dessert plates ready for the cheesecake. I’d almost finished when a movement to my left caught my eye. I turned to find Ryker leaning against the far wall, watching me, his tie loose, the top button of his shirt undone, revealing the smooth tanned skin of his throat.
My stomach flipped. God, I wanted to put my mouth on him.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you here, watching me? It’s creepy.”
He smirked. “I’m just making sure that Lissie doesn’t come down with a sudden case of stomach ache or some such shit.”
My eyes widened. Fuck. He knows. Has he always known? No, he can’t know. He’s bluffing. Except… Ryker wasn’t the bluffing type. One look at his face told me I’d been caught out. Time to play dumb.
I painted on a bored expression. “I have no idea what you’re rambling on about, Ryker.” I sauntered over to the enormous fridge and removed a jug of cream, placing it on the counter next to the plates.
“No?” Pushing off the wall, he walked toward me, although stalked would be a better description. He gently tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, bringing me out in a rash of goose bumps. Bending down, he whispered, “I know, Athena. I’ve always known. Now let this be a fair warning. If Lissie gets sick, I’ll know exactly where to come looking for retribution.”
He flicked my earlobe, winked, then strolled away with his hands buried deep in his pockets.
My knees trembled, and I grabbed the edge of the counter to steady myself. What did I have to do to convince him I’d changed, that I was no longer a jealous child, but a grown woman?
I’d thought myself so clever, assumed he’d been unaware, but I was no match for Ryker Stone.
9
Athena
I woke on Monday morning with a mouth like sawdust and an ache in my chest that wouldn’t abate. The sight of Ryker leaving the party on Saturday night with his arm wrapped around Lissie had been a special kind of torture all its own. For two nights straight, my imagination had conjured unwanted images of the two of them in bed together, the aberration playing on a continuous loop for hours on end, leaving me cranky and exhausted.
Maybe she’d be The One. At least that way I might finally be able to accept he wasn’t the man for me, and move on. Except deep within my soul, I didn’t believe that. If there was nothing between us, why were we so drawn to sniping at each other at every given opportunity? If Ryker truly felt nothing for me, then he wouldn’t be so easily riled.
I’d done the grown-up thing and extricated myself from the situation by going traveling, but even then, the fates had conspired against me. And who was I to ignore Cupid? Maybe the time had come for me and Ryker to give the flickering attraction a chance to burn brightly?
All I had to do was convince him.
Far easier said than done.
When I got downstairs, Elliot had already left for the office. Dad offered me a ride, but I refused. The subway would give me much needed alone time. I’d barely had a moment to myself all weekend.
I heaved a sigh and rubbed at my sternum. I had to get away from all this. I needed space. Despite my determination to make it on my own, maybe I should ask Elliot for a loan, enough for a deposit on a small apartment? He could take the money out of my salary each month over a period of time. I vowed to speak to him about it when the time was right.
The elevator opened on my floor. I waited for it to empty then peered around the corner, half expecting to find Ryker waiting for me, arms crossed, a disapproving frown on his face. He might have waited years to tell me he’d known all about my childish behavior with his dates, but now he had, I found it hard to believe he’d just let it go. I breathed a sigh of relief when my fears were unfounded.
Keeping my head down, I walked quickly to my office. I sidled over to my desk, murmuring a few good mornings. As soon as I sat, I lowered my chair a few inches which made the screen act as a kind of camouflage. Better. Maybe if he did swing by, he’d think I wasn’t there, affording me a few days of blessed relief.
“Athena.”
I groaned.