Read The Year of Living Shamelessly Online
Authors: Susanna Carr
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary
The Year of Living Shamelessly (8 page)
Katie got the hint and immediately looked to where she had last seen Ryder. He was in the front hall, next to the staircase decorated with garlands and miniature ornaments. And next to him was Sasha. The honey blonde stood very close to Ryder, jutting her hips to one side. At first glance it looked as if she was dressed down for the event in skinny jeans and a red sweater. It was like a flashback to the office party. Was there ever a moment when a beautiful woman
wasn’t
monopolizing Ryder’s attention?
wasn’t
monopolizing Ryder’s attention?
But when Sasha shifted to the side, Katie’s eyes bulged out. The sweater had a narrow slit in the front that plunged from her collarbone to her navel. It showed a thin strip of her bare skin and a hint of her breasts.
“And I thought
I
was showing skin,” Katie said. And she thought she had a firm stomach until she got an eyeful of Sasha’s rock-hard abs.
I
was showing skin,” Katie said. And she thought she had a firm stomach until she got an eyeful of Sasha’s rock-hard abs.
Melissa tilted her head to one side. “How does she wear that without flashing the world?”
“Double-sided tape,” Katie murmured.
“Yikes, sounds painful,” Melissa said as she munched on the carrot stick.
“I thought Sasha was after Jake.”
“What better way to make Jake jealous than by flirting with his best friend?”
Katie made a face. “That’s stupid.”
“That’s dating.”
“Ryder’s too smart to fall for that.”
Melissa grabbed another carrot stick from the platter.“He doesn’t seem to mind.”
No, he didn’t. Sasha was giving Ryder the full treatment: touching him, flipping her hair, licking her lips. It was flirting by numbers. Katie should know—she had read that article, too. She was grateful that Ryder wasn’t encouraging Sasha to get closer, but he certainly wasn’t shooing her away.
Melissa elbowed Katie in the ribs. “What are you going to do to get rid of her?”
What could she do? She needed to pick her battles and go for the ones she could win. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Melissa coughed as the carrot went down the wrong way. “The woman is about to rub herself all over Ryder. If she were a cat, she’d be marking him with her scent to claim him.”
Katie turned away reluctantly so her vision of the hall was blocked. “I have no claim on Ryder,” she said quietly.
“I understand.” Melissa looked back at Ryder. “But if the roles were reversed, Ryder would have none of it.”
Katie frowned at her friend. “You’ve lost me.”
“Let’s say some guy was all over you. What would Ryder do?”
“Pull us apart.” Melissa was right. Ryder’s protective instincts used to irritate Katie no end, and he wouldn’t heed her complaints. Whether by intimidation or physically getting in between, Ryder made sure her dates didn’t touch her too intimately.
He had made no claim on her, but Katie certainly felt like she belonged to him. Maybe it was time to give Ryder a taste of his own medicine.
“I’ll take that tray,” Melissa said, arms stretched out.
Katie relinquished the silver platter and marched into the hall, her ankle boots ringing on the wooden floor. Ryder saw her before Sasha did. He didn’t step away from the blonde, but he watched Katie warily.
Katie knew she shouldn’t just walk in with guns blazing. But she had no time to come up with an alternative strategy.
“Merry Christmas, Sasha,” Katie said.
“You, too,” Sasha replied without looking at Katie.
Katie figured she could go one of two ways: confrontation or sneak attack. But since she didn’t truly have a claim on Ryder—well, not one he would recognize—perhaps a sneak attack was best.
“I love your sweater,” Katie continued, wondering if a thunder-bolt was going to strike her down for this bold lie. “That color is great on you.”
That earned a fleeting look in her direction. “Thanks.”
“And the split in the front. So edgy.” Katie tried to inject some enthusiasm in her voice. “But I really love the split in the back. That must have been difficult. Who is the designer?”
“Split?” Sasha reared back and gave her full attention to Katie. “What split?”
“The one right down the back seam. You didn’t notice when you put it on?”
Sasha twisted around, trying to see the back of her sweater. “You mean it’s ripped?”
“You mean the designer didn’t intend to do that?” she asked innocently. “Are you looking for a mirror? There’s a full-length one in the bathroom. It’s down the hall and to the left.” She watched Sasha hurry toward the powder room. “Oh, that was too easy,” she muttered to herself.
Ryder leaned against the banister. “When she figures out what you did, she’s going to decapitate all those crystal snowmen in the bathroom.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Katie responded coolly. A woman had to make sacrifices . . . although she really adored those snowmen.
“What was all that about?”
Katie folded her arms across her chest. “You tell me.”
Ryder’s eyebrow rose. “I don’t respond to—”
Katie couldn’t talk about this anymore. It was time for action. She put her hands on his shoulders and went up on her toes. Ryder hesitated and, as if he had found the discipline in the last second, tilted his head to the side to avoid her kiss.
But Katie had no intention of locking lips. When he moved his head, he gave her perfect access to his neck. She nuzzled against his throat, enjoying the warmth and scent of him. She placed an open-mouth kiss below his ear. Licking his skin and feeling the pulse under her tongue, Katie caught the flesh between her teeth and sucked hard.
The breath hitched in Ryder’s throat. She felt the hairs on his neck stand up. He lurched forward, his body slamming against hers. As he grabbed the back of her head, his fingers twisting in her long hair, Katie hoped he was going to draw her closer, or at least hold her captive. Instead, he pulled her away.
He stared into her eyes. Their faces were almost touching. She felt his warm breath waft over hers. The air between them shimmered.
He didn’t say anything. The look in his eyes was feral. Red stained his cheekbones and she saw the muscle twitch in his jaw.
He looked like he was ready to pounce.
She waited, anticipation building inside her until she thought she’d burst. She loved the way his body trembled and eagerly watched the fire glow in his eyes. Ryder closed his eyes, and just when she thought he was going to make his move, he slowly unclenched her hair.
Katie watched almost in a daze as he stepped away. And then took another step for good measure. The crashing disappointment she felt was mingled with a hint of relief. As much as she hated to admit it, it was probably for the best. She wasn’t sure what she had just unleashed.
Katie reached up and rubbed her finger over the love bite she’d left on his neck. Ryder jerked from the delicate touch.
“There.” Her voice was heavy with satisfaction. “I’ve left my mark.”
“What has gotten into you?” Ryder looked stunned as he reached up to touch the bruise.
“Now everyone knows you’re mine,” she announced. Katie turned and walked away with a swing in her step.
Finally, she was being outrageous. One might even say uncalled for. She didn’t care. It felt good. It felt right. She was headed for the kitchen when she felt someone grab her arm.
At first she thought Ryder had caught up with her. But it was Hilary who was gripping her arm. Melissa stood behind Hilary, looking a little worried.
“Having fun?” Katie asked her friends. “Guess what just happened?”
“We have something to tell you first.” Hilary looked very serious.
“Is something wrong?”
“Sort of,” Melissa said as they guided her into a corner where no one could overhear. “It’s about Ryder,” she said in a hushed tone. She looked around and double-checked that no one was eavesdropping. “We’ve heard some disturbing rumors. He may not be the man you thought he was.”
Katie laughed at the suggestion. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve known him forever.”
“Let me take a crack at this,” Hilary told Melissa. “We might be asking the wrong question. Katie, what do you know about Ryder’s exes?”
Katie shrugged. “Not much, other than they are blond, beautiful and bitchy.”
“True,” Hilary said. “And you’re missing one more ‘B’ word. They are all into bondage.”
Katie blinked. “Say what?”
“
Bondage
,” Melissa enunciated. “Among other things. The guy you want is into the kinky stuff.”
Bondage
,” Melissa enunciated. “Among other things. The guy you want is into the kinky stuff.”
“How do you know that?” Katie asked in a scandalized whisper.
“I talked to a few people who would know. Apparently Tatum told Emily Jones that Ryder has seriously X-rated tastes. And remember when Ryder dated Jessica Wheeler back in college? You don’t even
want
to know what they got up to together. I just forced Emily to give me all the juicy details,” Hilary explained. “Maybe you should have done a little more research on your crush.”
want
to know what they got up to together. I just forced Emily to give me all the juicy details,” Hilary explained. “Maybe you should have done a little more research on your crush.”
“I doubt Emily or Jessica would have told Katie anything,” Melissa told Hilary. “Everyone knows how defensive she gets when people gossip about Ryder.”
“True,” Hilary agreed.
“Bondage,” Katie repeated. She glanced in the hallway and studied Ryder, unable to banish the jittery feeling coursing through her body. Ryder was watching her as he dragged a shaky hand through his hair. He was changing before her eyes, as if she was looking at him through a different, sharper lens. He seemed mysterious, edg ier, and even more fascinating than before.
“So this is probably why Ryder never touched you,” Hilary said. “He knew you were far too innocent for him. He would have scared you off.”
“Nah,” Melissa said. “He’s not touching her because she is Jake’s little sister. That’s my vote.”
Katie couldn’t pull her gaze away from Ryder. A dark wildness rolled through her. She wasn’t sure why. She had never wanted to try bondage before, but she was open to the idea if Ryder would be her partner.
“What matters is that Katie did what she could,” Hilary explained, “but this is why she never completed her New Year’s resolution. It wasn’t something she did or didn’t do. These are extenuating circumstances.”
Katie turned to face her friends. “Does he tie up his sex partner, or does he like to be tied down?”
“Uh-oh,” Melissa said. “I know that look.”
“And are we talking silk scarves or heavy-duty chains?” Katie was really hoping scarves, but she could be talked into a diamond-encrusted handcuff.
Hilary stared at her. “Katie, you might want to reconsider what you’re planning. Ryder is way more out of your league than any of us realized.”
“Unless you’ve been holding out on us,” Melissa said. “What do you know about bondage?”
“Nothing. I don’t remember a single magazine article on the subject,” Katie admitted. She gave another look at Ryder and her mouth curled up in a smile. “But I think I’ve just found a tutor.”
Ryder dragged his attention away from Katie and turned around. He resisted the urge to rub at the love bite, but it seemed to burn brighter until he couldn’t think of anything but the provocative mark. As much as he wanted to erase it from his skin, he felt a dark pride from knowing it was there.
What had made him think that Katie was innocent—too innocent for him? He was surprised that Katie knew exactly how to tempt him. One scrape of her teeth and he was ready to reciprocate. He longed to make a bold claim on her, something more permanent than a bite. The need burned violently in his veins and he didn’t think it would disappear.
He wasn’t familiar with this side of Katie. He’d never even seen a glimpse of this, or maybe he hadn’t let himself see it. He liked knowing that he made her feel this way, that her intense hunger matched his. All this time he’d thought he would overpower and frighten Katie, but he might have to fight for dominance when they fell into bed.
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