by Katy Kaylee
I’d taken out my phone and took pictures because this was exactly the type of thing Ryder needed to be seen doing to improve his image. Why no one shared this with the world, I couldn’t figure out. Volunteering to spend time with vets was one of the top things an athlete could do to spread goodwill and improve his image. Surely Ryder knew that, so why hadn’t he said anything? Did his manager Ray know about his?
I wasn’t hiding from him per se. I had intended to approach him once I’d gotten enough photos, but when he turned his head and saw me, I knew I’d been made. What I hadn’t expected was for him to stalk toward me with an angry scowl on his face.
“What are you doing?” he ground out under his breath when he reached near me.
“What are you doing? Why is this a secret?”
His jaw clenched as he looked around.
An older woman walked by us. “I kicked Shuman’s ass, Ryder, just like I said I would.”
Ryder managed a smile. “Is there a pool I can join? I think betting on you would help me fund my retirement.”
“I have my bookie contact you.” She winked at him. She took a cursory glance at me and then patted Ryder on the arm before walking off.
He set his hand on my arm and nudged me toward the door of the clubhouse. “Come on.”
I sighed but complied and we entered the cool building. I thought we might stay there, but he walked through it and out the front door to a grassy area under a tree.
“Let me see your phone,” he said holding out his hand.
I gave him my phone. He scrolled through the pictures, and then he tapped things.
“What are you doing?” I reached for my phone, but he stepped away from my grasp.
“Deleting your pictures.”
“What? Why?” I tried for the phone again.
“Because this is none of your business.”
I stared at him wondering what the hell was going on. “Ryder, this is just the type of thing that can improve your image.”
He shook his head, tapping the phone one last time before giving it back. “No.”
I could only gape. “I thought you wanted to get endorsements.”
“Not like this.”
“This is exactly what you need.”
He leaned closer to me. “No.”
“Why not?” It didn’t make any sense.
“I will not exploit these people just so I can make money.”
After watching him interact with the Vets and the children, I’d realized that maybe he wasn’t the complete self-centered asshole I’d thought. But now I was wondering if I’d totally misread him. Was Ryder one of those men who everyone thought was a bad boy when in fact he was just misunderstood? From a PR standpoint, that could work for him.
“Ryder, people need to know you have compassion and care about people. The pictures would have shown that. Especially playing football with the kids.”
“I’m not here to earn points in a popularity contest, Katie. The answer is no.”
I huffed out a breath. Jeez, he was pigheaded.
“I’ll stay home and jerk off instead of hooking up with women. I won’t get into fights. But I will not exploit people to make some company like me.”
Once I was able to get past the image of him masturbating, I had to acknowledge that while he just made my job more difficult, I’d admired his stance. “Do you want to improve your image?”
“Not if it means using people. You’ll have to find another way.” He started to walk away.
“Ryder, wait.” I cursed under my breath. “Where are you going?”
“Home.”
I practically had to run to catch him. “We need to talk.”
“About what? I think I was perfectly clear.”
I nodded. “Yes. And if we can’t share your volunteer time here—”
“I’m not volunteering here,” he ground out, surprising me by how upset he was. “These people are my friends. My family.”
I studied him. “Okay. But we still need to figure out a plan. Is there a place we can go and talk?”
“I’m going home.”
I thought for a moment. “Okay. Maybe you can let me tag along. Watch a day-in-the-life of Ryder Malloy, minus the visit to the vet community. That might give me some ideas.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“I’ll follow you.”
He started to get in his car, but I put my hand on his arm. “Why are you making this so hard?” The man was truly an enigma. “I get not wanting to exploit your friends, but why are you so resistant to this process as a whole?”
His hard, blue eyes studied me for a moment. “Because it won’t change anything.”
“Sure, it will. People improve their images all the time.”
“People believe what they want to believe, whether or not it’s the truth.”
There was something more to his words, but I couldn’t determine what it was.
He opened the door to his car. “If you want to fire me as a client, now is the time.”
“I don’t want to fire you.” I wanted to understand what was going on behind those tormented blue eyes.
“Then I guess I’ll see you at my place.” He gave me the address and then got in his car.
I hurried to my car, got in, and was able to catch up to him before he merged on the freeway. During the drive, I replayed the whole exchange in my head. Clearly, Ryder had more depth of character than I’d given him credit for. Then again, he’d been like that in high school. On the outside, he seemed like a cocky jock, but deep down he had substance, he just didn’t seem to want people to know about it or give him credit for it. Why was that? He was wrong if he thought showing kindness and compassion wouldn’t change people’s impression of him. Would people still see him as a womanizer? Probably. But a sexy alpha male with a good heart was extremely attractive.
Thirty minutes later, I pulled up to Ryder’s house and tried not to gape. He lived in a gated community, which made sense. He was a celebrity ballplayer after all. But the house sat back on a bluff, giving it privacy from neighbors. When I walked in, the first thing my eyes were drawn to were the floor to ceiling windows with the Pacific Ocean on the other side.
“That’s spectacular.”
“Like I said, I like my house and I’d like to continue to afford it.”
I held my tongue from pointing out he wasn’t making that easy.
He started to leave the room.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m changing so I can go running.”
I frowned. He really seemed to forget his manners.
“You said a day-in-the-life of Ryder Malloy, right?”
“I did.”
“You can come with me.” His eyes raked over my outfit and my body started to hum. It remembered what he’d done to me before and wanted a replay. I was beginning to understand that maybe Phoebe really couldn’t say no to Ryder, which then reminded me what he’d done.
“I’ll wait here,” I said more tersely than I probably should have.
He shrugged and walked off. I went to the windows and took in the beautiful view. I did well at my job, but I’d never do well enough to afford this. I wondered if Ryder really appreciated what he had. Danny had been right; life came easier for Ryder. Not that he didn’t work hard in football, but everything else seemed to work out for him. Even his antics hadn’t completely turned people off. I suspected many people found his bad boy persona to be charming. Of course, it only went so far, which is why companies were leery of him. That and until he played this fall, there was the question of whether he’d still be as good.
“Want to come to the beach?” Ryder asked as he entered the room. He wore shorts and beach shoes, and nothing else. His chest was bare and my brain hiccupped seeing strong sculpted muscular planes. I wanted to run my tongue all over him and then suck one of those brown nipples. He quirked a brow at me.
My mouth felt like it had sand in it. “You’re going to run in
beach shoes?”
“I’m going to run barefoot and then swim back.”
No wonder he looked so strong, firm, and… God, it was all I could do not to get naked and beg him to take me.
“There’s booze and wine in the bar.” He nodded toward a bar on the other side of the room. “The terrace is nice this time of day.”
I nodded.
He smirked, letting me know he knew I liked what I saw. “Maybe I could just do a calendar.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. I could already imagine all the women fantasizing about him month after month.
Then he laughed, and I realized it was the first time I’d seen him look anything but bothered since we first saw each other in my office the other day. My heart stopped and my breath hitched at the magnificent beauty of him.
He did bad things, I reminded myself.
“I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
I nodded and watched as he went out on the terrace and down a set of stairs to a trail that led down the bluff to the beach. With him out of sight, my brain circuitry went back to normal. I didn’t want to pry, but I looked around the living area. His décor was simple, clean, and comfortable. He didn’t have a TV in this room, but I suspected he had a theater room somewhere in the house. To keep myself from snooping around his home, I went to the bar and got a glass of wine. I walked out on the terrace and that’s when I noticed the infinity pool to the left. Cripes, he knew how to pick a house.
I sat on a lounge chair and soaked up the sun. It was late afternoon, so it sat like a yellow-orange ball in front of me as it made its descent in the sky. Looking on the beach, I saw Ryder approach the water, his arms up in a stretch. Good golly did he have a body. How was it possible that my hormones would hum at the sight of him when I didn’t like him? It’s not like I didn’t see beefy handsome athletes regularly. Some were my clients. Some were clients of my firm that I’d see when they came to meet with their PR person. It probably was because I knew first hand every sexy inch of his body, just as he knew mine. My pussy contracted to tell me I was on to something. But just because my body wanted him, didn’t mean I liked him. I just had to make sure my dislike for him continued to outweigh my lust.
But that could prove to be hard too. Watching him at the vet community, I could feel my attitude softening. I had to admit that Ryder may not be the uber-jerk I thought he was. But that didn’t forgive what he’d done to my family, I reminded myself. Just because he was nice to vets and their kids, didn’t mean I was going to forget how he’d betrayed Danny, or had told me he wanted to be with me, and then a few days later was hooking up with some southern California bimbo.
I watched him as he started up the beach, his strong body powering through the sand. I committed to keeping my libido in check, and the memory of what he’d done at the forefront of my mind.
6
Ryder
Katie wanted to see a day-in-the-life of Ryder Malloy, but to be honest, I wouldn’t be running right now if she wasn’t here. Going for a run was a spur moment decision to keep from spilling my guts and touching her.
As much as I was angry at her for not believing in me, I was also attracted to her. I’d been so pissed to see her at the vet community, but I had to give her credit. She was still trying to help me even though she didn’t think much of me. Even more so, she accepted my position on not wanting to exploit less fortunate people. She didn’t like it, but she went along. There was a moment when I thought she might even respect me for it.
If only she didn’t believe I was the type of person to sleep with my best friend’s fiancé. Yes, I’d slept with Phoebe when we were in college, but I hadn’t realized Danny was into her. If I had, I wouldn’t have let her corner me in a bathroom during a party to suck my cock, and then later fuck her on the sink basin.
She’d tried that shit again a week before her and Danny’s wedding, but I didn’t realize her intentions until too late. All Danny saw was her in lingerie and me in a towel. I couldn’t blame him for jumping to a wrong conclusion, but I could blame him for not believing that I didn’t touch her. When she apologized to him, as if something had happened, my brain nearly exploded. What the hell was wrong with her?
I shook my head and inhaled deeply as I reached the beach. If Katie showed up in lingerie, I’d fuck her in a minute. Christ her curves were even sexier than I remembered. Out here in California, the ideal female body was emaciated. They were so skinny, half the time they didn’t have hips, which made no sense. What man didn’t love curvy hips to hold on to while they pounded away to orgasm? And Katie was right, many women here had fake tits, which made Katie’s even more appealing. I swore to God I could still taste them on my lips from four years ago.
I had to remind myself that she hated my guts and I resented her. There’d been a few moments when I thought I’d tell her the truth about Phoebe, but then stopped myself. Like when she’d taken a very thorough inventory of my bare chest with those gray eyes that didn’t hide her desire. But then her eyes went blank, and I realized she was reminding herself that I was an asshole. She wouldn’t believe me.
I kicked off my beach shoes and walked closer to the water line, stretching before turning and running south along the beach. I pushed myself until my lungs bellowed and my calves burned from all the extra work running barefoot in sand required.
Not wanting to be gone long, I didn’t run too far before wading out in the water and swimming north back up toward my home. Swimming, in particular, helped my shoulder, and I was committed to not just be as good as last year, but even better.
When I reached the beach in front of my house, I rolled over and floated for a few minutes, letting the waves soothe my sore muscles. Then I walked out of the water and up toward the house. Slipping my beach shoes on, I used the outdoor shower at the base of my house before heading up the steps to my terrace.
When I got there, Katie wasn’t there, and I had a moment of disappointment, until I saw her through the windows, pouring herself a glass of wine.
She looked good in my house. Had things gone differently, this could have been our home. Fucking Phoebe and Danny.
I watched her, noticing that she didn’t realize I was there. She took a drink of her wine, and I noted the long curve of her neck as she tilted her head back. I so wanted to run my tongue along there down to her collarbone and lower. My dick started to thicken. I scoffed at my libido. Don’t you know she’s off limits?
All of a sudden, I was pissed. The anger came out of nowhere. Why the fuck was I putting up with this shit? I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Feeling surly, I went to an outdoor cupboard and pulled out a yoga mat. Then I dropped my wet shorts on the terrace and stood on the mat, ass naked, ready to stretch. I rarely did yoga naked, although this wouldn’t be the first time.
I closed my eyes and lifted my arms up, not caring that Katie would see me and my semi-erect dick as I stretched. I slowly bent over, savoring the pull on my hamstrings.
I heard the glass door open but ignored it as I rose up, lifting my arms over my head again and inhaling deeply.
“Naked yoga in public will not help your image.”
“I’m on my own property.” I blew out my breath, and inhaled again, hoping it would offer calm. “Besides, perhaps you haven’t noticed, but I have no neighbors and the beach is empty.”
“You clearly don’t know about telephoto lenses. The last thing you need is a picture of your dick online again.”
I squeezed my eyes shut hoping for strength, but it didn’t come. I whirled around. “I’m not who you and the rest of the world think I am. I’m on my own property. If I want to exercise naked, that’s my business and doesn’t make me a fucking asshole.”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“While we’re at it, I have never forced myself on a woman, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying sex.” I thought back to our time four years ago. “You know that’s true, Katie. You and I had a good time.”
“That’s
all it was—”
“No.” I bellowed it, hearing my echo out over the bluff. “And even if it was, what’s wrong with that? Are you a prude now? Making love is okay but fucking is nasty? Is that what you think?”
She inhaled a shuddering breath. “No.”
“Are you the type that denies yourself pleasure because you think it’s bad?”
She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I probably should have reined it in, but the anger pumped through me as thick and hot as my blood.
“Do you regret what you did with me? Do you think you were a bad girl to let horn dog Ryder Malloy touch you?”
“No.” The word came out on a quiet gasp.
“No, but you regret it. After all, you think I betrayed your family. Do they know, Katie? Do they know I popped your cherry?” I hadn’t known she was a virgin and wanted to ask her about it, but right now, I was too wound up. “Do they know I taught you how to suck my dick?”
This time the flash in her eyes wasn’t lust, but anger. “You’re being vulgar.”
I laughed. “You say that like you’re surprised. But you’ve always thought I was beneath you. Vulgar. Dirty. Untrustworthy.”
She shook her head and looked at me in confusion. “That’s not true.”
“Good girls like you like bad boys like me. Is that why you let me fuck you?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
I leaned closer to her. A mixture of lust and anger swirled. “Tell me you didn’t like this.” I stroked my dick.
She swallowed hard as she watched me touch myself. Her gray eyes were rapt as my dick thickened and lengthened in my hand. I felt certain then that if I kept up, I’d be able to have her again. That knowledge filled my chest with an unbearable ache because I wanted that more than anything.
“Shit.” I released my cock. As much as I wanted her, it wouldn’t change anything, and chances were, she’d have regrets. I didn’t need that weighing me down as well. “I’m going inside to shower and take care of this… alone. So, no worries, Katie. There won’t be any cum shots on the Internet.”