by Susanna Carr
“I use my brainpower to fight the forces of evil.” Hilary rubbed the black mascara circles from under her eyes. “I can’t spare it on things like makeup and dating.”
“Maybe that can be your New Year’s resolution,” Katie said slyly.
“No way,” Hilary said and snapped the visor closed. “I refuse to take part in that antiquated custom. Next you’ll stuff black-eyed peas and cabbage down my throat.”
“Hey, those are for good luck on New Year’s Day.”
“Don’t get me started on the whole concept of getting lucky. But wait a minute!” She turned and faced Katie. “You keep changing the subject on me. Tell me about your night.”
Katie groaned. She didn’t feel up to discussing it, but she was trapped in the car with Hilary.
“Come on. How was it?” Hilary leaned over her seat and looked down at the gas and brake pedals. “Oh, I guess it wasn’t that great. I’m so sorry.”
Katie cast a curious look at her friend. “Why do you say that?”
“Katie, you’re wearing ballet slippers.” Hilary patted Katie’s arm with sympathy. “You needed a cinnamon scone more than I did. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“When I see you wearing ballet slippers, it is the equivalent of me pouring sugar packs down my throat. Stop at the next Starbucks and I’ll find you something sugary.”
Katie wiggled her foot and gave a quick glance at her black ballet slippers. “Are you saying my shoes reflect my mood?”
“No, just the height of your heels. I’ve noticed the phenomenon this year. When you’re ready to take on the world, you wear your highest heels. When you’re feeling unsure, you wear flats.”
“I do not! I’m wearing these shoes because they are easier to drive in.”
“Uh-huh. If you say so.” Hilary brushed the crumbs off her cardigan. “So, how was last night?”
“It was great.” Katie felt a blush coming into her cheeks. “At least, I thought it was. But there was no bondage involved, and now Ryder can’t look me in the eye.” She took another look in the rearview mirror. Ryder’s truck seemed to be even farther away.
“That doesn’t mean anything bad,” Hilary said. “He might be overcome by the life-changing moment.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
“Okay, let’s focus on the positive.” Hilary started listing the items, ticking them off on her fingers. “You had sex. You had good sex.”
“Amazing, life-changing, but bondage-free sex,” Katie corrected her friend.
“Just rub it in, why don’t you?” Hilary said with a smile. “And you had sex with Ryder Scott. Even more important, you fulfilled your New Year’s resolution. The one you’ve made for the past two years!”
“No, I didn’t.” Katie hadn’t gone through all this for one night.
“One night of sex does not make an affair.”
Hilary dismissed the definition with a wave of her hand. “Don’t quibble over the details.”
“I don’t quibble. I don’t even know what that means. But I do know that one night of sex means it’s a one-night stand.”
“Well, how long is an affair?” Hilary asked. “Two nights?” That still sounded too short and insignificant. “No, that’s a wild weekend.”
“What about three nights?”
“That’s a fling.”
Hilary gave her a suspicious look from the corner of her eye. “You are making this up as you go along, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Katie admitted. “I want an affair, and to me that means something meaningful and . . . and important to both people.”
Hilary pursed her lips as she tried to understand Katie’s definition. “So the relationship is consequential if it lasts longer than three nights?”
“I guess.” She was thinking more in terms of weeks. Months. And yes, even years.
“Then you have a problem because you don’t have that much time left.”
Katie sighed. “I know.”
Hilary sat up straight. “Unless you make the most of your afternoons.”
“You mean this afternoon?”Approaching Ryder that soon would be like walking into a minefield.
“Sure, why not? He’s had enough time to recover.”
Katie wasn’t really thinking about his sexual recovery time. “Ryder doesn’t want to be around me right now.”
“Who cares? You wait too long and he’ll come up with a whole list of reasons why he can’t have sex with you. Not to mention the fact that he’ll be halfway to Dubai.”
“You’re right.” Katie was reluctant to admit it. “Any idea how I can drag him into my bed this afternoon? And incorporate bondage while I’m at it?”
“He’s a man. You don’t need to be too creative when it comes to sex,” Hilary said. “All you have to do is show up, eager and willing, and he’ll think you were gift-wrapped especially for him.”
“Gift wrap! That’s it. That’s what I’ll do.” Katie turned to her friend. “Hilary, you really are a genius.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Katie stared up at Ryder’s front door. Why didn’t he hide a spare key outside like normal people? And did he really have to live on the second floor of an apartment building?
Katie wrapped her long overcoat tighter around her body as the wind started to kick up. She slung her shoulder bag around to her back and tried to accurately gauge the distance of the stairwell to Ryder’s balcony.
She could make it. She grimaced and decided to check again. Her chances would have been better if she had been wearing jeans and rock-climbing shoes. Something with more traction than her ballet slippers.
She glared at the black flats. She didn’t care what Hilary believed. The level of her self-confidence was not measured by the height of her heels. She happened to be very confident in the plan she had hastily put together once she got back to town. She knew she had to bombard Ryder today before he built up any resistance.
She just wished the plan wasn’t necessary.
Katie grabbed the short safety wall next to the stairs and kept her eyes on the railing of Ryder’s balcony. The wet, slippery railing was still covered with clumps of snow.
She wasn’t going to think about that. Katie glanced down. It wasn’t too far to the ground. She could do it. She sat on the safety wall, slinging her bare legs over the side. She leaned forward and grabbed on to Ryder’s balcony for dear life.
Katie pressed her feet hard against the safety wall, her fingertips turning white as she clung to the balcony. Her coat was flapping in the wind.
Okay . . . now what?
She really should have thought this through, she thought as she hung there like a suspension bridge. All she knew was that she had to get into Ryder’s apartment while he was out. She had no idea where he had gone or for how long. She just had to be in place when he got back.
She took a deep breath, clung to the edge of Ryder’s balcony and pushed off the safety wall with her feet. Swinging her legs, she banged into the wood structure. Katie winced and refused to let go of the balcony. Her body banged against the structure again.
Katie wasn’t sure what she had hoped to accomplish, but dangling from Ryder’s balcony was not it.
A cold wind tugged at Katie’s long coat. This was probably not the best time to have gone commando.
Certain that someone would walk by and look up—because that was just how her luck was going—she grunted and groaned as she hoisted herself up and over the balcony’s wall. Katie’s feet slid over the ledge and hit the balcony floor with a thud. She lay there, gulping for air, her arms shaking from the exertion. She really needed to stay away from the Christmas candy and get back into the gym.
“Yoo-hoo!”
She heard an older woman’s voice from a distance. Oh, crap. Katie’s pulse started to gallop. Did she have a witness? Was someone calling the cops on her?
That wouldn’t be good. While she was dressed for
an easy strip search, she wasn’t wearing enough for a night in a holding cell. Katie knew she needed to talk fast to get out of trouble.
She sat up and peered over the wall. Ryder’s neighbor waved at her from the balcony on the other side of the stairwell. Katie gave a tentative wave. “Uh, happy holidays, Mrs. Graham.”
“Katie Kramer, what are you doing?” the older woman called out. “You could have fallen and broken your neck.”
“I . . . uh . . . am here to help Ryder pack.” She slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off her coat.
“Sure.” Mrs. Graham dragged the word into several syllables. “That’s what the other girls said. Only they used the front door.”
Katie’s stomach gave a twist and she glanced inside Ryder’s apartment through the sliding glass door. “Other girls?”
“You know them. Sasha and Tatum come by the most.”
“They’ve been here?” Her stomach gave another sickening twist. She should have expected that her competition would be one step ahead of her.
Mrs. Graham rested her elbows on her balcony wall. “Not for long. Ryder shooed them away. Don’t worry, the coast is clear.”
Katie blushed. “I’m only here to . . .”
“Uh-huh.” The woman rolled her eyes. “I know why you’re here. No one climbs a balcony to help pack up some moving boxes.”
“Okay, you caught me.” Katie injected an exaggerated sarcastic tone. “I’m planning a sneak attack to seduce Ryder.”
Mrs. Graham slapped her palm on the railing. “Good for you.”
Katie’s blush sizzled through her cheeks. “I was kidding.” Why was it that exaggerated sarcasm only worked on TV shows?
“No, you weren’t. You’ve been after Ryder for ages. It’s about time you’ve done something.”
“Oh, my God.” Katie thrust her fingers in her hair. “Mom was right. The whole town knows!”
“But aren’t you one to wait until the last minute?” Mrs. Graham suddenly turned to look inside her apartment. “Oh, my phone is ringing.”
“Mrs. Graham,” Katie urgently called out to the older woman and clasped her hands together in a form of prayer, “can we just keep this between ourselves?”
The older woman gave a snort. “I’ll do my best.”
Katie’s shoulders sagged in defeat. That meant Mrs. Graham would tell whoever was on the phone. Katie hoped it was a tele-marketer living in India. “Thanks!”
“Good luck!” The woman waved at her and ran for her phone.
“I’m going to need it,” Katie muttered to herself and waited until Mrs. Graham disappeared. She turned and faced the sliding door.
Wait a second. What if this door was locked as well? And why was Ryder locking doors anyway? This was Crystal Bend, for crying out loud. What were the chances of someone jumping onto his balcony and entering his apartment? Well—Katie rolled her eyes—apart from her, of course.
Katie closed her eyes and made a quick wish. She grabbed the handle and almost wept with relief as the door slid open. She quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
She halted as she saw the changes in Ryder’s apartment. She hadn’t been around for a while, but it looked totally different. The walls were bare and boxes were stacked up everywhere. Packing supplies littered the couch cushions.
Katie slowly made her way to the kitchen. It was crammed with boxes. He really was moving. She opened the cabinets and found most of them empty. Panic began to bubble inside her. Katie placed her hand on her stomach to calm it down, but it was useless.
She wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. Ryder had said he was moving, and that guy always followed up on his word. But she hadn’t seen any evidence of the impending move until now.
Worse, she didn’t think she could stop him from leaving. Hell, she couldn’t keep him in her bed. She wished she was enough of a reason to make him stay.
Katie wasn’t sure how long she had been standing in Ryder’s kitchen before she spotted Ryder’s pickup truck entering the parking lot. She ducked, hoping he didn’t see her in the window. For her plan to work she needed the element of surprise.
She hurried to his bedroom and swung the door shut behind her. There were boxes in the corner, but his bed was still in one piece. That was a good thing, especially since she was counting on using the headboard.
She grabbed her purse and pulled out the bright red Velcro handcuffs she had bought this morning after returning from Seattle. Katie hadn’t had a chance to try them out, but she was sure they would be fine. After all, how dangerous could Velcro be?
Katie scurried onto the bed and threaded the handcuffs through a rail in Ryder’s headboard. Once she had the handcuffs perfectly aligned, she reached for her purse and pulled out a shiny red bow. Taking off the sticker to reveal the gummy side, she affixed the bow on the handcuffs.
Katie paused to study her handiwork. Perfect. She flinched and looked over her shoulder when she heard the front door. She was really cutting it close. Katie shucked off her ballet shoes and kicked them onto the floor. They landed softly as she removed her winter coat and tossed it after the shoes.
She looked down at the white nightie she wore. The spaghetti straps were as fragile as they appeared, and the hem reached her thighs. It was the prettiest piece of lingerie she owned. She liked the romantic embellishments of seed pearls, sequins and lace. But it was only at this moment that she realized it looked a lot like a wedding dress.
That was going to be a turnoff for Ryder, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Unless she decided to get rid of it, too. Katie hesitated, her fingers clenching on the spaghetti straps. No, she couldn’t do it. She was already putting herself in a vulnerable position and she needed something, even a flimsy piece of lingerie, as a shield.
Katie fluffed out her long black hair and positioned herself in the center of the bed just as she heard Ryder turn on his stereo in the other room. The hard, pulsing rock music wasn’t her first choice of a romantic accompaniment, but it could be worse. At least it wasn’t one of the songs that had been playing in her head all morning. She wrapped one handcuff around her wrist and then struggled to close the other cuff.
The moment she accomplished that, she sagged against the mattress and exhaled. Wow, she had made it with seconds to spare. She looked expectantly at the door and waited.
Nothing.
No problem. That would give her time to adjust her position. Katie posed with one knee bent, allowing a tantalizing glimpse of her hip. Hmm, probably not sexy enough. Maybe she needed to emphasize that she was gift-wrapped for Ryder’s pleasure. She wiggled down the bed a little until her arms were fully extended. Perfect.
She stared at the door and waited. And waited some more.
He was coming to the bedroom soon, wasn’t he? Otherwise she might lose all circulation in her hands and arms.
Katie heard footsteps and held her breath. This was it. He was going to open that door and discover her. And then he was going to pounce. Katie arched her spine, thrusting out her chest. She saw the doorknob turning and she forgot about breathing.
Suddenly the door opened and she saw Ryder. He wore a gray Crystal Bend Community College sweatshirt, snug jeans, and a stunned expression.
Ryder came to a dead stop at the threshold. His jaw dropped but no sound came from his mouth. He slowly blinked and opened his eyes wide.
She gave him her best come-hither smile.
As if he was on automatic pilot, Ryder took a step back into the hallway and closed the door.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ryder was hallucinating. That was the only possible explanation for why he’d thought he’d seen Katie tied to his bed. Wearing next to nothing. Except a big, red bow.
No, he hadn’t imagined it. Damn, it was like his greatest fantasy had come to life. He was already tense and ready to pounce and he’d only had time to catch a glimpse before shutting the door.
Focus. He had to focus, and not on how great Katie looked spread out
on his bed, waiting for his touch. Ryder rubbed his forehead, the sweat already beading on his skin. He was sure Katie had planned this to the very smallest detail. Too bad she hadn’t considered the possibility that someone else would be here, too. Someone like her big brother, Jake.
This was not good. He whirled around and faced Jake, wondering if he’d seen anything. His friend didn’t look stunned or horrified. He looked . . . confused.
“What’s the problem?” Jake asked. “You don’t want to dismantle the bed?”
The bed. Ryder’s stomach did a somersault. Oh, hell no. There would be no dismantling of the bed.