Page 49 of Clashing

Chapter thirty-seven

All of You

Ryker

I ’d never been a great picture taker, but I got lucky one night.

Scarlett didn’t notice me snap it. Didn’t know it’d been my background for weeks.

Her on the couch, Grayson lying on her legs while Demon licked her.

Her eyes were closed—the only downside—but she had a huge smile, her face scrunched up as Demon covered her in slobber.

It was the cutest damn thing I’d ever seen.

I couldn’t help but capture the moment so I’d never forget it.

God, I’m so in love with her.

Love. I never thought I’d say that, but if I was honest with myself, I’d been in love with her for a while.

Every interaction from the first moment I saw her pushed me in deeper, and I couldn’t recall what dumbass version of me ever turned down a relationship with a woman so goddamn incredible.

I should’ve been the one asking—no, begging —for a relationship.

Maybe it was time I did.

I couldn’t take it anymore. The sneaking around. Not seeing her every day. Not waking up to her brown eyes every morning.

I was done.

My hands shook, but I was going to ask her to be with me. I couldn’t wait for her to make the move. I needed to be with her. I needed to be the person she leaned on. The person she trusted. The person she spent the rest of her life with.

The person she lives with. Although too stubborn to admit it, she was a mess in that apartment.

Any chance she got, she insisted we go to my place instead.

On the rare occasions we stayed at hers, she couldn’t relax.

Jumped at every noise. Jolted if a door slammed.

It fucking broke me to watch her try to force herself to be comfortable in a place she couldn’t be anymore.

Which was why I planned to take two big risks today. Ask her to be with me, and ask her to move in. For her sake and mine. I was sick of not spending every spare moment with her.

Because she was tense, I texted her to let her know I was on my way. Then, once I parked, I texted again to let her know I’d turn off the alarm.

Inside, she opened the door before I made it to the top of the stairs. “Horny already?” She smirked. “It’s barely ten.”

“I’m constantly hard for you, sugar.” I curled my hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a brief kiss. “I don’t know why this is a surprise.”

“You should’ve called. I would’ve come to you.” She pecked me on the lips. “I need to eat first, though. I’m making breakfast. Want some?”

I dragged out a kitchen chair and sat. “I’ll take some if you have it.”

“I’m not capable of cooking for one person. Or two.” She smiled sheepishly. “I grew up cooking for several people. I learned from Dan and he always had friends over. I have no idea how much to make for a single serving of anything. Like, how much spaghetti do you even cook for one person?”

I couldn’t stop my lips from curving up. She was fucking adorable.

“Better than not enough.”

“Are you actually being positive?” She arched a brow. “Mr. I-don’t-know-how-to-smile is finding a silver lining?” She flitted over to me and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. “Are you sick?”

I tsked and tugged her down to straddle my lap. “Hilarious.”

“I know. My humor is why you can’t stay away from me.”

“It is.”

She rolled her eyes and peppered kisses down my neck, her hands twisting in my shirt.

Fuck, I love when she touches me. I palmed her ass and pulled her more snugly against me. “I’m serious, Scarlett.”

She nibbled my neck. “Uh-huh.”

If I didn’t talk soon, her mouth would have me doing a different kind of talking. I eased her back. “I mean it. I love your sense of humor.”

She tilted her head. “You’re being weird. Normally you’d have my clothes off by now. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” I nuzzled her nose, and her brows furrowed. “Maybe I want to be with you like this. Eating breakfast and talking.”

“You don’t socialize.”

“I don’t usually. I never want to.” My pulse raced and turned the rest of me into a fidgeting, anxious mess. “I want to with you.”

It’d be fair if she rejected me after all I’d put her through, but fuck, please don’t reject me . The rest of my life would lose all its color if she weren’t in it.

“Are you trying to let me down gently?” Her arms fell to her sides. “Do you not want me anymore?”

Impossible. “No, Scarlett. I want you. All of you. All the way.”

Her lips parted. “What?”

“I want to be with you. We’re electric, Scarlett.

” I cradled her face, and a lump formed in my throat when her eyes glistened.

“And I want to take that charge with me everywhere I go. I want to wake up with you and fight and make up with you. I want your sarcastic comments. I want that sense of humor and sass every second of every day. I want to make dinner for you and spend the night with you and date you and go to every goddamn art show you ever have so I can watch you become a world-famous artist. I want you to be mine.” I pushed my forehead to hers.

“All of you. Will you be my woman, Scarlett?”

Her wide eyes stared for so many seconds, I feared she might say no. My stomach tied into knots that wouldn’t release unless she said yes.

“Yes.” She kissed me and murmured against my lips, “Yes, I want that so much.”

Everything in me unraveled, and I was glad for it. I’d reform with her. Mold into the kind of man she deserved.

“Fuck, baby, I’m so into you.” I spoke between kisses because I wanted to be close to her. Now and every day of my life. “You’re so important to me. I miss you when I’m not with you.”

She whimpered and tangled her hands in my hair, pulling our kiss deeper. I slid my hand up her shirt onto her back. A huge sense of relief washed over me. She said yes . She was mine .

“Ryker.” She tipped her head back, and I kissed down her neck. “I miss you too. I want to be with you all the time.”

I told myself I wouldn’t tell her I loved her right away. I’d do things right. Wait for a special moment. But I couldn’t fucking wait anymore. I’d wasted too much time already and I didn’t want another should have moment. Fuck it.

“Scarlett.” I cupped her face, adrenaline buzzing through my blood. No one had ever given me a rush like she did. “I’m in love with you.”

Her mouth fell open. “You are?”

“So fucking much,” I whispered. “I love you so much.”

She sniffled. “I love you so much.”

Self-loathing had embedded itself so deeply inside me, I never believed I could love someone. More, I never believed someone could love me .

Then she spoke the words, and that lump in my throat grew. I crashed a kiss on the lips I’d never get tired of and always craved. Her arms locked around my neck and my chest swelled with a warmth and comforting sense of home only she could give me.

I wanted her to move in with me. I considered maybe all this was too soon, but we weren’t normal. We did things our own way. We had from the start, and I didn’t see a reason to stop now.

“Scarlett.” I eased back before I got too distracted by her lips. “One more thing.”

“What?”

“Move—”

It would’ve been perfect. It would’ve been the right time. Except the door opened because I hadn’t locked it, and in walked Danny.

“Hey, honey, I was cleared to come upstairs final—” He froze.

We froze. I wasn’t facing him, but Scarlett was.

Her eyes widened. Silence stretched and I hazarded a glance back, but all Dan did was gape.

We couldn’t bullshit him on this. She was in my lap; my hands were under her shirt.

We’d gotten away with a few things before, but there was no way out of this one.

“Oh, God.” Scarlett slipped off my lap.

I stood and set a hand on her back as I faced Danny. She wouldn’t take the heat alone.

“Danny, I—”

“No. I want to talk to her. You go.”

I lifted my hands in surrender. “Danny—”

“Ryker.” He gestured for the door. “Out. I want to talk to Scarlett.”

“Go.” Scarlett nudged me with her shoulder. “It’s okay.”

I hesitated but she nudged me forward again. Reluctant legs carried me out the door.

Then I waited. For three hours. Three hours. I had no message. Got no response when I texted. I almost walked back in but decided against it. Instead, I went home. Took the dogs for a run. Worked out. Anything to keep me busy, but after another two hours passed, I couldn’t take it.

I didn’t know what to expect or how mad he’d be, but I refused to lose Scarlett. Danny knew I wasn’t good enough for her. I knew that. Hell, anyone would know that. But I’d become good for her, and I’d be damned if I let anything come between us.

When I got to the bar, Tammy informed me Scarlett was at Danny’s, so I headed that way. I thought about knocking but I hadn’t knocked on Danny’s door in about three years. No point starting now.

Inside, voices drew me toward the kitchen where they sat at the table. Scarlett straightened and frowned when I walked in. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to say something.”

I’d never done anything like this, but Scarlett was worth braving the unknown for. I faced Danny. “I’m sorry for going behind your back. I’m sorry for lying when you asked why Scarlett called me. I’m sorry for not being honest with you. I’m not sorry for being with her.”

I set my hand on Scarlett’s shoulder and squeezed. A smile twitched on her lips and provided the boost I needed to keep going.