9. Berkley

"Oh my gosh, Aspen! You could have warned a girl, you know?" I'm referring to the Brazilian wax she somehow talked me into last night. Thank god I did it then and not today, because the way Ryder was talking, tonight is going to have more than dinner involved.

"Tell me you're not enjoying it though?" It's not like I had a jungle down there, but it is nice feeling, so much smoother than shaving, that's for sure.

"Let's just hope I don't enjoy it too much and decide to take Ryder down the second I see him, and yeah." We couldn't all FaceTime yesterday or today, due the time difference and Peyton working for a hard-ass, plus Rowen is still in the honeymoon phase with Braxton. Not that I'm blaming her, not at all. It's a state I hope to be in myself soon. The only reason Aspen and I talk as much as we do is because I help her out at Vintage Threads, and I call her every single day when Jasper is out on the oil rig, and when he is home, I stick to texting her just to let her know I'm thinking about her. I may have gone to college with Rowen, but out of all my cousins, Aspen and I are probably the closest, relationship and friendship wise.

"Something tells me from what you've told me about him and all that sex appeal he has dripping off him, Ryder will be the one to attack you. You know, that bow-chick-a-wow-wow will definitely be in your future. Now tell me, what are you wearing?"

"I have no idea. It's not like I don't have two full closets of clothes to choose from," I grumble. It's my obsession. Of course, I have school appropriate clothes in one area, and then what I wear when I'm out of school.

"Oh, I know, that cute floral skirt. You know, the one that has the slight ruffle on the hem line. Pair it with the crochet top we got last week. You know what that means if you wear it though, right?"

"No bra. Thank goodness my mom gave me her good genes when it comes to the girls." I look down at the girls and laugh.

"You're looking at them, aren't you?" Aspen snorts.

"Of course. Watch out, next I'll be talking to them," I tell her, thinking about the moment when I was a teenager and everyone seemed to have sprouted boobs overnight. I didn't have that luck. We were reading some magazine, and there was a joke about talking to your boobs to help them grow. Guess what I did? I talked to them morning, noon, and night. I highly doubt it helped. The joke, though, it helped calm my stressing out about not having boobs at the time.

Apparently, I was the late bloomer in not only our girl gang but also at school. It made for some awkwardness when you were a flat chested thirteen-year-old in braces. Then one day, right before my freshman year of high school, it was like my body developed a mind of its own and everything grew out, my chest and ass included. A good haircut, my braces coming off, and a wardrobe overhaul helped boost my confidence tremendously.

"Wear the outfit, add those wedges. You know the ones I'm talking about? They wrap around your ankle and tie behind it with a bow. It'll be like Ryder is unwrapping you." God, there's a reason she's in the fashion business. Aspen is amazing at styling an outfit.

"I hope so. I may have to go sans panties though. Wearing a long skirt and my softest cotton panties about did me in today."

"Oh, definitely. I bet you a hundred bucks you'll be enjoying your Brazilian as much as Ryder does. You can thank me later and owe me one." We continue chitchatting until it's getting late and I seriously need to get ready. I'm lucky that my hair isn't much to deal with. It's stick straight and won't hold a curl to save its life, and there's no way I'm getting a perm to add some texture. My luck, I'd come out looking like a poodle.

The only reason I pushed our dinner date back was because of my waxing appointment. The esthetician said a full twenty-four hours before anything sexual should happen. Not that it's helping any because now that I'm completely bare down there, just the slightest friction has my body lighting up.

We get off the phone, and I strip out of my pajamas that I put on when I got home from work today. My eyes move towards the full standup-sized mirror, taking in my naked form. It does nothing to quench this yearning I feel for Ryder. In fact, it makes it worse. My skin is glowing, my rose-colored nipples are pebbled, and the flesh between my legs is glistening.

"Ugh, get ready, Berkley. Stop getting yourself off when you could have Ryder doing that for you." I turn around and put my clothes on, leaving my bra and panties in their drawer. There's no way I'll be able to wear my bra, not with the way this top wraps around my neck, and let's not even talk about panties. Not even going there. I run a brush through my hair, add some lip gloss, mascara, and blush, and then head towards the shoes. This will definitely pull it all together. I'm already thinking I'll have a drink or two at dinner. As soon as I have them on and tied, it's time I pull up the Uber app and order a car. When I get the notification they'll be here in five minutes, I thank my lucky stars to live in Texas. If I were in Virginia, I'd be waiting a lot longer. When I moved here, sure, I left my family, but I do visit them every now and then. Texas, though, it has my heart. And something tells me a certain man will soon own it too.