And when at last he leaned down and drank her lips softly, the pain in her chest was replaced with a fluttering, happy feeling. Ryder sipped at her for minutes, or maybe hours, she didn’t know. Lexi lost all sense of time as he pulled her over on her side and held her close, wrapped his arms around her and made her feel so safe as he kissed on and on.
Completely sated, Lexi eased back and smiled emotionally at him.
Ryder’s chronic smile was gone, and in its place was a tender expression as he tucked her hair behind her ear. Lexi smoothed the slight frown from his eyebrows, ran her fingertips down his cheek, down his neck, and hesitated at a small scar under his collar bone. It was raised and silver, but perfectly straight, as if it had been done on purpose.
“What’s this?” she whispered, resting her cheek on his outstretched arm to better see him.
“Owls don’t mark each other, but boars mark the people who are theirs. Mason gave my mom two cuts when I was five, claiming her. My dad had just signed away parental rights, and I wanted Mason to keep me so bad. He was hurt in a boar war in Damon’s Mountains, and the crews thought he wouldn’t make it. I remember just sitting at the foot of his bed and crying because I wanted him to stay.” A thin rim of moisture lined Ryder’s eyes, but he kept his gold gaze steady on her. “I’d made up my mind that no matter what, I was his boy. So I took a sharp stick and cut a mark into my skin. It was too shallow, and the scar wouldn’t take because of my shifter healing. So when Mason finally woke up, my mom told me I had to tell him what I’d done so he could get onto me for hurting myself. But instead of punishing me, he knelt down in front of me, pulled his pocket knife from his back pocket, and gave me one mark. And he hugged me up and told me I was his.” Ryder swallowed hard. “And that’s why I don’t like to talk about my real dad. I have no right to mourn. Mason might not be blood-related to me, but he’s my dad.”
So incredibly thankful that he’d shared that with her, Lexi scooted closer and hugged Ryder close. She’d loved him before that admission, but now her heart belonged to him completely.
“Lexi?” he murmured against her ear.
“Yeah?”
He pressed his lips to her cheek, let the kiss linger there before he whispered, “I think you’re what I’ve always been looking for.”
Chapter Eight
Ryder blew out a harsh breath and forced himself to stop shaking his leg under the table. Serena had texted him twice this morning, promising to let him see Dottie for their Tuesday call. Head games. It was like she sensed he was on the mend after the wreckage she’d turned his life into, so now she was back to sink her claws in deeper. Wouldn’t work, though. His heart belonged to Lexi now.
Still, he missed Dottie so fucking badly.
It was time to call Serena, but he couldn’t make himself hit the connect button on his laptop. The thought of even talking to his ex made his stomach feel like he’d eaten a dozen gas station burritos. This was the moment he had to choose between hanging onto Dottie, or letting her go and cutting ties with the woman who’d tried to destroy him.
Alana sat across the table from him, straightened her bright pink Alana’s Coffee & Sweets apron, and lifted her gold eyes to him.
“You smell like fur,” he gritted out. She was a brawler. If he was in his owl form right now, she would have every feather on his body puffed up defensively.
“As your second best friend, I don’t want you to call Serena. That woman is poison, Air Ryder. I like Lexi for you instead.” Whoo, full nick-name. Alana was serious.
Ryder pulled up Serena’s messages and pushed his phone across the table.
Alana’s deep scar on her lip stretched as she read the messages out loud. “You there? I have been thinking a lot about everything and how much I hurt you. I’m sorry, Ry-Ry. I just want you to come back to me so I can make it up to you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy. Me, you, and Dottie can be a family again. To show you I’m serious, I promise I’ll let you talk to Dottie today when you call. I love you, Ry-Ry.” Alana gagged and scrunched up her face. She tucked a fallen curl behind her ear, settled the phone on the table, and leveled him with a look. “You want to know what I think?”
“You’ll tell me even if I say no.”
“Yep. I think bitch-face saw you post about how happy you are on your social media. She’s following you, Ryder. She’s one of those women who doesn’t really want you but wants you chasing her. I’m sorry about Dottie, but don’t call Serena. Don’t do it.”
“I wasn’t considering a call to rekindle things, Alana. Lexi has me now. I wanted to say goodbye to Dottie. I just have a feeling this is my last chance to see my dog, you know?”
“Ryder, you love her too hard.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean when you pick something, you give it your whole heart. You did that with Dottie, I know. But this is one of those things where you need to stop lookin’ back and realize what you have in front of you.”
“Lexi.”
“Yeah, and Sprinkles and your crew, your friends, your family. You want everyone you love gathered close for always, but you have no control over Dottie, and seeing her one last time isn’t going to help anything. It’s going to give Serena motivation to keep you under her thumb.” Alana stood up and ruffled his hair, shoved his head. “I’ve known Lexi for a long time. We went to middle school and high school together, and she was always steady. She was kind to everyone. Lexi is a good woman who would never treat you like Serena has done. Covet her, Ryder. Don’t call your ex.”