Wildcard: Volume Two (Wilcard, #2) (4 page)

“Why couldn’t you have told me this before? I don’t understand why let me think you were together. Do you have any idea how that felt?”

She bows her head and sighs. “I’m sorry. He isn’t a good guy, Ryder. I didn’t want to drag you into this.”

“But now you do?” I laugh.

“It’s better than you hating me,” she retorts.

I guess it is.

“Where is he now?”

She shrugs. “ I don’t know. Probably following me.”

“What about Jake?” I ask, alarmed.

“He’s fine. He’s staying with a friend until I can figure out what to do.”

“Go to the police,” I say. “Get a restraining order on this wanker.”

“It’s not that simple,” she mutters softly.

“Why not?” I press. What isn’t she telling me?

“It just isn’t. Ryder, I’m not here for you to solve my problems, okay? I just needed you to know the truth. If you still want nothing to do with me, then I understand, but—”

She gasps as I reach forward and grab her hand, yanking her onto my lap.

“Do you have any idea how fucking crazy I’ve been feeling the past few days?” I mutter, kissing her lips. “Stay here. Spend the night with me.” My hand creeps around her neck as I pull her into another kiss.

She sighs, cuddling up against me. “I can’t get you involved in this.” She shakes her head.

“Scar,” I whisper, kissing her nose. “I
am
involved. I’m a big boy. I can handle myself, okay?”

We spend the rest of the evening getting reacquainted. We snuggle on the couch, the TV on in the background as I rake my fingers through her silky hair. She smiles, her eyes closing.

“The media might try and run with this story of us,” I mutter, kissing her neck. “Is that going to cause problems for you with...what’s his name?”

“Tony. Maybe. I don’t know. He’s not a good guy, Ryder.”

I kiss her neck again. That’s the second time she’s said that. I wonder what he wants from her? My first thought is money. If he thinks we’re together, then he might be trying to blackmail her.

But what could he have on her?

There’s no point asking her because she’s determined that this is her mess. Or maybe she’s determined to keep whatever he has on her hidden from me. I push the thought from my mind.

Her past is just that: her past. The only things I care about are the present and the future. And I want her to be part of both.

“I don’t want you being home by yourself, Scar. Stay here. Bring Jake here too. You must hate being away from him. This penthouse has three bedrooms.”

“It’s too much—”

“For fuck’s sake, let me do something,” I growl, holding her close. “You want to deal with Tony yourself, fine, but let me help. If he is as bad as you say, do you really think staying home alone is a smart move?”

She doesn’t answer. I kiss behind her ear and she smiles, turning her head to meet my mouth. I trudge my thumb over her lip as I caress her face. My cock hardens as her body moves against mine, and I groan.

“Okay,” she agrees. “Fine. We’ll stay here.”

“Good.” My lips press against hers, our tongues entwining in a deep kiss. I stand up and extend my hand. I’m determined to make the most of our alone time tonight. She smiles, getting to her feet, her lips meeting mine.

I wrap my arms around her waist as we backtrack into the bedroom. I reach behind her and lower the zipper of her dress. It falls down over her smooth curves and into a heap on the floor. My fingers move over her stomach, her skin so creamy and white; a stark contrast to her lacy black underwear and bra.

“Come here.” I move back on the bed and she crawls over me, her hair falling around her shoulders.

She leans forward and kisses me, her body slowly grinding against mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier what was going on.”

“It’s okay. I mean, it would’ve saved us both a whole lot of hassle if you had, but I get it.” She smiles at me, and I tilt her head so her lips meet mine. “You know you can trust me, right?”

She nods and nuzzles closer to me. I tickle the back of her neck as I listen to the sound of her heart beating against my chest. A moment ago I couldn’t wait to feel myself inside her; now all I want to do is protect her. I’m not sure from what yet, but she’s holding back. I just wish she felt she could fully trust me.

I switch on the television mounted on the wall we are facing and stroke her hair. I have so many questions I still need answers to, but now isn’t the time. She looks tired, like she hasn’t slept properly in days. A pang of guilt hits me, because I know my behavior wouldn’t have helped the situation.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I murmur.

“Me too.”

S
carlett

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I’m sitting in Penny’s kitchen, cradling a cup of coffee in my hand. Jake is busy playing with Max, oblivious to anything outside the world of Transformers. I smile, glad he hasn’t caught on that anything is bothering me. He’s a pretty switched-on kid.

“I’m fine. I just need to figure out how to get rid of him.”

Penny hesitates before responding. “I know someone who got some help in getting rid of her ex.”

“You know I can’t go to the police. Not with what he has on me. I can’t risk losing Jake.” My voice is low. I don’t need to elaborate, because she knows everything. I don’t even know why she’s bringing up going to the police.

“I don’t mean the cops, Scar. I’m talking about making him go away.
Permanently
.”

I gasp. There is
no way
she could be suggesting what I think she is. But her expression says everything. How does my middle-class, perfect best friend even know about shit like this? I want to laugh, but I don’t, because she’s serious. 

“I could never do that, Pen. I don’t think I could live with myself if I...
if I had him killed
.” I whisper the last five words.

Penny’s eyes widen and she laughs as she reaches over to slap me. “Scar! I was talking about having someone scare him off, not have him killed. What am I, insane? No, all I’m talking about is giving him a taste of his own medicine. He’s been blackmailing you for years. One ‘chat’ with this guy, and you’ll never hear from that scumbag again.
Trust
me.”

“I don’t know...” I hesitate and my voice trails off. Just thinking about it scares the crap out of me.

“Just think about it, Scar.” She reaches across the table, taking my hand. Her eyes are filled with worry. “How else are you going to get rid of him for good? He’s like a bad case of herpes. You think he’s gone and then he shows up again.”

“Penny! Just . . . yuck.” I cover my face with my hands and sigh.

“You know what I mean. So you get the cash together and pay him off again. You know he’ll be back.”

She is right
. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I know she’s right.

I glance over at Jake and wonder how far I’ll go to protect him.

“He can stay here, Scar. He’s happy here and he’s safe.”

I nod, knowing it’s for the best, but the selfish part of me hates being away from him. I miss his silly little jokes and that toothy smile. I call him over, laughing as he rolls his eyes at Max.

“We’re playing,” he says, his eyes widening as if to emphasize how inconvenient my interruption is. I want to squeeze him so tight and tell him how much he means to me, but I don’t, not wanting him to worry.

“Do you want to sleep over with Max for a couple more nights?” I ask.

“Really, Mom?” He squeals and throws his arms around me. I hug him back, trying not to show the part of me that’s disappointed he’s not missing me more. He races back over to Max to resume playing. Penny chuckles next to me. I roll my eyes at her.

“Good to see he’s missing me,” I joke.

“You know how much that boy loves you,” she chides.

Again, she’s right: I do know that.

***

M
y phone rings when I leave. It’s Ryder.

I press answer, the anticipation of hearing his voice making my heart race. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to warn you that there are some photographers camped out front, so be careful when you come over.”

“I’m leaving Jake at Penny’s for another night or two.” I hesitate. “Are you sure you want me there, Ryder? The media, Tony...are you sure you want all that?”

“Will you fucking get over here already?” He laughs. “You think I give a damn about the media? Have you
met
me?”

I laugh, because he has a point.

“I think you should know I have what every girl wants . . .” His voice is low and sexy. I feel my nipples grow hard under my T-shirt.

“You’re very sure of yourself,” I say with a giggle. I won’t admit that he’s right: he does have what I want. He
is
what I want.

“I was referring to the pint of chocolate ice cream in my freezer, you dirty, dirty girl.”

I giggle, my face flushing. I love how he’s capable of making me feel so many different emotions.

“Fine. But I’m only coming for the ice cream,” I warn.

He chuckles. “Oh, you’ll be coming for me too.
Trust
me.”

***

H
e lifts his knees and moves my hands until I’m sitting upright, my back leaning against his thighs. He watches as I unclasp my bra. A shiver races through me as he stares at my breasts. My nipples harden.

“Fucking beautiful,” he mutters.

I lift my hand, running my finger over my panties. I groan at the wetness of my pussy as his cock throbs against my thigh. All I want him to do is bury himself inside me.

He gently rolls me onto my back, his mouth finding mine in a soft, slow kiss. I sigh as our tongues caress. I press my lips against his, groaning as he trails kisses down my neck. His fingers tug my panties down my thighs and over my knees. I shrug them off, parting my legs as he begins to touch the insides of my thighs.

“That feels good,” I moan in approval. My eyes are closed, and a dreamy smile spreads across my lips. “Oh God,” I gasp as he pushes a finger inside my wet pussy. My mouth presses against his, kissing him deeply while his finger works circles inside me.

I groan, my back arching as he slides another finger inside me.

“You’re incredible,” he whispers, kissing my neck. “And so damn wet. I love how wet your pussy is.”

He slides his fingers out and lifts them to my mouth. I squirm and shake my head. He laughs and runs his tongue along his the length of them.

“You have no idea how sweet you taste.” He grins.

Raising my eyebrows, I lean over and press my mouth against his, tasting him . . . tasting myself.

“Now I do.”

His eyes narrow as he slides down the bed and buries his face between my legs. I groan, latching my legs around his neck, my thighs clenching at the feel of him inside me. A scream escapes my lips at the feel of his tongue flicking at my clit, my thighs tensing even more as I arch my back. How can this possibly feel so damn good?

“God, yes! Yes!” I gasp. My fingers latch onto his hair, pulling it as ecstasy jolts through my entire body. “Stop,” I plead, but he doesn’t stop. Instead he plunges his tongue deeper into my pussy. I cry out as another surge rushes through me, and I fall back onto the bed a whimpering mess.

“I told you that you’d be coming for me.” He winks at me and gets to his feet.

I groan and roll over, letting him scoop me into his arms. I sigh when he kisses me, the sweet taste of my own scent invading my senses.

“And you definitely did that,” I giggle.

S
carlett

“Are you hungry?” he asks, kissing my lips.

Hungry for what?
I smirk at my naughty thoughts and don’t answer, but my grumbling stomach gives me away.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He smiles. “What do you feel like?”

“Anything, so long as it doesn’t involve leaving this room,” I say.

I stand up and walk over to the window. From our view on the top floor, I can make out the photographers that are camped in front of the hotel entrance twenty-six stories below. I smile as his arms wrap around my waist, pulling my naked body against his.

“What do you feel like?” He kisses my neck and I smile. “I mean, apart from extremely sexy and oh, so soft.”

He hands me the room service menu and I pick the first thing on it. I’m hungry, but I can’t think about food right now. I have too many other things on my mind.

“The mushroom risotto,” I say, handing it back.

He nods and picks up the phone to order our food. I walk over to the bathroom and choose one of the two fluffy white robes that hang on identical hooks. I thread my arms through and wrap it securely around me.

Turning away, I catch my reflection in the mirror. Where he sees beauty, all I see is fear and uncertainty. I feel like I haven’t slept properly in days. Things have gone from bad to worse to wonderful and I worry how long I have before it all blows up in my face.

“It won’t be long, beautiful.”

His words drag me out of my trance. I glance at him and smile. His eyes don’t leave mine as I wander over to him.

“What’s with this?” he asks, picking open the robe.

I laugh as he tries to take it off me. “I’d rather not have the porter see my naked backside. Or my frontside, for that matter.”

“I don’t want anyone but me seeing your frontside,” he smirks.

I giggle and try to dash away from him.

“I love it when you play hard to get.”

We’re interrupted by a knock on the door and I raise my eyebrows at him, satisfied that I’ve won.

“We’ll continue this later,” he warns, lifting his gaze from me. I smirk. Was that supposed to be a threat? Because I can’t think of a better way to continue our night.

I push away my half eaten plate of risotto and stand up. “Do you mind if I take a bath?” I ask.

“Only if I’m allowed to watch,” he smirks.

I laugh. “I’d extend an invitation for you to join me, but we all know what happened last time.”

He glowers at me. “That was a cheap shot.”

I giggle and duck into the bathroom to run the bath. While I’m waiting, I pour myself a glass of wine from the bottle Ryder ordered with dinner.