The Librarian Principle (42 page)

Ryder agreed to New Year’s in New York, but voiced his concern about Sean’s presence in the city. To put his mind at ease, Marissa made a point of avoiding their usual haunts as she made plans. Since the arrest Sean hadn’t tried to make contact. A stalking charge had been issued, with a warning that a subsequent offense would result in third-degree felony charges. Liese hoped the potential for jail time would be the deterrent Sean needed.

In the end, the occasion went better than Liese or Ryder had expected, with no appearances from Sean, and Ryder and Blake finally putting to rest their tumultuous history. A bottle of Grey Goose could go a long way in loosening people up, even Ryder.

Ryder did manage to book a hotel room with a Jacuzzi, which they put to good use, and a four-poster king bed. He took Liese up on her offer to allow him to remove her lingerie with his teeth after he’d secured her to the bed with the fur-lined handcuffs she’d purchased for the special occasion.

But once the holidays came to a close, Liese and Ryder went back to struggling to find adequate time to spend together. Spoiled by the uninterrupted span of time over Christmas, Liese had forgotten how challenging it could be to work around his busy schedule with their need for discretion. When she did stay the night at his place, they tended to capitalize on the alone time, which meant she was tired the next day. But the days she dragged herself around from lack of sleep were regrettably few.

Today it was the beginning of the week, a rare Monday evening when Ryder didn’t have a meeting to attend. They sat at his kitchen island, sipping wine and comparing calendars, trying to fit in another sleepover. But all of Ryder’s meetings conflicted with hers.

“We’ll have all weekend,” he promised.

“What about the art show at Tiffany’s school? Isn’t that this Friday? You can’t miss that.”

“I thought that was next week.” Ryder double-checked the dates and discovered Liese was right.

She didn’t bother to express her disappointment over not being able to come along. There was always a chance they could be seen together by someone they knew. Besides, his parents would be there, and this occasion didn’t seem the best for an introduction. According to Ryder, they weren’t supportive of Tiffany’s artistic pursuits. It was ludicrous that they didn’t see her talent. Liese had learned the painting in Ryder’s living room was indeed a portrait of a younger him, which Tiffany had painted from an old photograph. Liese didn’t think she could hold her tongue if they referred to it as a “silly hobby” in front of her.

“It shouldn’t run too late. I can call you on the way home . . .” he trailed off, apologetic.

Liese didn’t want to be upset, but it was hard not to feel jilted. “What if something happens with your parents and Tiffany wants to stay with you?”

“I doubt that will happen—”Ryder hedged. His phone rang and he checked the number. “I’m sorry; I have to get this.”

Liese sighed, drained the rest of her wine, and grabbed the bottle to replenish her glass. She shoved down the annoyance at being interrupted. Their conversation had seemed headed toward an argument anyway. Although, those were typically followed by hot sex. Ryder stood and paced the room, giving one-word answers to the other end of the line.

“I’d love to accept the offer,” he finally said, looking over at her with an excited grin. “Thank you. Yes, tomorrow would be perfect. I’ll speak with you then.” Ryder ended the call and tossed the phone on the counter.

Liese regarded him curiously. Ryder rarely looked as thrilled as he did now, unless she was naked and offering her ass up for a spanking.

He scooped her into his arms, his smile widening. “I got it.”

“Pardon?” She had no idea what the hell he was talking about.

“Remember that position I told you about before the holidays? The one in Montgomery County?” Excitement blended his words together.

“The superintendency?” Liese remembered the conversation: the one they’d had after Sean came to the school’s holiday play. Ryder had never brought up the job again.

“That’s the one. I interviewed for it, and I’ve been offered the position, effective at the end of this semester.”

Liese’s eyes widened as she processed the information. “But that’s only a few weeks away! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want to get your hopes up. I thought I could just surprise you with good news.” He set her down on the island. “Surprise!”

The granite countertop seemed as good a place as any to celebrate their newfound freedom and Ryder’s new job.

When the semester ended, Ryder left FAHL for the superintendency position, and a new female principal took over his administrative role. She was a take-charge woman who didn’t put up with any crap, especially Harvey’s. Ryder had set the wheels in motion prior to his departure, and by the end of the month, the assistant principal had been cited for workplace harassment by three staff members and offered early retirement.

Despite Ryder’s departure, he and Liese had agreed it would be best to keep things low key until the end of the school year, when speculation and rumors would have less impact on her. It took time to find a balance with all the changes, but they made it work.

In the meantime, she’d managed to secure a librarian position at a school in Berks County, which was also close enough to commute without a move. Though she would miss the friends she’d made at FAHL, she knew it was best to move on. A fresh start would clear her head and remove any question about the beginnings of her relationship with Ryder. Now that the school year was hours away from being over, Liese could almost feel herself breathing more freely.

“I’m picking you up at the end of the day,” Ryder said as he adjusted his tie in the mirror.

Liese stopped mid mascara-swipe. “Can you repeat that, please?”

“And I’m going to drop you off at FAHL this morning on my way to work,” he said matter-of-factly.

Liese slid the mascara wand home, giving it a twist to secure it. “Are you crazy?”

“No. I’m slightly compulsive and overbearing, but otherwise I’m mentally fit.” This time his eyes met hers.

Liese crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Ignoring her rigid stance, Ryder embraced her.

“It’s the last day of school,” she argued.

“Yes.”

“You don’t think its a little in-your-face to drop me off and pick me up?”

“Hardly. I’ve been gone for five months, and you’ll be starting your new position in the fall. Why does it matter if the people we used to work with know we’re together?”

“You can pick me up, but you can’t drop me off.”

“That doesn’t make sense. How will you get to work?” Ryder reasoned.

She recognized his persuasive tone. It was the same one he used when he wanted to try something new in the bedroom. The man loved to role play. It kept things interesting, especially on the rare occasions when she got to be the principal.

Liese frowned. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She didn’t want to fuel rumors. Lord knew there’d already been enough of them when he left. Thankfully, none of them had involved her. “You can drop me off at the coffee shop down the street.”

She could feel him trying to will her into changing her mind, but she held firm. She didn’t want her last day tainted by people running their mouths and asking overly personal questions.

Ryder sighed, defeated. “Fine, but I’m picking you up at the front doors.”

Later that afternoon, Liese exchanged contact information and made promises to keep in touch with colleagues as she left the building. Blake carried her box of parting gifts from staff and students alike. She would miss FAHL.

Janet and Emily had followed her out and were now debating whether they wanted to go straight home or out for an end-of-year celebratory drink. Liese wavered as she scanned the parking lot for Ryder’s Lexus. She didn’t have to search hard; he’d parked as close to the building as he could get without driving up the front steps. As soon as she hit the bottom of the stairs he stepped out of the car and started toward her. Liese wished they’d discussed how forthcoming he planned to be. She braced for her colleagues’ reactions.

Blake stepped over to greet Ryder, shuffling the box to one side so they could engage in some kind of ritualistic man handshake. Over the past several months she and Ryder had spent a lot of time with Marissa and Blake, and the two men had become friends. They bumped shoulders and patted each other on the back.

“Hey Ry, what’s going on?” Blake asked. “You leave something behind?”

Ryder pursed his lips. “In a manner of speaking.”

Emily and Janet looked surprised, but they greeted their former principal and made polite conversation while Liese hung back and tried to decipher his plan of attack. As if sensing her discomfort, Ryder pointed to the box under Blake’s arm. “Starting a pink coffee mug collection?”

“Hardly, the box of crap belongs to this one.” Blake inclined his head at Liese.

“Oh?” He looked to Liese, and when she nodded, he took the box. Popping his trunk, he sauntered casually to the rear of his vehicle and deposited the box inside.

The silence that ensued reminded Liese of Christmas dinner. Emily and Janet looked utterly baffled as he closed the trunk.

“Well, it was nice to see you.” Ryder addressed them cordially.

He slipped an arm around Liese’s waist and tucked her into his side, his hand dropping low on her hip. She looked up at him, shocked by his overt display of physical affection. That was until he upped the ante and bent to kiss her. His lips met hers, lingering longer than necessary. Emily gasped, Janet made a strange noise, and Blake just stood there with his hands in his pockets. The ladies’ bewildered looks turned to shock as they finally figured out why Ryder had stopped by the school.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Sure.” Liese fought to hold a strained smile. “Have a great summer, guys.”

She couldn’t make eye contact as she rounded the car and waited for Ryder to open the passenger door. She slipped into the seat, palms sweaty and knees shaking. With one hand on the door and the other on the hood Ryder ducked his head. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?” He brought his mouth to hers. And if that wasn’t bold enough, he sucked on her bottom lip, if only for a second, before releasing it. At her outraged gasp he whispered, “Be thankful I didn’t smack your ass in public. Imagine the response that would have gleaned.”

A burst of laughter slipped out, and she slapped her palm over her mouth as Ryder closed the door. He crossed the front of the car, smiling at her dumbstruck colleagues.

Ryder slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. They waved in tandem at her gawking friends, and Liese watched them shrink into the background through the rearview mirror as they left FAHL behind.

“I’ve been thinking,” Ryder said later as he sipped a glass of wine, idly running his fingers up and down her arm.

Dusk crept in, casting long shadows on the deck as evening turned to night. The sun threw off a pink glow as it made its way toward the horizon, turning the clouds the color of cotton candy.

“That’s new,” Liese taunted, rolling her head toward him. She was on her third glass of wine, celebrating the end of the school year on the privacy of her back deck.

Ryder shifted in his chair as he ran his free hand down the front of his shirt, right where his tie should be. That put her on alert.