I shrugged. “I mean, only if you want to, of course. If you need a bit more time before you go back to Wellington to face everything. If it would help?”
A playful smile spread over Thaddeus’s face. “That’s a lot of ifs.”
I smirked. “Well, you’re an iffy kind of guy, but it turns out you’re not terrible company... so there’s that too.”
Thaddeus ran a hand over his mouth, covering his grin.
My cheeks burned, and I silently cursed my impulsiveness. “Plus, I could do with an extra pair of hands to help me fix the hole in my greenhouse from the storm. Not that I can’t do it on my own, of course,” I rambled, praying for the ground to open under my feet so the humiliation could end. “But it’s always easier with two, right?” I sighed and screwed my eyes shut for a moment. “And if you could please shoot me and put me out of my misery, I’ll be eternally grateful.”
Thaddeus laughed. “Oh my God, that was so fucking cute. I bet you couldn’t do it again if you tried.”
I groaned. “Shut up. All I’m trying to say, badly apparently, is that if it would help you to have a little more time to get your head straight, then you’re welcome to stay on.”
Thaddeus was still grinning. “I definitely preferred the first version better.” He considered me for a long moment. “Not terrible company, huh? Hardly a ringing endorsement.”
I leaned against the wall with my arms folded. “Well, you trashed my compost heap, and my chickens are gonna need therapy. What can I say?”
He broke into laughter. “Arsehole. I cleaned up your damn compost heap, and those chickens love me, but sure, I’ll take you up on your offerifyou have the room. Word is you’re booked months ahead, so I don’t presume?—”
“Jesus Christ.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure I can squeeze you in.”
“Really?” Thaddeus looked me up and down. “That’s a somewhat presumptuous statement for a man who’s never seen me naked. Good night, Ryder.”
By the time I caught up with his meaning, the bedroom door was closed, and I was grinning like a fool.
CHAPTER NINE
SATURDAY
THADDEUS
I woke early,the curtains functioning more like a large-bore light sieve than any substantial defence against the cruelty of the morning sun. Within seconds of the fiery bastard poking its head over the horizon, the bedroom was awash in golden light, and I was wide awake.
I checked my phone, groaning at the numbers staring back at me: 6:30. Not that I had anything to complain about. I’d slept ridiculously well, which was oddly disappointing. Okay, so maybe I’d hoped Ryder would rethink his boundaries and come knocking on my door, but he didn’t. The man was clearly a gentleman, an honourable trait even if my dick considered it a highly overrated one.
Ryder might think he’d only be a distraction to my break-up—quite rightly so—but what was wrong with a little distraction? Even Ryder seemed to see the value in that, just not with him. All in all, an epic disappointment. The guy cranked my shit; therewas no denying it. Then again, Judd had for a while as well. And there went my morning semi down the fucking drain.
I rolled onto my back and studied the room for further clues about the man across the hall, but there wasn’t much to see. The décor was eclectic, the bed comfortable, the linens mid-range if I had to guess. Everything cosy and in its place, just like the rest of the cottage. There was nothing personal on the walls or the dressers, and no photos or artwork. The room was simply a guest space.
I tugged the bedcovers up to my chin and listened for any sign the cottage was waking up. The hush was unnerving. Thick and heavy, it filled the room and the hallway outside like a silent witness to the dawn. Nothing stirred on the wooden floors, no footsteps, not even the clickety-click of Ziggy’s nails. The only sound to break the peace was the refrigerator compressor cycling on and off in the kitchen. A compressor or a condenser? Fucked if I knew.
Either way, it was altogether far too serene for a dyed-in-the-wool city boy who lived in a downtown apartment built on a pier over the harbour. The regular trumpet-like booms from ferry horns and cargo ships vied with the cawing of seagulls that commandeered the ridgeline of my penthouse on a regular basis. I found the constant hum of traffic provided a comforting backdrop to life, even if it was punctuated by the regular wail of police and ambulance sirens. Silence was a rare and unnerving commodity in my life, and I wasn’t at all sure I was comfortable with it.
A cool breeze licked at my cheeks, and I tracked the source to a window whose curtain puffed in and out like it was catching its breath. I frowned at the thing. I never left windows open at night. My odiously expensive apartment had a security rating that would’ve given Fort Knox a run for its money, somethingJudd was forever teasing me about.Hadteased me about. Past tense. Just like the man himself.
Judd.
I thought about my cheating rattlesnake of an ex and pulled a face. I hated what Judd had done to me, but my anger circled more around Phillip, a realisation that gave me pause. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Hadn’t I loved Judd as much as I thought I had? Had he known or felt something was missing? Was that why he’d done what he’d done?
I mentally slapped myself because, oh my God, I was sounding like my mother, and none of it mattered. Even if there were elements of truth in the idea, you didn’t cheat on your boyfriend. You talked to them like a damn grown-up.
But Phillip? He’d been my best friend my whole life. The one person I’d have sworn would have my back. It’s why I’d offered him an equal share in the company, after all, and we’d made a great team. We complemented each other, and we’d been successful because of that.
Before Phillip took over the sales and negotiating side of things, I’d been doing okay. But it was his sociable charm and impressive list of contacts that really got our name out there. It rocketed us from one of many prosperous start-ups to a potential market leader. I’d sounded sure enough of myself on the phone, but without Phillip at my side, I wondered if I really could do it all over again.
What’s more, he knew that. The same as I knew he’d have trouble replacing me.
The incessant beep of an alarm sounded from the bedroom across the hall, and an unbidden image of Ryder sprawled in his bed popped into my mind. That long, tightly muscled body stretched across the sheet, eyes fluttering open, that clean, earthy scent rising from his hot skin. Skin that begged to betasted. A body that yearned to be coaxed from slumber into the heights of pleasure by yours truly.
