It Started with a Bang by Piper James

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Annabelle

“I’m not going into the office today.”

I groaned the words as I flipped over, giving Ryder my back as he tried to coerce me out of bed the next morning. I’d woken up before the sun made an appearance to find Ryder still asleep and naked beside me. I ran my fingertips over his chest and abdomen, stroking him gently until he woke up and gave me a proper good morning, then promptly fell back asleep.

Now he was up, showered, and dressed, and he was trying to lure me out of bed with coffee and bagels. But I’d already decided I was taking the day off. And I wasn’t calling Dad to tell him, either. He could suck it.

I was still upset with him, and there was no fucking way I was going in and pretending like everything was normal.

“You’re not?” Ryder asked, perching on the edge of the bed behind me.

His palm brushed over my back, massaging gently upward as his fingers soothed the tension in my shoulders and neck. I looked over my shoulder to meet his eyes so he’d know I was serious.

“Nope.”

“Okay,” he said, cocking his head. “Do you plan to stay in bed all day?”

“Maybe. If you stay here with me,” I teased, wagging my eyebrows up and down.

“Tempting,” he said, shaking his head as he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and bit down. “But my brothers are going to beat my ass if I don’t show up to help them at the ranch.”

“Fine,” I sighed.

“Come with me,” he blurted.

“To the ranch?” I asked, flipping over to face him fully.

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “My brothers would love to see you again, and we’d love the help, if you’re up to the challenge.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you insinuating I can’t handle a little manual labor?”

“Have you ever held a hammer?” he countered.

When I just glared at him, he reached over and smacked my ass with a laugh.

“I’m kidding. Get out of bed, lazy bones. We’re leaving in fifteen.” He stood and walked toward the door, spinning back around at the last second. “And Belle?”

“Yeah?” I replied, sitting up and tucking the sheet under my armpits.

“Wear something you don’t mind getting dirty.”

“Oh, am I going to get dirty, Mr. Perry?” I asked, a teasing grin on my face.

“Very dirty, Mrs. Perry.”

He spun around and was gone before my heart returned to its normal, steady beat. Hearing him call me “Mrs. Perry” had thrown it out of synch, and I cursed myself for being so affected by it as I climbed from the bed.

The title was just as temporary as this whole relationship. I’d do well to remember that.

After a hurried shower, I dressed in a pair of ripped-up denim shorts and a black tank top. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun, pulled on some socks and a pair of work boots, and met Ryder in the kitchen. He waited with a bagel stuffed with cream cheese and a travel mug presumably filled with coffee.

His body froze at the sight of me, only his eyes moving as they travelled down my body and back up again. I cocked out a hip and lifted my hands in the air.

“What do you think?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“What?” I asked, confused. I looked down at myself. “Why not?”

“The second he gets a look at you in that outfit, Noah is going to be all over you.” He shook his head. “Go change into something that covers more skin. And is baggier. Yeah, baggy is good.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” I said, moving forward and taking the breakfast from him as I kissed him on the cheek. “I’ve never seen you jealous before. I don’t hate it.”

I gave him a cheeky grin before taking a bite of the bagel. He tilted his head back with a sigh, then rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s go.”

The ride to the ranch was pleasantly quiet. Ryder held my hand as I ate my breakfast and drank the coffee. His eyes kept darting from the road to my bare legs, and I stretched them out, tightening my thigh muscles and spreading my knees slightly every time he glanced over.

It was fun, teasing him, but deep down his sneak peeks were affecting me on a whole other level. I’d never had someone so blatantly attracted to me. Ryder couldn’t keep his eyes or his hands off me, and that made me feel…beautiful. Powerful. And richer than all the money in my trust fund.

He pulled Sugar to a stop in the driveway of the run-down ranch and killed the engine. Before I could climb down, his hand shot forward, his fingers gripping my neck lightly as he leaned in for a kiss. His mouth devoured mine, his tongue exploring as his free hand gripped my bare thigh.

The kiss ended abruptly, but his hold on me remained as he stared into my eyes.

“I know what you were doing, Mrs. Perry,” he said, setting my heart aflutter again. “And you’re going to pay for it later.”

“Promises. Promises,” I sighed.

His fingers danced across my skin as he released his grip on me. His smile turned devilish as he leaned even closer, whispering in my ear.

“I always keep my promises, Belle.”

Then he was gone, hopping down from the Jeep and striding around the hood. I climbed down from my seat, taking his offered hand. He squeezed my fingers before releasing them as Daniel darted forward from the shade of a nearby tree.

“Hey, Aunt Annabelle! What are you doing here?”

He hopped from foot to foot as he waited for my answer, but my brain disconnected from my mouth at the word “aunt.” Ryder’s hand landed on my back, offering comfort and support as he leaned over to get Daniel’s attention.

“Did Uncle Noah tell you to call her that?” Ryder asked.

Daniel’s little cheeks turned pink as he scuffed one toe across the dirt. “He said it would make her happy.”

He looked so crestfallen, my heart cracked a little. Placing a hand on Ryder’s arm to cut off whatever he’d been about to say, I squatted down to bring myself face-to-face with Daniel.

“It made me very happy, Daniel,” I said softly.

“It did?” he asked, his face brightening.

“Mm, hmm,” I said. “You can call me whatever you like, because we’re friends now, right?”

“Yeah. Friends,” he said, giving me a gapped-tooth smile.

“I’m going to thank Uncle Noah for making Annabelle so happy,” Ryder said, ruffling Daniel’s hair as he passed. “Daniel, can you show her around?”

“Sure can,” the boy said enthusiastically. “Come on, Aunt Annabelle!”

He wrapped his fingers around mine and tugged, pulling me in the opposite direction of where Ryder disappeared around the corner. Daniel chattered happily as he showed me the horse corrals, a large broken-down stable, and a small fishing pond with a rickety dock. He picked up a rock and tossed it into the water before turning to face me.

“You know how to fish, Aunt Annabelle?” he asked.

“I sure do,” I said. At his skeptical expression, I added, “What? You think I’m lying?”

“You’re a girl,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“And girls are as good at fishing as boys,” I said. “My brother Max used to take me fishing with him all the time when we were younger.”

“He doesn’t take you anymore?” he asked, his face falling.

“Well, he moved away, so it seems I need a new fishing buddy,” I said, tapping a finger against my chin. “I wonder who I should pick.”

“Me!” he shouted. “Pick me!”

“I don’t know,” I said cocking my head. “Do you even know how to fish?”

His shoulders drooped as his face turned down. “Not really. I’ve never been fishing before.”

“Hey, kiddo,” I said and waited for him to look back up at me. “I was just teasing you. Of course, I want you to be my new fishing buddy.”

“Seriously?” he asked, his mood instantly lightening.

“Seriously,” I said. “Just don’t tell your dad or uncles where my secret fishing spots are, and I’ll show you where the biggest fish swim.”

I held out a hand, and he took it, giving it a firm shake. Spinning around, Daniel took off back toward the house, and I had to jog a little to keep up. He slowed when we reached the overgrown front lawn, and he pointed out the best place to find roly-polys, his favorite spot to read, and the fire ant hills I should steer clear of before leading me around the back.

The Perry brothers were gathered in a loose circle, and Noah had a big shit-eating grin on his face as we approached. I shot him a smirk as Daniel flew toward them shouting about how I was going to take him fishing to my secret spots and none of them were allowed to go.

“Is that so?” Chase asked, resting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Not even me?”

“Oh, uh…” Daniel’s words tapered off as he turned to give me a pleading stare. “Can we please bring Dad?”

“Yeah, and what about me?” Ryder cut in with a smirk. “Wives shouldn’t hide the locations of their secret fishing spots from their husbands.”

Poor Daniel looked like he was going to pee his pants. He wore an anxious expression as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. It was obvious he was feeling guilty for mentioning it at all, which made me feel terrible.

“I suppose your dad can come,” I said, noting Daniel’s relief as I pretended to consider the others. “Uncle Ryder can come, too. And Uncle Ethan.”

I purposefully zipped my lips after that and waited. It only took a moment for Noah to realize I’d excluded him, and I fought to keep a straight face as his head jerked back.

“Hey, what about me?” he asked. “I want to go fishing, too.”

“I don’t know if that would make me happy, Noah,” I said. “Don’t you want me to be happy?”

His eyes narrowed, making Chase chuckle. Ethan smiled, and Ryder put his arm over my shoulders and pulled me in close to his side. I smirked at Noah, who shook his head before nodding in respect at my dig.

“Aunt Annabelle? Can Uncle Noah please come, too? He’s a lot of fun, I promise,” Daniel said.

I sucked in a deep breath, held it, and let it out on a sigh. “I guess so.”

“Yay!” Daniel shouted, holding up his small hand for Noah to high-five. “You can come with us!”

“Thanks for the support, buddy,” Noah said, slapping his hand against his nephew’s.

“Okay, let’s get to work,” Chase said, clapping his hands together. “This project isn’t going to finish itself.”

As the others trailed away to go pick up where they left off, Chase stopped me with a hand on my arm. I turned back to face him, and he gave me a grateful smile.

“Thanks for humoring him. He’s been a little lonely here, with no friends to play with. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to take him fishing if you don’t want to.”

“Chase,” I said, laying my hand on his shoulder. “He’s an awesome little boy, and I’d love to take him fishing any time he wants. How’s this weekend looking for you guys?”

“We’re free,” he said, his lips curving up into a grin.

He was a handsome guy, all muscled and tan like his brothers. His brown hair was a little shaggy, but it suited him. With those amber-gold eyes, he was quite the specimen. And underneath that near-perfect exterior was a genuinely nice guy and, from what I could tell, an excellent father.

Maybe I should introduce him to Ember…

I pushed the thought aside as Chase and I headed toward the back porch of the house. Ember probably wouldn’t be interested in Chase. Noah was more her type. Rowdy troublemakers were her kryptonite. She wasn’t looking for Mr. Right—only Mr. Right Now.

I bet Sage would like him, though.

Before I could explore the thought further, Ryder stepped out onto the porch and called my name. I returned his smile as he waved me forward, asking me if I’d like to help him finish removing the drywall in one of the bedrooms.

I nodded in agreement, not even nervous that I knew nothing about the task. I knew Ryder would be patient and kind, just like he always was when teaching me something new.

I could feel my face heat at the thought, and of course, Ryder noticed. He waited until we were alone in the back bedroom before bringing it up.

“What are you thinking about that has your cheeks so pink?” he asked, one side of his mouth lifting in synch with his eyebrow.

“Oh, nothing really,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me up against him so I couldn’t get away. He stared into my eyes like he was trying to hypnotize me into telling him the truth like those vampires that use compulsion on T.V. It totally worked.

“Fine. I was thinking about how I don’t know how to do this construction stuff, but that’s okay because you’re an amazing teacher.”

“And that had you blushing?” he asked, then his eyes widened as understanding dawned. “What, exactly, have I taught you, Belle?”

His voice deepened into a husky growl, and I could feel his cock hardening against my belly. As inappropriate as the time and place were, my blood zinged through my veins, and I couldn’t stop myself from rubbing against him.

“Get a room,” a deep voice boomed from somewhere else in the house, and I leapt away from Ryder.

“Shut up, Noah,” Ryder barked, then looked at me. “Ignore him. He’s an asshole.”

I nodded, but the moment was over. I’d somehow forgotten there were three men and a child on the property with us. And most of the walls had big holes in them as the guys slowly removed and replaced the drywall.

Ryder mumbled something derogatory about Noah under his breath and shook his head. He grabbed my hand, pulled me forward, and kissed my cheek before whispering into my ear.

“We’ll continue this conversation at home,” he said, then slapped my ass and declared it was time to get to work.

And despite the job being hard, dirty work, I ended the day filled with wonder and pride at what I’d accomplished. I found a whole new appreciation for what these guys did, and realized why they loved it. It was very fulfilling, looking at that house and actually seeing physical proof of all my hard work.

I never expected it to make me feel so…full. Or that I would want to come back and do it again. I could ask Ryder to bring me on the weekends when I didn’t need to be at the office. Or I could take a few half-days and head out here for the afternoon.

Of course, that train of thought led me down a path I wasn’t ready to visit—what would happen when this place was done. The Perry brothers would head back to L.A., and if and when my contract with Ryder was over, he’d go with them.

I pushed the thoughts aside with a shake of my head. Those were Future-Belle’s worries. And Present-Belle just wanted to enjoy every minute of this while it lasted.