Take the Bride (The Knight Brothers 1.5)

“What are you doing?”

“Making you feel.”

And then they were rocking together, face to face, eye to eye as he hit her clit with every roll of his hips against hers. It was sweet and emotional, the waves building as he made love to her, slowly and deliberately taking them both up and over.

And when she came, his hands were in her hair, pulling her into him, sealing his lips over hers as the pulsing of his erection and the low, satisfied groan told her he came, too.

They came together.

* * * *

The ride home was silent. Ryder left Sierra alone with her thoughts, knowing his words had already come from the heart and his actions had left her with no lingering doubt about how he felt. He loved her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

But she’d made her feelings clear, too. She needed time. So they had packed their wedding clothes and extra resort wear, pulling things together and using extra laundry bags from the hotel to put their resort clothing in. He’d tossed everything into the trunk and off they went.

He drove her to the apartment building where she and her brothers resided. The place itself was owned by Knight Time Technology and all the siblings lived in separate apartments in the building. Sebastian with his wife, Ashley, Ethan, alone now that Mandy was gone, and Parker.

Sierra, he knew, had packed her things to officially move in with Jason after they returned from their honeymoon. She was going home to big boxes and everything unsettled.

He hated it.

He wanted to be there to make things easier for her, but she’d insisted that she was going home alone. That they weren’t returning as a couple.

Fine.

He could accept what she wanted for now, but that didn’t mean he was leaving her to deal with the shit storm he’d caused and she’d left behind.

For tonight, he walked her up to her door, making sure she got home safely, and kissed her good night—a long, lingering, sizzling kiss that hopefully would keep her tossing and turning all night long.

Then he went home alone to think.

And to plan.

* * * *

Sierra stared at the taped-up boxes that filled her living room and wanted to cry at the sight. When she’d packed them up, she’d been excited to start her new life. Now she had to undo it all.

Sunlight streamed through the window in the living room, casting a glow directly on the wrapped packages, the gifts from the wedding. Her stomach churned at the sight. Obviously her brothers had decided this was the best place to leave them. Somehow she’d have to return them all. Make sure everyone who’d given her a gift got a refund.

She ran a hand over her eyes, wishing she had her Keurig, but that was packed in a box, along with her coffee pods, sugar, and cups. What she needed was a Starbucks run before tackling anything here, including letting her brothers know she was home.

She grabbed her purse and started for the door when she heard a knock. Oh, no. Ryder must have spoken to Sebastian already, and instead of going to work, he was here to…

What? Lecture her? Hug her?

She swung the door open wide, speaking as she did. “Sebastian, I was going to call— Ryder. What are you doing here?”

He stood at her door wearing a pair of aviator glasses that looked sexy on his face, a backwards ball cap that reminded her of their day on the lake at the Poconos, and food. But she hadn’t expected to see him again… well, not until she was ready.

“I come bearing sustenance.” He held out a Starbucks bag. “Venti vanilla latte with three extra pumps of syrup and a pumpkin loaf.” He dangled the bag as a peace offering.

She narrowed her gaze. “How do you know my order?” Or at least the order she would use on a day she was feeling particularly down.

He shrugged. “I asked your brother.”

So he had spoken to Sebastian, which meant she was going to have company times three… four if you counted Ashley, very soon. She hadn’t even called her own friends yet, unsure of how to explain what she’d done. It was going to be easier to rationalize why Ryder had interrupted the ceremony than why she’d left with him, she thought, cheeks burning.

Ryder cleared his throat. “Can I come in?”

She stepped aside so he could enter and shut the door behind him, accepting the coffee and bag with the treat. She stepped toward the kitchen and put everything down on the counter.

She turned, realizing he’d followed closely behind. He looked better than she did, his faded jeans and black shirt giving him a sexy appearance, while she wore a clean pair of sweats from the Poconos resort and a T-shirt with a logo on it.