It Started with a Bang by Piper James

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ryder

The next morning, I realized I needed to figure out how I was going to get out to the ranch to work with my brothers. We only had the one truck, and the guys had it at the motel where they were still staying. I was getting ready to call Chase and have them swing by to pick me up when Belle walked into the kitchen.

She was wearing a slim-fitting black skirt with a matching jacket. A red blouse peeked out from between the lapels, its shade the same color as the pair of heels on her feet. And her legs looked amazing. I bit the inside of my cheek as I imagined pulling the pins out of her coiled-up hair and fucking her in nothing but those heels.

“Jesus,” I muttered under my breath, cursing myself.

I’d never been as obsessed with sex as I’d been the last few days. What the hell was wrong with me? I’d come more times in the last two days than I ever had in such a short span of time, even in the wild heydays of my youth. My dick should’ve been running for the hills at the thought of going back to work, but no, he was fucking begging for more.

“Good morning,” Belle said, giving me a warm smile on her way to the coffee maker. “Are you headed out to the ranch today?”

“Yeah,” I said, clearing my throat. “I was just about to call Chase and have him swing by to grab me.”

“Oh, isn’t this way out of their way?” she asked.

“It is, but I don’t have any other way to get there. We drove to Texas together in the truck, and there hasn’t been any need to buy another vehicle. I guess I’ll have to make some time to swing by the dealership, now that I’m not living with them at the motel anymore.”

She pursed her lips for a moment, then nodded. Walking across the kitchen, she pulled open a drawer and plucked out a set of keys. Dangling them in the air in front of me, she snatched them back as I moved to take them from her.

“I’m trusting you, here,” she said, then slapped the keys into my palm. “My Wrangler is in the barn out back. I usually only drive it on the weekends when the weather is good, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t my baby. So take care of her.”

“A Jeep?” I asked, trying to picture my new wife riding down backroads with the wind blowing in her hair.

“Sugar,” she said, nodding. “I’ve got to go, or I’m going to be late.”

She kissed my mouth and strode out before I could ask what the hell she meant by “sugar.” I watched her go, her ass looking like a peach I wanted to take a big, juicy bite out of. Squeezing the keyring in my hand, I grabbed my travel mug of coffee and left, calling out to Thanos to be a good boy while we were gone.

I wandered out to the large barn out back. After undoing the latches and sliding open the oversized doors, my eyes widened at the sight of Belle’s Jeep.

Sitting on four oversized tires, it glittered in the sunlight streaming through the barn doors. Lifted to the point where even I would need to use the step-rails, it was equipped with all the bells and whistles. A large winch on the front end. Custom rims. A light bar across the top of the windshield. The top was off, and the doors had been removed, making it the ultimate summertime vehicle.

“Sugar,” I mumbled, seeing how the light reflected off the glitter in the glossy white paint.

When I climbed in and started the engine, it purred like a kitten. I could tell Belle loved this car by how pristine it was. I made a mental note to heed her words and be careful when driving it.

I pulled it out onto the gravel drive and hopped down to close the barn. Back in the driver’s seat, I drove slowly until I was out on the main road that led into town. Giving her a little more speed, I reveled in the way the wind blew through my hair. The sun was still low over the sky, so it wasn’t unbearably hot yet. I couldn’t restrain my smile, and decided I would look into buying myself one of these when my brothers and I went home to L.A.

At that thought, my smile fell. I’d been constantly complaining and looking forward to going home since we arrived in Texas, but I hadn’t thought of leaving once in days. The mere idea of it soured my mood, and I didn’t really know how to process that.

I knew my change of heart was because of Belle, but this thing between us had an expiration date. It was temporary. And we were just having a little fun in the meantime.

Okay. A lot of fun.

But that was it. Nothing more. It was what we both wanted, wasn’t it?

“Yes, of course it is,” I mumbled as I pulled carefully onto the long drive that led to the ranch.

“Hey, Uncle Ryder,” Daniel called out as I hopped down from the Jeep. “Nice car!”

“I’ll take you for a ride in it later, kiddo,” I said, smiling at the way his eyes lit up. “Where is everyone?”

The overgrown yard was empty, and the front porch looked to be nearly restored. Daniel pointed to the right of the house, and I made my way over there. When I rounded the corner, I found my brothers seated in a circle on overturned buckets. They each had a breakfast sandwich in their hand, and they were laughing at something.

“I hope you assholes brought one of those for me,” I called out as I walked toward them.

“Oh, if it isn’t our long-lost brother, Ryder!” Noah exclaimed. “We thought you might’ve shacked up with a hooker in Vegas and decided to stay.”

Chase slapped him on the back of the head, making me chuckle. Noah wasn’t going to get under my skin this morning.

“Nope,” I said, holding up my left hand. “I’m a married man, now.”

“Holy shit, he went through with it,” Noah replied, his mouth hanging open.

“Pay up, fucker,” Chase said, holding out a palm expectantly.

“You made bets on whether or not I’d go through with it?” I asked, arching a brow.

“Not me. I stayed out of it,” Ethan said, holding his palms in the air.

“What were the odds?” I asked, cocking my head.

“Three-to-one you’d back out last minute,” Noah grumbled, pulling a few bills from his wallet and slapping them into Chase’s waiting palm.

“How’d you even get here?” Chase asked, tucking his winnings into his wallet. “I would’ve come to pick you up.”

“No worries,” I said, plopping down on the only empty bucket. “Belle lent me her weekend car.”

“She has a weekend car?” Ethan asked, his voice curious.

“Yeah, a Jeep Wrangler.”

“Nice,” Noah said, nodding before growing serious. “Okay, spill.”

“What?” I asked innocently.

“Don’t play stupid, Ryder,” he responded, narrowing his eyes. “You went to Vegas, got married to help a stranger out of a terrible predicament, and now you come back looking like the cat who ate the canary.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said, my gaze cutting away from him.

I tried to keep my expression blank, but a goofy smile forced my lips up.

“Holy shit. You slept with her, didn’t you?” Noah accused.

“Noah,” Chase said, his voice low and filled with warning.

“It’s none of our business,” Ethan added, giving Noah a pointed look.

“But—” Noah started, but I cut him off.

“Ethan’s right. It’s none of your business. All you need to know is we got married, and everything is going according to plan. Belle is going to tell her dad today.”

“By herself?” Chase asked. “Shouldn’t you be there? For moral support or something?”

“I offered,” I shot back defensively. “She said it would be better if she faced him alone.”

“No need to get offended,” he said, holding up his palms in surrender. “I was just surprised you didn’t insist.”

I shrugged. “She knows him better than anyone. If she thinks it will go better if I’m not there, who am I to argue?”

I’m her husband.

That inner voice had been plaguing me since last night when Belle told me she wanted to break the news to Jaxson alone. Some protective instinct inside me demanded that I insist on backing her up with her dad. It didn’t feel right, sending her out to face the big bad wolf by herself, and it seemed Chase, at least, agreed with me. I shook my head and voiced the words I’d been telling myself all morning.

“This is Belle’s plan. I have to let it play out the way she wants.”

“Okay,” Chase said, nodding.

I could see Noah staring at me in my peripheral vision. I let out an audible sigh before meeting his eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing. You just seem…different,” he said, then nodded. “Happier.”

“Are you getting sappy on me, brother?” I said, trying to steer the conversation away from myself.

I was happier, but that wasn’t something I wanted to talk about. Or think about too much. Because the thing making me happier wasn’t permanent. And I really didn’t want to think about it coming to an end.