Wes turned his attention back to Mac andgave a small grin, trying to regain his calm.“He gave me the ‘Iwork alone’ speech and walked off.But I’m not that easy to get ridof.And I want answers.So, that being said, I need you to tell mea bit more about Ryker.Why’s he refusing this collaboration beforewe even get a chance to talk it out?There must be a reason, andI’m not leaving New York before I know why.”He paused and crossedhis arms.“I mean it.I’m pigheaded that way.Ask my best friend.”He pointed his thumb in Grey’s direction.
Mac laughed softly, causing a dramaticchange in his face.The savvy dealmaker was normally intense andalmost grim-faced when he was in work mode, but when he relaxed, hewas rather striking.Too bad Wes didn’t feel a thing for Mac.Nope,it seemed his body and mind would rather focus on the hot, moodywriter at the other end of the table.
“Ryker has his reasons for being hesitant,”Mac said.“He was a journalist before becoming an author, and heleft that job for a very good reason.”Mac paused, steepling hishands, his expression once again intense.“I’ll let him tell youhis story in his own words.For now, let’s just say that some scarsrun deep.Aside from that, Ryker is quiet, thoughtful, extremelysmart.You’ll notice that he prefers to have a few meaningfulconversations rather than talk with everyone in a room.He hatespublicity and attention.Expects and respects honesty and hardwork.But he prefers to work on his own—be on his own, for the mostpart.I thought this collaboration would be good for him, push himout of his comfort zone a bit.Even great writers can get stuck ina rut, and he’s headed into one.He has so much talent, but heneeds a change.Anyway, despite his attitude toward you, he is agood-hearted guy.Always supportive of his friends, me and Calespecially, no matter what crazy ideas we come up with,” Macfinished and looked at Wes.
“Good information to know,” Wes repliedthoughtfully, contemplating his next move.
Mac’s comment about meaningful conversationsgave Wes an idea about how he might change Ryker’s mind.In themeantime, he had other, more basic priorities.
He smiled at Mac.“So, any new clubs worthvisiting while I’m in town?I’m ready to let loose.”
Chapter Six
Ryker
After what seemed like a five-hour marathondinner, Ryker excused himself to grab a smoke on Mac’s rooftoppatio.He didn’t smoke often; he just liked the excuse to slip outfor some much-needed space and quiet.All the loud conversationsgave him a headache and drained his energy.He heard footstepsbehind him and turned to see Mac approaching.
“Ry, you okay?”Mac asked.
“Yup, grabbing a smoke.You know the drill.”He smiled, took a deep breath of the cool night air, and lit hiscigarette.Suddenly, his chat with Cal earlier in the dayresurfaced.“Hey, now that we have a moment to ourselves, I wantedto talk to you about Cal.”He paused and pointed between them.“Keep this between us for now, okay?And don’t freak out.”
“All right, what’s going on?”Mac askedintently.
Ryker paused again and took a drag on hiscigarette, then slowly blew it out.“He’s been receiving somestrange texts lately from unknown numbers.I told him not to deleteanything, to check his security settings, and go to the police ifthe situation escalates.”
“What do you mean by strange?”
Ryker ran a hand through his hair.“Theyaccuse Cal of cheating—which is ridiculous since he doesn’t haveromantic relationships.And this person suggests Cal should bepunished for his behavior.”
“Fuck.Does he have any idea who’s sendingthese?A former lover?”
“You know Cal.One and done.He doesn’t evensleep with the same person twice.How would he tick someone offthat much?And how did this person get his number?”Ryker shook hishead.“I’ve got a bad feeling about this situation.”
Mac paced back and forth.“I don’t like thesound of it either.Is there anything we can do?”
Ryker let out a sigh.“I gave him therundown already.For now, it’s sort of like spam.Weird andannoying, but not necessarily illegal.He needs to keep tabs and besmart about where he goes and who he’s with.But I think we shouldtake turns checking in with him every day, just to be safe.”
“Agreed.Thanks for the heads-up.Cal maywant to consider hiring a PI to see if anyone’s been following him.Just a thought.”Mac stopped pacing to stare out at the Manhattanskyline.
“Not a bad idea.You can tell him, butknowing Cal, he’ll refuse,” Ryker said.“On another topic, Inoticed you and Wes having a rather involved conversation atdinner.You wanna bring me up to speed?”He held his breath,waiting for the answer.
Mac smiled and shook his head.“He justwanted to know more about you.I told him to ask you instead, butthat means having an actual conversation with him, not giving himan ultimatum and walking away.”
“I wasn’t expecting to have a conversationwith him tonight, Mac.You could have given me fair warning thathe’d be here,” Ryker countered, his body tense and rigid.
“If I had, you would have refused to come.Ry, come on.I know you.Please, please just talk to Wes.Get toknow him a bit and see if the book series might be worthconsidering.”Mac’s rare but effective pleading look was Ryker’sundoing.He could never say no to Mac’s sad face, and tonight wasproving to be no exception.Fuck me!
“Okay, okay.Don’t beg.It’s beneath you.Send him up here and I’ll force myself to talk to him.”Rykerpaused and gestured at the cigarette in his hand.“But if he makesa comment about my one smoke for the month, that’s it.”He chuckleddarkly and watched as Mac gave a wave and headed backdownstairs.
Ryker finished his cigarette and walked overto the lounger at the far corner of the patio.He sat down andleaned all the way back, closing his eyes to take in the sounds ofthe city streets below.The white noise of it lulled him into arelaxed state, until the familiar sounds and smells of the citywere suddenly overpowered by citrus and salt, reminding Ryker of aday by the sea.He recognized that distinctive smell from earlierin the night.
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.Your PrinceCharming has arrived.”
****
Wes
While having coffee in the living room, Weshad noticed Ryker slip out.He wondered where Ryker was going, andhis gut clenched when he thought he might be leaving the party.Despite some interesting conversations over dinner with variousguests, Wes’s attention kept veering back to Ryker and thosetelling cobalt eyes.
