Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
I was off in the afternoon and grabbed another coffee before heading to the art store to restock on paint. I walked through the aisles with a basket, choosing colors as I thought ahead to my ideas as well as a pack of canvases. I was walking to the counter when a young couple behind it gasped. It was funny. I was thinking of them as young when they must have been twenty at the very least.
“I saw your work at that gallery. It was amazing!” The girl had teal-colored hair cut into a severe bob and huge earrings that seemed as if they’d been stolen from a glass chandelier, and looked every part an artist as I thanked her. They asked what I was doing now as they rang through my purchases, and I told them I had some clients and a gallery, and the guy looked at the girl.
“We just lost a teacher for a couple of classes here. Would you be interested in taking over? You’re like a celebrity,” he gushed.
I blushed. “I–wow. Thank you.” I tried to decide if I could do that as my phone rang. I ignored the call and asked, “When are the classes?”
They handed me a schedule they marked off with classes they needed teachers for. It was a few hours each month since they were informal, and by the time I was leaving, I had the manager’s card in my hand. I got to the car and reached into my purse for my phone, calling Ryder back when I saw it was him.
“Hi.”
“Are you okay?” he asked as I melted into my seat.
“I was at the art store stocking up. They just asked me to teach some classes there. I’m calling the manager tomorrow.” It was still overwhelming, and I bit my lip nervously.
“Wow. That’s great.” He sounded happy, and I smiled, unaccustomed to having a man care for me like this. “I’m done for the night. Want to do dinner with a few of the guys? They’re going to that new steakhouse.”
“The guys?” I asked, imagining meeting all of them.
“Half the team. The others had to get home. I’d like you to meet them.”
I licked my lips and looked down at my simple outfit of jeans and a dark brown sweater.
“I can pick you up at your house, and you can stay with me if you’d like that.”
“Yeah. I’m headed home now. I’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes,” I replied as he told me that he’d see me soon. I felt nervous as I drove, wondering what this might be like. I was his girlfriend as far as I knew, and that would mean I’d meet his friends. Not just friends, but colleagues. I pressed on the gas and drove a little faster so I’d have extra time to freshen up.
I didn’t have time for a shower, but I touched up my make-up and ran some fingers through my loose waves. I changed into a pair of black leather leggings and a clingy purple sweater with boots, hoping Ryder would like it. It wasn’t so fitted that it left nothing to the imagination, but enough to tease him throughout the night if everything went well. I heard the doorbell and walked over to open it, watching as he took me in with hungry eyes.
“Fuck the steakhouse. I want to eat you,” he said with a wolfish grin.
“All in good time, Mr. Bellamy,” I scolded him as he walked into the house and closed the door. He turned me against it and pressed me into the wood before kissing me hard. I moaned against him as my body pressed against his, nearly unaware of what I was doing. He pulled away and stared at me with darkening green eyes.
“Don’t you want me to meet your friends?” I wondered if he genuinely did, and waited for his answer.
“I do. You’re going to be at the games, and it’s good for you to know everyone,” he murmured before kissing me again. He kept it up until finally pulling away to press his forehead to mine. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
We finally made our way out of the door after I fixed my lip gloss, and he walked me to his car. He opened my door and kissed my cheek as I blushed and slipped inside. Ryder drove me to the restaurant, and I watched him as he grinned, stealing a glance at me at a stoplight. “What is it, love?”
“You’re sexy when you drive. When you play hockey. I wonder if there’s anything else?” I mused as he groaned.
“You’re not sexy when you tease me, woman,” he growled at me as joy surged through me. I wasn’t used to this feeling from a single person, particularly a man. He arrived at the steakhouse too fast, and we were entering as he took me by the hand to lead me to a private room. I swallowed the lump in my throat as we walked through the door, seeing about ten men and as many women sitting around one long table. They were talking and laughing, and I paused as Ryder looked over at me. “Baby, you’re with me. Everything is fine.”