The Year of Living Shamelessly (29 page)

Read The Year of Living Shamelessly Online

Authors: Susanna Carr

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary

BOOK: The Year of Living Shamelessly
11.17Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
 
“I can take care of myself,” Katie insisted. “My methods are different, but they are just as effective.”
 
“I’m trying to protect what we have,” Ryder said, splaying his hands in the air to emphasize his point. “You don’t approve of my methods? Too bad. I will do what I think is necessary.
 
“I will not have your reputation dirtied because my name is associated with yours,” he continued. Ryder pointed toward the tables in the café. “Right now, no one other than Darwin is going to give you trouble because I’m around. Once I leave, it’s going to be a different story.”
 
Katie pressed her lips together and looked away. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but it looked like she was trying not to cry. Okay, what had he done now? “Katie? Are you listening to me?”
 
She turned to face him. “Yes, I am.” Her eyes dulled and the expression on her face was blank. Katie’s words were clipped as she kept her gaze straight ahead at his chest. “I promise I won’t do anything to encourage the rumors. Is that all?”
 
He watched her carefully, trying to figure out why she was guarding her emotions from him. Katie was someone who argued passionately and challenged him every step of the way. He had never felt like she was mentally pushing him aside until now. He suddenly felt cold.
 
“And stay away from Darwin,” he ordered, waiting for a flicker of spirit in her eyes. None came.
 
“I will do my best,” she promised with a tight smile. “But we just gave everyone in the café something to talk about. How about if you leave first and I’ll follow in a couple of minutes?” She headed toward the restroom. “Who are you with?”
 
“I owe Jake breakfast, but he’s late as usual,” Ryder answered, watching her carefully. She was cool, distant and agreeable. That wasn’t good.
 
“I’ll eat fast and get out of here,” she offered.
 
“Forget it,” Ryder said with an impatient growl and walked away from her. “I’ll do takeout. Jake won’t mind.” How was it that she had agreed to do what he asked, but he still felt like he’d lost a major battle?
 
 
Katie watched him leave. She exhaled shakily and entered the women’s restroom. As she washed her hands, taking time to recover, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was surprised to see how composed she appeared. No watery eyes, pale complexion or red cheeks advertising how stressed she felt.
 
And she was stressed, Katie admitted as she turned off the faucet and grabbed a paper towel. This should have been a wonderful time for her because the man she loved was in her life and in her bed. She should be happy. Walking tall. Freaking glowing. But he was still determined to leave.
 
And that didn’t make any sense. She wadded up the towel and viciously threw it in the wastebasket. He’d already given in to temptation, so why was he still planning to move? Wasn’t that like closing the barn door after the horses escaped? There had to be something else going on. How was she going to figure it out before he left in two days?
 
No wonder she was stressed! She tightened her long ponytail until her scalp tingled with pain. Straightening her pink leopard-print hoodie over her sparkly black yoga pants, Katie glanced down at her pink athletic shoes and groaned. Maybe Hilary had a valid point about the height of her heels reflecting her mood.
 
She flung open the bathroom door. Calm down, she reminded herself. Chin up and shoulders back. She knew people would look at her the moment she went back out on the floor. She was going to show the whole of Crystal Bend that she was unaffected by their attention.
 
Just as she passed the alcove, Katie collided with another person.
Great entrance. What’s your encore going to be?
She felt big hands grab her arms to keep her from falling down.
 
“Darwin!” She noticed he wasn’t as pale or sweaty anymore. The guy managed to bounce back fast. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you all right?”
 
Darwin scoffed at her question and moved, guiding them back into the alcove. “I’m fine. I wanted to check on you and let you know that I have your back.”
 
“You have my back?” She pressed her lips together and gave a solemn nod. “Thank you, but it’s not necessary.” She tried to step away but Darwin didn’t let go.
 
“And anytime you want to go to the bondage club, just call me.” He leered. “You can be my special guest.”
 
Okay,
now
it was time to follow Ryder’s advice. She placed her hand on his chest, and pulled it away when she decided it would be too encouraging. “No, thank you. I saw enough of the club to know that lifestyle is not for me.”
 
“It’s okay,” Darwin said, glancing up at the ceiling. “Ryder won’t be around to complain.”
 
“What are you looking at?” Katie looked up and saw that all this time Darwin had been positioning her under something leafy and green hanging from the ceiling by a floppy red bow. Mistletoe. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Do you have a death wish?”
 
Darwin didn’t answer as he smothered her mouth with a wet, sloppy kiss. Katie wondered why she was never wearing those killer boots when she needed to kick someone hard. She pushed Darwin away and he went flying.
 
That surprised her, and just as she was questioning her own strength, she saw Ryder holding Darwin by the back of his test pattern sweater. Darwin’s feet weren’t kicking in the air, but his toes were barely touching the floor.
 
She saw fury tightening Ryder’s harsh features. She held out her hands in a placating manner. “Ryder, it’s okay. I have this under control.”
 
“Oh, yeah. I can see that. Jones had you backed up in a corner and was making unwanted advances.”
 
“No!” Darwin’s voice squeaked. “It doesn’t count if there’s mistletoe involved.”
 
Ryder reached up and tore the sprig of mistletoe from the ceiling with barely restrained violence. “Do you know what you can do with this mistletoe?”
 
“Ryder!” Katie said urgently, yanking at his arm. “You don’t want to cause a scene.”
 
“You’re right. Let’s take this outside, Jones.”
 
Fear twisted Darwin’s face as Ryder dragged him through the café and out the door. Katie followed their trail, aware of heads turning and the murmurs of shock. After all the intimidation Ryder used on her dates in high school, Katie should have had enough experience to defuse the situation. But something was very different this time. Ryder truly saw Darwin as a trespasser.
 
She walked outside and yanked at Ryder’s arm before he laid a hand on Darwin. “Ryder, please stop.”
 
He didn’t lower his fist, but he didn’t shrug her off. “I told you not to encourage him.”
 
“He isn’t going to talk to me ever again. Isn’t that right, Darwin?” She caught Darwin’s gaze and nodded with exaggeration, prompting him to answer correctly.
 
“Right,” Darwin said, hunching his shoulders. “I didn’t know Katie was yours. She never said.”
 
Oh, right. Like this was all her fault for not wearing a T-shirt that said “the personal property of Ryder Scott.” She swallowed back a retort, knowing the situation would be resolved faster if neither man lost face in this showdown.
 
“There, you see, Ryder?” She pulled at his arm. “No harm, no foul. Now put Darwin down.”
 
Ryder let Darwin go abruptly. The man took a giant step back and straightened his sweater. “I-I—”
 
“Why are you still here?” Ryder asked him coldly.
 
Darwin gulped, turned and ran.
 
“He runs away fast,” Katie remarked with surprise. The guy was already on the next block.
 
“He’s had a lot of practice,” Ryder replied, looking at her instead of the retreating Darwin. “You didn’t correct him.”
 
Katie rolled her head with exasperation. “I didn’t expect him to make a move after you scared him. I thought he had more brains than pride.”
 
“He said you were mine, and you didn’t argue.” He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head. She couldn’t avoid his gaze.
 
“I am yours,” she replied. Her heart skipped a beat and then went into overdrive.
 
“Is that right?” His eyes narrowed on her lips.
 
“Don’t make me have to prove it,” she teased him, but he didn’t smile. He pressed his thumb against her lips and slid it hard across the length of her mouth. He wiped away her smeared lipstick and, she suspected, Darwin’s claim.
 
Ryder held her chin tight, as if she might try to get away. When was he going to learn that she wasn’t going anywhere? Ryder claimed her mouth with a possessive kiss. She put her hands on his shoulders, wanting to lean into him, melt into his heat, when they were interrupted.
 
“What the hell?”
 
Katie broke away from the kiss. She recognized the voice and it had the effect of a bucket of cold water. Still, she had to turn to confirm that her mind wasn’t playing tricks.
 
Jake stood next to them on the sidewalk outside the café. He was staring, stunned, his face flushed. And she had never seen him so angry.
 
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
 
 
Katie stared at her brother, the cold breeze whipping her hair in her eyes. Her stomach twisted into knots so tight she felt nauseated.
 
Driven by instinct, Katie moved between Ryder and Jake. She didn’t consider it a courageous move. She knew her brother and Ryder wouldn’t hurt her. But they might hurt each other. The tension emanating from Ryder was nothing like the dark emotions rolling in waves from her brother. She had to keep this from coming to blows and prevent any angry words that could never be taken back.
 
She would do whatever it took to protect Ryder. He might think that was unnecessary, but she knew he was suffering. Jake was his best friend and Ryder couldn’t bear the thought of hurting him. She wished she could have done something to keep him from this confrontation, but she wasn’t going to waste time agonizing over something she couldn’t change. Katie faced Jake defiantly, her arms outstretched in a protective gesture. She sensed the men’s surprise at her stance.
 
“Jake,” she began, holding his gaze and refusing to back down from the anger she saw, “I can explain.”
 
“I can figure this one out on my own,” Jake said, his voice carrying a bite. Jake braced his legs and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his thick red hoodie. “How long has this been going on?”
 
It was a simple question, but Katie wasn’t sure how to answer it. She wasn’t going to admit anything until she knew what Ryder’s story would be. So far he had offered her no clue. He was silent, not saying a word in his defense. Why had he withdrawn into himself ? She had never seen Ryder unsure of how to act before.

Other books

Just a Family Affair by Veronica Henry
Inconvenient People by Sarah Wise
The Perfect Mistress by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
The Witch in the Lake by Fienberg, Anna
Doctor Who: Terror of the Vervoids by Pip Baker, Jane Baker
Trapped by Annie Jocoby