front porch.
“Oh . . . here’s your wallet,” I said, reaching into the pocket of my jacket for it.
“Thanks. Don’t want to lose my $5,” she said, grinning.
“Am I not p aying you enough?” I felt my eyes bulging as I looked at her. I’d been out of the loop of normalcy for so long that I didn’t know what was good or bad in terms of salaries.
“No!” she cried. “I mean, yes! I didn’t mean anything by that. You’re paying me more than enough. I’m just paying off my debt right now, and I don’t carry cash anyway.”
Her cheeks had darkened and I laughed awkwardly.
“If you ever want me to pay you more—”
“No! No, not at all.” She looked down and I couldn’t help rea ching out to cup her face. My huge hands engulfed her ivory cheeks as I tipped them up so our eyes met. Her big brown eyes weren’t just certain now; they were full of longing. I knew what she wanted, and it set me on fire. She parted her pink lips slightly and I leaned down to kiss her.
I hadn’t even known her for a full month yet, but I felt like I’d been waiting so fucking long for this. She stiffened at first, and I reminded myself to be slower and gentler than I was feeling. Her lips tasted sweet, like the champagne she’d been drinking. God, this was good. My heart was pounding when she relaxed into me, her tits pressing against my chest.
I instinctively wrapped my arm around her, letting my fingertips skim beneath the fabric of the dress near her tailbone. Her warm, silky skin and the way her tongue tentatively met mine made my cock stir eagerly. I wanted so much more than this. She did, too; I could tell by the way she moaned when I tightened my hold on her.
“No,” she said, breaking away and pushing a hand against my chest. “No, Ryke.”
Her eyes were brimming with tears and the arm she held out between us was shaking. I felt like a complete asshole.
“Kate, what’s wrong? I didn’t—”
She let out a deep breath and the tears slipped f rom her eyes onto her cheeks. “It’s nothing you did.”
I had to ball my hands into fists to keep from reaching for her. Her strained voice and mascara-streaked cheeks were more than I could stand.
“No, I shouldn’t have—”
“It’s not you!” Now she sounded almost angry, and I didn’t know what to say. “It’s me. I’m sorry. I just can’t . . . I can’t feel this.”
Her eyes were pleading, and a lead weight settled in my chest. I’d pushed her too far. I wasn’t sure how, or what she was so upset about it, but I knew it was different this time. Would she quit being my assistant? Just the thought tore at my heart.
I wished for words to soothe her, but I didn’t have any. I was a hockey player, for Christ’s sake. My favorite words were fuck and fucking. I could only soothe her with tender touches that would grow so sensual she’d forget her sadness, and she didn’t want that.
She opened her lips so say something and I waited. Was she going to quit the job? What would I say to make her change her mind?
But she didn’t say a word. Instead she reached for the door handle and slipped in the house, and I stared at the gray front door for a few seconds. I rubbed my face and turned to leave.
I could shoot a tiny puck across a hundred feet of ice into a net, run ten miles in about an hour and dead lift 500 pounds. But women? I was fucking worthless at that. I could fuck with the best of them, but something real, with someone amazing? That was one thing I’d never get right.
Chapter 6
Four weeks later
Mimi was cheerful as always when I walked into the kitchen, smiling and bumping the fridge closed with her hip.
“Good morning, Mr. Ryker,” she said. I grunted in response. What was so good about it? My shoulders ached from the drills I’d done at the rink the day before. And once again, I’d had to rub one off in the shower to get rid of the raging hard-on I started every day with now.
Mimi hummed to herself,
“Oh . . . here’s your wallet,” I said, reaching into the pocket of my jacket for it.
“Thanks. Don’t want to lose my $5,” she said, grinning.
“Am I not p aying you enough?” I felt my eyes bulging as I looked at her. I’d been out of the loop of normalcy for so long that I didn’t know what was good or bad in terms of salaries.
“No!” she cried. “I mean, yes! I didn’t mean anything by that. You’re paying me more than enough. I’m just paying off my debt right now, and I don’t carry cash anyway.”
Her cheeks had darkened and I laughed awkwardly.
“If you ever want me to pay you more—”
“No! No, not at all.” She looked down and I couldn’t help rea ching out to cup her face. My huge hands engulfed her ivory cheeks as I tipped them up so our eyes met. Her big brown eyes weren’t just certain now; they were full of longing. I knew what she wanted, and it set me on fire. She parted her pink lips slightly and I leaned down to kiss her.
I hadn’t even known her for a full month yet, but I felt like I’d been waiting so fucking long for this. She stiffened at first, and I reminded myself to be slower and gentler than I was feeling. Her lips tasted sweet, like the champagne she’d been drinking. God, this was good. My heart was pounding when she relaxed into me, her tits pressing against my chest.
I instinctively wrapped my arm around her, letting my fingertips skim beneath the fabric of the dress near her tailbone. Her warm, silky skin and the way her tongue tentatively met mine made my cock stir eagerly. I wanted so much more than this. She did, too; I could tell by the way she moaned when I tightened my hold on her.
“No,” she said, breaking away and pushing a hand against my chest. “No, Ryke.”
Her eyes were brimming with tears and the arm she held out between us was shaking. I felt like a complete asshole.
“Kate, what’s wrong? I didn’t—”
She let out a deep breath and the tears slipped f rom her eyes onto her cheeks. “It’s nothing you did.”
I had to ball my hands into fists to keep from reaching for her. Her strained voice and mascara-streaked cheeks were more than I could stand.
“No, I shouldn’t have—”
“It’s not you!” Now she sounded almost angry, and I didn’t know what to say. “It’s me. I’m sorry. I just can’t . . . I can’t feel this.”
Her eyes were pleading, and a lead weight settled in my chest. I’d pushed her too far. I wasn’t sure how, or what she was so upset about it, but I knew it was different this time. Would she quit being my assistant? Just the thought tore at my heart.
I wished for words to soothe her, but I didn’t have any. I was a hockey player, for Christ’s sake. My favorite words were fuck and fucking. I could only soothe her with tender touches that would grow so sensual she’d forget her sadness, and she didn’t want that.
She opened her lips so say something and I waited. Was she going to quit the job? What would I say to make her change her mind?
But she didn’t say a word. Instead she reached for the door handle and slipped in the house, and I stared at the gray front door for a few seconds. I rubbed my face and turned to leave.
I could shoot a tiny puck across a hundred feet of ice into a net, run ten miles in about an hour and dead lift 500 pounds. But women? I was fucking worthless at that. I could fuck with the best of them, but something real, with someone amazing? That was one thing I’d never get right.
Chapter 6
Four weeks later
Mimi was cheerful as always when I walked into the kitchen, smiling and bumping the fridge closed with her hip.
“Good morning, Mr. Ryker,” she said. I grunted in response. What was so good about it? My shoulders ached from the drills I’d done at the rink the day before. And once again, I’d had to rub one off in the shower to get rid of the raging hard-on I started every day with now.
Mimi hummed to herself,
Similar Books
