13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Scarlett

Sometimes in life, you have to either shit or get off the pot. That was a saying I had heard all my life from my grandmother, and now, the old adage finally made sense to me.

I was in a conundrum of sorts. The broken part of me wanted to stay placid in my life to continue with my daily routines in the same job. However, the healing part of me wanted to move forward and see what the next phase in my journey is. I know I need to start living more in the moment, but I don't know if I am ready for a new me, just yet.

Spending time with Ryder had shown me that there was a way for me to move forward and stop allowing my past to dictate my life. He had shown up at All Our Children each day I had worked. When I was at Future Leaders, he would send me texts asking how my day was. So far, we had gone to see a movie and take a walk around my block.

It wasn't lost on me, though, that he was out on the town most nights of the week. Ryder Raven was a huge celebrity in the racing world. He had fans wanting his autograph and women vying for his attention. It still seemed odd to me that Ryder would want a friendship with me and the possibility of more. He could have any woman in the world he wanted. Why me?

I was pondering over this idea when I heard my phone ring. I had been super jumpy lately as I was anxiously waiting to hear if I had landed the job I wanted full time at Future Leaders. So, when my phone began vibrating and ringing loudly in my small office, I nearly jumped out of my leather chair.

Picking up the device, I spotted Ryder's face smiling back at me. He had taken a picture of himself the night we went to the movies and saved it in my contacts for his number.

I laughed to myself as I answered the call.

"Hey, Scar," Ryder rang out, using that incessant nickname he used for me.

"HI, Ryder," I said back.

"So, I was thinking about a proposition for you," Ryder began, that sexy, dangerous voice doing things to my body.

I crossed my legs at my desk, feeling that shaking need filling me already.

"Oh no, this isn't starting out good," I teased him.

"Just hear me out before you shoot me down," Ryder laughed. I could just see those beautiful blue eyes sparkling as his smile reached his eyes. "I have to go home to Hollow Cove next weekend. My family is opening a new bar and club, and they want me there for the party. I will be racing and investing, too," he finished.

I took the pen I had been writing with and twirled it around in my fingers. This was definitely a sweet gesture, but I wasn't sure if it was the best option for us. We were just starting to be friends. Was this too much too soon?

"I can hear that pretty mind of yours racing," Ryder jokes, his voice poking through my thoughts.

"I am just wondering if this is a good idea. I mean, we are just starting our friendship, and you want to take me on a trip home to meet your family?" I asked, hearing how ludicrous the idea sounded.

I sat back in my chair, sighing as I contemplated everything.

"You act like I am taking you home to marry you," he stated, humor ringing from his voice. "Look, I like spending time with you, and I really think you would have a great time," he added.

"Why me? I am sure there are a million women out there who would die to go with you," I argued.

"Sure, but I don't want to take them. I want to take you," he said, his voice deep and urgent.

My heart was beating wildly, and my breath hitched. Damn him. I couldn't say no.

"Fine, but I will get my own hotel room," I stated firmly.

"Sounds perfect. I wouldn't want you taking advantage of me," Ryder snickered.

I dropped my pen and laughed loudly. I could see a few people look around the door at me, probably wondering what was making me go crazy.

"I promise to keep my hands to myself," I giggled.

"Well, let's not go to extremes," he argued back.

"Alright, I need to get back to work before they fire me," I say, glancing down at my daily schedule on my desk calendar.

"Well, if they fire you, I will hire you as my personal assistant," Ryder stated, a sexy tone reaching out and caressing me.

"You wouldn't be able to afford the sexual harassment charges I would have to file against you," I laugh again.

I don't think I have laughed or smiled this much in years. My face hurts already from the action, and I am simply delighted.

"I would risk it. Get back to work, I will call you later. I'd like to come to see the boys again this week," Ryder finishes.

"Sure, just let me know when," I say, and then we hang up.

For the rest of the day, I have a gigantic smile on my face.

By the time Friday arrived, Ryder had been to All Our Children twice and even helped the boys with a homework assignment where they had to build a model car. Each time I saw him, I couldn't help but think if we could handle being friends or not.

On Saturday, I got an unexpected text from Ryder while lounging on the beach with Allison.

The sun was shining brightly, and the waves were crashing against the shore as a few kids rang along, laughing.

I sat up on my beach towel and picked up my phone.

"Hey," I greeted him.

Allison gave me a knowing look as she turned over and began sunning her front side.

I rolled my eyes at her and began ignoring her looks and comments under her breath about needing to get laid.

"What are you doing?" Ryder asked.

"Sitting on the beach with Allison," I said, taking a drink from my bottled water. A couple of drops dripped off the bottle, and the cold liquid felt amazing against my sun-baked skin.

"Oh shit, which beach?" he asked.

"Don't you want to know," I giggled.

Allison eyed me again, and I swatted at her. Even though she was old enough to be my mom, Allison and I were very close. I think, at times, she treated me like one of her kids, and I secretly enjoyed it. I was out here without any family, but Allison and John always seemed to fill that void.

"Hell yeah, I do. I'd love to see you in a skimpy bikini," he growled out. "No, wait. Not in public, you should only flaunt that body for me," he said, his voice deep and possessive.

I felt my body grow warm from his words. My heart raced, and I felt a deep need growing in my belly. I hated that he did this to me; he was going to dissolve my resolve to fight him if I wasn't careful.

"You have no claim over me. I may just go streaking naked down the beach," I stated, with confidence I didn't have.

"I am going to have to come down there and get you," Ryder yelled.

Allison sat up, offering a thumbs up at me. "That's my girl," she called out.

Ryder laughed on the phone, and I just sighed at the both of them.

"Did you call for a reason?" I asked, making sure to stop this conversation from getting any more inappropriate.

"Yes, I did. I called to invite you over to my house tonight for dinner. I live in Manhattan Beach. I will text you my address. And, Scarlett," he said, that dangerous tempting voice luring me in.

"Yes," I sighed.

"I can't wait to see you later," he said breathlessly, then hung up.

I dropped the phone next to me and fell back on my towel.

"What?" Allison asked, dying for information.

"I guess I'm going to his house for dinner tonight," I said, cringing as I waited for her to go nuts.

3. 2. 1.

Allison let out an insane scream as she smiled and pulled me in for a hug. "Have wild and dangerous sex tonight," she laughed.

"You are a terrible influence on me," I laughed.

Hours later, I was showered and dressed in a short, backless black dress, silver and black sandals, and a light layer of foundation. I sprayed on my perfume and then glanced at myself in the mirror before heading out to my car.

I had decided to wear my hair down tonight, and I curled the ends, giving it a beachy wave look. Sighing, I felt nervous as I thought about spending the evening with Ryder alone at his house. I knew it was a dangerous position for me, but I just had a hard time telling him now.

I plugged his address into my phone and drove down to Manhattan Beach. It was a beautiful part of Los Angeles that housed pristine beaches and million-dollar homes. As I pulled onto his street, I was gawking at the houses lining the beachfront property. My phone alerted me that I was at his house and I stopped my car. Getting out of my car, I admired the two-story modern design home. Large windows greeted me, and a stone path led up to a large, wooden door. Just as I stepped onto the front porch, the door swung open, and Ryder's smiling face greeted me.

"Welcome," he said, waving me inside.

I stepped into his home and was instantly in awe of the view. From the door, there was a straight-line view to the dazzling ocean outside. A chef-inspired kitchen sat to my right with all stainless-steel appliances and black cabinets—a white marble countertop contrasted nicely to the rich darkness of the kitchen.

A black leather couch faced a white marble-lined fireplace. An enormous television was mounted on the wall over the fireplace, and the entire house felt modern yet masculine.

"Your home is fantastic," I said, admiring everything around me.

The air around us began to fill with electricity as I could sense our emotions flaring. He eyed me for only a moment before he gently placed one hand around my waist and pulled me close. His lips swiftly crashed into mine as the heat and electricity between us finally exploded. The room was full of so much emotion; it was hard to control ourselves. I placed my hands on the back of his neck and began running them through his hair as our lips continued to collide in a passionate kiss. He took me by surprise, and I should have shoved him away, but I just couldn't find the strength to do it. He now had one hand on the back of my neck and one on my hand, moving me toward the couch. Breaking the kiss, I stopped for a moment as I caught my breath.

"Ryder, you invited me here for dinner. We are friends, remember," I said.

He took a step away from me, giving me space. However, the moment he let go of me, I felt like a piece of myself had fallen away.

"Tell me not to kiss you again, and I won't," Ryder breathed.

I opened my mouth to say the words I so desperately needed to say, but instead, something else came out.

"Fuck it," I said, moving toward him and crashing my lips against his.

I could feel him smiling as his arms went to my waist as he pulled me back to him again. I felt the hem of my dress rising as one hand slipped under the fabric, rubbing my thigh as our tongues danced.

Moving us to the couch, we fell onto the cool leather. I was now lying flat on the couch, with Ryder on top. I am not sure how long we kissed, but when I finally came up for air, I knew it had been too long.

Fighting an internal battle, I knew I had to stop us from continuing. If I didn't stop now, I wouldn't stop at all. Going beyond an innocent kiss could only lead us to places, neither one of us were prepared to explore. Pushing him off me, I scooted back against the armrest. "Ryder," I began, as I tried to catch my breath. My chest was rapidly moving up and down, and Ryder was experiencing the same dilemma, too. "We have to stop doing that," I said, trying my hardest not to pull him back on top of me again. "We agreed to be friends. If you want me to go with you next weekend, we have to keep it friendly."

Shaking his head, Ryder let out a frustrated laugh. He brushed a few strands of loose hair away from his face as he looked at me. "I know; you keep telling me that," he said, a hint of anger in his tone. "I don't know why you fight it. We are friends. We care about each other. Can't we just let things happen and see where they go?" he asked again, his voice etched with frustration.

I sighed and threw my head back. I stared at the ceiling as I fought back the tears. "We have been over this. I care about you. I adore your commitment to the boys, but anything more than friendship is not an option. I don't want to complicate things or hurt you. If this is too hard, we can…"

Ryder moved forward and placed one finger on my lips, hushing me. "Don't say it. I will take your friendship, as frustrating as it is, over losing you and not being in your life." His face was so close to mine that if I only inched myself forward a little bit, I could kiss him again. Shaking my head, I tried to erase that thought from my head. It was thoughts like that, that put us in these complicated situations.

"Okay," I said, removing his finger from my mouth. "We kissed. The moment is over. As much as I know our bodies don't agree with my heart, we can only be friends. I cherish your friendship, and it would devastate me to lose you. Let's just move on," I said as I pushed myself even further into the couch cushion.

"So, what do we do now?" Ryder asked, sitting up and placing his hands on his knees.

"I guess we eat, that's what you invited me over here for, right?" I ask, looking up at him.

A wicked grin spreads across his face as he looks down at me. "Well, I know what I wanted to eat," he says, licking his lips suggestively.

My cheeks redden as blush warms my face. My panties go wet at the thought of Ryder eating me in any way.

"I mean dinner," I say, glaring at him.

"Me too," Ryder grins.

After enjoying a sunset dinner on his patio facing the beach, I was full from the filet mignon and scalloped potatoes Ryder had made for us. I appreciated that he had hired a private chef to come in and cook for us. It was a nick cock block for him as he had to keep his hands to himself during dinner.

When I left that night, my body was in a heated frenzy as the lust for Ryder was driving me wild. He kissed me goodnight on my cheek before walking me to my car. It took all of the willpower in me not to chase him back inside of his house and jump his bones. I would just have to fantasize about him tonight in my dreams. That would be the only way I would be able to be satisfied in the way I so deeply desired to be by Ryder. As much as my body had defied me tonight, nothing right now could happen with Ryder. Maybe we needed a little space?