card out in the open. I would never tell her what had actually happened and in some way I was glad that she’d assumed there’d been something wrong with Ryker and not me.
Although in her backhanded way she assumed I would be the reason Ryker wouldn’t be able to perform. I hated that it struck on my insecurities and made me question the reason he’d left.
God she infuriated me so much sometimes, all the peace and relaxation my run had brought me was out the window. Fucking Tawny was so irritating with her assumptions and the bold way she talked about Ryker. Like she had some sort of right to talk about him.
I hopped in the shower and let the steaming water flow over me, carrying my stress away again.
Without even fully realizing it, I slid my fingers between my legs and began to touch myself while thinking about Ryker.
How could I ever get that image out of my head? His face between my thighs would be burned on the back of my eyelids for all time.
I slipped my finger lower and closed my eyes, thought about Ryker’s beard scratching the sensitive flesh of my inner thighs and the way his tongue had felt like liquid fire against me.
I stifled a moan and craved him inside of me, needed desperately to know how a man like Ryker would feel when he took me.
I slowed down and let a little wave of pleasure race through me, I shuddered and came as the water heated up my body and loosened my joints.
I soaped myself afterwards , washed my hair again and realized something.
I didn’t need to run or meditate or ignore Ryker to get him out of my system.
I needed to have sex with him. Even touching myself and thinking about him left me relaxed and in a better mood than I’d had since last night. I figured actually sleeping with him would be like taking an antidepressant.
So in spite of Ryker doing what he’d done, I needed to taste him as much as he’d needed to taste me.
Maybe just one nibble, and then I’d be on my way.
If it were that easy.
Chapter Twelve
“I need tomorrow off work,” I told Mel the moment I got in.
“I have you scheduled six to two,” she said. “You’re doing clean up.”
“I’m not, I’m going out with Ryker. I know he wouldn’t want you to do anything that might get in the way of our date,” I said and stared her down.
Her eyes darted to and fro as if she were looking for him here. She visibly relaxed when she realized he wasn’t.
“Just this once, but you tell that Harley riding arrogant ass that he doesn’t own this place and he can’t tell me what to do,” Mel said while she stood a little straighter.
“Uh, hell no,” I laughed. “You want him to know that, you tell him yourself.”
She looked a little more deflated at that, threw her hands in the air in defeat and walked away.
“Your boyfriend is bad ass,” Jake said from behind me.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I snapped, turned around and grinned. “But yeah he is kinda bad ass.”
“So Tawny tells me he spent the night last night but had a hard time…you know,” Jake whispered and made a saggy penis motion with his little finger.
“Oh my god, she is such a cow,” I groaned. “First of all, he drove me home and that was it. There was maybe a little make out session, but then he left. There was none of that.” I repeated the little finger motion and he raised his brow in suspicion.
“Mmmm-hmmmm,” he said under his breath. “Methinks ya’ll are protesting too hard.”
“What is that, Shakespeare? You’re quoting Shakespeare now?” I asked, arching my own brow back at him.
I felt like we were having a brow off, like a game of chicken to see who would back down off their sarcastic bitchy stance first.
Jake’s face broke into a wide grin and he said, “Okay, you win.”
I laughed and playfully punched his arm across the bar. “I think that’s a first.”
“Maybe getting a little Ryker Montgomery action has made you more than a little fiery,” he said.
“Maybe,” I said and