Page 13 of Hungry Hearts

He barks out a laugh. “She did, didn’t she? She rejected you. The good old Ryder Benton charm didn’t work on her. I love it.” He holds out his cup as if cheering the gods. “When do I get to meet her? Or did she go running for the hills already?”

My ego won’t allow itself to be damaged. “You seriously think a woman can resist my charm? After she left,afterI gave her at least five Earth-shattering orgasms, I noticed some keys she left behind. I’d simply like to return them.”

Nolan knows me too well. He’s not going to let this slide. “You’re telling mesheleft the room first?”

It’s not uncommon for me to bring a woman back to a hotel room to screw her. Never our penthouse. We deemed it a woman-free zone where we could relax with no pressure until my best friends and business partners fell in love. Now, anytime I come up here to shower or change, I wonder if I’m going to catch Trey and Ella or Nolan and Avery having a quickie in their rooms.

“It was a long night. I fell asleep.” I hide my cringe when I realize what I revealed.

Nolan bends over, unable to contain his laughter. “She ghosted you in the middle of the night, didn’t she? That's why she accidentally dropped her keys. She was fucking racing out of there.” He wipes the tears from his eyes, and I’d laugh along with him if it was any other woman.

“Just trying to be a gentleman and return them.”

“Fine,” Nolan says when he comes up for air. “Why don’t you leave them at the front desk with her name on it? I’m sure she’ll be calling soon once she realizes she’s locked out of her house.”

I scratch the back of my neck. “Well, I didn’t exactly catch her name last night.”

Nolan nods. “Now that’s the Ryder we all know.”

I let him think the worst and shake my head. “Can you look up her info for me?”

“You don’t have to know her name. Just leave them with whatever room number you used last night.” He lowers his gaze to mine and frowns. “Don’t tell me she was too drunk to notice. It’s not like you to take advantage of a drunk woman.”

“Fuck, Noles. You know me better than that. It was one hundred percent consensual, and she’s the one who gave me her room key.”

“Great. You know the room number. So what’s the problem? Unless you’re avoiding someone at the front desk. It’s not like you to sleep with our employees.”

“I’ve never slept with an employee.” I’m not that stupid or desperate. Has a woman left her job at the casino to get in my pants? Not gonna lie, it’s been done before. Not one of my prouder moments, but I can still honestly say I’ve never slept with a current Four Aces employee.

“What aren’t you telling me, Ry?”

I set my coffee down and roll my shoulders back. “It was a one-night thing but I wouldn’t mind it being two.” There. I said it. It’s as close to honest as I’m ready to be with Nolan or myself. “And she needs her keys. I see it as a win-win.”

“For you, maybe. It puts me in a spot that’s crossing the line.”

“I’m not asking for her social security number or even her address. Just her number.” I swallow and glance away. “And her name.”

Nolan barks out another laugh. “Fuck. I can’t wait for the guys to hear about this.”

If I beg him not to tell them, it will only make him open a group chat and start the teasing now. Better to blow it off like I couldn’t care less.

“Payback’s gonna be a bitch.”

“Don’t I fucking know it.”

CHAPTER FOUR

SNEAKING OUT OF THEhotel room that smelled of sex before the sun peeked over the horizon was rude, and Ryder was undeserving of my cowardice. I was afraid if we woke up together that we’d have sex again. My body aches in all the right places, but it would totally be worth it to go another round.

It was my self-consciousness that had me quietly scrambling for my clothes and leaving Ryder in his sleep. I didn’t want to see the regret on his face when he woke up next to me. I’m not his type.

Last night was amazing, epic, euphoric, and I didn’t want the awkward morning after to ruin the high I was riding. The high my body is still buzzing from. I may know his name and where he works, but he’s still a mystery to me.

Thinking of him as a mysterious one-night stand, the hot bartender, will make last night a little less real, which is what I need right now. Especially with my responsibilities. I’m not the type of woman to pick up a guy at a bar and give him the key to my room.

Last night was an anomaly. A fantasy. One I will relive over and over again. No names. Two strangers and a night of unbridled passion.

But now it’s time to get back to reality. I open the door to Storybook Styles. A week ago, we celebrated our fourth anniversary. It was bittersweet, considering my life changes, but I didn’t want to let my team and customers down. I forced a happy face and handed out plastic tiaras and wands to the flurry of little girls who stopped by, and mimosas for their parents.

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