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“Ryder, I’m busy, and I thought you were, too.”
“I took some time out of my day to give you the heads up.” He wanders over to the window and stares out over Manhattan, then leans his shoulder against the glass and rolls towards me with a sigh. “I’ve seen it. King and Mag have, too. But I’m here because it seems everyone has.”
My mind starts burning new pathways.
This is good. I’m embarrassed, so is Scarlett, and Ryder can’t help himself with gossip. He loves it. I can use this. I can spin this a little tighter. Tell him this started one way and ended up something more…
I turn to Scarlett and push away from the table, taking the small step towards her, and that pull starts in earnest all over again. She has power, this woman. I’ve thought it before, and here I am thinking it again: I can use that.
Smoothing her hair, I kiss her softly and for a brief moment she stiffens and then her lips cling to mine.
Christ they’re soft and so unbelievably morish. I pull back. “I need to talk to Ryder about this. Seeing as it’s now out there. Take the afternoon off.”
She’s about to argue, but she suddenly closes her mouth. “Okay. We’ll continue this soon,” she says, and then Scarlett turns, gives my brother a small wave and rushes out.
Ryder studies me. “Well, that was interesting.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I say, moving back around my desk as I start to tidy up, getting things ready for the afternoon.
I’m ready, but this gives me something to do.
“Things look like they’ve taken a…turn.”
“Yes.”
It’s not lying. Exactly. I’m leading him in the direction he’s thinking. He’s putting things together all on his own. And this is going to help. Ryder will sell it because he believes it.
Not that he wouldn’t before, but an added layer of authenticity helps.
“That’s good.”
“Yes, it is.” I flick through open tabs on my computer and suddenly I stop and look up.
Good?
“What do you mean?”
Ryder shrugs and comes over to me and leans on the desk. “I’m not here to gossip about your newly found love, Hud.”
I almost correct him but stop myself. “Explain this to me, please.”
He grins, and it’s his shit-eating grin that got him beaten up a lot by us as a kid.
“Well,” he says, expansively, “I told you already. People have seen it.”
“Yeah, not just our brothers. Everyone.”
Something drips down my spine, like a cold excitement, spreading out in waves as it pools at the base of my spine. “Like who?”
“Jenson.” He pauses. “Mother.”
“That’s…good. That’s really good. I mean I was trying to think of a way to up the ante here. Help prove the authenticity.”
He raises a brow and laughs. “Do what I walked in on you doing and I think you’ve got yourself some down-home authenticity, Hudson.”
“I’m not fucking someone in public.”
“Pity.” He sighs. “It’s a thrill ride.”
