‘I ordered them ages ago. I didn’t think you’d be this late.’ I smile. ‘It’d be a shame for you to waste them, don’t you agree?’
I stand, gesturing for Monz to leave with a nod. I pat Ryker’s shoulder, feeling hard muscle ripple underneath his leather jacket. It’s cool to the touch, though I still feel plenty of heat.
‘Eat up,’ I urge him.
‘Where are you going? Quick bathroom break, maybe?’ He winks.
Asshole.The memory of what happened in my bathroom flashes through my mind. Arousal simmers at the base of my spine. I wonder if he knows how much he’s shifted my world on its axis, as if I’m hanging on the Black Point cliff edge with no way out. Ignoring him, and the sensation, I turn to walk away.
‘Wait. I got something for you.’ He reaches inside his left pocket, pulls out a bright green package and throws it to me.
I catch the rustling paper. It’s a packet of Razzles. He beams, tossing another limp fry into his mouth.
How does he remember something like this?
I press my lips together. ‘Thanks.’
Monique’s still waiting for me. Her tote bag is unzipped and I slip the Razzles into it. We link arms and she leads us toward a queue.
‘When were you gonna tell me he was back?’ she snaps, shooting her gaze at him. Ryker waves with a teasing wiggle of his fingertips, and that stupid fucking smile. He reaches into his jacket, and I wonder what curveball’s coming next.
My breath stalls when he pulls out a black chrome face mask and slips it on.
‘What the fuck?’ I mumble.
My shock becomes a cascade of vitriol, but my step back toward him stalls. A mask shouldn’t set me off. It is Halloween, after all. There are plenty of masks …But why wear that one?
With resignation, I sigh. This isn’t a battle I’m going to fight right now. I turn back to Monz. ‘I didn’t think it was worth telling you.’
‘You didn’t think it was worth telling me your ex-boyfriend is back in town?’
‘He was never my boyfriend.’
‘Well, whatever he was.’ She glares at me as though utterly unconvinced of anything coming out of my mouth. I don’t blame her. ‘Are you okay? Is he back for you?’
‘I don’t think so,’ I admit as she crosses her arms over her chest. ‘Would you stop looking at me like that?’
She’s silent and I feel the burn of her eyes as I avoid them. ‘You fucked him, didn’t you?’
My eyes bulge and I shoot her a glare. ‘No,’ I snarl. ‘I did not fuck him.’ I feel heat rise up my neck till it floods my cheeks. ‘I didn’t!’
She puffs out a breath and lets the silence torture me. The Monique Special. Sometimes I think she should be a detective or a police officer, because she’s so good at applying pressure till people snap.
People like me. ‘Okay, something did happen,’ I admit.
The images come flooding back, raising my blood pressure to dangerous levels. I bite my lip before sucking in a deep breath.
‘You know how,’ I speak slowly, ‘I leave the front door unlocked for you?’
She stares, waiting for me to go on. I look around and though there are people around us, they’re too busy to be eavesdropping.
‘He kinda caught me in the shower and …’
‘Bitch, hurry up!’ Her mouth pops open and her eyes widen.
I run my hands over my face. Christ. This is Monique. I should be able to tell her everything. Why am I soembarrassed? Maybe because she doesn’t know what Ryker’s like now.
I close my eyes and sigh. ‘He caught me in the shower. He had his hands over mine all over my body. All. Over. He told me to watch myself come in front of the bathroom mirror, and damn …’ I whoosh out a breath. ‘I still haven’t recovered.’
