Wildcard: Volume Two (Wilcard, #2) (3 page)

She moans, letting me know that she’s enjoying the feeling of me inside of her. My heart pounds, because as much as I don’t want to admit that I like that she likes it, I do.

I
love
that she likes the feel of my cock inside her.

I lift her thigh and thrust myself further inside her. She’s just another pussy wanting to be fucked. That’s all. Nothing more.

“Fuck,” I growl, releasing inside of her. I groan, and for a second the only thing I care about is how her tight pussy is milking me dry. Pulling out, I walk off. I’m annoyed at myself for enjoying it so much. I’m annoyed at her for enjoying it. Most of all, I’m furious at myself for fucking her without a fucking condom.

“Are you on the pill?” I ask her. She nods, and relief rushes through me. I have no idea what I would’ve said if her answer had been no. “Good,” I mutter. “Now get the fuck out of my room.”

“What?” She gasps.

She’s shaking as she reaches for her skirt, pulling it over her slender hips, and I’m not sure if it’s because she’s upset or exhausted. Either way, I pretend not to care. Her lip is trembling, and for a second I think she might cry.

My jaw clenches as I stare her in the eye. “You heard me. I guess now we’re even. We’ve both been fucked.” I don’t flinch as I address her.

I turn around and walk into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me. I lean against the back of the door and listen to her soft crying. The door opens and shuts, and I’m greeted with silence.

I wait until I’m sure she’s gone before I exit the room. Slumping down onto the couch, I hurl the remote at the wall. I’m pissed at everything and everyone, but most of all at myself.

I wanted to
hurt
her. I wanted her to
feel
my pain. But none of it made me feel any better. I felt worse because the last half an hour had done nothing to erase my feelings for her.

You’re an arse, Ryder.
I’d achieved nothing except ruining any chance I might have still had with her. I didn’t know the full story, and now I probably never would. All because I’m a jealous, selfish wanker who is scared shitless of getting hurt.

And to top it all off, I still didn’t have my damn fish.

S
carlett

I wrap my jacket tightly around my chest as I walk inside and lock the door. 

I shiver, my heart beating loudly in my chest. I hate being here alone. The silence scares me. It always has. I turn on the lights and the TV and walk down the hall to Jake’s room. Flicking on his light, I sit down on his empty bed. Terry stares up at me from his cage. I unlatch it and carefully reach inside, pulling him up onto my lap. I smile as he snuggles into my arms.

Bastard. I hate him for what he just did to me, and I hate myself for not explaining things to him. I’m a mess of emotions right now and I’m half a second from completely falling apart.

No. You will not give either of them the satisfaction of breaking you.

In an odd way, my own words give me the strength to pull myself together. I place Terry back in his cage and turn off the lights.

My phone beeps. I check it, trying to convince myself that I’m not hoping it’s Ryder. It’s Penny. I feel guilty about the disappointment I’m feeling, and disappointed that I actually want to hear from him.

Her: He’s fast asleep. Hope you’re okay x

Me: Thanks for everything. I’ll pick him up tomorrow, after lunch.

Penny is my closest friend. She’s the only person who truly knows me, and the person I care most about in this world after Jake. Seven years older than me, she’s married with a son, Max, and a daughter, Lucy. Separated in age by only a few weeks, Jake and Max have been inseparable since starting Kingstown Elementary together two years ago.

Our friendship blossomed over sleepovers and play dates. They are always the first to help out when Jake is sick. I honestly don’t know how I would’ve survived the past two years without them.

My bedroom is next to Jake’s. I walk in and pull the door closed. Sitting down on the edge of my bed, I’m shaking as I check my phone again. I’m still thinking about Ryder—which isn’t unusual, because he’s all I think about. I curl up on the bed and pull the covers around me, trying to process the last few days.

If he wanted to hurt me, he’d done it.
Congratulations on breaking my heart
. 

I’d been so close to telling him everything.
I should have told him
. I should have made him listen. I should have made him understand just how much I hate the father of my son.

***

T
he incessant banging on the front window wakes me. I glance at the clock and see it’s two in the morning. I jump up, still fully clothed as I run for the door. My first thought is Jake. My second is Ryder.

Neither of them are right.

Tony smirks at me as he pushes his way inside. His short, dark hair is messy, like it needs a good wash, and the anger hiding in his piercing blue eyes scares me. I stiffen, and step back as I try and hide my fear. With his broad shoulders and muscular frame, he towers over me in height and size. It wouldn’t take much for him to overpower me.

“Get the fuck out of my house or I swear to God . . .” I swallow as my words abandon me.

“You’ll what? Call the police?” He laughs. “I’ll leave when I get what you owe me.”

“I don’t owe you shit,” I spit. “And I already told you: I’m not
with
him. You’re not going to get a cent out of him.” I laugh, even though the words drive through my heart.
I’m not with him.

His eyes narrow as he steps toward me. If there is one thing Tony doesn’t handle, it’s being laughed at. I don’t move as I stare him down, refusing to give him what he wants: the knowledge that he’s gotten under my skin.

“Fix it, Scarlett. You know what I’m capable of. Or do I need to remind you?”

No, you assfucker. I remind myself every fucking day what a sick asshole you are.

I watch him as he walks over to the door. I follow him out, because I want to be sure he’s gone when I lock it. He turns around and smiles at me. My blood runs cold.

“Don’t fuck with me, okay? Ten thousand and I’m gone.”

I shut the door in his face and turn around. I’m overwhelmed, because I have no idea what to do next. If I could somehow come up with the money and get him out of my life, I’d do it in a second. I laugh, because although the idea of getting ten grand is  ridiculous, it’s actually
more
realistic than Tony keeping his word.

Wiping my tears, I’m determined to resolve this, if only for the sake of keeping Jake away from that scum. I have so many regrets, but letting Tony back into my life two years ago is by far my biggest. But my mom had just died; I was completely alone and he was there for me.

Or so I’d thought.

I was sure he still has the videos, and he’d have no problem going back to jail if it means ruining my life too. That’s what makes this so fucked-up. How could I compete against that? He’s an ass who cares about nothing but himself and he knows I’ll do anything he asks me if it means protecting my son.

Everyone does things they regret, and I’m no exception
.

R
yder

“You’re not following through with the stroke. That’s why the ball isn’t going where you want it to.” I sigh, frustrated. This damn kid just refuses to listen to me.

“Uh-huh. Because I hear you’re the expert on
stray balls
,” she smirks, her hand on her hip.

I shake my head. What does that even
mean
?

I’ve been at this stupid camp for less than three hours and I’ve already come to a conclusion: teenagers are the fucking worst. They think they know everything, and Little Miss Attitude here is no exception.

And I also hate Mondays.

“You shouldn’t believe everything you read,” I mutter. Déjà vu sets in. Didn’t I have this same conversation with Scarlett?

Fuck
. Scarlett.

Why had I gone there last night? I’d wanted to punish her, but all I ended up doing was proving to myself what an idiot I am. And it had done nothing to dull my feelings for her.

I slammed a ball into the net. Is she seriously thinking about getting back with this guy who had shown no interest in Jake his whole life?

“Aren’t you supposed to be mentoring me? I only agreed to this stupid camp because my coach insisted I could learn something from the best. The only thing you could teach me is how to fuck up my career,” she giggles.

I look over at her and sigh.

Three more weeks of
this
?

Cally Harmer. At only fifteen, she’s one of the hottest young players rising up in the tennis rankings. Up until a month ago she had only completed at a junior level, but she had earned a wildcard entry into Wimbledon after winning several lead-up tournaments in a row. Unfortunately, she’s like a miniature version of me.

Translation—a pain in the arse.

“Watch your mouth,” I fire back. “And you don’t have a career to fuck up yet.”

She pouts and resumes serving shots across the net. “You know you’re a joke don’t you? I used to think you were a great player, but then you got cocky.” She narrows her eyes at me, flipping her long blonde braid over her shoulder. “I don’t even know why you’re here. Since when do you actually give a damn about tennis?”

“I’m here because my sponsors are paying me fuckload of money to babysit spoiled brats like you,” I say, gritting my teeth. “I’m here because apparently I have nothing better to do for the next fucking month than waste my time trying to dig your head out of your own arse.”

Her mouth drops open in shock. “I’m not going to stand here and listen to this abuse.” She laughs as she packs up her gear. “I cannot believe you just said that to me. You’ll be hearing from my father,” she adds before she storms off.

Fuck
. Maybe I’d taken that a little too far. Reaching into my pocket, I grab my phone and search for Matt’s number to give him a heads-up on what was probably—
hopefully
—the end of my mentoring career. With any luck I’ll be back in London by the end of the week.

Me: Sorry in advance. I won’t let it happen again.

Him: What? What happened?

I wince as my phone begins to ring. I ignore his three calls, hoping he takes the hint that I’m not in the mood to elaborate. He doesn’t. Seconds later, a text comes through.

Him: For fuck’s sake, Ryder! If you’ve done something at least have the decency to let me plan some damage control.

I turn my phone off before shoving it back in my pocket. A small sense of satisfaction washes over me as I chuckle. I hope Cally’s father rips him apart.

Payback for telling Scarlett where I’m staying.

R
yder

I walk into the bathroom, turning on the shower. It’s one of those fancy electronic setups, so I press the buttons until I have what I think is forty-five degrees.

Damn Americans and their fucking Fahrenheit.

I slide my shorts down my legs and kick them into the corner along with my shirt. I step under the stream of hot water and inhale sharply as it hits my skin. It’s too hot, but I can’t be fucked getting out to fix it, so I have what would have to be the quickest shower ever.

The knock on the door comes just as I’m changing into a fresh pair of shorts. I slip a T-shirt over my head and run my hand through my damp hair. I catch my reflection in the full-length mirrors that line the wardrobe doors. I look like shit, but I don’t care.

I open the door and my breath catches in my throat.

Scarlett
.

My heart races because I have no idea why she’s here. Wasn’t everything said yesterday? How can she even look at me after the way I treated her? I stand back and she walks in. The smell of her hits me in the face like a jagged glass bottle. It’s sweet and sexy and just . . .
her
. I can’t explain it.

I’m trying not to stare at her, but it’s hard because she’s fucking stunning. It’s like she’s trying to torture me. Her strapless cream-and-floral sundress sits just above her knees. She has her hair down tonight, and it’s falling in sweet little curls around her shoulders. I fight the urge to reach out and finger them.

“I didn’t expect to see you again,” I mutter.

“We need to talk. This time you’re going to let me explain.”

Her hands are clasped in front of her and her expression is hard. Only her voice shakes as she speaks, giving everything away. I smirk. She’s cute when she’s trying to be tough. Too cute.

“Look,” I begin, “I’m sorry about yesterday. I was an arse.”

“You were,” she agrees. “But I probably could’ve handled things better.”

“Maybe, but nobody deserves to be treated like shit.”

Her face reddens. We both know my comment is really directed at her.

“Will you let me explain?” she asks throwing her hands up.

She’s frustrated, and for the first time I consider that maybe there really is a reasonable explanation.

“Can I stop you?” I mumble. I can’t seem to stop the retorts that keep shooting out of my mouth. “Drink?”

She shakes her head and sits down on the couch. “I’m not with him, Ryder. Jake’s father? I want
nothing
to do with him.”

I look up, surprised. My jaw tightens as I wait for her to continue. I need to hear more before I say anything.

“He turned up after he saw us in a magazine.” She laughs bitterly. “I swear I thought he was out of my life.”

I sit forward. I believe her, but I’m confused. Why all the secrecy then? Why couldn’t she have told me this on Friday? Or even yesterday, for God’s sake.

“What does he want?” I ask carefully. I’m still not sure how I feel.

“To fuck with me. To ruin my life. The same thing he always wants.”

Always wants?

She told me he left when she got pregnant at sixteen. I hate doubting her, but I can’t help wondering what other lies she’s told me. I grunt and sit forward.

Do I trust her? Can I, after all this?