The Year of Living Shamelessly (24 page)

Read The Year of Living Shamelessly Online

Authors: Susanna Carr

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary

BOOK: The Year of Living Shamelessly
2.82Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
 
Katie fluffed out her long black hair and positioned herself in the center of the bed just as she heard Ryder turn on his stereo in the other room. The hard, pulsing rock music wasn’t her first choice of a romantic accompaniment, but it could be worse. At least it wasn’t one of the songs that had been playing in her head all morning. She wrapped one handcuff around her wrist and then struggled to close the other cuff.
 
The moment she accomplished that, she sagged against the mattress and exhaled. Wow, she had made it with seconds to spare. She looked expectantly at the door and waited.
 
Nothing.
 
No problem. That would give her time to adjust her position. Katie posed with one knee bent, allowing a tantalizing glimpse of her hip. Hmm, probably not sexy enough. Maybe she needed to emphasize that she was gift-wrapped for Ryder’s pleasure. She wiggled down the bed a little until her arms were fully extended. Perfect.
 
She stared at the door and waited. And waited some more.
 
He was coming to the bedroom soon, wasn’t he? Otherwise she might lose all circulation in her hands and arms.
 
Katie heard footsteps and held her breath. This was it. He was going to open that door and discover her. And then he was going to pounce. Katie arched her spine, thrusting out her chest. She saw the doorknob turning and she forgot about breathing.
 
Suddenly the door opened and she saw Ryder. He wore a gray Crystal Bend Community College sweatshirt, snug jeans, and a stunned expression.
 
Ryder came to a dead stop at the threshold. His jaw dropped but no sound came from his mouth. He slowly blinked and opened his eyes wide.
 
She gave him her best come-hither smile.
 
As if he was on automatic pilot, Ryder took a step back into the hallway and closed the door.
 
CHAPTER ELEVEN
 
 
Ryder was hallucinating. That was the only possible explanation for why he’d thought he’d seen Katie tied to his bed. Wearing next to nothing. Except a big, red bow.
 
No, he hadn’t imagined it. Damn, it was like his greatest fantasy had come to life. He was already tense and ready to pounce and he’d only had time to catch a glimpse before shutting the door.
 
Focus. He had to focus, and not on how great Katie looked spread out on his bed, waiting for his touch. Ryder rubbed his forehead, the sweat already beading on his skin. He was sure Katie had planned this to the very smallest detail. Too bad she hadn’t considered the possibility that someone else would be here, too. Someone like her big brother, Jake.
 
This was not good. He whirled around and faced Jake, wondering if he’d seen anything. His friend didn’t look stunned or horrified. He looked . . . confused.
 
“What’s the problem?” Jake asked. “You don’t want to dismantle the bed?”
 
The bed. Ryder’s stomach did a somersault. Oh, hell no. There would be no dismantling of the bed.
 
Ryder prayed that Katie wouldn’t call out to him. He had to warn her somehow. “You know what, Jake?” he said loudly, despite the fact that Jake was standing at his elbow. “Let’s postpone the packing.”
 
“I’m right here, dude. You don’t need to yell over the music,” Jake said as he took a step forward. “And I’m here to help you pack, so let’s do it.”
 
Ryder blocked the door as his brain threatened to shut down in something close to panic. If Jake found his little sister here, in his bed—not to mention tied up with a bright red bow—all hell was going to break loose.
 
And Ryder was not going to let that happen. And not because he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with Jake. Nothing so noble. He wanted Jake out of here so he could enjoy every delicious second Katie was about to offer him. He was going to go to Hell for it, but at this moment, he didn’t care.
 
“I’m hungry and there’s nothing here,” Ryder improvised. “We can go to the café and grab something.”
 
“No way,” Jake said. “You have to stop procrastinating. You aren’t going to finish in time if you keep going to parties and pulling Katie out of trouble.”
 
Ryder glanced at the door, wondering what Katie thought about that. He hoped that she had at least heard Jake’s voice and was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.
 
Jake made a move for the door and Ryder threw his arms out, preventing Jake from reaching the handle. He knew he was acting suspiciously, but if he had to, he would wrestle his friend to the ground to keep him from opening that door.
 
“I . . . forgot to tell you,” Ryder said, his words coming out in one big rush. “Sasha came by earlier. She’s looking for you. And she said she’ll swing by later.”
 
Jake’s groan was so loud that Katie had to know he was here. “Can’t that woman take a hint? She’s suffocating me. Okay, this is what we’ll do. I’ll hide in your bedroom when she drops by.”
 
“No!” Ryder exclaimed, pressing his back against the door. His eyes widened when he heard a frantic rustling sound coming from the bedroom. He immediately conjured up the image of Katie writhing on the bed, struggling against the bindings.
 
Oh, God. He couldn’t think about that right now. He was not going to imagine Katie swaying from side to side, rocking the bed. He wasn’t going to think about climbing onto the bed and holding Katie still as he covered her body with his.
 
“No, that won’t work,” he insisted hoarsely. “She’ll see your truck parked out front.”
 
“You’re right,” Jake admitted with frustration. “That woman drives me crazy.” He turned and walked toward the front door.
 
Ryder followed Jake, barely listening to his elaborate plan to outwit Sasha. Ryder hoped that Jake wouldn’t find out that Sasha wasn’t looking for him at all.
 
The moment Jake was out the door, Ryder closed the door quickly and locked it. His heart was pounding harder than the music as he ran back to the bedroom.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Katie heard footsteps coming closer and she froze. They were swiftly eating ground and she had no chance to take cover as the door swung open. She sighed with relief when she saw Ryder alone at the threshold, hands on hips, and a look of utter incredulity on his face.
 
“Oh, thank God,” she said with great feeling. “For a second, I thought you were Jake.”
 
Ryder took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead as if he was getting a migraine. “He just left. What are you
doing
here?”
 
She blew her hair from her eyes. “I wanted to surprise you.”
 
“Oh, I’m surprised.”
 
He didn’t say anything else. He remained standing on the other side of the room, staring at her.
 
She hadn’t expected that. She imagined that after one glimpse of her chained to his bed, Ryder would tear off his clothes and launch himself at her like a heat-seeking missile. He didn’t seem too eager to join her in bed, and she wondered what she had done wrong last night. She did her best not to show her disappointment, confusion and hurt.
 
“I thought we could pick up where we left off last night,” she said with a bright smile.
 
Ryder was already shaking his head. “Last night was a mistake.”
 
Katie rolled her eyes. “I knew you were going to say that.” He had probably prepared a speech and practiced it all morning.
 
Ryder thrust a tense hand into his hair and looked away. “I was too—”
 
“Ryder, if I had a problem with last night,” she said firmly, determined to block any excuses, “I wouldn’t have encouraged it and screamed for more. I would have stopped you.”
 
“You don’t understand,” he said as he approached the bed. “Last night I don’t think you could have stopped me. That’s why I had to stop myself. I couldn’t sleep next to you without going crazy.”
 
Katie smiled wide. This was music to her ears. Ryder desired her so much that he had lost control. “That’s great!”
 
“No, it isn’t.” He sat on the end corner of the bed. “I’ve managed to resist you all this time and it’s become harder. I’m days away from removing myself from temptation”—he gestured at the moving boxes—“and I did the one thing I swore I wouldn’t do.”
 
Katie stared at Ryder as the words played over in her mind. “You
are
leaving because of me.” Wow, her mother was right. Two times in a row. This was freaky, and possibly unprecedented.
 
“And I’m not going to make the mistake again,” he vowed.
 
She hated to hear him say that their night together was a mistake. What they did, what they shared, was beautiful. There had to be something she was missing. Katie gathered her courage and asked the one thing she really wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the honest answer to. “Why are you staying away from me?”
 
“Isn’t it obvious?” He clasped his hand on her ankle, as if he couldn’t resist touching her, that he needed the contact. “Look at how I took you last night.”
 
That was why he was keeping his distance? Because he hadn’t claimed her in a missionary position? He must think she was a fragile woman with a delicate disposition. Hadn’t she done everything she could to correct that assumption? “I liked it.”
 
“You don’t have to say that to make me feel better.” He looked down and patted her ankle. “You deserve a guy who can treat you like a lady. Someone who is tender and romantic.”
 
Katie made a face. “Where did you get that idea? I’ve known guys like that and they bore me,” she confessed. “I know what kind of man I want and it’s you.”
 
Her claim didn’t please Ryder. “You’re saying that because you don’t know any better.” He absently stroked her ankle, sending waves of pleasure up her leg.
 
“I’m not looking for someone who tries to charm me into bed, or who wines and dines me hoping to sixty-nine me,” she said bluntly. She needed to get through this man’s stubbornness and time was running out.
 
The look he gave her indicated he didn’t believe a word she said. “You are telling me that you don’t want the roses and champagne route?”
 
“The guys who offer me that always turn out to be shallow and they run at the first sign of trouble. I want a guy who will make the same sacrifices that I would to protect what we have together. A man who wants and needs me as much as I want and need him. I want someone who understands me, who has been with me through the ups and downs. And I want to offer the same for that guy.
You
are that guy. We are perfect for each other.”
 
Ryder wasn’t convinced. “So last night was your romantic fantasy?”
 
She paused. Okay, that question might trip her up. Last night hadn’t been her romantic fantasy. Katie had dreamed that their first time would include flowers, champagne and words of love. Last night she had been surprised, but only in the beginning. “Last night was exactly what I needed and wanted.”
 
“You didn’t answer my question.”
 
“I have a lot of fantasies,” she admitted. “Some of them are romantic and some of them are dirty. All of them include you.”
 
His gaze collided with hers for a moment before he dragged his attention away. “Is being tied to my bed one of your fantasies?” he asked as he continued to rub his callused hand around her ankle.
 
“Actually, I thought this would be one of yours.” Although she did enjoy the feel of his hand holding down her ankle like a cuff.

Other books

Judith McNaught by Perfect
Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry
Betrayal by Aleatha Romig
03 Cutler Brides by Paige Tyler
Learning to Heal by Cole, R.D.