Chapter 3

THREE

Maple

I had been so excited when I first walked into the bar and approached Ryder. It felt like my old confident self, but now that I'm back home, I'm panicking.

Why did I think this was a good idea? I think as I pour myself a glass of wine and take a healthy swig.

I wanted to have some fun and Ryder seemed like exactly the kind of fun that I needed. I remind myself as I take another drink for courage.

I've already picked up my entire apartment, not that it took long. I live in a little one-bedroom place above a hardware store in the middle of downtown. The place is tiny, but it suits me just fine. I don't need a lot to be happy. Just a good book, a cozy blanket, and some snacks.

I drain my glass of wine and grab the bottle, pouring some more into my cup as I pace around my kitchen. I still have half an hour until Ryder gets off work and comes here, and I'm not sure what to do with myself. I can't keep pacing around, though.

I finish off my second glass of wine and head to my bedroom. I start to rummage through my dresser drawer, looking through my lingerie for something to wear.

I've always loved lingerie. It makes me feel sexy and powerful. That's part of why I opened Wet and Wild. I wanted to help other women feel that way, too.

My fingers find a red silk babydoll dress, and I pull it out, smiling as I hold it up against my body. I know that this is the one. I bought it months ago, but I've never had an opportunity to wear it.

That's actually the case for all of my lingerie and toys. It's a bit embarrassing, but I'm a twenty-four-year-old virgin. A twenty-four-year-old virgin who also owns an adult toy store.

My parents were always sex-positive. They were always open with sex, letting us know that it was a natural thing. They never expected me to wait until marriage, but I knew that I didn't want to lose my virginity to just anyone. I wanted what they had.

True love.

I've never been interested in anyone before, not until Ryder. I know that's why I approached him tonight. I'm sick of being a virgin. I want to use the toys that I have in my shop with someone. I want to stop feeling like a fraud when I help customers out with things around the store. I want to finally be with a man.

I see the time on my alarm clock and strip in a hurry, pulling on the dress and checking that it's in place in the mirror hanging over my closet door. The red silk of the cups pushes up my breasts, and the fabric hanging down hugs my curves, giving me a perfect hourglass shape. I smile as I look at myself and then do a little twirl, giggling as I stumble into my bed.

Okay, I might be a little tipsy…

A knock sounds at the front door, and I take a deep breath as I make my way down the short hallway and over to answer it. I trip over my own feet a few times, and my head spins as I make my way.

I paste on a smile, cocking my hip in what I hope is a seductive pose as I pull the door open and look up into Ryder's blue eyes.

"Heyyy," I say with a giggle.

I step aside to let him in, and he reaches for me, his hand landing on my hip to steady me as he comes into my apartment.

"Hey, you look… amazing," he says, swallowing hard.

"Can I get you a drink?" I ask, and I'm proud of myself for sounding coherent this time.

"I'm okay."

I nod, grabbing my empty wine glass and the bottle. I pour the last of it into my cup and then make my way to the couch. He follows suit and sits next to me. There's too much room between us, and I take another sip as I scoot closer.

I wonder if he can tell that I'm nervous.

"I don't normally drink this much," I blurt out, and he smiles.

"I know."

"Is it obvious that I'm a lightweight?" I ask with a giggle, and he grins.

"Yeah, a bit. I'm not much of a drinker either," he tells me.

"But you work in a bar!"

"Maybe that's why then. I'm around alcohol all the time, so it's lost all of its appeal," he suggests, and I snort.

"Not for me. I'm around lingerie and sex toys all day long, and sex is all that I think about."

His mouth drops open, and I sway towards him.

"What about you? Do you think about sex too?" I whisper, and he swallows hard.

"More and more," he whispers, and I finish off my wine, dropping the glass down on the coffee table a little too hard.

Ryder reaches over and saves it before it can fall off of the table, and I blink.

"Whoops!"

"Why did you drink tonight?" He asks me, and I lick my lips.

"I was nervous," I admit, and he smiles softly.

"Me too. We don't have to do anything. I mean, I wasn't planning on sleeping with you tonight anyway."

I frown at his words.

"Then why did you agree to come here?"

"Well, in case it isn't obvious, I'm into you, Maple. I have been since you got to town, and I didn't want to turn you down because I was afraid that you might never ask again."

"So, you were just going to come and let me down easy?" I ask him, hurt starting to pop the giddy bubbles in my bloodstream from the wine.

I grab the blanket off of the back of the couch and pull it around myself. Suddenly, the lingerie isn't making me feel sexy or confident. Just embarrassed.

"No! I just thought that I could ask you out or that we could talk and get to know each other more. I don't just want one night with you, Maple."

He looks like he wants to say more, but he bites his tongue and just watches me, studying my reaction. I wish that I hadn't gotten drunk so that I could do a better job of hiding my feelings. I feel vulnerable and exposed right now, but I find that I'm not that upset by it. I trust Ryder not to hurt me.

"Alright," I say finally, and he blinks.

"Alright, what?"

"Alright, treat this like our first date. Tell me about yourself."

He seems surprised by my words, but he does as I ask.

"Well, I was born and raised here. I moved away for college, but I've been back for a little over a year now. I actually came back to town right before you moved here."

"Do you like it here?" I ask, and he nods.

"It's home. It's always been home. I love the people and the small-town way of life."

"Me too," I whisper, and he smiles. "So, is being a bartender the dream then?"

"No," he says with a laugh. "I'm a web designer. Things have been going pretty good the last few months, but I kept working at the bar because it was something to do. It filled the nights and brought in some extra cash."

I nod and he shifts, his body angling towards mine more.

"What about you? Was the dream to always own a sex shop?"

"No," I say with a snort. "I didn't know what I wanted to do, but our parents died, and Olive wanted to move, and the rest of us followed her. We came here, and Olive opened her bakery, and Saffron started the bookstore, and well, I needed something to do. I've always liked lingerie. It makes me feel sexy, and I just… landed on that," I finish.

He nods, his eyes dark and filled with heat.

He wants me.

That's the only thought in my drunken mind as I stare at him.

"What about Halloween?" I blurt out, trying to ignore the way that my body reacts to the lust in his eyes.

"What about it?"

"It's coming up next week," I inform him, and he nods.

"Yeah."

He doesn't seem as excited about the holiday as I am, and I frown.

"You don't like Halloween? You don't dress up? Hang out with friends? Go to a party? Pass out candy?"

"Not really. I haven't celebrated since before I left for college. Probably not since I was a little kid," he tells me almost apologetically.

"You can come with me to a party this year! We can pick out costumes together!"

"Do we have to dress up?" He asks, and my enthusiasm wanes.

"No, you don't have to," I say quietly.

My eyes start to feel heavy, and I smother a yawn as I lean back against the soft couch cushions.

"You don't have to go to the party," I murmur sleepily.

"I want to."

I nod, my eyes starting to drift shut.

"You don't have to stay."

"I want to do that too," I hear him say before sleep pulls me under.