I’m in so much trouble.
Wrapping his arm around my waist, he leads me back inside.
As the guests begin to leave, Ryder and I join Tyler and Angela on the dance floor. My body is exhausted, but Angela is relentless. There are only a handful of people still here, but thankfully, Ryder and I are mostly hidden as he grips my hips and grinds into me. Running his hands over the fringe and beading of my dress, Ryder purrs in my ear.
“I take it you like my costume?” I ask. He hasn’t said it out loud, but I’ve seen him admiring it all night.
“Oh, yeah,” he replies, pulling the strap aside and kissing me softly on my collarbone.
“I don’t feel like a midget next to you in these heels.”
Spinning me to face him, Ryder smiles before saying “Perfect height for kissing you.”
His lips graze mine, but he pulls away before actually kissing me.
“Tease.”
“Maybe a little.”
“A little? You’ve been teasing me all night,” I state firmly as I stop swaying.
“I think you have that backward,” he replies, moving my hips back and forth with his hands. “You, that dress, the heels, and those damn stockings have been teasing me.”
Smiling, I pull his mouth to mine and devour his lips, attempting to hide my smile. I know where I want to be tonight, and every night after. Here, in his arms. In his bed. Anywhere he might be. He makes me feel amazing, and that’s not something you can put a value on.
“Get a room, you two,” Angela hollers followed by the sound of cheering. When I turn to flip her off, I’m met with a set of glaring eyes.
Megan.
Of course she’s still here.
Why would she leave? That would make life so much nicer for everyone, including Ryder whose house she’s invaded. Can I compare her to a virus? You can’t take antibiotics to get rid of a virus. You have to wait for it to run its course. I have a feeling she’s not going anywhere until someone takes her away. A man. One that she deems worthy.
Hopefully there’s a man strong enough out there to wrangle that one.
“Maybe we will,” Ryder yells from behind me, my cheeks turning pink instantly at his announcement.
My face continues to heat from embarrassment when he pulls me from the room and down the hall. His bedroom door comes into sight and I feel my body go stiff, pulling us to a stop.
Right now?
I’m not sure I’m ready to go in there yet. I know what happens once we shut the door behind us. As much as I want that to happen, as excited as my body is right now, I’m scared to death suddenly.
“I should probably help Angela clean up. You go ahead,” I stutter.
“Emerson, nothing has to happen. I just want you to stay with me tonight.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
Why not? That’s a good question. I have no real reason I can give him other than the fact that I’m nervous. I’m scared. I want him, more than I’ve ever wanted a man.
The idea excites me but terrifies me at the same time. I haven’t slept with or next to a man other than Ian in almost three years.
Does he snore?
Will he expect me to cuddle?
What about in the morning? Is it still the walk of shame if you don’t have sex?
What if he wants to have sex after all?
“Emerson,” he says, stepping in front of me and tilting my chin up so he can look into my eyes. “No expectations. If this makes you uncomfortable, I can get you a cab home. I’d rather you stay here so I know you’re safe, but it’s your decision. If you want to stay here but not in my bed, I can find Devon and kick him out of the spare bedroom.”
“No, don’t do that. I’ll be fine.”
Staring into Ryder’s eyes, I see the sincerity in his words. I felt it when he spoke them. I don’t doubt the truth behind them, and as much as I’m nervous about what happens next, I know that he’ll make sure I’m comfortable with whatever I choose to do.
“Will you stay with me, Emerson?” he asks, his eyes searching mine for the answer.
Closing the door behind me, I make my way into the living room. The dance party is over. Angela and Tyler are cuddled up on the couch and a few people are lingering in the kitchen.
“Did you have fun, Tyler?” I ask as I take a seat across from them.
“I did. Thank you for helping.”
“Of course. Are you guys staying here tonight?” I ask, directing my question to Angela who looks as if she’s about to fall asleep in Tyler’s arms.
“Yeah. We’re taking the guest room above the garage,” she mumbles, her words barely audible. Wait, there’s a room above the garage? “I can help you clean in the morning if you wake me up.”
Rolling my eyes, I look at my best friend and wonder how she knew I would still be here. Is it that obvious? Sure, we’ve been by each other’s side most of the night. There have been a few shared kisses and plenty of stolen glances. Is it the way I look at him? Can people tell how much I like him? If so, I’m in trouble because I feel like I’ve been looking at him the same way since we first met.
Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. But I’ve definitely been looking at him like this for a few weeks. Ever since that night in his office when he sat on his floor, shirtless, trying to decide the fate of his divorce. I think that’s when I began to fall for him.
He was real that night. His emotions weren’t guarded. He was open and honest. His number one priority is his daughter and he let that be known. After seeing the pictures in his office and Amara’s bedroom, I wouldn’t question it one bit, either. He loves that little girl and it doesn’t matter that he and Megan are no longer together. He’ll always love her and make sure she knows she’s loved.
“See you in the morning,” I say, watching as my best friend’s smile grows. “Watch out, Tyler. She likes to kick when she’s drunk.”
“I could have used that warning months ago,” he replies, laughing as Angela punches him gently in the arm.
As I approach Ryder’s door, I contemplate knocking. He’s expecting me, but it’s not my room and I have no idea if he’s decent.
Softly tapping the door as I open it, Ryder calls out for me to come in. The lights are off, the room softly lit by the glow of candlelight. He’s sitting in the middle of his bed, under the sheets. His chest is bare, and my thoughts immediately turn naughty. Is he naked under the sheet? Does he sleep naked? Does he expect me to sleep naked?
Shaking my head, I close the door and lock it, hoping my fears and insecurities are also locked out for the night.
Grabbing my bag, I excuse myself to the bathroom to change. Rummaging through my things, I find my toothbrush and freshen up. When it comes to clothes, my options are limited. I didn’t bring anything to sleep in. The only clothes I have, besides the flapper dress, are the t-shirt and jeans I wore over here earlier.
Opting to sleep in only my t-shirt, I pull it down as far as it will stretch and pray he doesn’t take this as an invitation. Maybe I should preface it before I walk out?
No, Emerson. You’re a big girl. He’s already told you he only wants you to stay with him tonight. No expectations. No pressure. I could walk out there naked and he probably wouldn’t bat an eye. He has to know I wasn’t prepared for this.
One last tug on the hem of my shirt and I step back into the room.
“Hey,” I reply, my voice sounding sheepish.
“Did you want something else to sleep in?” he asks, scrambling out of bed. Thank God he has a pair of shorts on. “I have a pair of shorts around here somewhere I’m sure we can make work. Or maybe a longer t-shirt. What about—”
“Ryder,” I say, my voice causing him to stop throwing clothes from his laundry baskets. “I’m fine with it if you’re fine with it.”
“Um, yeah, I’m okay with it.”
Mr. Confident sounds hesitant.
Crawling under the covers, Ryder a
nd I face each other at first. Staring into his eyes I can clearly see what he wants. He’s as afraid as I am to ask for it, to say it out loud. I sometimes forget that as new to me as this all is, it’s new to him too.
He was with Megan for almost ten years.
That’s ten years of his life he dedicated to someone else. Ten years he was with the same woman. In life and in bed.
“Want to cuddle?” I finally ask, scooting closer to him.
I roll over, and Ryder wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close. Desire begins to stir deep down as the curves of his body hug mine. Solid muscles, hard as rock, envelop me. Surprisingly, it makes me want to snuggle closer to him. I want all of him surrounding me. Holding me. Comforting me.
“Sleep, beautiful girl. Tomorrow is a new day, a new adventure. We get to start it together.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
It’s been two weeks since Tyler’s party. Two weeks since I slept next to Ryder for the first time. Two weeks since I’ve slept in my own bed. Angela swears that she doesn’t mind the empty apartment, but I think it’s making her cranky. She’s been hot and cold with me when I talk to her, her mood flip-flopping around.
That first morning, I woke up still wrapped in Ryder’s arms. He was already awake, watching me sleep, tracing lines up and down my arm. He claims he wasn't trying to wake me, but I later found out he was lying. He was ready to start our new adventure.
After spending an hour making out like teenagers, Ryder finally rolled away from me, his self-control frustrating. I was ready. I woke up knowing that I was exactly where I was meant to be. He, however, wanted to wait until we were alone.
Getting out of his bed was the hardest decision I’ve made about our relationship so far. I knew there were things to do, people still here, so I forced myself to do it when all I really wanted was to stay cuddled in his arms for the rest of the day. I wanted the world to fade away around us and to show him how much I cared for him, how much I wanted him.
Instead, Angela, Justine, and I cleaned up from the party while the guys went out to get breakfast.
Yes, Justine was still there. Apparently, she and Devon really hit it off that night. They never slept, staying up all night talking until they finally heard other people moving around the house. We’ve seen a lot more of Devon since then. He’s driven up from Chicago every weekend to spend time with Justine and I have a feeling it won’t be long before one of them takes the plunge and moves to be with the other.
Rumors at the office about my relationship with Ryder have been silenced completely. I expected to walk in Monday morning, with my hand in Ryder's, to accusatory glances. I was surprised to find that no one seemed to care.
Angela was right.
The best way to get people to stop talking about Ryder and I sleeping together was to sleep with him. We wouldn’t be interesting anymore.
Well, we may not be sleeping together yet, not like that anyway, but I’m sure people assume we are. If I saw us, I would think we were. Two adults, constantly flirting, arriving and leaving together every day… yeah, those people are probably sleeping together.
And we are, we just haven’t crossed that line yet.
Not that we haven’t tried to make that happen. On more than one occasion. But the few chances we’ve had to make our first time special, we’ve been interrupted. Either Amara has been over or Devon has crashed our party. Seriously, I’m so sexually wound up and frustrated that I contemplated taking him on the conference room table the other day.
I was watching him through the window and had a daydream about brushing all the papers on the floor and ripping his clothes off. My daydream was interrupted, of course. I can’t even fantasize about having sex with my boyfriend without being interrupted.
Tonight is supposed to be the night.
Ryder and his brothers have been out of town all week, at a conference.
Megan has Amara.
Ryder claims he called Devon and told him he wasn’t welcome tonight.
Angela and Tyler are spending some time together.
So… the night is ours.
We can do with it what we please.
We just need to get out of here. Ten more minutes. I’ve been done for nearly an hour, but Ryder’s meeting is running long. With Hunter out of town all week, I’ve been bored so I’m ahead of schedule, my work done for the next few days.
Oh, yeah. I work for Hunter now.
True to his word, Ryder had Allison and I switch roles. It only took a few days and I was all set up down the hall, ready to lend Hunter a helping hand. Allison’s filing system was super organized, making my transition easier. I’m sad that I don’t get to work one-on-one with Ryder anymore or help him with the creative aspect of things, but working with Hunter will provide me with the opportunity to learn more about the company, hopefully making me more valuable.
The intercom on my phone beeps and then Mr. Dixon’s voice causes me to jump.
“Can I see you in my office please, Emerson.”
He sounds… serious. I haven’t done anything to warrant a meeting with him, yet he’s calling me into his office.
“Right away, sir,” I reply, holding down the button, my hand trembling.
I called him sir. He’s corrected me on numerous occasions, but I still fall back into old habits. He’s my boss. The boss. He’s earned the respect of being called sir. He also hates it.
“How can I help you?” I ask, walking through his open door.
“Close the door please,” he states, not bothering to look up from his desk.
His demeanor and mannerisms remind me a lot of Ryder when we first met. Serious. Professional. He’s all business. This is his livelihood and he treats it as such. He wants only the best for his business and for his family, so there is no tip-toeing around issues when they arise. Things are always cut and dry from what I can tell.
This could mean one of two things. Either I’m about to get fired or... I have no idea, but I hope I’m not getting fired. I like my job. Not as much as I liked working for Ryder, but I still like it.
Taking a seat across from him, he looks up at me and stares, studying me for a moment.
“You graduated from State with a degree in what?”
“Advertising, sir. I’m sorry. Advertising, Mr. Dixon.”
“You know you can call me Herman. Mr. Dixon was my father.”
Smiling, I laugh to myself. All three of his sons have said the same thing to me at one point. Apparently, no one wants to be Mr. Dixon.
“Sorry, Herman.”
“Can I ask why you’re working as an assistant when you have a degree that you could put to good use?”
Is this a rhetorical question? I’m pretty sure we covered this before. If there had been a position with the company when I applied for something I was qualified for, I would have applied. I don’t think anyone goes to college, earns their degree in something they’re passionate about, and takes a position like I did if they had a better option.
“I think we both know how tough the job market is in this industry. I searched and applied many places, but no one wanted a college grad with little to no experience.”
“And if you could do anything with your degree, what would it be?”
Thinking it over for a few minutes, I try to decide where most of my passion lies. I loved the creative aspect of working with Ryder. Market research is somewhat boring to me, but it’s also intriguing. I think Tyler has the best position with the company. He handles all the media aspects of the company.
Hunter determines the market for the product, Ryder comes up with the creative idea, and then Tyler implements it through whatever media outlet is decided upon. If they only took it one step further and celebrated the accomplishments and success of the client and campaign as a whole…
“Event planning,” I finally reply. “You have three amazing departments here that all work very hard to achieve the goals of the clients. What you don’t offer is the acknowledgment of
the success.”
Herman grins, the same, devious grin I’ve seen from each of his sons, and launches into a barrage of questions, each of which I answer, explaining my thoughts to him in greater detail.
Ten minutes later, Herman and I are still bouncing ideas off each other. It’s moved from small celebrations to community involvement and huge events hosted both by our clients and the firm. I’m laughing at one of Herman’s ridiculous ideas as a knock sounds at the door.
“Come in,” he calls as the door opens. “Looking for this bright young lady, I assume.”
Turning my head, I find Ryder standing in the doorway, looking shocked to find me sitting in his father’s office.
“I was. Am I free to take her home now?”
“Not yet. Why don’t you join us? We were just discussing her promotion.”
Whipping my head back, Herman smiles as me.
My promotion? What promotion?
“So,” Herman continues, “Emerson has brought to my attention that we satisfy the client’s needs and then basically send them on their way until they need us again. How would you feel about us adding a department that helps us take things to the next level? The ‘fun’ level.”
Herman’s either making fun of my words or he’s serious.
“I think that sounds promising. What did you have in mind?”
“I think Emerson here would make a great department head for Community Planning and Involvement. She’s come up with a few great ideas already to celebrate not only Dixon and Sons but also the success of some of our clients.”
Reaching for my hand, Ryder takes it in his and gently kisses the back of my hand. I’m still in a state of shock as Herman stands and extends his hand.
“Is this for real?” I hear myself ask.
“If you’d like the job, it’s yours. I would need you to train your replacement, but I’ve already hired someone. She starts Monday.”
Looking between Ryder and his father, my eyes begin to well with tears. I have no words. Two months ago, I was without a job, relying on someone else to take care of me. Since then I’ve not only picked up the pieces of my life and moved on, I’ve also worked my butt off to prove my value to this company. It’s nice to be recognized.
Rumors: Emerson & Ryder Page 19
