Page 13 of One Mistake

“No.” She cocked her head and crossed her arms, not at all buying my blatant lies. Fine. “Okay. Maybe once or twice. Maybe last night in an x-rated dream that…” I flushed just thinking about it. “Made me want to go downstairs and repay that particular favor.”

There was nothing I could get past her. “I love Keaton with all my heart, but even I noticed what that harness does for Little Ryder. You should jump on and ride that thing until the sheriff comes to enforce the eviction order.”

“Don’t think I haven’t considered it.” I had. Often. Knowing he was downstairs had made sleeping rough. When I did manage to fall asleep, I dreamed of him. I needed to figure out what to do soon, before I ended up doing him.

“You could walk away from here with a fond…fond memory.”

“I have fond memories. As much as I would love to…I can’t go there again.” I sighed. “Besides, what if he’s lost his mojo or something? It would ruin masturbation for me.” I shook my head. “I can’t sleep with Ryder.” But as soon as she left, I was going to go into my room and pretend I was.

She rolled her eyes. “Why not? When’s the last time you got fucked? And I’m not talking some two-minute fling with a guy who couldn’t ring your bell with…a bell ringer. When was the last time your eyes rolled back into your head and sweat rolled down your back and somebody who looked like Ryder Kennedy made you glad you had tits and a pussy?”

“Wow. That’s blunt.” And personal. And depressing.

“How long?”

“A decade.” She pointed to the basement, and I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then it’s time.”

I would’ve added a middle finger salute, but Ryder tapped on the ceiling and called out. “Reese!”

He’d spent most of the day crying wolf. Disturbing me as I sorted through Mom’s belongings, and cleaned out the things I wouldn’t be taking home with me. At least ten times he’d called me downstairs. Once he was too cold. Once to loosen the harness. Once to adjust the television because he couldn’t reach it and the window put a glare on the screen. A couple times just because he was lonely and wanted to chat.

I rolled my eyes at Avery. “I’ll be right back.” I walked down the stairs. “What do you need?” Every time I came down the steps, I braced myself for that initial first glance of him. It knocked the wind out of me every time.

He was kicked back on the bed with his ankles and arms crossed. “I want to show you something.” He pointed to the vent in the ductwork above the bed. We’d had to put it there—the bed—because we had to put the tether behind it so he could reach the important stuff without being able to get to the steps. I’d added extra blankets to the bed in case he wanted them. But I hadn’t had heat or air on yet.

“What about it?” If he’d called me down here to complain because it was making his eyes dry or because it blew dust at him, I might have killed him. Instead, Avery’s phone rang and I immediately understood. It only took two of Avery’s sentences for me to want to die. I could hear every word she said as if she was sitting next to me. “Oh my God.”

He grinned. “I was thinking…you could call me Quasimodo.”

Oh, fuck.

If the world swallowed me in the very next second, it wouldn’t have been soon enough. Especially when he stood and motioned to his dick. “I’ve been ringing bells since I was old enough to appreciate the…sound.”

My skin was on fire, and I was in danger of spontaneously combusting from humiliation. “Oh, my God.”

He stood and walked—stalked toward me, crooking his finger with that same old sexy smile tilting his mouth. “Let’s make a memory. A fond memory.” He tucked his hand into my hair and lowered his head so that his breath warmed my ear. “Also, you should definitely try to ransom me.”

His voice made me want to purr, but I couldn’t catch an entire breath. “You just want to go home.”

“Not until you’re ready for me to go.” He tugged until my chest was pressed against his and our bodies lined up and I could feel his heartbeat under my hand. Then he spoke. Husky. Soft. A caress as much as his hand on my hip. “Do you want me to go?”

What the hell was I doing? The thought lasted the entire amount of time it took him to drag his lips along my jaw to my mouth. A tease. A flick of his tongue. Just enough for my panties and every working brain cell I owned to disappear. “No.”

“Get rid of Avery and come back.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

He walked me as far as the tether would allow, then turned me again so he could wrap his arms around me. “Come back soon.”

To be honest, I wasn’t even concerned about Avery upstairs. If Ryder had made a move, she would’ve got to listen to me calling out his name a few thousand times. I ran up the stairs and picked her purse off the counter, shoved it into her arms, and pulled her from her chair. “You have to go.”

“What? Why?”

“I want to make a memory. Now.” I widened my eyes and pulled her toward the front entryway. “Unless you’re sticking around to blog the event, you need to go.,”

“Woah, woah, wait, Horny McHornergirl.” What? Didn’t care. “Do you even have a box of condoms? Edible massage oil? A tickle feather? Lube?”