AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But in the meantime, it was better than living with Nathan and dealing with his dark moods.
The taxi pulled up in the driveway and we climbed out. Cora unlocked the door, dropping her keys as Ryder’s friend kissed her neck, and they disappeared into Cora’s room while I led Ryder into mine.
Was I ready for this?
I wasn’t sure, but I liked how gentle Ryder’s touch felt on my arms and waist. We moved to the bed, our mouths never separating as I pulled his shirt off, and he reached for the zipper at the neckline of my dress.
“Wait,” I said, as he eased the zipper down.
“You’re not shy, are you?” he teased, as he twirled the zip between his fingers.
“No, but…”
I held my breath as Ryder unzipped the dress to my waist. My dress separated over my bra and he sat back, staring at the tattoo that spanned my chest.
Six uppercase letters in thick gothic lettering.
NATHAN.
It was the stupidest thing I’d ever done. Nathan was supposed to get EMMA on his chest while I’d get NATHAN on mine, but he backed out after mine was finished.
“It’s okay,” I explained, as Ryder glanced around as though he expected Nathan to leap out of the closet. “He’s my ex. He’s not in my life anymore.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t mind knowing you’ve slept with other men, but this is too weird. Like I’m stepping into someone else’s territory.”
“Ignore it,” I said, but Ryder was already standing up and pulling his shirt back on.
“Sorry, I can’t.” He fled down the hallway, the floorboards creaking with every step.
As I scrambled to re-zip my dress, I heard him knock on Cora’s door.
“Hey man, we’ve gotta go.”
“Ryder,” I called weakly as Cora and I followed them.
As the guys disappeared out the front door, Cora’s look was full of daggers, and I knew she would never let this go.
2
EMMA
“What the hell happened?” Cora asked. “I thought you were hitting it off.”
I shrugged, trying to avoid the conversation.
“Maybe he’s working tomorrow?”
Cora narrowed one eye.
“He wouldn’t have come back here if he didn’t have time,” she said. “You guys were all over each other. What changed?”
I signed. I didn’t want to tell her what happened. But what choice did I have? Cora’s nostrils flared, she planted her hands on her hips, and she probably thought that either Ryder or I had done something terrible.
“I’m going to show you something,” I said, bringing my fingers up to the zipper, “and I want you to promise not to overreact.”
In the three weeks I’d been living with Cora, she had never seen my tattoo. I was ashamed of it, and I’d built my wardrobe full of outfits that covered it up: high-necked shirts, turtleneck sweaters and dresses that reached my collarbone. At this time of year, it was easy enough to do without anyone noticing, and Cora had never suspected that I was hiding something.
But now she watched as I pulled the zipper down and gasped when she saw the ink.
