Page 14 of One Mistake

“A tickle feather?” I didn’t need that kind of insight into her love life.

She laughed and smacked my arm. “I’m kidding. But you do need condoms. You don’t know where he’s been and last thing you need right now is bouncing baby Ryder.”

True, but… “You are such a mood killer.”

“Not nearly as much as a two-o’clock feeding or a shitty diaper and it’s your turn.” She swallowed hard. “I have to go.” She flung the door open. “Remember, have fun, but no glove, no love.” She ran to her car through a mist of rain.

One Decade Ago

Ryder

I walked into the frat house, smiling. Exhausted. In need of a shower and some sleep. But I’d never been happier. Never been more…in love. I should’ve regretted the amount of money I spent this weekend. Should’ve never done it. When the credit card bill came in, I was going to have to go back to my mother and beg her to take care of it for me. And by beg, there would be actual hands and knees pleading for money. Her mean streak would demand it. And then, no telling if she would come through or not.

Maybe it was time I went out and found a job. It would have to pay the big bucks and fast to make up the money I needed right now, but there had to be something. Still, I couldn’t find it in my guts to be sorry I’d spent the money on Reese this weekend. Couldn’t regret one second of the time we’d spent at the hotel. Or the plane tickets to surprise her. Or the bottle of champagne and room service lobster. Worth every penny and every second of degrading Mom would hand out when she got the bill. Nothing was going to ruin my day. Not even the decibel level at the frat house.

There were brothers everywhere. Drinking in front of a set of screens playing every game and race known to man. Shooting pool. Throwing darts. Arguing over which Sports Illustrated model filled out her swimsuit better. And none of it was getting on my nerves the way it normally did.

I walked through the house whistling a happy tune. Hell, I didn’t even know I could whistle. Finn and Keaton were in the game room, talking smack while they monopolized one of the big screens and a video game console. I needed to check this weekend’s video action, but right now I wanted to sit with my buddies and hear about their weekend. Plus, Reese wanted me to ask Keaton and Susie to double with us to a concert she’d won four tickets to see.

It had been a couple weeks since I set Keats up with Beth. He’d sealed the deal a couple times, but I wasn’t sure if he was still seeing her since I’d been away all weekend. With Reese. In Boston. A penthouse suite we never left.

I slapped him on the back as I plopped onto the sofa next to him. He glanced at me then immediately back to the screen. “Your old man dropped off some money for you today. He put it in your room.”

Good old Dad. Sneaking some extra funding past Mom. And thank God because my cash supply was dwindling. Two nights in the penthouse suite was more than Mom gave me in three months. And that was before room service. The tips took all my available cash and a couple advances on my card. I’d spent a lot more than Dad would be able to sneak past her. I needed a plan and fast. “You know where Jay is?” He’d mentioned something a while back. Something I would need help setting up. Something that had to remain top secret.

“Downstairs, I think,” Finn answered, wiggling his eyebrows as Keaton’s on-screen avatar shot a missile and blew Finn’s avatar to video game hell. He started another game.

Good. I needed them distracted. I needed them not to overhear. I needed money desperately and they’d never go for this. Never let me use the pledges so blatantly or—probably—illegally. I diminished the guilt with a breath. Lying to them would suck. Thank God, it was only for a little while.

I walked down the steps, not quietly, but not announcing my presence either. Jameson had one screen tuned to the boat, and one playing back an earlier video. He had both hands on the desk though, so I wasn’t worried I’d caught him doing anything. Not until he slammed the laptop closed.

“Whatcha looking at, buddy?” I sounded as if I’d taken up singing in my spare time. Like I needed every sentence to have its own melody. It had to be the happiness making me so ridiculous.

“Nothing. Just…a video. One of the pledges.” His skin pinked all the way to the tips of his ears.

“Anything good?”

“No. Not really. I thought you were in Boston.” He unplugged his laptop from the server and tucked it under his arm then stood. Apparently, we were walking back upstairs if I wanted to talk to him.

“Just got back.” And while I really wanted to see what was on his computer that he so badly didn’t want me to see, I needed his help, and embarrassing him wouldn’t entice him to keep my secrets. “And I was thinking about starting my own business. And I need a really good computer guy. Somebody discreet.” I lifted my eyebrows hoping I was communicating a message I hadn’t yet found voice to speak.

He grinned. “Some 007 shit?”

Thank God for Jameson King. “Better.”

And it only took a couple days before we were up and running and the money started pouring in. I was never going to have to beg my mother for money again. I’d found my gold mine.

6

Ryder

I was helping the woman who kidnapped me. Who tased me. Who strapped me into a harness and attached me to her wall. Not only was I helping her. I wanted her. Wanted to kiss her. Everywhere. And then I wanted to slide my hands over her skin, slowly, until we were both burning with need, aching, desperate. Then I wanted to cover her body with mine, let my cock…

“Hey.” She walked to the bed, in the same clothes she’d been wearing earlier. Not that I’d expected lingerie or even something without the streak of dust across the front, because in no way was I turning anything down when it came to Reese, but had I not been harnessed into my clothes, I would’ve put on a clean shirt.

“You okay?” The tight, constipated look was a red flag.

“Yeah. But we should talk.”