I scoffed, closing the bathroom door and following Erin back down the hallway. As she neared the kitchen, I panicked and blocked her view of the space beyond. She narrowed her eyes, and I distracted her with, “Oh, please. You’ve got ‘Mama Bear’ written all over you, and my front door has the dents to prove it.”
My distraction worked. Erin shook her head and returned to the living room. “If Ireallywanted to play Mama Bear, I’d interrogate you about who gave you that hickey on your neck.”
“I promise there won’t be anything funny going on when Hannah’s here.”
Erin slipped her coat back on, then picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Oh, it’s not me you have to worry about.Hannahwon’t let that happen. The girl has a sixth sense. You so much as light a candle or have a romantic thought, and all of a sudden the sky is falling and she needs your undivided attention. Ben and I haven’t had a normal sex life since she learned to talk.”
“My gift to you,” I said with a laugh. “Erin, you know I’m not trying to take Hannah away from you, right? All I want is what’s best for her. I’d like it if we could do this together: me, you, and Ben.”
Erin turned her gaze to her feet. “I’ll never be able to apologize enough for not giving you that chance in the first place. I’m sorry, Ryder.”
“Apology accepted.”
Her eyes went to my neck again. “Out of curiosity, who…?”
I gave her my smarmiest grin, really hamming it up. “I can’t remember. There must’ve been at least fifteen people in that dungeon.”
To my surprise, Miss Uptight laughed. “That might’ve worked on everyone else, Ryder Clark, but it never worked on me. So it was James?”
“Ah, in that case:sonot having this conversation.” I opened the front door. “Thank you, Erin, for the vote of confidence regarding our daughter. Now, I have to work tonight, and I’d really like some sleep.”
Erin’s expression turned mischievous, her voice dropping to a murmur. “Could’ve gotten plenty of sleep if you weren’t—ah!” Her mutters turned into a yelp as my knee connected with her ass, nudging her the rest of the way out the door. With a laugh, I shut it behind her and retreated to my bedroom for some much-needed rest.
Later that afternoon, I walked into work with a smile on myface—one I couldn’t shake. One that tugged at my lips involuntarily. As I reached for the door, I brushed over James’s mark with the fingers of my free hand. I was proud of it. For the first time in a while, I felt like my old self. Though, this was a little different: For the first time sinceErin, I wasn’t chasing the thrill of finding someone new to take home. I was chasing the high of seeing the same person who’d put that mark there.
I was covering my neck when I walked in, but Dani zeroed in on me anyway. With a smirk, her eyes went from my neck to James, who sat in one of the booths with his laptop open in front of him, paperwork spread across the table. The mark I’d left on him that morning was almost gone, but I could still make out the deepest parts of it. I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off by Akon’s “I Just Had Sex” blaring through the bar’s speakers. Dani’s smirk grew into a shit-eating grin, and I looked at James and winked. “You been bragging, boss?”
He smiled and shrugged at me. “She wore me down,” he called over the music. He closed his laptop and crooked a finger to beckon me. Dani, who was howling with laughter, silenced the music. I took the bait and leaned over the table to give James the kiss he wanted.
“Did you get some sleep?” he asked.
I straightened, moving for my spot behind the bar. “Mm-hmm. I’m well-rested.”
“I see you two finally talked,” Dani said as I settled next to her at the bar. We stocked bottles and glasses while we waited for James to open.
“Something like that.” I smirked. I was hard at the memory of yesterday, and I’d never make it through my shift if I kept picturing what happened.
“So, he told you everything?” Dani’s tone had shifted, and the space between us grew tense. “About who he is?”
I nodded. “He did.”
“And you’re okay with it?”
“Surprisingly.” I blew out a breath, stealing a glance at James. Of course he knew, and he turned to flash me a wink and a smile, making my stomach flip. “I am. I don’t knowwhyI am, but it feels good so I’m trying not to overthink it too much.”
I returned my attention to Dani just in time to see her grimace. “Are you upset with me for keeping it from you?”
“I was,” I admitted, then grinned. “When I saw him feeding from you in his office and I thought you were sleeping together.”
Dani gaped at me. “Is that why you’ve been ignoring my texts all week?”
I winced. “I’m not proud of it. I’m sorry.”
“No,” she sighed. “It’s my fault. He’s normally so careful. I wasn’t feeling well, and I pushed him that night. I thought you’d left.”
I waved a hand to stop her. “I’m not upset, Dani.” I looked to where James was gathering his laptop and paperwork to take back to his office. “Everything worked out.”
Our conversation was cut short as customers started to filter into the bar. We settled into the rhythm of a busy work day. James appeared a few times, and I learned a new trick: I could whisper things under my breath—so quietly that they’d be unnoticed by anyone except him.
