Chapter One
The crimson thong and bustier came as a matched set, their satin fabric sinfully soft beneath my fingertips. Sexy. Alluring. Classy. The glossy bustier would accentuate my slim waist and do wonders for my breasts. Closing my eyes, I imagined myself wearing only lingerie and a pearl necklace as strong male hands reached behind me, unhooking the eyelets one at a time.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have anybody to undress me. Why buy a pricy ensemble that would sit in my bottom drawer and never experience a man’s touch? Maybe I should pick something more conservative, like a flesh-colored bra and panty.
“Can I help you?”
The husky voice startled me. “Ryder?” Still holding the bustier and thong, I turned around, facing his strong jaw and Adonis-like physique.
“Nice to see you again, Jacinda.”
For a moment, I didn’t have a clue what to say. As casually as possible, I placed the lingerie on the rack, wishing I’d run into him any place but here. What was Lorena’s son doing in her shop? With a nametag? Ryder had dated my daughter, Gemma, before—
A screech of twisting metal rang in my ears. The impact, the crack of my helmet against the road, an endless skid along the asphalt, and screams that shattered—
“Are you okay?” Ryder’s deep brown eyes glistened.
“Yes,” I lied, snapping out of it. I rubbed my shoulder. Although the physical pain vanished months ago, the scar remained, an unforgiving reminder of my need to hear the sharp whine of the engine and see the landscape zip by in a blur. That need killed my husband.
It’s your fault I’m gone, Jacinda .
My blood turned cold. Maddox often whispered in my ear, as if he were standing right there next to me. Sometimes when I turned around, I expected to see his dark eyes and the stern set of his jaw.
I’d better get myself together. “When did your mother decide it made good business sense to hire male staff?”
“This is my punishment, actually.”
I smiled, a little incredulous. “You’re almost twenty-two and your mom still punishes you?” Lorena and I had met when Ryder and Gemma started dating. Sometimes we still got together and chatted over a latte at Starbucks.
He plunged his hands into his pockets. “Took her car for a spin and destroyed the front end.”
“Not the convertible.” Uh-oh. Her dream car? The one she mooned over at the dealership to the point where every salesman knew her by name?
“Yeah, the convertible.” He lowered his eyes, his gaze lingering over my low-cut gypsy top and favorite pair of skinny jeans. “She told me not to drive it, but when she went on a buyer’s trip two weeks ago…I kinda wanted to impress this girl.”
“I thought you didn’t get into trouble anymore.” During high school, he’d been into crazy stunts like car surfing and street racing. He smoked pot, painted graffiti on abandoned buildings downtown, and that was only the stuff I knew about. Lorena finally managed to get him to channel his thrill-seeking into the freestyle motocross circuit, and these days she showed off his trophies—and university transcripts full of A’s and B’s—to anybody who dropped by.
“Temporary relapse.” He shrugged.
After Gemma announced they were going out together, I found out about his background, including the fact he was four years older than she, and I flipped into panic mode. In spite of my fears, he’d given her eight months of love-struck delirium.
“I gotta earn enough money to pay for the damages,” he said. “When I talked about insurance covering it anyway, she shoved the classifieds under my nose and told me to look for a bachelor pad.”
“Honestly, Ryder, she won’t kick you to the curb as long as your grades are good. She likes that you live at home. She can keep an eye on you.”
“Just what every guy my age wants, a mom to keep him squashed under her thumb. I got a pretty cushy punishment, though.” The bold grin on his face said it
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