Sadie
ONE WEEK LATER, I opened the door and grinned. Ryder held a bouquet of lavender roses in front of his face and he lowered them with a wink. He’d had an emergency at work the Saturday before, so we weren’t able to see each other, and we’d only managed a few stolen hours over the past few days, but today was a promise of quality time which I’d been looking forward to.
“Hey.” He leaned down to kiss me as he stepped inside.
“Hi. What are those for?” I asked.
“You’re getting your first driving lesson.”
I frowned. “What?”
“Today’s the day, baby. You’re going to learn to drive.”
“Oh, really?” I challenged. “So, you think you can butter me up with roses?”
“Somethin’ like that. Is it working?”
“Not in the slightest,” I lied, and pulled a vase down from the kitchen cabinet.
“You’re gonna do great.”
I shook my head as I filled the vase with water and set the roses inside. “We can’t start lessons. I don’t have my learner’s permit.”
“We’re gonna stick to the parking lot of the school.”
“Your truck’s really big.”
“Didn’t bring my truck.”
“You didn’t? How are we going to drive?”
He chuckled. “I’ve got a car.”
“You do?” I asked, surprised.
“Got a bike too, but we’ll start with driving lessons first. My Harley might be a bit much for you right now.”
“Oh, you’re hilarious.” I faced him and bit my lip. “We don’t need to do this. I’m happy to take the bus.”
Ryder crossed his arms. “Sadie, you really should know how to drive.”
“Why?” I challenged. “Is it one of those laws where now that I’m no longer a nun I have to actually function in real society?”
He laughed. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”
“I don’t want to ruin your...” I frowned. “What did you bring?”
“A very tame sedan.”
“I don’t want to ruin your very tame sedan.”
“Babe, you can’t. We’ll stick to a big empty parking lot and it’ll all be good.”
“Is it red?” I asked as I arranged the roses. “I’ve heard a statistic where more red cars get pulled over than any other.”
“It’s silver, and we’re unlikely to get pulled over in a parking lot.”
I bit my lip again. “Okay, but if I’m really bad, can we give up?”
He grinned. “No way.”
“I’m a really slow learner.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
I wrinkled my nose with a sigh. “I’m blind?”
“Nope.”
“I might have contacts, you don’t know... and I might be out of them. One Eight Hundred Contacts might have been closed.”
He crossed his arms and cocked his head. “Do you have contacts, Sadie?”
“No,” I grumbled.
Ryder stepped toward me, placing his hands on the counter, pinning me in. “Damn, you’re cute.”
“Bargaining is cute to you?”
“You’re not getting out of this driving lesson. You know it, I know it, and yet, you’re coming up with all these ludicrous excuses, that you know are ludicrous, and doin’ it while standing in the middle of your kitchen staring at me with a goofy grin on your gorgeous face. So, yeah, you’re cute.”
My word, he was sexy.
He grinned and leaned closer. “I’m gonna kiss you now.”
I licked my lips. “You are?”
Ryder nodded. “Yeah, baby, I am.”
“Okay,” I whispered, and his mouth covered mine. I gripped his shirt as he stroked my cheek, laying a thumb against my chin and pressing gently. I opened my mouth and his tongue swept inside, making my knees weak.
Wowzer. This was even better than the first time.
Ryder broke the kiss and rested his forehead against mine. “Damn,” he breathed out.
I smiled. “I still really like that.”
He chuckled. “Me too.”
“Can we do it again?”
His answer was to pull me closer and kiss me again. This time I broke the kiss with a groan. “I see why women fall under the spell of men.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
Ryder cupped my cheeks and grinned. “I see why men are fascinated with ex-nuns.”
“Oh, really? That’s a thing?”
“It’s a thing now.” He released me and stepped back. “Time to drive.”
“Darn,” I breathed out.
“We can make out a little more if you want,” he offered.
“Yes, please.”
“But then we’re going to drive.”
I wrinkled my nose even as I began to lean toward him. We made out for far less time than I would have liked and then he led me downstairs and to his “tame sedan.” A beautiful silver BMW that probably cost as much as my annual paycheck.
“Direct me to your new school and we’ll start there,” he said after he’d closed me in.
I did as he asked and was relieved to find the lot was completely empty. He smiled at me from the driver’s side and squeezed my hand. “Ready?”
“No.”
“Come on, baby, you’re gonna do great.”
I swapped places with him and he gave me a tutorial on how to adjust the seats (I had to move them forward a lot, since he was six-one and I was five-four), and then he walked me through the basic information of what everything did.
“So the left pedal is the accelerator and the right is the brake?” I asked.
“No, the—”
“Kidding,” I joked, interrupting him.
Ryder grinned as he shook his head. “Cute, baby.”
I really loved it when he called me “baby.”
Was that weird? That was probably weird.
“What?” he asked.
“What, what?”
“You have a funny look on your face.”
“I thought I was cute,” I challenged.
He laughed. “Always, but you looked a little weirded out.”
“I really like it when you call me ‘baby,’ and I was thinking it was kind of weird that I liked it so much.” Yep, I just spit it out like that... I really was weird.
“It’s not weird.”
“No?”
Ryder shook his head and kissed me gently. “Nope.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Okay,” he mimicked, and sat back in his seat. “Start her up.”
“Um, how?”
“Right. Insert the key here and just press the button.”
I pressed the button and then pressed it again. Nothing.
“It’s okay, Sadie, you don’t have to press it twice. Once turns it on, twice turns it off.”
I nodded and did as he instructed, the car humming quietly at his direction. “Oh, that was easy.” I slid the car into drive and pressed the accelerator... and was not prepared for the car lurching forward. I slammed on the brake and squeezed my eyes shut at the sound of Ryder’s expletive. “Sorry, sorry,” I rushed to say.
Ryder laid his hand on one of mine, tugging gently. I released the death grip I had on the steering wheel and my hands lost their white pallor.
“This is never going to work,” I complained.
“It’s gonna take some time, baby. You’ll get it.”
“Before or after I ruin your car?”
“Hopefully before,” he admitted.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He smiled. “Ready to try again?”
“Nope.”
“After you put the car in drive, let your foot off the brake slowly. The car will move forward without the accelerator, then you can add speed as you need it. Got it?”
“Nope.”
He chuckled and lifted my hand to his lips, kissing my palm. “You can do it.”
I grumbled my disagreement as he released my hand and I tried again.
We spent close to two hours in the parking lot and I almost cried when Ryder said we were done with the lesson. I slid the car in park and faced him. “How bad?”
“Baby, you did great.”
I bit my lip and shook my head. “You’re being really gracious right now.”
He stroked my cheek. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“How about we hit a drive-through and head back to your place?”
“I love that idea.” I raised an eyebrow. “But only if there’s kissing later.”
“Oh, there’ll be kissing, baby. You can count on it.”
“Okay. I vote Burgerville,” I said, and climbed out of the car.
We swapped places, and before hitting the drive-through, Ryder wanted to go shopping so he could stock my place with beer and a few things he liked to eat. This both scared and excited me, because it meant he’d be at my apartment often enough to drink said beer and eat said food.
Errands run, we arrived back at my apartment and I couldn’t have been happier to get out of the very tame sedan. We walked inside and I fell onto my sofa.
“You gonna help put this stuff away?” Ryder asked.
“Not if I can avoid it,” I admitted, craning my head to look at him.
He grinned, closing the distance between us and leaning down to give me the sweetest upside-down kiss I’d ever had. Well, the first I’d had, but still no less sweet.
“Did I tire you out?”
“Little bit, yes,” I said, reaching up to cup his face.
“Sorry.”
“Forgiven... if you feed me.”
“I’ll put the beer away and then feed you, yeah?”
“I see where your priorities lie,” I retorted.
He chuckled and headed back into the kitchen. I reluctantly hauled my butt off the couch and joined him. Since he’d put most of the groceries away, I unpacked our dinner, grabbing plates and napkins and setting them on my small table.
“We’re eatin’ fancy.”
I giggled. “This is fancy?”
“Yeah, baby, this is fancy.”
“Stick with me, buddy. I’ll pull you into the high-class world.”
He sat in the chair next to me and chuckled. “Lookin’ forward to it, Sadie.”
“May I try your beer?”
“You bet.” He slid the can toward me.
I took a swig and sighed with pleasure. “Oh my word, that’s delicious.”
“Yeah?”
I took another sip. “Yes.” I read the label and smiled. “Guinness, you might be my new favorite.”
“You drink that, I’ll grab another one.”
“Thanks, honey.”
He pushed away from the table, but before heading to the kitchen, he leaned down with a smile. “FYI, I love it when you call me ‘honey.’”
“Um...I’ve never called you ‘honey’ before.”
“Yeah, babe I know. Just makin’ sure you know I love it.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
He kissed me quickly, then grabbed a beer and took his seat again.
“Do you date a lot?”
Ryder shook his head. “One woman man, baby. Always have been.”
“Did you date a lot? Before me, I mean.”
“Had a few women I spent time with over the years, but no one I could see goin’ long-term with.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “Till you.”
“You see this going long-term?”
“Don’t you?”
Did I? I hadn’t really gotten that far yet, I was still trying to process all the emotions that flooded me every minute of every day.
“You don’t have to answer that, Sadie.”
“No, I want to. I’m just trying to figure it out.” I leaned my chin in my palm and studied him. “I like you. A lot. I think you’re gorgeous, you’re easy to talk to, and I’ve never felt more comfortable with anyone than I do with you. I feel like I can be totally me and, since I don’t really know myself all that well, it’s helpful, you know?”
“Yeah, baby, I do.”
“So, long-term? I kinda feel like we’re in this and it’s working and I really like it, but I also wonder what’s going to happen when we’re tested. Do our spiritual, emotional, and physical core beliefs match up?” I sighed. “I don’t know if I’m saying any of this right.”
“I hear you, Sadie,” he said, and took my hand. “And I think they do.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Says the man who won’t go to church. Do you even believe in God?”
“I used to believe in God. Not sure where I stand currently, but I’m workin’ it out.” He shrugged and went back to his food. “And you don’t need to go to church to be spiritual.”
“No, you’re probably right.” I took a bite of my burger and forced down my opinion.
“Spit it out, Sadie.”
I swallowed. “My burger?”
“Babe, say what you were goin’ to say.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to have an argument with you on a subject we’ll have to end up agreeing to disagree on.”
“You might be surprised,” he countered.
“Pretty sure I won’t be,” I grumbled.
“Now who’s putting words into whose mouth, babe?” he said, his voice low and irritated.
“Okay, fine.” I jabbed a fry I at him. “I think it is important we go to church because God says we should. There’s a verse in Hebrews that specifically says we shouldn’t give up meeting together because it’s important to encourage one another as the end times draw near.”
“And I think organized religion, particularly in the western world, isn’t quite what God had in mind. You’re right, we should meet and encourage each other, but I’m not overly interested in sitting in a building with other sheeple, listening to some egomaniac priest, reverend, or clergyman, who may or may not be a child molester, tell me when to sit down or stand up. Pastors in this country, in my experience, tend to have a king-of-the-world mentality, touting the importance of whatever the hell they’re speaking on that week, all the while sticking their dicks where they don’t belong and stealing from the very people they’re supposed to love and protect as Christ loves the church. So, no, Sadie, going to church isn’t really my thing.”
I felt sick. Partly because I knew he was right, but also because this was obviously going to be an area we’d never see eye-to-eye on. “Father Denton isn’t a child molester. He’s also not an egomaniac. He’s actually a bit like you, but like I said, you and I are going to have to agree to disagree.”
“Guess so.”
“And by the way, I’m not a sheeple.” I stood and gathered my trash. “Unlike a sheep, I have a mind that I use on a daily basis and I don’t trust someone’s word as law unless I test it against what the Bible says. The people I choose to have in my life are people who do protect me, and I include Michael Denton in that group. He might be a priest, but he’s a really good guy and an even better friend.”
“Sadie,” he ground out as I walked into the kitchen. He followed me, setting his plate in the sink.
“Don’t, Ryder. You don’t have to explain yourself or try to backtrack—”
“Wasn’t gonna do either, babe.”
“Oh.” I shrugged. “Well, good. You’re entitled to your opinion.”
He took the plate I was holding and dropped it in the sink, pulling me against him and pinning me to his chest. “I know you’re not a sheep.”
“Coulda fooled me.”
“I’m sorry if I was a little passionate in the delivery of my opinion.”
“A little?” I challenged.
“I love that you stand up to me and that I don’t scare you. That’s new for me.”
I settled my cheek to his chest and closed my eyes. “I’m sorry that’s new for you, Ryder, because I see your heart and I understand your passion. But I won’t allow anyone to bully me, you have to see that.”
“I see it, baby. I just wonder where I fit if I can’t protect you.”
“Holy mother of...” I stared up at him. “Seriously? If you’re looking for a damsel in distress, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
He grinned and kissed my nose. “Woof.”
“Dork.” I giggled and settled back against him. “Did you or did you not take care of that guy in the bar?”
“I have a feeling Bethany would have taken him out eventually.”
“You might be right about that.”
“How old’s this priest guy?”
“Wow, talk about a subject change,” I said.
“Just answer the question.”
“Michael? I don’t know, maybe thirty.”
“And just how close are you? How long have you known him?”
“We’ve known each other for about two years. That’s when he was placed at our church.” I cocked my head. “Why?”
“Keepin’ a finger on the pulse of my competition, baby.”
“What?” I pushed away from him with a frown. “He’s a priest, Ryder. Not competition.”
“He’s still a man, Sadie, and you’re you, so he is most definitely competition.”
“What the heck is that supposed to mean... I’m me?”
“Gorgeous, confident, sexy as hell. No man can resist you.”
“You’re insane.”
He pulled me back to him with a grin. “Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
“Michael is not competition, Ryder. Trust me.”
Ryder stroked my hair as he held me. “I do trust you... it’s him I’m gonna watch.”
“I think you need psychiatric help,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist, trying not to sigh out loud at the blissful feeling his hands in my hair created.
“I think I need to stretch out on the sofa with my woman and make out while we pretend to watch a movie.”
This time I did sigh out loud. “Perfect.”
Ryder chuckled and released me so we could deal with our dishes and grab more beer. As promised, he delivered on the making out, but we also managed to stream and actually watch a movie as well. All in all, it was a perfect date, sans the driving lesson.