Just One Kiss (Very Irresistible Bachelors #2) - Layla Hagen Page 0,7
year, make it less dependent on the bonus. They’d been dangling that carrot in front of my nose for a while.
I was still so wired up from the letter that I couldn’t go to bed, couldn’t wind down. What my landlord needed was the certainty that I could cover my rent.
Thoughts of what could happen wouldn’t quit... the big one being, what if my boss said no?
Getting a second job seemed impossible, but so was sharing the apartment with someone else. I didn’t want a stranger around my daughter. A second job would mean that I’d spend even less time with Avery.
Tears threatened my composure. Why couldn’t things just work out easily, just this once? I dreamed about a more relaxed life... perhaps sharing that future with someone. But that was just wishful thinking. Right now, I had to find a solution to our predicament.
What if I managed to get a job later at night, after putting Avery to bed? And maybe I could pay Natasha to just stay in the apartment with her until I returned?
A bartending job, perhaps? The Northern Lights came to mind. I’d done that until three years ago, when I’d been promoted from junior to senior reporter. But I could do it again—a second contract would prove to any potential landlord that I had a safety net. I was grasping at straws, but I just had to exhaust every possibility.
Breathe in, breathe out, Heather. Maybe it wouldn’t come to that. But I hadn’t gotten to where I was by waiting. I liked to be one step ahead, make contingency plans. I grabbed the phone, intending to call the manager of the Northern Lights. I’d saved her number when I’d called to ask when Ryker was performing.
When I unlocked the screen, I discovered a message.
Ryker: I had a great time tonight. I can’t wait to see you again.
A shiver ran through me, followed by a wave of heat. I held my breath, thumbs hovering above my screen. Was it wrong to indulge in a little flirting?
Heather: Who is this?
Ryker: Ouch. You have so many dates in one evening?
I grinned. I should just ask him to tell me the address of the repair shop, which was the reason I’d given him my number in the first place, but instead, I typed something else.
Heather: I didn’t know that was a date.
Ryker: You’re right. A date ends with a kiss. Dirty and deep, making you long for more.
Holy hell! I could practically feel his lips on mine. I was on fire. On freaking fire. My skin was sizzling, the tips of my breasts turned sensitive. The brush of my bra was torture. This was getting out of hand. I had no idea what to write back.
Next thing I knew, I had an incoming call from Ryker. I seriously considered not answering. Surely, the sound of his voice wasn’t going to improve... anything. But it would be rude to ignore the call. Plus... I wanted to hear his voice. It was just a call.
The second I answered, I knew I was in deep trouble.
“Hi, Heather.”
“Hello, possible stranger,” I teased. I had no idea why I kept up the charade. Well, it was fun.
“You need a reminder about our evening. Let’s see. You came to look for me under the pretense of making it up to me for the other night.”
My jaw dropped. “It wasn’t pretend. I absolutely meant it.”
“You also used that excuse to invite me to a drink,” he went on as if I hadn’t interrupted.
“Again, not an excuse.” I was grinning. By the tone of his voice, I was sure that so did he.
“So my good looks and talent didn’t have anything to do with your invitation?”
Yes, they totally did, but I couldn’t admit that and not talk myself into a corner. Of course I would have offered to pay repairs to anyone, but inviting them for a drink? When I didn’t reply, he simply went on.
“We had drinks. Then you had to leave, and I tried to trick you into staying. I almost convinced you—”
“You didn’t.”
“Really?”
Eh... what could I say? He’d gotten an excellent read on me.
“You know, even though your interpretation of the events is a little imaginative, it does ring a bell, Ryker.”
I was fully aware that I’d avoided answering every time he’d put me on the spot.
“Imaginative?” he asked.
“Very,” I emphasized. “Are you still at the Northern Lights?”
I wondered if any woman in the audience had caught his eye... if he was leaving the