“Are you sure it’s the only reason?”
I rolled my eyes but was giddy inside. I felt as if we were engaging in a foreplay of sorts.
To my astonishment, after we ordered, Ryker didn’t lead me to one of the long, crammed tables. Instead, we went to the back, up a tiny spiral staircase I hadn’t noticed before. My heartbeat intensified with every step, as if warning me that I was going to get more than I bargained for.
I sighed when we reached the upper floor. It was small and intimate. There were only a few other people here, and I knew I was absolutely in trouble.
“You call this a bistro?” I teased.
“Mary does. I’m just following her lead.”
Uh-uh... as if. Ryker wasn’t the type to follow anyone’s lead but his own. There were small round tables set around the room.
We sat at the one near a fake fireplace at the back. Ryker put his guitar against the wall. When he took off his coat, I couldn’t help but stare. He was wearing a navy suit and platinum cuff links—he was every bit a respectable venture capitalist. That half smile didn’t quite fit; too charming, too seductive.
“And? What’s the verdict?” he asked. “Like the scruffy look or the suit better?”
I blushed. “Can’t decide.”
“You need more occasions to decide? I can make that happen.”
I laughed, just as our food was delivered. I bit into my burger right away. I didn’t even know what to say.
“So, Mr. Venture Capitalist, care to tell me how you went into finance?” I asked.
“I’ve always been good with numbers, and I got an internship when I was a college freshman. They said I could have a bright future, so I threw everything I had at it. Worked part-time at the fund after the internship.”
I had the feeling that was his motto in life. He worked with dedication, played the guitar with passion. I was certain that passion would carry on between the sheets too. I felt my face heat up at the mere thought.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
“That blush.”
“Nothing.”
He didn’t believe me, I was sure of it.
“Did you ever think about doing something with your music professionally?”
“Honestly, no. Family finances were precarious. I wanted to contribute. I did odd jobs in high school too. We all did what we could. It was so weird, there were a few years when absolutely everyone in the family was just trying to make ends meet. And then we all sort of started to do well at once. Hunter and Cole suddenly hit it big in real estate, my sisters got great jobs right out of college....”
“What are they doing?”
“They’ve just left their jobs to focus on their own business, a lingerie store. They’ve been working twelve hours a day for years, juggling their online shop and jobs. Now they’re also opening a physical store. I don’t think their workload will decrease at all. I have a feeling they’re going to have a tough time in the following months.”
He frowned, clearly worried about his sisters. I had the sudden urge to reach out and comfort him.
“But tell me about your living issue.”
“Well, I really don’t want to move Avery somewhere else. It’s our new home, you know? And she’s already had to change schools once. She loves her room. We’ve just finished decorating, and I don’t want her to feel disheartened if I just drag her somewhere else now.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t feel that,” he said softly.
“I don’t know, I just want to give her the best there is.... Anyway, I either need a second job or to convince my current employer to pay part of my bonus earlier, not all of it at the end of the year.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a reporter for the New York Reports. Pitched a few ideas I could work on along with my current articles, but none were of interest to them.”
Ryker drummed his fingers over the counter, deep in thought. Even with a table between us, his sexual energy was inescapable. It wrapped around me, pulling me to him like a magnet.
“Would writing about the Pearman Fund make the cut?”
I blinked. Sitting up straighter. “That’s the fund you work for?”
It had received a lot of bad press in industry journals as of late; maybe I could write something to help improve their image.
“Yes. The HR and marketing departments are trying to come up with ways to improve the company’s reputation.”
“I’d focus on the people, not the company per se. Letting the workers behind the numbers shine. Do you think I could interview some of the employees?” My brain was already spinning a story. The more I thought of it, the clearer I saw the angle. This actually could work, and I’d enjoy piecing it together.
“I’ll talk to my team—I think the timing is right, and it’s something we really need now,” he said.
“Why are you willing to do this?” Honestly, after my last two relationships I was feeling a little raw. I couldn’t believe someone would want to help me.
“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours?” He smiled, wiggling his eyebrows but then became more serious, saying, “You need a good article, and we need something positive written about us.”
“It’s not the only reason though, is it?”
“I was raised by a single mother. I know how much work it takes; how hard it is. Mom struggled a lot raising the four of us and Hunter, our cousin. I don’t want that for you.”
Oh my God. I couldn’t believe he cared so much, when the man I’d spent two years with didn’t give a damn that Avery and I would be evicted. Ryker seemed so sincere.
“Thank you,” I said. I wished I could find the right words to tell him how much this meant to me.
“I’ll talk to my team and let you know. And now, no more talking about stressful things. Tell me about Avery.”
Of course I beamed, I couldn’t help it—my baby and I were tight. “She’s smart and likes to collect coloring books. She’s just the best kid in the world.”
Ryker watched me with a smile as I filled him in on my daughter’s accomplishments. But his grin kept growing, and I had to stop and ask him, “What?”
“Nothing, you just... transform when you talk about her.”
I blushed, shrugging. “I can go on forever.”
“I don’t mind.”
Checking the time on my phone, I gasped. “Oh, no. I have to leave. I promised Avery we’re going to watch a movie.”
Ryker pushed back from the table. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Oh, no, no. You’re not done eating.”
He held my gaze, smiling shrewdly until I squirmed on my seat. I wasn’t ready to spend even more time with him, and he saw right through me.
But my excuse was good—I’d already finished my food, but Ryker still had half a burger and almost all the fries. I rose from the table, smiling when Ryker did the same. Taking my coat, he held it for me. His fingers brushed my shoulders. Even through two layers of clothes, the touch made my whole body sizzle. I tried to pull myself together, but clearly that wasn’t possible when I was so close to him. Everything about Ryker was just all-consuming: the way he looked at me, as if he was determined to see right through me; the way he leaned into me, as if he was just barely restraining himself from touching me. I wanted his touch just as much as I feared it.