put my plan into effect sooner. "I always wanted to be a redhead."
His turn to raise a brow. "A redhead? Really?" He grinned. "Well, hopefully we can make that happen."
The rest of the day passed in eating, watching TV, having sex, and talking. Mostly talking, which surprised me more than a little. Most of my experience with men led me to believe they wanted sex from a woman, and not much else. Especially not conversation.
But it seemed Ryker was different. We talked about everything under the sun, including our childhoods, the foods we loved, and how we liked to spend time. For me, that last part was a small category. Okay, all of them were. I hadn't been able to try new foods in a long time, always forced to grab the cheapest things on the store shelves. And my time hadn't belonged to me since my mom got sick.
Late in the evening, his phone buzzed, and Stella arrived. He only came in for a moment, long enough to pass Ryker a canvas bag stuffed to the brim, and a handful of plastic shopping bags. They talked quietly, then Stella offered a half-wave in my direction, and left.
Ryker brought the canvas bag, and some of the shopping bags over to me. "Here's the clothes and stuff the girls picked up for you. Stella said these two bags are for you, too. I had him pick up some groceries, too, so I'll be in the kitchen while you check out what they sent you."
As much as I hadn't wanted Ryker to spend money on me, I couldn't contain the excitement at getting new things. My hands shook like crazy when I took the bags from him. I didn't wait, just dumped the canvas bag on the couch.
Disbelief made my eyes water. Jeans, cute tops, a hoodie, two pairs of shoes, and even a dress spread before me. I didn't know what to think, or say. I sat touching the clothes, enjoying the fabrics, for a long time. They might have come from secondhand shops, but they were far nicer than anything I'd ever owned.
I finally managed to fold everything into a neat stack, and turned for the other bags. One had a store logo on the side, but I didn't recognize it. Inside, three pretty, lacy bras with matching panties, several pairs of socks, tank tops and shorts, along with a pair of silky pajama pants, waited. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Never, not in my wildest dreams, had I ever imagined having things like these.
The thought of opening the third bag terrified me. It came from a different store, the logo on the bag also unfamiliar. Unable to resist, I carefully opened the top and looked inside. Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in bright bottles certainly looked nothing like the dollar store brands I asked for on the list. Beyond those, I found lotion, razors, a hairbrush and blow dryer, and even a pack of bands to put my hair up with.
Still, the bag held more. They'd thought of everything, including makeup that suited my coloring, and the hair dye kit. By the time I finished taking all the stuff out, I had more feminine products than I even knew real women actually used.
I sat there on the floor, with all the treasures spread around me. When the sobs came, I didn't even try to hold them back. Gratitude flooded through me. How could these women who didn't even know me take the time and care to pick out such nice things for me? Not to mention the money they must have spent. The whole thing boggled my mind.
Chapter Eleven
Ryker:
I stood there in helpless silence as Elena cried. I'd come in to tell her Stella had included ice cream with the groceries, if she wanted some. Instead, I found her bawling, and had no clue what might be wrong. Unless I missed my guess, Stella probably asked Vicki to pick up the things Elena needed. A few of the Hell Raiders had girlfriends or ol' ladies, but Kellen's wife tended to be the one who took care of anything that needed a woman's touch.
Finally, Elena seemed to quiet a little. "What's wrong?" Once more, surprise hit. I actually wanted to know, and to fix, the problem. For a woman as strong as Elena to
His turn to raise a brow. "A redhead? Really?" He grinned. "Well, hopefully we can make that happen."
The rest of the day passed in eating, watching TV, having sex, and talking. Mostly talking, which surprised me more than a little. Most of my experience with men led me to believe they wanted sex from a woman, and not much else. Especially not conversation.
But it seemed Ryker was different. We talked about everything under the sun, including our childhoods, the foods we loved, and how we liked to spend time. For me, that last part was a small category. Okay, all of them were. I hadn't been able to try new foods in a long time, always forced to grab the cheapest things on the store shelves. And my time hadn't belonged to me since my mom got sick.
Late in the evening, his phone buzzed, and Stella arrived. He only came in for a moment, long enough to pass Ryker a canvas bag stuffed to the brim, and a handful of plastic shopping bags. They talked quietly, then Stella offered a half-wave in my direction, and left.
Ryker brought the canvas bag, and some of the shopping bags over to me. "Here's the clothes and stuff the girls picked up for you. Stella said these two bags are for you, too. I had him pick up some groceries, too, so I'll be in the kitchen while you check out what they sent you."
As much as I hadn't wanted Ryker to spend money on me, I couldn't contain the excitement at getting new things. My hands shook like crazy when I took the bags from him. I didn't wait, just dumped the canvas bag on the couch.
Disbelief made my eyes water. Jeans, cute tops, a hoodie, two pairs of shoes, and even a dress spread before me. I didn't know what to think, or say. I sat touching the clothes, enjoying the fabrics, for a long time. They might have come from secondhand shops, but they were far nicer than anything I'd ever owned.
I finally managed to fold everything into a neat stack, and turned for the other bags. One had a store logo on the side, but I didn't recognize it. Inside, three pretty, lacy bras with matching panties, several pairs of socks, tank tops and shorts, along with a pair of silky pajama pants, waited. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Never, not in my wildest dreams, had I ever imagined having things like these.
The thought of opening the third bag terrified me. It came from a different store, the logo on the bag also unfamiliar. Unable to resist, I carefully opened the top and looked inside. Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in bright bottles certainly looked nothing like the dollar store brands I asked for on the list. Beyond those, I found lotion, razors, a hairbrush and blow dryer, and even a pack of bands to put my hair up with.
Still, the bag held more. They'd thought of everything, including makeup that suited my coloring, and the hair dye kit. By the time I finished taking all the stuff out, I had more feminine products than I even knew real women actually used.
I sat there on the floor, with all the treasures spread around me. When the sobs came, I didn't even try to hold them back. Gratitude flooded through me. How could these women who didn't even know me take the time and care to pick out such nice things for me? Not to mention the money they must have spent. The whole thing boggled my mind.
Chapter Eleven
Ryker:
I stood there in helpless silence as Elena cried. I'd come in to tell her Stella had included ice cream with the groceries, if she wanted some. Instead, I found her bawling, and had no clue what might be wrong. Unless I missed my guess, Stella probably asked Vicki to pick up the things Elena needed. A few of the Hell Raiders had girlfriends or ol' ladies, but Kellen's wife tended to be the one who took care of anything that needed a woman's touch.
Finally, Elena seemed to quiet a little. "What's wrong?" Once more, surprise hit. I actually wanted to know, and to fix, the problem. For a woman as strong as Elena to
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