Chapter Five
chapter five
KIRA
“Mommy, where are we going?” Violet asks as I drive out of the Kingston parking garage, following Ryder.
After I agreed to go to his house, he took the phone Ana had given me and input his address into the GPS.
Sensing my hesitancy, he looked at me and said, “Don’t run, Kira. If you do, I’ll have to chase you.”
And since I could tell his threat wasn’t empty, I agreed.
“Ryder invited us to have a sleepover at his house with Addie. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” I ask, keeping my voice light even though I’m freaking the hell out on the inside because he knows my daughter and I are homeless and living out of our SUV.
I begged him to leave it alone, to forget he saw us, but he insisted on us staying with him, and I could tell he wasn’t going to stop until I gave in, so I did—right after I cried in his arms like a crazy person.
Sigh. This is not how I thought today would go.
I guess I should be thankful he didn’t turn me in. When he pulled up and got out, I thought for sure that everything I’d done up until now was for nothing.
Oh God, speaking of everything I’ve done … what is Ana going to say when she finds out? Will she fire me for using their parking garage? Will she think less of me once she knows living around the corner didn’t mean in an actual home, but in a vehicle? I shove the fear away, needing to get through tonight. I’ll deal with the fallout later.
“Does Addie have a pool?” Violet randomly asks.
“I’m not sure, Vi, but we’re just sleeping there for tonight. Ryder said we can shower and sleep in a bed.”
“Okay,” she says, always going with the flow. “But if they have a pool, can we swim in it?”
“Probably not,” I tell her, not wanting to get her hopes up.
“Are we still going to see bugs tomorrow?” she asks after a few minutes of silence.
Shoot, I forgot all about the trip to the museum I’d promised her. I don’t know what will happen once we get to Ryder’s, but there’s no way he’ll prevent me from taking my daughter to the science museum. I let one man dictate my life, and I’ll never allow that to happen again.
“Of course we are,” I tell her as we pull up to a massive guard’s gate.
Ryder stops ahead of me and rolls down his window. He speaks to the guard for a couple of minutes and then pulls forward. I follow, waiting for the guard to stop me, but he only nods, indicating that I’m good to go.
As we drive through the streets of his neighborhood, I glance at the homes in shock and awe. I’m no stranger to living in a nice neighborhood—I lived in one for over a year—but these homes are on a completely different level. Like, there’s rich, and then there’s rich. I figured Ryder makes a good living since he’s the CFO of a multibillion-dollar company and drives a newer BMW, but, holy shit, this is insane.
When we pull up to what must be his home, Ryder waits for the wrought iron gate to open—because he apparently has another gate despite his neighborhood being guarded—and then we drive up a long driveway.
When we turn the corner, we’re met with the most beautiful mansion—yes, mansion because it would be an insult to call it anything less. To the left is a three-car garage. Ryder must press a button because one of the bay doors begins to rise. He pulls in, and the door shuts behind him.
And because I have no idea what to do, I stay in my seat, staring at the exquisite home in front of me, wondering what the hell I was thinking, following Ryder here.
To most, the idea of wealth is a turn-on. I’ve witnessed how envious and jealous women can be of other women—of the house she lives in, the car she drives, the designer bags she totes around, and the clothes she wears. I must admit, I was one of those women … before .
Now, it sickens me. Because while money has the potential to do good—to cure diseases and feed and house the homeless—it’s rarely ever used for things like that. Instead, it’s wielded around like a deadly weapon, those having it being able to do and get away with damn near whatever they want while leaving those without it in its wake.
And judging by the ridiculously expensive home in front of me, Ryder has a lot of money. I hate to lump him into the same category as other people , but I’ve learned the hard way that giving people like Ryder the benefit of the doubt only leads to devastation. And I would be stupid not to proceed with caution.
Just as I’m considering taking my chances and bolting, Ryder emerges from out of nowhere. As he saunters my way, I can’t help but notice how good-looking he is with his bright hazel eyes, which are always aware and assessing, and his chiseled jawline, which is more prominent today due to his neatly trimmed beard. His brown hair is freshly cut, and his suits always fit him like they were made for him, showcasing his broad shoulders and muscular thighs.
He’s one hundred percent sex personified from head to toe, and him sporting a diaper bag on one shoulder with his daughter on his hip only adds to his appeal. There is nothing sexier than a man who puts his child first. I don’t know what happened with Addie’s mom, nor is it my business, but from what I’ve seen, Ryder’s best feature is how good of a dad he is.
I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t realize that Ryder’s standing right in front of my window, waiting for me to roll it down.
When I do, he bends slightly, and his eyes find mine. “You can park here for tonight,” he says. “If you have laundry, bring it in so you can wash it.”
I nod, but make no move to get out. His intentions seem pure, but then again, so did his . I fell for the white-knight routine once before, and he turned out to be nothing more than a villain, hidden under Armani.
As if sensing my hesitancy, Ryder sets Addie down, who toddles toward the front door, and leans in closer, giving me a whiff of his scent.
Jesus, even the smell of him is sexy and masculine.
“You okay?” he asks, his voice calm and patient.
“Hey, Ryder!” Violet says. “Mommy said we’re having a sleepover! Can we go swimming?”
Before I can tell her again that it’s probably not happening, Ryder answers her, “Sure. How about we order a pizza and have it by the pool?”
“Yes!” Violet flings her seat belt off and pushes the door open, running over to where Addie is trying and failing to open the front door.
“Hey,” he says, forcing me to look back at him. “You’re safe here, I promise.”
If only he knew that those words do nothing to calm my pounding heart. If anything, they scare the hell out of me because I know all too well how easy it is for a man to fling promises around and not mean a single one of them.
“I’d better grab our stuff,” I mutter, turning the vehicle off and getting out.
After gathering our dirty clothes and sheets so I can wash them—because I would be an idiot not to take advantage of having a free washer and dryer at my disposal—I follow Ryder and the girls inside.
The inside is just as beautiful as the outside, but I’m surprised to find that it looks lived in. While the living room furniture is clearly high-end, it’s all been baby-proofed, and there’s an entire corner dedicated to Addie, complete with a princess carpet, a child-sized reading chair, and a bookshelf filled with children’s books.
“The washer and dryer are this way,” Ryder explains, guiding me to the massive laundry room. “I’m going to order the pizzas and get Addie into her bathing suit. Do you guys prefer any toppings on your pizza?”
“Pepperoni, please!” Violet exclaims.
“I’m good with pepperoni as well,” I tell him. “Thank you.”
While I throw a load into the washer, Violet talks my ear off about how excited she is to have a sleepover even if Addie is a baby who doesn’t talk—her words, not mine.
“Oh no!” Violet gasps when Ryder and Addie come down in their bathing suits. “We don’t have bathing suits.” She glances at me, her brows furrowed. “How are we gonna swim? My bathing suit is at?—”
“It’s okay,” I tell her, cutting her off before she can spill our business in front of Ryder. “You can go swimming in your shorts and shirt.”
She pouts. “But …”
“I can’t get you a suit tonight. It will be fine.”
“Okay,” she relents. “But will you come in with me?”
I wasn’t planning on it, but the way she’s looking up at me, not wanting to be the only one swimming with her clothes on, I can’t say no.
“Sure.”
After I’ve changed into a pair of cotton shorts and a tank, leaving my bra on, we follow Ryder through the living room and family room and out a pair of French doors that lead to the most exquisite backyard I’ve ever seen. His home is situated on what looks like several acres of land, and with the privacy shrubs and trees surrounding his home, you can’t even tell he has any neighbors.
When we step outside, to the right is a state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen with a bar and a table and chairs that seat eight people. To the left is a beautiful stone fireplace with comfy-looking patio furniture.
“Mommy, look at the pool!” Violet yells. “Can I jump in?”
“Can she swim?” Ryder asks as he removes his shirt and flings it onto the lounge chair.
I’m about to answer when my eyes lock on his shirtless chest—with the perfect amount of hair—and six-pack abs and then slowly descend as I follow the happy trail toward the defined V that disappears into his board shorts. I knew the man was fit, but I had no idea he looked like that underneath those perfectly pressed suits. As if being rich and successful weren’t enough, he has to go and look like one of the guys on the cover of GQ . Without a tattoo in sight, his tanned skin is smooth and flawless.
A throat clearing shakes me from mentally snapping pictures of him to save for later when I’m alone, and when I look up, I find Ryder smirking. Shit! He just caught me checking him out.
“I’m sorry, what?” I choke out and then flinch when I realize I sound as turned on as I am.
Thankfully, Ryder doesn’t call me out on it. Instead, he says, “I asked if Violet could swim.”
Oh, right! He did ask that … and then he took off his damn shirt, and I lost all train of thought.
“Yes, she can swim like a fish.”
She’s always loved the water, even when she was a baby. I taught her at an early age how to swim since the apartment complex we lived in with my mom had a community pool. She probably swims better than most adults.
“Go ahead,” I tell her, following her to the infinity pool that overlooks the bay.
When I step out from under the overhang, glancing up, I see a second-story balcony. On one side is a set of stairs, and on the other is …
“Is that a pool slide?” I gasp, refusing to look at Ryder because I know exactly what I’ll see if I do.
He chuckles. “It is.”
“Can I go down it?” Violet asks.
“Go for it,” Ryder says.
He steps into the water, and I focus on Addie as he places her in her cute little float.
Violet wastes no time racing up the steps and running across the balcony that houses several lounge chairs.
“Ready?” she calls down.
“Yep,” I say back.
She plops onto her butt and slides straight down and into the water. A few seconds later, she pops up, laughing hysterically. “That’s so cool!”
She swims back to the steps and gets out to do it all over again.
“No running,” I remind her since she’s now wet, and the last thing I need is her slipping and cracking her head open.
“You coming in?” Ryder asks as he pushes Addie all around the pool while she giggles and splashes the water.
“She is!” Violet calls down just before she slides down again.
“I guess I am,” I say with a small laugh.
Of course, the water is warm, so I glide in with ease, watching as my daughter heads back up to the slide for round three.
She goes up and down several more times while Ryder plays with Addie, and I watch everyone around me, feeling a sense of peace for the first time in a long time.
“Pizza’s here,” Ryder says when an alarm chimes. “Can you watch her while I go grab it?”
“Of course.”
“Dada!” Addie yells as Ryder gets out of the pool.
“He’ll be right back,” I tell her, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes while trying and failing not to look at Ryder as he walks away with his muscular back on display, droplets of water trailing down his body. I’ve never been jealous of water until now …
Once he disappears inside, I take a deep breath and vow to get my shit together. I have too much going on to be thinking about him sexually. It doesn’t matter that I’ve gone over six months without sex—and even longer without good sex. I need to focus on what’s important—Violet and our future.
A few minutes later, Ryder returns with the food and drinks—and thankfully has a shirt on. We eat, both of us focusing on the kids, and even though it should be awkward, it’s not. Violet fills the silence with talk of the museum we’re going to visit tomorrow while Ryder acts like it’s the coolest place in the world.
“You wanna go?” Violet asks him, making me damn near choke on my drink.
“I think it’s just you and your mom going,” he says.
“Yeah, but you can go too. Right, Mommy?”
“I’m not sure Addie will have as much fun as you, but they can go if they want.” I shrug.
“You wanna go?” Violet repeats to Ryder, who smiles warmly at her.
“Sure,” he says.
“Okay! Can I go swimming again?”
“Go ahead,” I tell her since I’m done with my food anyway. “But first, what do you say to Ryder for buying this pizza?”
“Thank you,” she says. “It was yummy!”
Then, she takes off like a bat out of hell toward the steps.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“You’re welcome,” he says, wiping Addie’s face.
So she didn’t feel left out, he cut up some of the crust so she could munch on it, along with her dinner.
We make our way back to the pool, both of us sitting on the steps while Addie sits between Ryder’s legs, splashing in the water.
As Violet flies down the slide for the millionth time, her giggles fill the air, and I inhale a breath of fresh air. The sun is setting, and the orange backdrop is picturesque. The past couple of months have been rough, and I don’t know what the future holds, but right now, my daughter is happy and laughing, we have a roof over our heads, and our bellies are full.
I can’t ask for much more than that.