She laughed. “It wouldn’t be hard at all with Ryder. I’d sign up in an instant.”
I gritted my teeth and clasped my hands together in front of me to keep from slapping her. Ryder was mine. At least for another three weeks.
“I’ve got to get back to dinner,” I said.
“Yes of course. Just one thing. How long is this bet and will he be available when it’s done?”
I wanted to tell her no he wouldn’t be available. He was mine. But even if we continued a relationship when it was over, I knew it wouldn’t work in the long run. As well as we were getting along now, I knew eventually we’d clash. We were too different.
“Three more weeks.” I walked out, mentally kicking myself for telling her that.
When I got back to the table, Ryder looked at me with knitted brows. “Everything okay? I worried you’d fallen in.”
I smirked, but inside was having a tug of war about whether I should tell him about meeting Erica. Had she hit on him when they met before? Had he been interested? I wanted to know and at the same time, I didn’t.
“Seriously, you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, of course.” I sat and picked up my fork. “This cannoli looks delicious.” As I took a bite, I decided I’d keep my encounter with Erica under wraps. This marriage might be fake, but the bet was real and so for the next three weeks, Ryder was mine. After that, she could have him if he wanted her. The idea of them being together, made my stomach roil. So instead I thought about how he belonged to me for the next three weeks.
15
Ryder
The evening was going better than anticipated. Trina was relaxed and pleasant. We bantered, but she didn’t have that edge of annoyance or disapproval that she sometimes had. The only little blip was when she came back from the bathroom. I could see her guard had gone up. I wondered what had happened. Did she see someone there? Or in a moment alone had she reconsidered this bet and decided she needed to keep her emotional distance?
Being someone who could go with the flow, I didn’t push her on it and instead, once we finished our dessert, I paid the check and led her back out to the truck. Instead of heading back to my place, I drove out to a secluded area overlooking the river. The sky was clear, and from this spot, a million stars glowed.
“What are we doing?” she asked.
“We’re parking and then we’re going to make out. How does that sound?” I grinned, hoping she didn’t see this as too corny.
One side of her mouth quirked up, even as her eyes narrowed. “We have two perfectly good beds at your place.”
I was happy to hear she still planned to have sex. After her trip to the bathroom, I wasn’t sure how she was feeling about this turn in our relationship. “The ladies’ magazines say that to keep a marriage fresh, it’s important to mix things up.”
“Are you saying we’re stale after a week?”
“Not at all.” I turned on the radio and rolled down the windows. “Come on.” I opened my door.
“Where are we going?”
I walked over to her side of the truck and helped her out. “I’m trying to be romantic. Bear with me.”
She eyed me suspiciously, but she was smiling, so I continued with my plan. I escorted her to the bed of the truck, putting down the back gate.
“Hop up.” I helped her up and then joined her. I grabbed the large duffle bag stuffed with sleeping bags, a foam pad, and as many pillows as I could fit. I rolled the pad out, and topped it with the sleeping bags and put the pillows up against the cab of the truck. “Join me.”
She blushed as she came t
o sit next to me. I put my arm around her and was thrilled when she rested her head on my shoulder. We had enough pillows to slightly recline allowing us to look up at the night sky.
“Have you ever seen so many stars?” I asked, kissing her head.
“I don’t know that I ever paid attention.”
I suspected there was a lot in that statement. I’d known Trina for a long time. I knew her father didn’t offer her a lot of stability, so she probably didn’t have time to enjoy things like stars in the sky. I wasn’t a shrink, but I suspected that’s why she was so controlling. It had been a matter of survival for her as a kid, but it was unfortunate that she held such a tight grip now that it made her so wary and guarded, and inflexible.
The truth was, I loved this crazy, uptight woman. I had for a long time. My goal now was to show her she was safe with me. To give me a chance when a bet wasn’t involved. I wasn’t sure how I’d do that, but I figured I still had three weeks.