Page 56 of Sins (The Sins Trilogy 1)
Chapter Twenty-Four
Anthony
The sounds of partying outside pound the walls of Ryder’s cabin, making them throb, but we’re pretty well insulated. It’s huge for a yacht cabin, and luxuriously appointed with a king-sized bed, seating area, desk and two huge TVs.
Ryder’s looking at me with a slightly loopy and satisfied smile. From the way the sheets on his bed are all twisted and pulled, I can guess what he was up to last night. There are five different pairs of very feminine panties and three bras in various places around the room.
“Five? Really?” I inspect the seat of a leather chair by the desk. It looks to be free of bodily fluids.
“More like ten. I dunno. Kinda lost count.” Ryder yawns from the bed. He’s just finished doing a series of martial arts stretches and is wearing nothing but black boxers.
“Right.”
“Hey, those girls couldn’t find their rooms. And naturally, I didn’t want them to have to sleep in the passageway. Bad things can happen to pretty girls in passageways.”
His dramatic delivery makes me laugh despite my shitty mood. It’s only been three days since I got on the yacht, but I’m going stir-crazy. It has everything—two pools, a huge hot tub, a super-luxurious cabin for my use, not mention the spectacular ocean off Catalina Island…even a gym, which Ryder and I have made some use of, sparring a bit—but it doesn’t have what I really want.
Ivy.
Every moment since I got here, I’ve been wondering what she’s up to. Did she sleep well? What piece is she practicing now? Has she made a triumphant recording to make her friend Yuna green with envy? Is she still mad at me? Has she decided she doesn’t love me? Does she even want me now?
Ryder heaves himself off the bed and comes over. “Want something to drink? I have scotch, whiskey and vodka. The girls killed all the wine.”
“I’m okay.”
He peers at me. “Jeez. At least look like you mean it when you say that. You look like shit.”
“Oh, come on. I’m fine.”
“The chicks were eyeing you like mad. You’re totally the hot, dark, brooding dude. Like the hero you see in one of those romance books.” He frowns impressively and lowers his voice. “It was a dark and stormy night… Suddenly, bright lightning split the sky, illuminating a dark and brooding man full of sexual menace.”
“What the hell are you reading these days?” The Ryder I used to know read manly-man books, with pictures. Lots of pictures, usually of naked women.
“Not these days. It was a while back. From Elizabeth’s stash.”
“Why were you reading your sister’s stuff?”
“To see what makes girls tick. It was a long time ago, but that opening stuck.” Ryder pours himself a scotch. “I’m just saying you’re the dark and brooding dude in that story. And the menace, too.”
“Menace?” What the fuck? I’ve been nothing but polite since I arrived. I even rejected the women’s advances—politely—although though a couple of them were irritatingly persistent. “I’ve been completely gracious and sociable here.”
“How can you be sociable when you keep saying no? The girls can tell you aren’t gay.” He downs half the glass in one long swig. “Ergo, you must be this brooding, tortured guy who requires the love of a good woman to bring him out of his downward spiral.”
My mouth falls open. “Who the hell are you and what have you done to my best friend?”
“Fuck you. I’ve been reading a lot of scripts recently. Chick flick stuff. Women usually decide what to watch on dates.” Ryder shrugs. What can a guy do? “But I overheard some of the girls betting on who could get you to sleep with her first. You’re the prize stud.”
I grimace. Is that why some of them have been getting ridiculous about it? “Last night, some woman knocked on my door at two a.m., then acted confused that it wasn’t her room. She was flashing everything but her crotch at me.”
“Cool. So what happened?”
“I told her, ‘This is my room,’ and shut the door in her face.”
“Man.” Ryder shakes his head. “You’re so fucking whipped. All these hot, willing ladies, and you won’t do any of them.”
“They aren’t Ivy.”
He shrugs. “Must be true love. I’ve never not wanted to accommodate a willing woman.”
