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Late that night, Ryder ran a hand over Sophie’s bare stomach, lightly tracing the dips and curves of her body with his fingers. One day with her and he was already addicted. After the Rileys’ they’d come home, showered together, and spent the entire day doing shit around their houses and screwing like it was going out of style.
Ryder had picked up takeout and they’d watched three more episodes of Making a Murderer before going to bed, where she was game for literally anything he wanted to do to her. Now they lay there, and Ryder couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed and happy.
He propped his head up on his hand. “Tell me about your childhood.”
Her lashes fluttered open. “Now?”
“What’s wrong with now?”
“Don’t you want to bask in the afterglow?”
He laughed. “With the amount of sex we’re having, if we only basked in the afterglow we’d never get out of bed, or off the floor, or out of the shower, the kitchen table . . .” He grinned. “Well, you get the idea.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are such a bragger.”
“Darlin’, this is all you.” He cupped her breast and stroked over her nipple, which rose to the occasion. “But back to the question.”
He’d noticed she avoided talking about herself. That she didn’t like it. It was like she tried to play everything about her past as inconsequential, which was usually a sign of avoidance.
She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. I was an only child. As you know, my parents are free spirits, but they held it together long enough to give me a stable, albeit eccentric childhood. When I turned eighteen, they took off to travel the world. End of story.”
With the tensing of her body, he somehow doubted that but decided not to push for details. “How did you meet Maddie and Penelope?”
She smiled. “I met Maddie in junior high. We both got kicked out of English class and bonded in the hallway. Penelope came as part of the package with Maddie. They met in kindergarten.”
He circled her nipple. “Penelope is the one that kept you guys out of trouble?”
She laughed. “Well, she tried, but we had minds of our own. She kept us out of jail a few times. Of course, we got her thrown in jail too, so you know, it all worked out in the end.”
“Do you have a record?” Amused, he shook his head at her.
“Just some juvenile misdemeanor stuff. Nothing serious. Woods parties, underage drinking, stuff like that.” She grinned at him. “Are you disappointed?”
“Kind of.”
“You are such a pervert.”
“If you are just figuring that out, you haven’t been paying attention.” He bent down and nipped at her bottom lip. “I’m imagining some very creative role-playing in our future.”
Her face lit up with excitement. “Can I dress up?”
How could one woman be so perfect for him? She could show up in a burlap bag as far as he was concerned, but he was curious to see what she came up with. “What do you want to dress up as?”
“Of course there are standards, but I’m not sure yet.” She pressed her shoulders into the bed. “What are your fantasies?”
They were countless. He traced a path over her ribs. “They all end with you naked.”
“Will you tell me one?”
He narrowed his gaze. She wanted to divert the conversation away from her past, but maybe he could work with that. “How about we trade. You answer my questions, and I’ll answer yours.”
“That sounds fair.” She slid her leg across his thighs. He expected a sex question, but she surprised him by asking, “Did you have a happy childhood?”
“I did. It was very idyllic. My parents loved each other, and us. We had fun, laughed around the dinner table. I have no complaints.”
She tilted her head. “Not one complaint?”
