Page 40 of The Secret Clause
17
Chase
“Aren’tyoumeanttobe having a sleepover?” I ask Ryan when she stomps into my bedroom, slamming the door closed behind her.
She slaps at the wall and winces as the room floods with white light. I toss my phone onto the bedside table and sit up as she moves to my drawers, peeling them open one by one before she chirps happily, pulling out one of my black sweaters. “I am. Obviously. With you.”
“Oh,obviously.” I hum, fighting my grin as she strips off her jeans and T-shirt and kicks them to the corner of the room. “What happened to girls’ night?”
“We did girls’ night,” she chirps, a bright grin overtaking her face. “It was super fun. But Grace fell asleep, and then Eli got home and decided shehadto sleep in a real bed, because apparently Santa can’t deliver presents if he can’t get to the Christmas tree…”
“Can’t fault his logic.” I laugh at the scowl she sends me, her nose wrinkling in the most adorable way as her lips purse. “And then what did you do?”
“Drank wine, ateallthe chocolate, and then Bailey got out the tequila.” She shudders, hugging my jumper to her chest.
“Are you going to put that on?” I ask, gesturing at her lingerie-clad body. She frowns, glancing at the material as if it’s personally offended her. I slide out of bed, closing the short distance between us, and take the jumper from her hands. “Arms up, baby.”
She sighs happily, doing as requested, and lets me slip her arms through the holes before tugging it over her head and down her body, where it stops mid-thigh. She tucks her face into the neck as I slide my hands under the back, reaching for the clip of her bra. “Why do your clothes always smell so much better than mine?”
“I use better detergent.” I press a kiss to her forehead and nudge her in the direction of the en suite. She ambles around, and I leave her to it for a minute, the trickle of the tap filling the otherwise empty room as she brushes her teeth.
“What did you do tonight?” she asks, sauntering back into the room. She fiddles with her hair, grumbling as she tries to wrangle the mess of waves into a bun at the top of her head. I shuck my joggers off, tug my top over my head, and climb back into bed, leaning against the headboard as Ryan comes back into the room.
“I was on Santa duty, wrapping the rest of Eli’s presents while he and Sarah were out so she wouldn’t see them.”
She hums happily. “That’s nice. You’re a good egg, Chase.” I snort, folding my arms over my chest as she slaps her hands through the air, whooping to herself when she finds the light switch.
The light dims, leaving only the soft glow from my bedside lamp.
“Did you know we’re having marriage and getting babies?”
I bite back my laugh, folding my arms over my chest. “How does one have marriage?”
“I dunno.” Ryan spins, stumbling over her feet and bumping into the frame at the foot of my bed. “Fuck’s sake, why would you put that there?” I laugh and peel back the covers so she can crawl into bed. “Your dimples are stupid.”
“And you’re very drunk,” I tell her as she climbs over me, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
“I am. But I’m happy.”
“Yeah?” I ask, cupping her cheek before claiming her lips in a soft kiss.
“Yeah.” She hiccups, then kisses me deeply for a beat before flinging herself face down on the mattress. “Your mum is a cool mum. Did you know that? She wasn’t mad at me about keeping you a secret. She even threatened to dismember you if you ever hurt me, so don’t do that, ’kay?”
“I have no plans to hurt you, baby.”
“You promise?” she asks quietly, flipping onto her side.
“I promise. I think I’m going to keep you around for a very long time, Ryan Parker.”
“That sounds nice,” she murmurs, her eyes drooping closed. “Can you keep me around forever? I think I’d like that.”
Yeah. Forever sounds pretty good.“Anything for you, Ry.”
Heat encases me, my body buzzing to life as a soft mouth closes around me.
Ryan hums, and my eyes snap open as she traces my length, teasing me with her soft tongue. She flicks her eyes to mine, hunger in the depths as she hollows her cheeks, sucking me to the back of her throat.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I groan when she gags around me, my hand moving to grip her head. I find the elastic holding her hair together and tug at it until the strands fall loose. My fingers thread through them, tugging gently as she pulls back, lapping at the precum trickling from my tip before swallowing me back down.