“Bailey.” He breathed my name when he placed a kiss in the hollow at the bottom of my throat. My heart beat faster, and heat began to pool in the bottom of my stomach.
“You can’t say that to me and just walk off.” His voice was deep and husky again. I nodded my head so he knew I understood what he was saying. He took a step back, and I had to wrap my arms around his neck so I didn’t fall backwards. Suddenly I felt the soft cushions from the small sofa in the corner of the kitchen at my back with Ryder hovering above me waiting for my reaction.
I didn’t even know how I felt about it. I couldn’t think when he was that close to me. He clouded my judgement. My brain stopped working, and he just seemed to take over my senses completely. When he was around, he was all I felt and saw. His touch had a power over me that I would never understand. He made me feel calm when I was scared or nervous. He made me feel safe and wanted. He made me want. Want him. And I didn’t know what to do about that. I shouldn’t want him. It was all pretend. But there was this pull towards him that I couldn’t explain. I’d never felt it before. Certainly not with Chace.
Ah hell, you only live once. I reached up and dragged my nails through his hair, pulling the elastic out and letting the curls fall around his face. Tugging on his hair, I pulled his face down to mine again, but this time I did what I’d wanted to do for weeks. I gently bit his bottom lip into my mouth, letting my teeth graze and tug at it slightly, making Ryder moan.
He lowered his weight onto me and kissed me in a way that had me gasping for breath as I continued running my fingers through his hair, pulling gently on the ends. My legs were wrapped around his hips, pushing him down to me further. One of his hands supported his weight above me while the other slid under my shirt, tickling along my hips and up to my ribs before brushing along the bottom of my bra.
He’d never ventured under my clothes before, and I didn’t mind in the slightest. In fact, I was quite ready to sit up and strip the damn shirt off if he didn’t do it himself soon enough. That was just the effect he had on me. More and more.
Before his hand could creep any higher, I heard it. The sound of the bell above the front door. Crap! I had completely forgotten where we were. Ryder reluctantly pulled away, both of us breathing heavily as I heard Mr. Romanov call out.
“This is not over,” Ryder growled, sitting up and pulling me with him. I quickly climbed off the couch, straightened my hair and shirt, and was just putting the kettle on to make a cup of tea when Mr. Romanov walked in. I was sure I looked all flustered and bothered, but Mr. Romanov didn’t seem to notice.
“Bailey, my dear. Here you are.” Mr. Romanov greeted me when he walked in. “Hello, son,” he said, turning towards Ryder.
“Afternoon, Mr. R,” Ryder replied. I turned to find him looking as relaxed as possible, lying back on the sofa. I shook my head because I was barely in control of my breathing, but Ryder looked unfazed that we were almost caught doing whatever it was we were doing. What was that anyway? Why wasn’t he as affected by the moment at me?
“Would you like a cup of tea?” I offered Mr. Romanov, trying to clear my thoughts. “We were just having a break. It’s been a slow day.”
“That would be lovely.” He smiled at me and sat down at the small round table. I placed some biscuits on the table for everyone to share and set about making the tea.
“This is delicious tea, Bailey. From your mother?” Mr. Romanov smiled as he took a sip.
“Yes, one of her creations.”
“Creations?” Ryder sat up and picked up his teacup.
“She likes to make things.” I cringed at the thought of how long it took her to get something right. She was quite creative and imaginative, but she sometimes lacked the skills required to make a working windmill. Yep, she tried that once. “Anything really, including her own tea. And clothes. And jewellery. And furniture. And, well, she will try everything at least once.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.” Ryder looked surprised.
“It’s—” I was cut off by the sound of the bell over the front door and stood up from my seat. “Break’s over.”
I walked out into the shop and immediately wished that Mr. Romanov had gone out instead. Standing there in the middle of the store was Christina. I didn’t say anything to her. I had nothing to say. I just crossed my arms over my chest and waited.
“I know what you’re doing.” She sneered, taking a step toward me. I lifted my eyebrow and waited for her to continue. She knew nothing.
“You are only with Ryder to make Chace jealous. And it won’t work, you know. It’s really kind of pathetic. Chace doesn’t want you. He loves me. So back off or…” She was trying to sound threatening. I couldn’t help but laugh. She was trying to scare me because she was insecure about Chace.
“I’m happy with Ryder.” I stepped toward her and smiled when she faltered. “I don’t want Chace, and I am not trying to make him jealous. If he’s having second thoughts about dumping me for you, then that’s something you have to work out. Not my problem. Like I told him the other night, go screw yourself, Christina, or him. Whatever. I don’t care.” I turned and walked back out into the kitchen, leaving her standing there in shock.
Chapter Fifteen
Chace’s party was fast approaching, and the closer it got, the more nervous I became. I shouldn’t have been going. He hated me. Hated. And the feeling was mutual. But both Indie and Ryder were convinced I needed to be there. Closure or something. I was pretty sure I got that closure the night he texted me and told me that I was the worst girlfriend ever. But at the same time, I understood Ryder’s point of view, too. Imagine the look on Chace’s face when I showed up to his party with Ryder and didn’t even give him a second—or first—glance. Yeah, that would be sweet. And besides, I had to be there for the moment Indie finally got to meet Jayden.
She had been bugging Ryder every day now for almost a whole week about his soccer teammate. She wanted to know all there was to know about him, and she was driving poor Ryder absolutely crazy. I couldn’t help but laugh. Her questions reminded me so much of Ryder’s stupid twenty-questions back in the bookstore over the summer holidays. I was pretty sure Ryder was about ready to explode if Indie asked him one more time what Jayden’s favourite colour was.
“How the hell should I know?” was all he replied before pressing a swift kiss to the corner of my mouth and taking off to Friday night’s soccer practice.
Indie insisted we go shopping for clothes to wear to Chace’s party the following week, “before all the skanks get the good stuff,” as she so eloquently put it. I didn’t feel like shopping. I hated shopping, and it wasn’t the way I wanted to spend my eighteenth birthday. But I didn’t tell Indie that, because then she’d know it was my birthday. I’d never been one to make big deals out of birthdays and didn’t want to start now, so I kept my mouth shut.