“But you’re bored.”
“Restless would be a better word.”
Jay nodded. “Which is why you should audition for that competition. I was glad you took Ryder up on his offer to sing at The Cove. I was hopeful that being away from Vegas would be a good change of pace for you, especially after what happened, but there’s nothing holding you here, Ari.”
“Actually, there is.”
“What are you talking about?” Jay frowned as he took another bite of his pizza.
Ari placed her slice back on her plate. “Jay, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“All right.” Her brother frowned at her over his beer. “Lay it on me.”
Ari exhaled. “You were under the impression that I owed fifty grand to those thugs in Vegas, but that was to pay off the rest of my debt.”
“The rest?” Jay put his beer down. “How much did you owe, Ari?”
“A hundred thousand.” Ari tensed waiting for Jay’s reaction. Seconds ticked by as her brother stared at her. “Say something, anything.”
Jay slowly shook his head. “Fuck. You lost one hundred thousand dollars gambling? Holy hell, Ari. How could you be so careless?”
“It was careless. Beyond stupid.” Ari clasped her hands in her lap. “I didn’t realize I had a problem until I was faced with having to pay back such a huge debt.”
“Thank goodness they went to jail and you didn’t have to.”
“I didn’t have to pay the remainder of what I owed, but Ryder lent me fifty thousand which—”
“Ryder Stevens gave you fifty grand to pay those guys?” Jay leaned forward in his chair, his voice incredulous.
“Yes.” Ari pulled a piece of Italian sausage off her pizza. “He helped me out of serious jam. He offered me a deal to repay him.”
Jay raised an eyebrow. “What kind of deal?”
“Well, he was looking for new entertainment here at The Cove. He suggested I take on the job. He told me if I agreed to sing here for a year, I would be absolved of my debt.”
“Wow.” Jay lifted his beer and took a generous swallow. “Considering everything that went down, that was a very generous offer of him to make.”
“It was.”
“I was proud of you for making the decision to come here without knowing about your agreement with Ryder.” Jay grabbed another slice. “I thought it was a smart decision then, and I still do.”
“Yes.” Ari sighed. “It would’ve been if I hadn’t messed it up.”
“Aw, no, Ari.” Her brother dropped his pizza on his plate. “What’s happened?”
“I tried to change the terms of our agreement and it backfired.” Ari squeezed the bridge of her nose. “It backfired bigtime, and I don’t want to talk about the details.”
“I wasn’t going to ask.” Jay cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah, I was.”
Ari gave him a faint smile. “I know you were.”
“Can you fix what went wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Ari averted her eyes from Jay as they filled with tears.
“Look, you never admitted to it, but I know you two were seeing each other. Ryder obviously cares about you. He loaned you that money… Hell, he saved your life, mine and Shannon’s by involving the cops in that whole gambling fiasco. Now I don’t know what’s gone on between you guys, but there’s gotta be a way to make it right. Just talk to him.”
“He hasn’t returned my call.”
“Call again.” Jay resumed eating his pizza.
Ari stared at him, wishing she could taste anything other than the bitterness of her tears threatening to clog her throat. Ryder not returning her call or being in contact with her in any way for the past three weeks had been nothing but pure torture.
“Did you leave him a voice message?”
“No.” She hadn’t known what to say or how to say it. Hanging up without leaving a message had been the sanest choice, her only one at the time.
“Do you care about him, Ari?”
Ari toyed with her paper napkin. “I do.”
“Then call him again. I bet he’ll pick up. If you get his voicemail, leave a message informing him you won’t bother him again by calling. That will get him to call if he still cares.”
Apprehension knotted Ari’s stomach, making it impossible to eat. She hungered for Ryder, longed to at least talk to him. Not a day went by when she didn’t replay their last conversation and sexual encounter in her head. Ari picked up her glass and sipped her drink, thinking of the haunted look in Ryder’s eyes when she’d asked him to tell her what was wrong. The truth was that she was worried about him. She needed to know he was all right, even if she wasn’t the one he wanted to confide in.
“What are you going to do?”
Ari met her brother’s gaze. “I’m going to call him again.”
Chapter Eleven
Ryder clapped with the crowd as Ari finished her last song of the night. He watched her come off stage and mingle with the guests, gorgeous in a gold sheath dress that shimmered beneath the lights. God, he’d missed her. The month he’d spent away from her had been hell. He had missed her call the day after he’d left when he’d been going around and around with his father. Calling back in his state of mind hadn’t been an option, but Ryder regretted not speaking to Ari.
His head had been fucked up since learning about his dad’s infidelity and financial woes. It felt like every relationship in his life had taken some weird, crazy turn. Things between him and his father were strained, at best. Ryder didn’t think he’d ever forgive him for forcing him to tell his mom the truth, and there were days when he wondered if she’d have been better off never knowing. His parent’s marriage now hung in the balance.
Ryder felt responsible for his mother’s pain, and Ari’s, for different reasons. It had been good to spend time alone in his home in California. He’d immersed himself with work, doing promo shots and ads for the new talent show he was judging and sitting in on some of the Cali auditions.
Ryder left the hall, exiting through the door he knew Ari would leave the building from to go home. He turned, leaned back on the wood railing and waited for his little songbird to appear. Ryder assessed the mini white lights he’d asked his maintenance staff to hang across the patio, pleased with the whimsical effect. The small lights illuminated the terrace with just enough light, giving the space a playful, romantic ambience.
A lightning bug flew past Ryder, briefly drawing his attention as the door in front of him opened. He turned his head in time to see Ari’s eyes widen.
“Ryder!”
“I got your urgent message.” Ryder stepped forward, noting Ari’s hesitant smile.
“Oh.”
Ryder’s gaze drifted over Ari and the need to have her back in his arms superseded all of his good intentions. “Come here.” Uttering the command aroused him, seeing the desire in Ari’s eyes as she came to over made him hard.
He stepped out of his thongs then crouched and took off Ari’s sexy stilettos. Ryder picked up both pairs of shoes with one hand and held out his other to Ari. She took hold of it and Ryder led them down the stairs into the sand, away from the resort toward the beach. A gentle breeze washed over them, wafting the intoxicating scent of Ari’s perfume over Ryder as he took them further from The Cove. He turned to Ari when they were a few feet away from the cottage, enchanted by her beauty beneath the moonlight.
“You didn’t return my first call.” Her non-accusatory statement was almost drowned out by the roar of the ocean but Ryder still sensed the hurt behind it.
“I know. I apologize.” Ryder turned to face her, lightly squeezing her hand still clasped in his.
“I— I missed you.”
Her soft declaration broke Ryder’s resolve. He dropped their shoes to the sand then took her into his arms, reveling in the way she melted against him. The desire to touch and pleasure her rose sharply within Ryder as he visualized every inch of her naked and quivering under him. Her feminine curves felt b
etter than he’d remembered pressed against his body.
Ryder bent his head and kissed Ari, savoring the taste of her trembling lips. He deepened the kiss, loving Ari’s tiny moan as she put her arms around his neck. Ryder tightened his hold on her. He didn’t want to let her go, wanted to keep her close where she belonged. The realization shocked Ryder, made him turn her lose. He stared down at Ari, his gaze dropping to the delighted grin gracing her lips. “Ari…” I love you. “I missed you too.”
Ari smiled wider. “You did?”
“I did.” Ryder held her gaze and knew in an instant what he had to do for both of them. “Ari, I’m absolving you of your debt owed to me.”
Ari blinked in surprise, her head still spinning from Ryder’s passionate kiss. “What?”
“You’re free to leave The Cove whenever you want.”
Ari stared at Ryder, her joy at his gruff admission of missing her fading. “You’re letting me go?” Her gaze drifted over him, sexy as ever in dark jeans and a short sleeved Henley shirt.
“Yes.”
His one word response unleashed a torrent of emotions within Ari as she blinked back tears. Sadness ripped through Ari as she crossed her arms. “Ryder, I’ve been to every rehearsal with Gordon. I haven’t shortened any of my sets. I’ve practiced my music and yoga. I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do since you left. So where the hell is this coming from?”
“This has nothing to do with your job. I know you’ve been doing what I’ve asked.”
Ari snorted, anger surging past her hurt. “Oh? Do you pay Liza extra for spying on me?”
“Ari—”
“You didn’t have to come back here to tell me this.” Ari held out her hand. “Can I please have my shoes back?”
“Not yet.”
“Dammit, Ryder. Give me my heels!”
Ryder swore. “Why are you upset?”
His incredulous question pierced Ari’s heart. She knew her feelings of rejection and sorrow were ludicrous, which only made her more furious. “You know what? Keep the damn shoes.” Ari whirled around and walked off, digging her toes into the sand to gain more traction and speed.
“Ari, get your ass back over here.”
Ari flipped him off and kept striding down the deserted beach. Who the hell did he think he was, ordering her ass anywhere? Hadn’t he just let her go? Ari quickened her pace and her pulse leaped when she heard Ryder curse behind her. She took off running, knowing Ryder was giving chase. Her heart pounded in her chest as she sprinted across the sand. Ari yelped when Ryder grabbed hold of her.
They both stumbled and fell on the sand. Ari fought to be free of Ryder as he rolled them until she was beneath him.
“Let me go!” Ari wriggled in earnest to no avail, captured between his powerful thighs. She dropped her face from Ryder’s as the tears she’d been trying to hold back filled her eyes once again, blurring the starry night sky.
“Dammit, woman, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” Ryder caught her wrists and planted them above her head in the sand. “I’m giving you what you wanted all along. So why are you pissed with me?”
Ari stopped struggling as she met Ryder’s gaze. “It’s not what I want.”
“What do you want, Ari?”
You, all of you. Ari’s chest heaved and she was thankful her tiny, muffled sob was drowned out by the waves coming into shore. “I don’t know.”
“Liar.” Ryder pushed his knee between her legs. “You do know what you want.”
“Mmm hmm…” Ari glared at him, hating the treacherous swirls of arousal hardening her nipples and dampening her thong. “And I know what you want too.”
Ryder lowered his head, claimed her lips in a soft, romantic kiss that belied the strength with which he held her captive. He teased her, showed her what she’d been missing, his tongue flicking against hers. Ari groaned with need when he pulled back to look at her.
“Songbird, you have no idea what I want.”
Ari lifted her head and nipped Ryder’s bottom lip. “Show me.” She gasped when he reached under her short dress, took hold of her thong and snatched it free. “Yes.” Ari parted her thighs wider as Ryder moved his other knee between her legs. She maintained eye contact as he unbuttoned his jeans. He released her hands and Ari unzipped his pants as he took a condom out of his pocket. She watched him rip open the foil package, vaguely concerned about them being spotted in a very public display of affection as he sheathed himself.
He took her a second later, pushing deep into her wetness and wrenching a sharp cry from Ari.
“Shh.” Ryder silenced her with another kiss as he began to move inside her.
Ari brought her knees up as he slammed into her, relishing the intensity of his passion. She pushed her hands beneath his shirt, digging her nails into his back. Ari gazed up at Ryder, dazed by the whirlwind of sensations flooding through her. She reached up and cupped Ryder’s face as she whispered his name.
Ari’s breath hitched in her throat as Ryder groaned and pumped her faster. She clung to him as she climaxed, awed by the pleasure enveloping her. She mewled, trembling at each pinwheel of ecstasy spinning within her. Ari slid her hands from Ryder’s back to his hips when his movements became jerky. She cried out at depth of his strokes, drowning out his gruff grunt as he came.
Ari moaned as he pulled out of her body. She briefly closed her eyes, savoring the blissful arcs still rippling through her. She quivered as Ryder yanked up his pants and shifted his body to lay beside her. Ari stared up at the stars, amazed by what they had just done. She turned her face to look at Ryder, very aware of her wet thighs and unorthodox surroundings. “We just had sex on the beach.”
Ryder chuckled. “Was it better than the drink?”
“Much better.” Ari touched her twists. “Messier too. I’ve got sand in my hair.”
Ryder got to his feet and held out his hand. “That’s what showers are for.”
“I bet I’ll set a new world record for the longest shower time.” Ari took hold of Ryder’s hand, giggling as he pulled her up from the sand.
“Hey, I would love to help you break that old world record. Just say the word.”
Ari laughed as they walked hand in hand back to the beach house.
Fifty minutes later, Ari joined Ryder on the couch in front of the pillar candles she’d lit before going to shower. She squeezed the towel around her twists a final time then unwrapped it from her hair.
“All the sand out?”
Ari patted the ends of her hair with the towel. “I think so.” She shivered when Ryder picked up a strand of hair. Her pulse reacted to the subtle scent of his cologne and aftershave.
“I love your twists but I bet you’d look great wearing your natural hair.”
“Excuse me?” Ari eyed him, wishing he didn’t look so damn good in everything he put on, his khaki shorts and a black tee, no exception. “How do you know this isn’t my natural hair?”
“Is it?” Ryder lifted the twist in his hand to his nose, seeming to enjoy the fragrance of her favorite shampoo.
“No, but that’s beside the point.” Ari snatched her hair from Ryder’s grasp, surprised by his comment. No other guy had ever made hair suggestions for her before.
“Are you offended?”
Ari sighed. Offended was last on her list of emotions tumbling inside her. “I’m confused.”
“About?”
“About why you aren’t going to hold me to our deal.”
Ryder glanced at candles in front of them. “Remember Cassie?”
“Yes.” Ari straightened her back at the mention of the other woman’s name.
“I know you wanted to ask me about her.” Ryder looked at Ari. “Cassie was my high-school sweetheart. I was in love with her. We’d talked about going to college together and although I hadn’t asked her yet, we both knew we were going to marry, have two-point-four kids and a dog. Out of the blue, Cassie broke things off with me.” Ryder shook his head. “Worst day of my lif
e. She told me she was going away for college, didn’t want to have a long-distance relationship.”
“That must’ve been difficult to hear.” Ari watched Ryder push his fingers through his damp hair.
Ryder shifted his gaze to the flickering candles on the coffee table. “It was fucking brutal but I respected her decision, went off to school and tried to forget about the first woman to capture my heart.”
Ari nodded, ignoring feelings of jealousy and envy bombarding her at Ryder’s frank declaration. It wasn’t easy trying to be emphatic when her heart was constricting at the possibility of Ryder telling her where his heart still belonged.
“I’d always felt there had to be more behind what Cassie was telling me for breaking things off the way she did, but I never imagined the true reason.”
Ari waited for Ryder to finish then frowned when he remained silent. “Ryder?”
“She had a child.”
“Oh my God.” Ari gasped. “She had your child and didn’t tell you?”
Ryder turned his head and met her gaze. “Not mine. My father’s.”
Silenced stretched between them as Ari stared at Ryder, dumbfounded by what he’s shared. “Cassie had your dad’s baby?”
“Yes.” Ryder got up from the couch. “He’s been paying her to keep quiet and to help raise the child he didn’t want to accept as his own.”
Ari gasped again. “Oh, Ryder…”
“I know. Unbelievable, right?”
Ari reached out and placed her hand over Ryder’s. “You just found out about this?”
“I did. That night when you’d asked me what was wrong? That’s what was bothering me. I couldn’t wrap my head around what I’d learned, let alone share it with you. I didn’t mean to take my resentment and anger out on you.”
“Ryder—”
“Wait, let me finish.” Ryder blew out a breath. “My dad manipulated Cassie with money in order to get her to do what he wanted. I condemned him when my actions with you haven’t been any better. Remember when I asked you what was more important…money or the truth?”
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