FORTY FOUR

Lexie

After Ryder dropped Samantha off at the airport on Monday at noon, I went to his penthouse to wait for him there. It was eerie how similar it was to being back in familiar surroundings. As I went from place to place, I stopped to examine the vegetation. As if they had known each other for years. As soon as I entered his room, I was overcome with a surge of excitement. Soon. Soon.

When he arrived, I was so excited that I couldn't help but run into his arms as soon as I saw him.

He had the ability to catch me, and then he lifted me into the air. After wrapping both of my legs around his waist and both of my arms around his neck, I climbed on top of him and laid down. It was a wonderful experience to be squished up against him in this manner. A release that was not solely attributable to sexual activity. I was concerned about him.

When we were both naked and lying in bed later, I told him, "I missed you."

"Me, too. I missed you." It was very cute, but the way he was rubbing his thumb over my nipple was making me wet again. "To be in such close proximity to you but unable to touch you was a living hell."

"What are the chances that we'll be able to explain this to her at some point?" I wondered.

We were both speechless for a short while because we couldn't fathom what had just happened. When pressed further, Ryder admitted, "I don't know." "Lying to her is getting worse and worse," he said.

"Maybe we're giving it too much importance here. It's possible that this won't be a major issue."

Ryder snorted. I didn't even bother continuing that fantasy any further than that. We were both aware that it would have a great deal of significance for Samantha. I continued to stroke his hair as he continued to pet my breasts while he continued to pet his. "What do you find amusing about that?" I inquired, and then I kept my mouth shut. "Never mind."

Ryder turned his head in my direction and gazed at me with those intense eyes of his. "Tell me."

I said, "That's not a joke at all. I have no idea what it could be. I suppose that makes it interesting."

He did not move at all.

"Don't tell her I told you, but Samantha also hides a secret from you," I cautioned. "I told you not to tell her."

"I don't want to hear about my daughter's love life," he told Lexie. "I don't want to hear about it."

“No. It is relevant to her line of work. She has a secret ambition of becoming an actress, but she is too nervous to share it with you." In the same way that you are afraid to tell her about me, she is afraid of you."

Ryder stared at me. "Does Samantha have aspirations of becoming an actress?"

I nodded. "This has been one of her lifelong goals to accomplish. She claimed that you advised her that she should attend college no matter what the circumstances were. She was terrified that if she attempted to go to Los Angeles, she would be overly tempted to start a career in the entertainment business. On the other hand, she intends to do that after she completes her education."

Ryder gave a slight head shake and spoke with his mouth closed. "It's not to my taste, but I'm powerless to change it. I encouraged her to get a college education, and she did so."

"Are you able to conceive of any way in which you could tell her about me, and despite the fact that she wouldn't like it, she would still accept it?"

Because neither of us knew the answer, we decided to ignore the question instead. There was no way that anything could ruin how good it felt to be with each other again. We reverted to our previous practice of spending as much time as possible with one another while carrying on at work as though we were interacting with polite strangers. Even though we continued to have sexual encounters whenever we could and ordered food from restaurants all over the city, we noticed that our connection was growing stronger. Even Samantha was informed of what was taking place with her mother by him.

You paid her one million dollars in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement, right? I made a noise.

Ryder said this with a serious expression on his face, "I'd give her twice that to go the fuck away, but she cares just enough about Samantha to not take it."

In the past, Kim and I had shared some time together. She was stunning in appearance but a terrible person. I was able to see it, but Samantha was unable to. She treated Samantha with concern as if she were a thing in her life. A designer purse. A vacation with a touch of class. When I considered how easily she was willing to hurt Samantha, I found that I was becoming increasingly angry. Therefore, it is not surprising that Ryder went to such great lengths to protect her.

I said, "At least she signed it." "And Samantha will be out of your life once she graduates, right?"

"She took my money anyway, so I don't care," he said.

Even though Ryder didn't show any emotion, I was furious and defensive on his behalf. I gave him a soft kiss and loved him more than I ever had before. I wanted to keep him safe from things that had already happened. Kim. This town. Himself.

When he was asleep at night, I told him things he wasn't ready to hear when he was awake. I love you. He always took slow, steady breaths.

I woke up early on Tuesday with my mouth watering. Not because he was hungry.

My stomach was churning, and I could feel vomit making its way up my esophagus. I had just gotten to the bathroom when I had to throw up. Then I leaned against the toilet made of porcelain.

When Ryder walked through the door with sleepy eyes and stubble on the lower half of his face, I groaned, "Oh, don't," in response to his appearance. Looking way too good for someone to be seeing me at my worst.

In spite of the fact that I instructed him not to, he went ahead and wet a washcloth by walking across the tile to the sink. He got down on his knees next to me and placed it to my head in a very respectful manner. The refreshing water dripped down my cheeks and into my hairline, but it helped me feel better overall. Not any less embarrassed, but significantly improved.

"Do you think it was the fish?" he asked me with a frown on my face.

A feeble shrug was all that I could muster. "Perhaps, but in any case, the experience we shared was the same."

When I was certain that I wasn't going to throw up again, he assisted me in getting back into bed. He pulled the covers up around me and then said, "I'll tell Angie that you called in sick today. Today, you should remain at your home. Feel better."

Home. I couldn't help but wonder if he was aware of how many distinct ideas a single word triggered in my mind. I hadn't been back to Samantha's penthouse in a few weeks, but I still made sure that I didn't refer to it as my home when I was there. However, even just considering it gave me a positive mood. Arriving back at Ryder's house at the end of each day after being away.

While he showered and got ready for work, I curled up with the concept and thought about it. To that you should add. cherished the notion that it had all been a dream. It was like a fishhook had hit me, but by the time he was ready to leave, the sickness that had sent me scurrying to the restroom had become a distant memory.

I responded by saying that I had the impression that I could go to work. "I'll just be a little late."

While he was doing this, Ryder leaned over the bed and pushed me back against the pillows in a gentle manner. "Take some time off, Lexie. After work, I'm meeting up with the guys for happy hour, but I'm going to get out there early."

After he left, I wore the t-shirt he'd slept in as I walked around the penthouse. It smelled like him and was so big on me it was like a sleep shirt. After I ate and was sure that the sickness wasn't coming back, I called my mom. We hadn't talked in a long time.

When she answered, she said, "Hi, stranger." Her voice was full of happiness, and there was no hint of regret about how long it had been. "You should be at work, right?"

I took a look at the time. It's too early for lunch. "I'm taking a sick day. It was the most strange thing ever. I felt sick when I woke up, threw up, and then was fine."

She agreed, "That does sound strange." "Maybe you're pregnant." She laughed when she said it because she was so sure it couldn't be true.

She knew that I hadn't slept with any of my serious college boyfriends, and I hadn't even told her I was dating someone in the city.

The sound of her laughter caused my blood to become ice cold, and then my cheeks became hot. My lungs were completely empty, and I was struggling desperately to draw in another breath. If I had tried, I never would have been able to make myself laugh at anything.

“Lexie? Is there anyone there? her voice became sadder. "Honey, I promise I wasn't serious. I am aware that you are trying to find the one that is best for you.

She was worried that she had offended me in some way. It was possible for me to breathe in sufficient air to help her feel better. "I'm sorry, mom! I'm just–I'm feeling sick again. Could I get your permission to call you back?

After we finished our conversation, I went to Ryder's house, changed into his clothes, and went to the pharmacy that was just down the street. I was relieved that the cashier didn't make any sarcastic remarks about the fact that I had just purchased a pack of condoms as well as a two-pack of pregnancy tests.

After that, I made a break for it, racing back to the penthouse despite the rapid beating of my heart. It was possible that my entire life was about to change, but I had no idea how I felt about that prospect.