“Me neither.” He looked up and down the street. “Where can you get a cup of tea around here?”

I made a face. “Tea? No idea. We’re going to have to walk or take a cab,” I said.

“Psh, let’s walk. Walking never hurt anyone. Unless you’ve got a broken leg or something.” Was he babbling? He kind of seemed nervous. “Sorry. It’s hard being sober.” Ah, so that was it. I had no idea how many times I’d interacted with him when he’d been high. Probably most of the time. But his personality couldn’t be that different when he was sober.

“Is it?” I asked. What a moronic question. I wanted to smack myself. But Ryder didn’t call me on it.

“Yeah. Harder than . . . well, harder than a lot of things.” I wouldn’t know. Apart from social drinking, I’d never experimented with any sort of substances. Well, pot a few times in college. But that was it. I hadn’t really liked the high feeling. Couldn’t see what all the fuss was about.

“But it’s worth it,” he said as we strolled up the street. At this rate it was going to take us forever to get to the café I had in mind.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Yeah. I feel . . . clear. Open. For the first time in a long time. It’s good. I hope.” I didn’t feel qualified to offer advice on this particular subject. “The downside, though, is that I have to deal with all my shit instead of getting wasted. That’s the part that sucks ass.”

“Or you could just ignore stuff until it goes away. That’s what I do with something I don’t want to do.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, that’s another option. I’ll keep it in mind.”

We started to talk about other things. Ryder was always asking me about my new designs and what I was working on and so forth.

“Well, now I have to start organizing my show, so I need a venue and I have to hire models and a whole ton of other things. I’ll make Inari do most of the work, poor girl. But she’s much better at it than I am.” That girl could organize her way out of anything, which was why she made such a kickass assistant.

“Maybe that’s what I need. An assistant. Someone to do all the things I don’t want to do. How much would I have to pay someone to do that?” he asked.

I snorted. “A lot.” I paid Inari ridiculously well so she wouldn’t leave me because she definitely put up with a lot.

“Shit. I have negative dollars. Guess that’s not going to work.”

We finally reached the little shop which was crammed between a bodega and a pawn shop. Grungy on the outside, it was much larger than it looked once you got inside.

Ryder opened the door for me. “Ladies first,” he said with a bow. God, he was sexy. So damn sexy.

I walked in and headed for the counter to order. Ryder followed, standing so close to me, my back brushed his front. If I leaned back, I’d be tucked right under his chin. I wasn’t used to feeling that small, but Ryder and I were matched perfectly, height-wise anyway.

“What are you going to get?” he asked, leaning down and speaking in my ear. He hadn’t said anything dirty, but he might as well have. Heat radiated out from my body and I couldn’t think, let alone read the menu.

“What can I get you?” the teenage girl behind the counter asked me in a bored voice.

“Huh?” I said, too distracted by Ryder. I didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose, but it was driving me crazy anyway.

“What can I get you?” she repeated in a slow voice, as if I didn’t understand her.

“Oh, um,” I said, trying to get my words out. “Tea?”

“What kind?” she asked with a heavy sigh. I was really making her life difficult today.

“Earl Grey,” I said. It was the first thing that came to mind.

“Anything else?” she asked, punching the order into the register. I scanned the glass bakery case. They had cronuts. Score.

“And a cronut.”

I stepped aside to let Ryder order. Also to clear my brain out. He made it hard to think when he was standing that close.

“I’ll have the same,” he said, and she added his order. I reached into my purse for my credit card, but Ryder pushed it away and handed the girl cash.

“I got this,” he said. The tea and cronuts weren’t super expensive, but I knew money was tight for him right now. “Don’t even bother trying to protest. You won’t win. I’m fucking stubborn.” He winked at the girl, and her face went red. Oh, Ryder. He just couldn’t help it.

Tags: Chelsea M. Cameron Erotic
Source: readsnovelonline.net