their dew and tails done, and the one litter that came in for vaccinations."
"I'm really proud of you, Ry." I say as I watch the happiness and excitement cover her face.
"Thank you, baby." She smiles up at me. "It was such a good day. Even though it's really sad to see the puppies crying during the process, I love holding and cuddling them afterwards." I watch Rylie as she talks, loving the way her eyes light up as she talks about the different animals they'd helped today
"You're unbelievably adorable, you know that, right?" I say as she finishes, enjoying the way her cheeks color with a blush.
"You don't get annoyed with how much I talk after work?" Rylie questions hesitantly, dropping her eyes.
"Baby," I say softly, gently lifting her chin until her eyes meet mine again. "I could never get annoyed by you or anything you do or say."
"You have no idea how in love with you I am. Thank you, Aspen." She replies, her eyes showing just how much she means that.
"Always." I reply before kissing her softly. She kisses me back slowly at first, but it's not long before she deepens the kiss.
"I want to ask you about your day..." She whispers after breaking away for a moment, her breaths coming faster than normal.
"Later." I reply before placing my lips back to hers. She kisses me hungrily, only fueling my own desire. I gently lower Rylie down onto the couch before placing my body between her legs.
I slide my hand beneath her shirt again and run my fingers up her stomach before stopping at her chest, enjoying the soft moans she lets out. Her fingers tangle in my hair before slipping down to my back, pulling me closer to her.
"Please, Aspen." She breathes, her words only adding to the feeling between my legs.
"Please what?" I murmur, running my fingers along the hem of her pants.
"Please touch me." She answers softly, making eye contact with me.
"Fuck..." I groan. She knew how I would react to those words and the eye contact. She smirks and her blue eyes fill with a heated desire, the same desire I'm sure she could see in my own eyes.
I pull her shirt over her head, fighting another groan as I take in the red lace bra and her perfect chest. "God, Ry..." I bite my lip, unable to tear my eyes from her perfection. I run my fingers slowly down her toned stomach, unable to get enough of her skin. I lean back down to kiss her, needing to taste her again.
My hand finally slips beneath the hem of her scrubs and panties, and Rylie moans into my mouth as I touch her already sensitive area. "That's my good girl." I praise and begin moving my fingers the way I knew she liked.
"I want your tongue against me." Rylie pleads breathlessly, and I bite my lip once more before moving down.
Her scrubs come off easily and I'm stopped once again when I see the matching red lace panties. "You're killing me, Ry." I murmur, my voice low. My eyes meet hers, and I take note of the satisfaction filling her gaze.
"I thought you'd like them." She replies with a smirk.
"You always look perfect but God, when I see you in anything like this..." I trail off, unable to think of anything that would give justice. "You're so fucking hot." I finally say. This time, Rylie bites her lip.
I take my time with pulling her panties down, making sure to keep my eye contact the whole time. Then, I move back between her legs and press my tongue to her sweet spot. Rylie moans, her eyes shutting as she arches her back. She threads her fingers in my hair as I move, which only turns me on more.
Rylie gasps as I slide two fingers inside of her and I keep my movements steady. As she nears her climax, she surprises me by pulling me back up to her and kissing me hard. She sits up for a moment to help me with my clothes, bringing a blush to my cheeks as she studies my nearly naked body.
"Fuck, Aspen..." Rylie murmurs. "Black just might be my favorite color." her eyes travel down my body and it's my turn to smirk. She was the reason I had more black than any other color in the underwear section of my wardrobe.
This time, Rylie pushes me down onto the couch before straddling me. Her fingers slip beneath my panties and I gasp the moment they make contact. My body had been craving her touch, specifically between my legs, and I had to force myself to focus. I move my hand back between her legs, determined to make her feel as good as she was making me feel.
The pressure builds quickly, and I'm close within minutes. "I need it, Ry." I gasp, moving my hips against her hand.
"Can you come with me?" She asks, locking her eyes with mine. I nod and quicken my movements, enjoying the way her body reacts to my fingers. I feel my body tightening in time with hers, and her sweet moans fill my ears as she comes. I kiss her hard as my orgasm courses through me, doing my best to keep my fingers steady for her.
I pull Rylie against me as we finish and run my fingers up and down her back as I catch my breath. "I love you, Ry. And I love the way you make me feel."
"I know you do." Rylie teases. "You make me feel just as good, baby. I love you." She pauses, playing with a lock of my hair. "I swore I wouldn't let you distract me today."
"Why not?" I ask with a laugh as I pull a blanket over her beautifully naked body.
"Because," She replies as she snuggles closer to me. "I was going to clean and sweep and vacuum and..."
"Put away the laundry?" I question with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes! I was going to do so much before we had to leave." Rylie groans. "I'm sorry." Her eyes meet mine, and my heart tugs at the dejection filling her blue irises.
"Baby, no." I tighten my arms around her as an overwhelming urge to comfort her floods through me. Her gaze meets mine and I brush a lock of hair behind her ear before resting my palm against her cheek. "Don't do that."
"Do what?" she replies, avoiding my eyes. I gently lift her chin until her eyes meet mine again.
"Don't tell yourself that you haven't been productive or done enough today."
"But I haven't..." She starts, and I narrow my eyes.
"I wish you could see yourself through my eyes." I say, softening my gaze. "You do so much for us, every single day. For example, today you worked at the vet helping cute animals and dealing with crazy owners. Normally, that would've been eight or nine hours of your day, but they called you in at 3:00am for an emergency... what was it?" I pause, raising an eyebrow again.
Rylie rolls her eyes and I smirk. "A C-section for a dog and her seven puppies."
"Right, that. So, that brought it to a 13 hour workday. And then!" I add quickly as Rylie tries to argue. "You went to the store after work to get us groceries for the week. And you put most of them away. Lastly, you just gave me the most incredible, pleasure filled, toe curling, back arching orgasm. That alone relieves you of chore duty for an entire year."
Rylie pulls her lips into a thin line as she tries to hold in her laugh, but quickly gives in. By the time we finish laughing, my abs hurt twice as much as normal, courtesy of our heated session only minutes ago and our laughter.
"You make it seem like I did so much today." Rylie tries arguing, and I shake my head.
"You did do so much today, love. Even if there was anything left to clean, I wouldn't let you clean it." I finish with a grin.
"What do you mean 'If there was anything left'?" Rylie questions before sitting up. She glances around, studying the apartment for the first time since she got home.
"Aspen, did you clean without me?" She turns back to me with a pout.
I put a hand to my chest, acting offended. "I would never!" The corners of Rylie's mouth twitch and I grin. "I did clean. I didn't want to make you feel sad, though. I only wanted you to come home to a clean apartment so you could relax before the light festival later." I confess as I take her hands.
"Well when you put it like that..." Rylie mutters, and I laugh. "How did I land such a beautiful, thoughtful, jaw-droppingly sexy wife?" She purrs before leaning in and kissing me slowly.
"Stole the words right out of my mouth." I reply between kisses. "I still sometimes can't believe all of this..." I pause and run my fingers down her bare chest and stomach, stopping just shy of the area where I knew she was still sensitive. "Is all mine to look at, touch, taste, whenever I want..." My words are soft as I move my hand lower.
Rylie swallows hard and I watch with satisfaction as her eyes flutter closed. "Fuck, Aspen..." She takes a steadying breath. "It shouldn't be so easy for you to make me want it again so soon."
Her words send a thrill through me, doing nothing to calm the throbbing that was quickly rebuilding between my legs.
"I guess it's a good thing that we don't have to leave for another hour..." I reply in a low voice before pushing Rylie down onto the couch once more.