Our Roots

Chapter 4

**mild sexual references in this chapter**

Courtney

"Wow, kitten, that is one hell of a cake!" Ryder says, coming through the front door of our bakery with Charlie in front of him.

I smile and blush like it's the first time he's ever complimented me. Ryder has been my biggest fan when it comes to making cakes. He hired me at the bakery he ran for his parents more than seven years ago, before we even started dating. Even though I didn't have a clue then, this turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I've ever done in my life.

"You really think so? I was just thinking that maybe I added too many flowers on top."

Charlie walks over to the counter and watches me as I put on the finishing touches. "You can never have too many flowers, mom. Especially when it's for a wedding. Hey! Are you going to make CJ and Piti's cake too?!"

"Of course I will. Even though I know it'll be the most heinous shades of pink, smothered in glitter."

Ryder chuckles and wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me away from the cake. He rests his hands on my hips and presses his forehead to mine. "I think you can call it a day now. You've been at it for hours."

"I know and I'm sorry. I just wanted this cake to be perfect."

"Everything you do is perfect," he whispers.

"Seriously, dad. Could you be any more gross?" Charlie asks, wrinkling her nose up in disgust.

"I think I can, what do you think? Should I kiss her now?" he asks, giving her a wink.

"Ewww," she groans.

I stoop down to grab my bag off the floor and pull out my phone. "Piti is on her way." I stand up at look at Charlie who is eagerly eyeing the cake on the counter. "Charlie, I swear to God, if you touch that cake..."

She holds her hands up in surrender and backs away from it causing Ryder to snicker.

"Anyway, please behave for Aunt Piti. Don't talk her into letting you do anything you know you're not supposed to do."

She rolls her eyes. "Fine."

"And don't roll your eyes, Charlie..."

"Or they'll get stuck that way," she groans. She climbs up into a chair next to the window and sits or her knees, looking out for Piti.

"Are you sure Piti can handle her?" Ryder asks, wrapping his arms around me from behind as we watch her.

I chuckle, but it turns into more of a nervous laugh the more I think about it. Charlie is, and always has been, a handful. She's generally a good kid, but she's smart for her age and wise beyond her years. "She might rethink reproducing after a night with Charlotte Rhodes."

Ryder laughs. "They don't call her Problem Child for no reason."

I turn around and push him playfully. "Hey, she's not that bad. Besides, your mom says she's just like you."

"That's exactly what I'm saying, kitten," he smirks.

After Piti picks Charlie up, Ryder and I head out for our first date night, alone, in weeks. Neither of us are dressed up for a night on the town. Not that I'd know what that even meant these days. Every girl I see has on tons of make up, fake lashes, fake eyebrows and clothes that look too tight and uncomfortable. I, on the other hand, like to keep things simple and above all else, comfortable. I consider wearing jeans dressing up these days and lately, so does Ryder.

It doesn't bother me that we've settled into a normal, and I guess what some would call, boring, life. After everything we've been through together, we welcome the low key life that we now have. We still make each other laugh, cry and even sometimes scream, but all in all, we are lacking excitement.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

He looks over at me and smirks. Before he opens his mouth, I already know what he's going to say, so I finish it for him. "You'll see."

"Damn, kitten. Do you already have me figured out so well that you're finishing my sentences for me?"

I smile, but it's halfhearted. Are we really becoming that predictable? "You say that all the time, so I just assumed..."

"You know what happens when you assume, right?" he asks, glancing over at me wearing that adorable grin of his.

"What?"

"You make an ass out of u and me."

While he laughs, I groan and roll my eyes. "You're just as lame as ever."

I feel his hand touch my thigh and jump. I look over at him and catch those dark, lust-filled eyes that tell me he's hungry for me. It takes mere seconds for me to feel the same when he looks at me like that. Especially when he's moving his hand higher and higher up my thigh.

"You weren't saying that last night," he says in that low, husky voice that drives me crazy.

I let out a high pitched, breathy laugh. "You can't do that to me, Ryder. Not unless you want to make a pit stop on the way."

His eyes light up and I mentally face palm. Why would I suggest that? He changes lanes and gets off at the next exit without giving it a second thought. While this will throw a wrinkle into our night, I wouldn't dare stop it from happening. That is, until he pulls into the parking lot of the West End Motel.

I've never actually been on the inside, but I've passed by it a few times. It's run down to say the least, but that's probably not even the biggest issue. Since this is one of the only motels in town that offers hourly rates, you can imagine what this place is used for. I cringe when I think about the bodily fluids the beds must come in contact with here.

"Ryder, I'm not getting naked at a place like this. Who knows what diseases we'll catch?" I say, looking at the place in disgust.

He sighs. "It's not the best, but..." he trails off and begins to laugh.

"What?"

"Do you remember that one time we stayed in a place like this? Back when we were on our way to Colorado?"

"Of course I do. The couple in the next room went at it all night. It was disgusting. We heard everything."

He smiles slyly. "And I'm sure they felt the same way about us. Or don't you remember that part?"

He rolls his bottom lip between his teeth, something he knows drives me wild. I look back at the motel and sigh. "I don't know if I could even get in the mood in a place like this, Ryder." The second the words leave my mouth, I regret them. "I mean...no! No, no, no. Don't take that as a challenge..."

"Too late. I already did," he smirks before practically mauling me.

Even though his lips feel really, really good the way they move across my neck, I have to stop him before this goes any further. "Ryder, stop."

He doesn't.

"Ryder, come on. I don't want to do it at this motel."

He looks up at me with his green eyes blazing. It's almost enough to make me forget about the possibility of contracting hepatitis on these over-used beds. "We can just do it here," he says, breathing heavily.

"Here? In the car?"

"Yeah," he says, going back to my neck.

"Ryder..." I say, with the intentions of stopping him, but it comes out as more of a moan. His hands move up my shirt and across the bare skin of my back. I can feel myself dissolving into a puddle of goo while his lips touch all the right places.

He stops suddenly and looks up at me. "We've already done it in a car before too."

I furrow my brows together, but then it dawns on me. We've only done it in a car once and it was a long time ago. Our sexual escapades have always been fun and daring, but over time they've toned down significantly. While being intimate with Ryder in any way is always enough for me, I worry sometimes if it's enough for him. Maybe I need to be a little more adventurous. Maybe I need to let my guard down.

"So where have we not done it?" I ask.

His face is flushed and his eyes are wild. "I don't know. We've done it a lot of places, kitten. You're a dirty, dirty girl after all. Aren't you?" He trails kisses from my neck down to my collar bone and I come unglued. I love it when he talks dirty to me.

"Where do you want it? Tell me where you want it," he demands breathlessly.

"I want it here. Now."

I can't take another second without his hands on my body. We get lost in our own little erotic world right here in the parking lot of the West End Motel. The fire, the passion, the excitement; everything we used to experience in the early stages of our relationship, erupts between us and we go at it like we haven't in years.

That is, until there's a knock on the window.

I look up in horror at the cop standing next to our car. Ryder grabs my shirt and hands it to me. I slide it on and quickly climb off of him. While I put on the rest of my clothes, Ryder rolls down the window.

"Sorry, officer. We were just-"

"Out of the car," he snaps.

Ryder buckles his belt and pulls his shirt over his head before getting out of the car. Since he left the window down, I can hear everything that's being said.

"I need to know where you picked her up," the officer says.

"Picked her up? What do you mean?"

"Don't play crazy with me, boy. The hooker, where did you find her?"

I get out of the car and slam the door shut. "Excuse me?! Did you just call me a hooker?!"

Ryder looks at me with pleading eyes and shakes his head. He looks back at the officer and sighs. "I think there's been a huge misunderstanding."

"I know what kind of women hang out around this place," the officer says looking over at me. "And she fits every description in the book."

"You son of bitch!" I yell, lunging at him. Thankfully, Ryder gets to me first and restrains me before I assault a police officer.

"Officer, this is my wife. I assure you, she's no hooker and I don't appreciate you insinuating that she looks like one," Ryder says with an authoritative tone to his voice.

The officer, a short, stubby little guy with he roundest face I've ever seen, just shakes his head. "Believe me, I've heard that one before."

"Look, I know what we were just doing...at a place like this...seems kind of....strange....but I'm not, nor have I ever been a hooker," I explain, trying not to sound defensive. "I've been married to this man for five years and we have a kid together. We got a sitter for the night and just wanted to have a little adventure which obviously...was poor judgement in hindsight."

"Very poor judgement on our part," Ryder adds.

The officer looks between us and shakes his head. "I'm still not sure I believe you, but since tonight is law enforcement night at Bob's Burger Barn, I'm in a good mood today. I'm gonna let you kids off with a warning, but if I ever see either of you around here again..."

"Don't worry, sir. You will never see us around here again," I assure him.

After that little fiasco, we decide to just go home and call it a night. I haven't been able to speak since we left the motel. I've never been so mortified in all my life.

Ryder keeps glancing over at me as he drives us home, but I really don't want to talk about what happened.

"You know you don't look anything like a hooker, right?"

I don't say anything.

"Come on, kitten. Don't let that asshole ruin our night. We were at a place where prostitution is probably common and to be fair, you were giving it to me so good I thought about paying you."

I smack him on his arm and he winces. "Kitten, please..."

When I don't say anything, he finally gives up and turns his attention back to the road. I shouldn't be acting this way. None of this was Ryder's fault. Well, most of it wasn't. He just wanted to make tonight exciting and I guess, in a way, he didn't fail to do that.

"Go to the bakery," I tell him.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Once we arrive, Ryder is still clueless as to why we're here. He unlocks the front door and reaches to turn on the lights, but I grab his hand to stop him. He turns around and as soon as he does, I press my lips to his, pushing him up against the wall and letting my hands roam his well sculpted chest and abs.

"Damn, kitten..." he laughs against my lips.

I pull away long enough to pull my shirt up over my head. I press my bare chest against him and he sucks in a breath. "We've never done it here," I whisper.

A smile spreads across his face. "You're right."