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“You’re not going anywhere, young man. I told your assistant there was more than enough room in this big old house for you. Now get over here and I’ll show you to your room.” She turned to Skylar. “You can have your old room sweetie.”
“That’s not necessary Ms. Peterson. I’m more than happy to get a hotel so you can spend time with your niece.”
“Nonsense. You’re both here for the same reason. If I’d known you were friends, I would’ve planned this a bit better.”
He cleared his throat. “We’re not. We’re business associates.”
Lyla raised her brows. “Oh. Duly noted, then.”
He didn’t dare look at Skylar because he didn’t want to know if her feelings had been hurt. He didn’t want to care. “Okay, where is the room?” They followed Lyla up two flights of stairs, with Ryder in the back trying hard to keep his gaze from roaming Skylar’s round ass that swayed with every step. He didn’t notice her shapely legs and slender ankles, either. He was so focused on not noticing that he failed to notice that she’d stopped and he slammed into her back. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“No problem,” she mumbled in return, avoiding looking at him.
“It’s okay to look sweetheart. God wouldn’t have made asses so delicious if he didn’t want us to stare at them!” She winked at Ryder knowingly and laughed when he flushed all the way to the tips of his ears.
What felt like an eternity later, Ryder was safely in his room for the duration of the trip. Lyla was insane, and she was Skylar’s aunt. That would have been a helpful piece of information to have earlier. Much earlier. The last the he wanted was to spend time in such close proximity to her, but he couldn’t be rude or do anything that might risk offending Lyla. So he’d act like the adult he was and tolerate her. He could do that.
Easy.
***
“What’s going on with you and that handsome CEO?” Lyla poured iced tea into two glasses and took a seat with a plate of peanut butter cookies between them.
“Nothing other than business.” That’s what he’d said so she would stick with that. We’re not friends, he said with cold finality.
“Apparently you think I’m old as well as blind.” She sipped her tea and scowled. “This needs some bourbon.” She stood and went to a cupboard full of cans and pulled out a small bottle. “If you think I can’t see there’s something between you, then you don’t know me at all.”
Aunt Marie was right. Through their ridiculous argument on the doorstep, his harshly spoken words and his accidental bump into her, electricity crackled between them. “I know you really well, I think. But no matter what you think you see, there’s nothing between us.” Mostly because she’d made the wrong choice and there was no going back.
“Maybe not now, but I think there will be. And soon.”
Skylar couldn’t even bring herself to wish that would happen because it was a longer than long shot. “I doubt it Aunt Marie and please, don’t say anything to Ryder. We have to work together and I don’t want it to be tense between us.”
“Oh honey, things are already tense. I could slice that tension with a spoon!” She shivered with a smile. “The sex between you will be explosive!”
“Auntie, stop it!” She couldn’t help but laugh. Her aunt was eccentric, highly sexual and she always said what was on her mind. It made life entertaining, if sometimes embarrassing. “Promise me you’ll muzzle yourself about this. Please.”
Lyla motioned a lock to her mouth. “I’ll do my best.”
Skylar heard the, but I make no promises. She knew her aunt well.
“Lunch is just about ready, go bring Ryder downstairs.”
“I can just text him to come down.” She reached for her phone.
“You’ll do no such thing in my house. We have manners here so take your cute little bottom up those stairs and go get my guest.” She shooed her up and turned to attend to their meal.
Skylar slowly climbed the stairs like a prisoner walking to the executioner’s chamber. Except those minutes on the doorstep she hadn’t been alone with Ryder since she stumbled over her words like guppy fish and hurt his feelings. She hoped he wouldn’t hold it against her because she felt bad enough about it. She stood outside his door for too many minutes and tried to get her breathing under control. Finally, she knocked.
No answer.
She knocked again and heard a muffled voice. Twisting the knob she stuck her head in, “Ryder?”
“Yes?”
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Ryder without his shirt on, a dark smattering of hair tapering down to a thick trail that lead to…paradise, she imagined. His shoulders were wide and strong, his chest muscles firm and prominent. “Damn,” she whispered and continued to stare.
Ryder hid a smile at her obvious appreciation of his body. He prided himself on keeping in shape because it kept the mind sharp. But it was also a great way to relieve stress when he was between bed mates. “Did you need something Skylar?”
