Soul Chance (6 page)

Oh, my God.

She hadn’t been alone after all. Ari’s heart skipped a beat as that realization sank in. Her cheeks warmed at the thought of Ryder possibly overhearing her masturbate. Ari stared at the wall separating her room from his.
Dear heavens, did Ryder hear me call out his name?

Chapter Four

“Fuck.” Ryder took his hand off his stiff cock with a deep groan. He shifted his body beneath the covers then threw them off. There was no way he was going to get any sleep after what he’d just listened to.

Ryder sat up in his bed, beyond frustrated. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. Not much time had passed since he’d overheard the muffled sound of Ari screaming his name. His dick twitched with the remembrance of her barely audible moans and the longing in her tone when she’d called for him. It had taken all of his self-control not to go to her.

The very thought of her playing with that sweet pussy with him in mind was enough to drive him crazy. If she’d wanted to punish him for his actions yesterday, she’d damn well succeeded. He should have been the one making her cry out like that. Ari had told him she preferred climaxing alone but he’d relished the times he’d shown her how much better a climax could be with an attentive partner. Last night, he’d missed another opportunity to show her how sex was with him because as far as he was concerned it was a hell of a lot more enjoyable with her.

Restless, Ryder got up and pulled on his jogging shorts. He couldn’t take another second in his room. He walked to his door, opened it and stepped out into the hallway. The ranch was darker than when he’d arrived. He’d taken a cold shower, hoping that would curb his craving for Ari. It hadn’t. He’d made a few phone calls, one of which had been to his dad. As usual, Ryder had got his voicemail. He’d left him a message, casually mentioning Cassie and hung up.

He found it odd his father hadn’t mentioned any business dealings with her. Ryder frowned as he thought about Cassie’s parting words. He still didn’t get what she’d meant, nor did he understand her tart tone when she’d been the one to break things off with him. Hell, he still didn’t understand her change of heart where he was concerned, but he’d made his peace with it a long time ago and moved on. Seeing Cassie today had truly proved that to be true.

Ryder walked into the kitchen, went over to the refrigerator and opened it. He reached for his chardonnay, raising an eyebrow when he saw the bottle had been opened. He lifted the bottle, viewing the remaining contents from the illumination of the appliance. Ryder grinned despite being perturbed that Ari had sampled the wine he’d brought back to share with her before their evening had gone haywire.

Removing the cork from the white wine, Ryder decided to forgo a glass and took a swig from the bottle. He wondered if Ari had enjoyed the chardonnay as he moved into the living room. He walked over to the baby grand in the center of the floor, pulled out the bench and sat down. For as long as he could remember, music had been one of the few things that had always centered his emotions.

The pull to play the piano prompted Ryder to push open the lid over the keys. The ivory keys seemed to gleam in the moonlight pouring in from the adjacent window, beckoning Ryder to play. He set the bottle of wine on the bench beside him and, unable to resist, he gently played a one-handed melody. He brought his other hand up and started to play a song that had been in his head since meeting Ari in Las Vegas. His fingers flew across the keys, the volume increasing as more of the song unfolded in his mind.

A creak in the floor drew Ryder’s attention away from the baby grand. He paused from playing when he saw Ari leaning against the wall. She looked adorable and sexy at the same time in a peach nightie displaying double eight notes across her chest. “Ari—”

Ari waved her hand. “Please, don’t stop. I love the music.”

Ryder turned back to the piano and resumed playing, pleased by her soft compliment. Having Ari nearby inspired him. Harmonies shifted, the song he was creating in real time taking on a moodier tone. Ryder slowed the pace of the piece as he neared the end, briefly meeting Ari’s gaze when she came to stand by the piano. Ryder lifted his hands from the piano and the last note of the song resonated within the room.

“That was beautiful, Ryder.” Ari pulled all her twists over her shoulder.

Ryder’s gaze dipped to the strands of hair nestled between her breasts. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Ari dropped her gaze from his and tinkled the ivories. “The tonal shift in the melody was so unexpected but I loved it. Is it your song?”

“It is. I’m glad you liked it.” Ryder returned her hesitant smile, mesmerized by the tentative upward curve of her full lips. Beats of silence ensued and Ryder silently cursed his stiffening cock as he once again imagined how Ari had gotten herself off earlier. What had she been doing when she’d called out his name? The need to know was killing him.

Ari cleared her throat and pointed to the chardonnay. “I also liked your wine.”

“Mmm, yes. Did you taste hints of apricot?”

“Is that what that was? Delicious.” Ari gave him a bright smile. “Add the portion I drank to my outstanding loan. How much will that be? Twenty, thirty dollars?”

“Goddammit, Ari.” Ryder dragged a hand through his tousled hair.

“What? Surely you’re not mad I didn’t assume I wasn’t to pay for what I took?” Ari swiveled away from Ryder, flashing him a cool look over her shoulder. “Goodnight,
boss.
”

Ryder snagged her wrist when she started to walk off. “Like it or not, I
am
your boss now.”

Ari’s brown eyes sparkled with resentment. “Yes, you are and I am
not
going to get my way with you anymore.”

Ryder tightened his hold when Ari tried to wrench her hand away from his. “Ari, listen.” He waited to speak until she’d stilled and looked at him. “The wine was a gift. I’d planned on sharing it with you.”

“Was that before or after you were finished teaching me a lesson with your cock?”

Her sassy question made him harder. “You’re upset about last night.” Ryder stood, shortening the already small distance between them. “Mixing business with pleasure is always messy. I want to apologize for not making you come.
That
was a mistake.” Ryder slipped his arm around Ari’s waist and brought her up against his body. “One I’d like to rectify.”

Ari’s pulse quickened as Ryder bent his head and kissed her. Her anger forgotten, Ari moaned as she melted into him. She splayed her hands across his pecs. She ran her fingers over hard muscle as Ryder embraced her and pushed her back against the piano until her bottom brushed against the keys. The disjointed notes echoing in the room matched her emotions as Ryder deepened the kiss. Lingering hurt feelings made her wish she possessed the willpower to push him away. She found herself wrapping her arms around his neck instead.

Ari dug her fingers into Ryder’s hair as he moved his hands to cup her derrière. She wriggled against his hard-on, delighted by her effect on him. It made the all-consuming yearning enveloping her senses easier to accept. Ari wrenched her mouth away from Ryder’s when he slipped his hands beneath her nightie to caress her bare ass. “You’re my boss.”

“Yes, I am.” Ryder squeezed her ass cheeks and Ari ached for more from him.

“We can’t keep crossing the line.”

Ryder nuzzled her neck. “What line?”

“The one between business and pleasure.” Ari gasped when Ryder brought one hand up and caressed her hardened nipple through the soft cotton of her pajamas.

“I never wanted to there to be anything other than pleasure between us.”

Ari jerked against him when he tugged on her nipple, depressing more keys on the piano. “But there is. Mixing business with pleasure is messy. Your words, but I agree.”

“What are you saying, Ari?” Ryder dropped his hand from her breast to her hip. “Do you only want a business relationship with me?”

Ari wet her bottom lip, finding it hard to think with his fingers skimming over the curve of her ass. “I think that would be easier, less confusing.”

“Confusing?” Ryder scoffed. “I want you. Do you still want me?”

It was an unfair query with him standing before her half-dressed, evidence of his hard cock visible from the bulge in his shorts. His question brought erotic flashbacks of her earlier private play session to mind—the mere thought of him had sent her over the edge. A flush of heat washed over her body beneath Ryder’s steady gaze.

“Is it that difficult to answer my question?”

Ari shivered within his embrace. “My answer is beside the point—”

“That’s
exactly
the point. You don’t have to answer because I
know
you want me.”

Ari’s heart skipped a beat as she looked up into Ryder’s gray eyes, knowing in an instant her shameless cry for him had carried through the wall. “You…you
heard
me.”

Ryder’s slow, sexy grin wreaked havoc on her heart. “I did, and I’ve got to tell you, it was one of the sexiest things I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to.”

“Oh, God.” Ari dropped her face from Ryder’s. She shook her head, troubled that her embarrassment didn’t supersede her arousal.

“Hey, there’s no shame here. Our desire is mutual. So, again I ask, do you only want a business relationship with me?”

She drew in a ragged breath, hardly aware of Ryder easing her from the keyboard and into the curve of the wooden body of the piano. Ari didn’t doubt he wanted her but their current business arrangement complicated the situation. How could she work for Ryder, temporarily live and sleep with him, without getting further bogged down by her increasing desire for him? The need to please him was also troubling.

It wasn’t her style. She was her own woman. Men typically danced to
her
tune.

“Ari?”

Ari blinked and focused on Ryder. “We should keep things between us business only.” She leaned against the piano and lifted her chin as Ryder’s gaze narrowed. “I think that’s best.”

“Bullshit.” Ryder slid his knee between her thighs, effectively shortening the hemline of her nightie with his action. He slipped his hand between her legs and touched her pussy.

“It’s what I want, Ryder.” Ari bucked against Ryder, glaring at him when his fingers dipped into her wetness.

“C’mon. We both know that’s not true.” Ryder caressed her clit, sending delicious zings through Ari. “If any two people could successfully mix business with pleasure, it would be us.”

“B-but that wasn’t the arrangement we made.”

“
Why
are you fighting this?”

“Because…” Ari stifled a moan when Ryder squeezed her pussy lips. “You can’t have it all.”

“Says
who?
”

“Says me.” Ari gasped again when Ryder pushed one finger into her. She realized it would be so easy to give him all of her, to surrender her heart, who she was, to be his. The realization scared her. Ari groaned, torn by desire, her thoughts and her newfound resolution not to let things get entangled further between them.

“Fuck. You are
so
wet.” His husky laughter made her wetter. “You need to stop playing this game.”

Ari shuddered against him, her resolve weakening a little with each shallow thrust of his finger he gave her. “Maybe we should renegotiate our terms.” She uttered the statement before thinking it through.

“Renegotiate?” Ryder paused for a moment.

“Yes.” Ari tightened her vaginal walls around Ryder’s finger, wanting him to resume his previous erotic ministrations. She was rewarded with an additional finger and a faster pace.

“How so, Ari?”

“Well…” Off balance with Ryder’s leg between hers, Ari placed her elbows on the piano, trying to gain better purchase with her precarious footing. She thought of her life in Vegas, the fun, party-filled times she’d left behind without much choice. This was her chance to regain what she’d lost. She would do things differently in Sin City this time, stay out of the casinos, secure another steady gig and get her own place. “One year here is too long.”

Ryder’s gray eyes seemed to darken as he held her gaze. “You’re performing what…ninety minutes a night, six days a week to pay off my loan of fifty grand?” He removed his fingers from within her, spreading her wetness over her pussy lips. “One year isn’t long
enough.”

“Six months. Six months of singing and me.” Her crazy proposition hung between them as seconds ticked by.

“Six months of singing and
you?
” Ryder traced tiny circles on her clit. “Meaning sex?”

Her scandalous proposal sounded even worse coming from Ryder. What had she been thinking to suggest such a wicked deal?

“Oh, wow.” Ryder shook his head as Ari parted her lips to recant her wild offer. “Do you really hate it here that much?”

Ari shrugged. “I miss my brother.”

“Bullshit.” Ryder smacked her pussy. “You miss partying and spending money you don’t have.”

Ari gasped from the shock of his action and curt words rather than actual pain.

“As intriguing as your offer is, Ari, I’m not sure you could handle the new terms of our agreement.” Ryder smoothed his palm over her tingling wet flesh. “You would be mine whenever and
however
I wanted.”

His statement sent a dark thrill through her. “
However?
”

“Yes.”

Ari trembled when Ryder went back to caressing her clit. “And just what would that entail?”

“You offered me six months of singing and fucking, after which you will be able to leave The Cove with your loan paid in full. Is that what you want?”

Ari hesitated from answering, unsure of her own indecent proposal. She moaned as Ryder strummed her clit with his thumb. Her legs trembled as a wave of pleasure washed over her. She wanted Ryder to stop teasing her and make her come. It wouldn’t take much to send her over the edge.

“
Is
it?”

Ari closed her eyes, conflicted by the sweet sensations sweeping over her. “Y-
yes
.” She was close to climaxing. Ari groaned with frustration when Ryder brought his hand from between her legs and took hold of her chin.