Hothouse Flower (41 page)
Authors: Krista Ritchie,Becca Ritchie
< 71 >
RYKE MEADOWS
There are so many things left that I want to do
before I settle down and have a family.
And I want to do all of them with Daisy.
Every time I imagine myself in another country after a
climb, traveling, living—she’s by my side. I know we’ll make it a reality. I
know that wherever she goes, I’ll go. Wherever I go, she’ll go.
We’re no longer the out-of-place fifth wheels.
This is fucking real. And I’m determined to make it last.
I peel off her sopping wet shirt, no bra, but she turns her
back to me before I catch sight of her breasts. She accidentally steps on a
skateboard, hidden below wrinkled clothes, and it rolls underneath her feet.
She trips, and I grab her by the waist.
“What was that?” she asks, her breath knocked out of her
chest.
“Your skateboard.”
She scans our room. It’s fucking dirty. Clothes littered
everywhere, the bed unmade, the sheets tangled and the blinds crooked. I almost
smile as I remember smashing her back into the window last night, rough and
slow sex, but fun sex. Standing up.
It didn’t help her sleep. I never expect it to. She gets
about five hours now, and I just hope the more she opens up about the fucking
past, the more she’ll stop waking in the middle of the night.
She’s definitely not as scared though.
It’s a start.
She wrings out her wet hair from the snowball fight and then
belly-flops on the mattress. Staring at her bare back causes my breathing to
heavy more than usual. Her jeans are fucking soaked, but I want them off for
many fucking reasons. I yank them down her thighs and off her ankles urgently,
my eyes trailing the tattoo between her shoulder blades as I do so. I was with
her the day she got it.
She’s smiling, her head turned as she catches my reaction.
I wear desire pretty easily now. But beneath that there’s
something else. Something I haven’t shared with anyone but her.
The best fucking
love.
I climb onto the bed, and my fingers outline her tattoo
before my mouth and tongue follow. The ink on her skin forms a dream catcher,
with three feathers.
But along the frame is a small design of a wolf, protecting
all of her restless and wild fucking dreams from the bad.
I love the tattoo. I
love her. I love
this
—being able to
kiss her without fear. There is judgment still, but it’s nothing I can’t
handle.
She rolls over on her back, and I press my hands on either
side of her head, caging her beneath my body while I stare down.
“Costa Rica,” I tell her, staring into her bold green eyes.
“That’s where I want to take you next.”
She smiles. “Will we be kissing underneath waterfalls?”
“There will be more than just kissing.”
Her face brightens to the hundredth degree. And I skim the
scar that pulls her cheek, rising from her jaw to her temple.
She watches as my gaze dances over the old wound. “Am I the
beast to your beauty now?” she asks, her eyes glimmering.
I shake my head. “No, sweetheart, we’re both fucking
beasts.”
I’ll show you in a second.
I’m
about to kiss her, but her smile slowly vanishes, lost in her head for a
moment.
I frown. “What’s wrong?” She told me something yesterday
that’s stayed with me. She said that she’s not used to making people so
uncomfortable, and when strangers look at her face, that’s what happens.
“Does it remind you of that night?” she asks. “I’ve always
wondered…if those bad memories return when you see the scar.”
I can feel my features darkening, my face turning to stone.
“No.”
“You don’t have to lie. It’s okay.” She flushes, hot with
anxiety.
“I’m not.” I don’t have any fucking flashes of that night
when I look at her cheek.
“Then what does it remind you of?”
I comb her hair off her forehead, and I turn her head
towards me so I can see her scar fully. And my lips start to rise as the answer
hits me. “It reminds me of all the reasons why I fucking love you.” I trace the
edge by her temple. “You’re wild and daring and so fucking crazy.” It fits her
feral nature—as odd as that fucking seems. I lean down and whisper in her ear,
“I am proud to have you, Dais. Just like
this
.”
My lips meet hers roughly, my body driving forward against
Daisy’s with every deep kiss.
When I part once, I run my fingers through her chopped
blonde hair, and I breathe against her ear, “I want to hear you fucking roar,
Calloway.”
Her smile overtakes her face. And I stare right into her green
eyes, ones that I will look into for so many more fucking years.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To our family—you’re all crazy in your own right,
and we love you for it. Thanks for being the best rock to lean on.
Thanks to our daring older brother, who inspired one of the
biggest events in this book. You are beyond fearless, and we admire your
courage more than you know.
Big thanks to two of the sweetest fans, who’ve been a
tremendous force behind the series:
Jenn
and Ate
Lanie
. You girls—your love for our work means so much to
us. No words can thank you for the support. And thank you, Sue! You’ve been
reading our books from nearly the very start. We can’t think of someone who
loves
Ryke
& Daisy more, and we constantly
thought of you while writing this one.
Thanks to
Nieku
, for more kickass
French translations and being there on such short notice. You’re an amazing
friend!
And lastly but most importantly, we want to thank all of our
fans. Even saying we have any has been a dream. But if it wasn’t for all of
you, this book would have never been written. These characters would have never
come to life. And these stories would have never been told. Not to this extent.
Your love for this series is what keeps it going.
Stay wild.
RECOMMENDED READING ORDER
The Addicted series is split up into three
"arcs" or as we call it "phases" so that each phase is a
complete storyline with a satisfying conclusion and connects together in a
continuous timeline. Think of it as an awesome season of a TV show. It’s
possible to jump into the series either in phase one (Addicted to You) or in
phase two (Kiss the Sky).
Phase one (Lily &
Lo)
#1.5:
RICOCHET
Phase two: Calloway
Sisters (Rose & Connor)(Daisy &
Ryke
)
spin-off:
KISS
THE SKY
spin-off: HOTHOUSE FLOWER
Phase three (Lily
& Lo)
#2.5: THRIVE (Spring 2014)
#3: ADDICTED AFTER ALL (Summer 2014)
