Page 34 of Untying the Knot
He pauses, his hand stilling between my legs as the anger he exhibited only moments ago reappears. “Your drenched pussy tells me different.”
“I might want your body, but that doesn’t mean I want to be married to you anymore.”Because I think we’re irrevocably broken. And that is the most devastating thing in the world to me.
And that must be the proverbial cold bucket of water to him because he shoots away from me, his chest puffing with irritation.
“What are you doing?” I ask, my need to orgasm clouding my mind.
“Do you really think I’m going to finish you off after a comment like that?” he asks. “Fuck, Myla, you’re killing me here.”
“So what was that?” I ask. “You using my body to get what you want?”
“No.” He looks away, and I know that’s exactly what he was trying to do.
“That’s messed up, Ryot. That’s manipulative. That’s you trying to get your way without putting in the actual work. And I’m done. I’m sick of it. You are no longer going to sit back and get your way, not anymore. I found my voice, and I’ll be damned if you’ll silence it.” I bend down, pick up my thong, and reach for the door’s handle just before he slaps his hand on the wood, keeping it shut.
“I have always lifted you up, Myla. With all of your endeavors. Always. Don’t make me out to be a monster.”
“Step away from the door,” I say through clenched teeth. He’s not a monster, but trying to manipulate me just then was not fucking okay.
To my surprise, he listens and moves away, but as I reach for the handle, he places his hand on it and says, “Do not fuck around on me. Understood? If you want to go out and meet men, fine, but at least give me the respect of waiting until after the papers are signed.” He flings the door open and charges up the stairs without another word.
After a few beats, Nichole meets me in the doorway. “Should I assume we’ll be staying in tonight?”
My eyes well up as I nod. “Yeah.” Because Ryot is right, I would never disrespect him by fucking another man while I’m still married.You can’t do that to the man you love. Even if your soul feels so broken.
ChapterSix
RYOT
Seven years ago . . .
“This was not a good idea,” I say as we finally make it to our reserved bar-top table. From the moment I entered the well-known Chicago pub that runs the best trivia nights in the city, it’s been a goddamn parade. And sure, I’m grateful for all the love, especially since Bobbies fans can be so brutal if you’re not performing, but I’ve been spotted several times. Not to mention the rival team to the Bobbies, the Rebels, also have rabid fans who are more than willing to bring you down in any way possible. I’ve heard a few comments from them as well.
Mostly, “Bisley, you suck!”
Now that I’ve gained popularity in the city and have a regular spot on the roster with the third-best batting average on the team, just falling short to Walker Rockwell and Knox Gentry, I’m well known throughout the city, which makes it very hard to do public things, like trivia night with Banner.
“It’s fine.” Banner takes a seat on one of the stools. “You just had to get in here. Now everything is normal.” Banner stares at the menu, not noticing the hundreds of camera phones pointed at us.
“Dude, look around,” I say through a smile. “Everyone is recording us.”
“Well, then refrain from picking your nose, as you don’t want to be caught doing that.” He sets the drink menu down and smiles. “Seriously, just relax. It will be crazy for the first ten minutes, but once trivia night starts, everyone will be so focused on beating you that it won’t matter.”
“Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.” He taps the drink menu. “They have that IPA you like. Are you going to drink tonight?”
“I’ll have one,” I say because I know Banner has planned this night to spend some time with me. With my schedule and his busy job coding apps, we haven’t seen much of each other lately. When he asked me to go to trivia night with him, I knew I had to say yes.
“One drink? Living large, man,” he teases.
Banner flags down a server, orders us each a drink and burgers with fries, and then picks up the laminated list of rules for trivia night.
“Have you done this before?” I ask.
“No, just heard about it from the guy down the hall.”
“Which guy?” I ask. Banner and I share an apartment in the heart of Chicago. It’s a two-bedroom with a decent living space. There are many people on our floor, and since Banner works from home, coding God knows what for companies, he has gotten to know our neighbors.
