“Are you offering me a job?”
“You catch on quick.”
“Thank you.” I throw my arms around Chuck and squeeze him tightly. He’s a burly man and smells of grease, but I don’t care. Right now, he’s my hero. “You won’t regret this.”
“Alright, enough,” he grumbles the words, but there’s a smile on his face.
Hazel runs to me with excitement. “Roommates and co-workers. I told you we were going to be best friends.”
I’m not sure exactly how the two go hand in hand, but she’s so sweet, I roll with it. It’s not as though she’s wrong. Not only is she my best friend, she’s myonlyfriend.
“Now, if only you would listen to me about that guy from the other night.”
My mind wanders back to Ryder only moments after I had finally managed to get rid of him.
“One. Night. Stand.”
“No one willingly has a one-nighter with a guy who looks like Ryder.”
“Do you ever think about anything but sex?” Edgar interjects.
“Sounds like the words of someone who hasn’t gotten laid in a while,” Hazel snaps back.
“Okay, that’s enough,” I say, dragging Hazel away.
“He has some nerve.” She turns her head and sticks her tongue out at him. “There is nothing wrong with a woman who knows what she wants.”
“Okay, we get it. Woman power.”
“Pussy power,” she shouts out.
Unable to contain my laughter, I just let loose. This is some funny shit.
Just as Hazel made her astute proclamation, Officer Joe walked in. Now he’s standing in the doorway, cheeks bright red and unable to meet anyone’s eyes.
Hazel comes to an abrupt stop when she sees him. “Oh, shit.”
“That’s what you get.” Stifling my laughter, I walk to the hostess stand to grab a menu. “Come on, Officer. I’ll seat you now.”
CHAPTERTEN
Ryder
The sound of my alarm stirs me awake Monday morning. The sweet dreams about Ember fall to the wayside when the reality of what today is settles in. Once the thought is in my head, I can’t get it out.
It’s result day. The day I find out if I am, in fact, a father.
It’s way too early to call the lab, but I sure as hell can’t just lay about and wait.
Sliding out of bed, I put on some fresh clothes. As I button my jeans, I notice something out of the corner of my eye, something red and lacy. Picking up the material off the floor, I run my fingers over the lace, remembering what it felt like when I ran my fingers up and down her body, the soft skin, the wetness between her legs.
Ember had been even better than I had imagined. She was just the distraction I’d been looking for. The woman satisfied my dick and has consumed my thoughts since she snuck out. The whole thing still blows my mind. I’m usually the one jumping ship. The one time I don’t want to… she does? Fucking karma. I keep telling myself I didn’t want her to leave because I wanted to bury myself in her again. Morning sex, nothing more.
Deep down, I know the truth. I liked her, really liked her. It was the first time since Norah I looked at a woman as more than just a means to an end—someone to pass the time with and an escape into pleasurable oblivion.
One look into Ember’s eyes was all it took to know she was so much more than a quick fuck. There was a sadness I wanted to make disappear. A smile I wanted to stay on her face at all costs. I wanted to talk to her, laugh with her. That wasn’t the agreement, though. A quick fuck, a little fun—that’s all we were supposed to be, all I told her I could provide. Then I asked her to stay, essentially nullifying the agreement we had made earlier.
“Remember what happened the last time you liked a woman, idiot.” The reminder settles any residual regrets. Besides, I had more important things to worry about. Like potentially having a daughter and five years of parenting to make up for.