Page 19 of One Mistake

“Jesus, Reese. This place gives me the creeps.”

I nodded because I agreed. With my whole heart.

The steps had a red paisley carpet that followed to a matching runner at the top that went both ways down the hallway. “His room’s this way.” I went to the end of the hall. It was a big room. Twice the size of mine, although mine had more space because I had way less stuff. No stereo system or weight bench. No sound-mixing or movie-making equipment.

Movie. Making. Equipment.

Shit.

But the desk was empty. The computer and all its attachments missing.

I circled the bed, looking for…I didn’t know what. For something that would prove him innocent, although I didn’t have any idea what it would be.

The room smelled like him. Had the clothes I’d folded for him still sitting in a chair. “Where’re they all at?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea.” But every fiber in my body said the answer wasn’t a good one.

8

Ryder

Two days ago, leaving here was the only thing I wanted. This morning, the walk up the stairs was one of the hardest of my life. It was going to make going back to my apartment nearly impossible, especially knowing she was here.

I came out of the basement and stopped to watch her. She was at the table in the kitchen, fingers curled around a coffee mug, hair pulled up, clothes fresh, house scented by her bath soap. The rain from yesterday hadn’t quite finished yet and provided the soundtrack for today through the open window.

“Hey.” I couldn’t just stand there staring at her. I had to say something.

She didn’t turn so I couldn’t see her face but her voice cracked. “Are you leaving now?”

I didn’t want to. And she hadn’t exactly asked me to leave. “Not if you want me to stay. That ransom thing could work.” Say it. I moved closer, my hand hovering over her shoulder because I wanted to touch her. Nothing sexual. Just to touch her was enough. But she’d pulled the brakes. Hence, the hovering.

“No. It’s okay.”

I shoved the hovering hand into my pocket. “Thanks for washing my clothes.”

“Least I could do.” She shrugged. “Seriously. Very least.”

I wasn’t going to get anywhere, wouldn’t be able to change her mind, and I couldn’t blame her. “I’ll see you later?” The old me wouldn’t have put a question mark at the end. He would have helped her up from her chair then kissed her until we ended up in bed again. Fuck. I missed that guy.

She cleared her throat. “I’m probably going to fly home tomorrow or the next day.”

Not what I wanted to hear. “Reese…” Yeah. I was going to ask her to stay. To beg. To offer her…nothing. Because I had nothing.

“It’s been great catching up.”

Catching up? We were calling it catching up? The hell we were. “Reese.” She remained focused on whatever she’d found more interesting outside the window. I breathed out, slow, loud, a decision-making breath. “I could go for some more catching up.”

Suddenly the window wasn’t the most interesting thing anymore, and she turned to look at me. “I’m still leaving in a couple days.”

I shrugged like I wasn’t the biggest liar in the world, and this wasn’t the most important conversation in my life. “I’m not asking you to stay.” I’d already done that, and it hadn’t worked. What I hadn’t done was enough convincing. Yet.

“What are you asking?” She chewed the corner of her lower lip and smiled. She knew what I wanted. She just wanted to hear me say it.

I crooked my finger because once upon a time, she saw some actor do it on TV and she told me it was so sexy. Funny, the things I remembered. “Come here.”

She stared at me. Passion. Desire. Need. We had it all. And now I had her standing in front of me, the hint of a smile as sexy as a full-on smile, and she laid one hand flat on my shoulder and put the other over my heart. “Is my bedroom okay?”

The counter, the floor, the kitchen table. “Yeah. That’s fine.” But we weren’t going anywhere until I kissed her again. It was already at least an hour since the last time I kissed her and every minute that ticked away was another one wasted, one where I hadn’t kissed the girl. And I was definitely the guy meant to kiss this girl. Fate demanded it. She’d come back. Kidnapped me. Made me remember what it was like to be someone who was seen.