Sleeping together wasn’t just about the sex for me. I know it wasn’t for him, either. We’ve been teasing, talking, and kissing for weeks now. It was time to make a move or give up trying, and I’m glad we slept together. I’m still a little sore from the spanking, still a little stiff from the ropes, but I feel good. I feel solid and grounded.
I feel complete.
“Yes,” he says regretfully, shaking his head. “Look, June, I’ll explain everything when I get back. Just know that I don’t have a secret family or anything like that.”
I cut him off and start laughing.
“Hey!” He protests.
“You couldn’t pull it off, sweetie,” I say, playfully tapping his nose. A drop of water slides down from the spot I touched. “No offense,” I shrug. “I mean, you’re a pretty good liar, but I would have figured that one out a long time ago and invited your wife to the club.”
“I could pull it off,” he says, and then he shakes his head, as if he’s realizing he’s arguing about his ability to lie. Not exactly the best way to start a relationship, is it?
“Hey,” I say, turning off the showerhead and reaching for a towel. Ryder steps back and I wrap the towel around myself and place my hands on his chest. “You have nothing to worry about, okay? I know that if you could tell me what’s going on, you would, Ryder. I trust you,” I say, and when those words cross my lips, Ryder lets out an audible sigh of relief.
This poor man.
Has no one ever believed him before?
Obviously, Ryder does something that’s not just writing mystery novels. He’s got some sort of job that’s so private and important that he has to carry a second cell phone for it. Maybe he’s a spy or maybe he’s a private investigator.
I don’t know, and I don’t really care.
Knowing Ryder’s secret would mean the world to me, but I also understand the legalities involved in having some sort of classified job. All of my members at Anchored sign a non-disclosure agreement that says what happens at the club stays at the club. If someone sees a state senator getting spanked, that’s not something the media or the general public needs to know about.
No, I understand privacy just fine, and I understand that right now, Ryder has something he needs to do without me.
He kisses me then, long and hard, and then he pulls back.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he says.
“I’ll be waiting.”
He leaves, and I wander back to my bed, throw off the towel, and slide between the covers. I didn’t bother to brush out my hair and I know that in the morning, it’ll be a tangled mess, but I don’t really care.
Ryder Hawke made love to me and now everything feels okay.
Everything feels right.
Chapter 13
Ryder
Everything feels right.
I speed the entire way to the scene where Martin Peterson is in the process of being arrested.
I completely missed my team bringing him down. While I was with June, the guy doing surveillance had a gut feeling and went for it, calling everyone in. Sure enough, Martin had a deal going down tonight and because Charles made the right call, they were able to catch him in the act.
Finally, after all of this time, the case is closed.
And I missed the grand finale.
The entire thing.
To my surprise, I don’t care at all.
I park my car and hurry over to the other undercover agents who have been working with me on surveillance. Charles is looking prouder than I’ve ever seen him. Haley is smiling, grinning from ear-to-ear as Martin is cuffed and shoved in the back of a car.