Sunset Thunder (16 page)

Don’t stare at me like that here. Not now. Izzy’s watching. If you’re so worried about Izzy, take a step back. 

She didn’t.

“Yes,” she managed.

Managed! You are Violet Caliendo, you do not manage anything you succeed, you triumph, you RULE. 

She attempted to step back. He didn’t let go. 

“Did I hurt you?” 

My ego. You have killed my ego, so please pick it up and carry us both to the desk for the quickie I’m terrified is the only thing you want.

“No.” 

“I wanted to talk to you about the other night,” Ryder started and Violet could imagine what was going through her sister’s already wild, naughty, and dirty little mind. “Joel is late again and I thought maybe we could talk privately in your office.”

Ryder’s eyes moved past Violet and looked at Izzy. As if only noticing her for the first time, Ryder let Violet go and stepped back.

The quick action made him look like he’d done something wrong. Like
they’d
done something wrong. The wheels in Izzy’s head would be turning and she would be creating a whole lot of
something wrongs
that the two of them could have done. Violet was skipping the family breakfast for the next year.

Violet turned to Izzy. “Was there anything else you needed?”

Izzy’s lips were pressed together like she was holding in words. It was unlike her but for the best.

Izzy shook her head, walking past them both.  “Ryder. It’s nice seeing you again,” she said. “I think the last time was Violet’s wedding and as I recall I think I spotted you talking to Emma, or trying to get up her dress.”

It was becoming increasingly clear to Violet that she could never go on a date with Ryder.

“You look good,” Izzy said, not in a seductive way, but rather an observant way. 

“It’s always a pleasure Izzy. And I think the
last
time we saw each other was at the Christmas Gala Eliza threw last year and I’m pretty sure you had your share of drinks, possibly responsible for your lack of memory.”

Izzy smiled largely, not at all insulted as another person may have been. “Touché.” Izzy looked at Violet. “He’s a keeper Violet. I like him.”

“You like everybody,” Violet pointed out.

“I like him more.”

“I’m right here,” Ryder reminded them.

“Oh, don’t you worry, you’re not forgettable,” Izzy said.

Ryder slid a look to Violet. “Is that what Violet told you?”

Violet would never. “I didn’t tell her any such thing.”

“But she’s been
Violet-twisted
all week and now I see why.” Violet was ready to deny her sister, but Izzy said, “And I didn’t like Joel.” Izzy turned to Ryder. “No offense, but he was a douchebag. He is a douchebag and he will always be a douchebag.”

“You are entitled to your opinion,” Ryder said.

“My opinion is you better apologize to Violet for the whole Emma thing, and grovel, because my sister is all about image. If we aren’t the only ones that remember that incident, then it’s less likely she will continue to date you...”

“We’re not dating,” Violet said, but it went unheard as Ryder and Izzy continued their conversation without her.

“That sounds more like advice,” Ryder said.

“Take it. And if she gets all little Miss Snooty, nose-in-the-air, attitude too difficult to deal with, just touch her. Apparently your touch shuts her right up.”

Violet was going to shrink into the plush carpet under her heels and hide between the fibers.

“I will keep that in mind,” Ryder said.

Violet was going to keep that in mind too and that was the last time Ryder’s touch was having any sort of effect on her.

“Alright, this has been fun,” Izzy said. Violet had other words to describe the last ten minutes:
Unbearable. Distasteful. Mortifying.

Izzy left, shutting the door behind her and letting her loud giggle waft through the wood. 

Ryder turned his attention to Violet. Now he turned his attention to her, after everything that had conspired. Violet wasn’t ready for his attention. She wasn’t ready before Izzy had dug her vicious claws into him and she certainly wasn’t ready after adding more cons to her list...trying to have sex with her sister was a big one.

“Violet-twisted? Unforgettable?” he teased.

That was the perfect description of how Violet had been acting. And Ryder Carlex was hauntingly unforgettable. “Get over yourself,” she said and dismissed the conversation by flipping open her iPad.

“I wonder what Violet-twisted entails,” Ryder continued.

Violet looked up. “What did you want to talk about? I have a meeting.”

He grinned.

She melted.

Ryder stepped toward her slowly, mimicking the low and seductive tone of his voice as he spoke. “Besides, our obviously heated departure two nights ago...and not heated in the way I would have liked...I had an amazing time on the boat with you. It was the most fun I’ve had in years.”

In years? Who was he trying to kid? Or was it the truth?

Violet watched Ryder’s hand moving toward her and fought wanting him to touch her and knowing the effect if he did. She could feel the warmth and sizzle his delicate stroke begin to fizz inside her. Izzy was right, if he touched her, she would be lost and right now, Violet didn’t have her feelings for Ryder sorted out.

“If you touch me, I’m going to break every last one of your fingers,” she warned.

Ryder stopped...and grinned...and she almost reached out and grabbed his hand and kissed his lips. “You’re not very convincing.”

Violet folded her arms across her chest. The action was one she used to give the appearance that she had everything under control, even times when she didn’t. Right now, she hid her hands so they wouldn’t disobey her and reach for him.

“Oh really, then why did you stop?”

Ryder folded his arms across his chest, mimicking her, and his stance dominated hers. They might be the same height, but Ryder’s broad shoulders were twice the size of hers and his flexing, bare arms pulled from under his blue and white button-up shirt pressed out from his thick torso. The solid way he stood, like he was in complete control, was so damn sexy, her mouth watered.

“I don’t continue when a woman says no.”

Continue, continue!

“So it was Emma who said no? Or did you actually make it up her dress?”

Violet was in a hostile mood. Being angry with Ryder was only accountable for a part of her struggle. It was her own uncertainty that had her feeling weak. Anger masked weakness and she didn’t want Ryder to see weakness...
him
. If all the signs against them had been with any other person, they would have turned Violet in the other direction. But Ryder...he was her weakness.

“I think you know the answer to that.” Everyone knew the answer. Emma had said no.

Why did that knowledge sting?

“That’s the reason I came today,” Ryder said.

“To tell me you tried to sleep with my sister, but she said no?”

Ryder took a deep breath. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you? You are a fighter.”

She was a protector, of letting people see her weaknesses.

“I like that about you. That you challenge me instead of bowing down to my every word.”

“Is that what women do? Bow down to you? To your every word?” Violet felt it difficult not to bow down to this man, while at the same time a sickening feeling was emerging of every woman that had bowed down to him before her.

Ryder grew serious and the blue in his eyes deepened to a threatening color like clouds before a thunderstorm.

“What I don’t like is that you don’t trust me. You have misconceptions about me. I don’t mind a challenge, but I want all the cards on the table, so we both know what we are fighting for.”

Was he fighting for her?

“I thought we could do this over dinner, but I get the feeling dinner isn’t even an option, unless I start talking.” His darkened stare sent her a mischievous look that had her fingers tightening their grasp on her arm. “And I really want to try deep fried pickles...with you.”

Deep fried pickles? Yes. Let’s abandon the meeting and go to the beach for the day.

“For starters, let’s clear up the Emma situation and I guess I should start with groveling...”

Yes, please! Grovel at me feet.

“Please don’t.”

Please do.

“Your wedding to Joel was a long time ago. And, honestly, I hate to admit it, but I don’t remember making a move on your sister. I don’t remember a lot of that night, or the nights that led up to your wedding.” He paused and she watched him swallow the pain of talking about this part of his life. Then he took liability for some of the distrust Violet had against him and said, “Which is probably partially responsible for your mistrust in me. I didn’t sleep with Emma. For what it’s worth, that was one of the darkest times of my life. It felt like my life was over and there was no light around me.”

Just like Eliza had thought. Ryder had been going through a complicated part in his life.
What?
What could make the man who stood with immense confidence and flashed her parts of his past that demonstrated family loyalty and love, turn into the monster with one hand wrapped around a whisky bottle and the other on the closest woman’s ass?
What?

The haunted look in Ryder’s eyes pulled the strings in her heart. For the first time, as she watched the suffering tug his gorgeous features into sadness, Violet wasn’t mad at Ryder for the way he’d behaved at her wedding.

“It was like when I woke up and the pain took over, the only way I could escape it was by reaching for the closest bottle of alcohol.” He shook his head and looked disgusted at his past behavior. “There were a lot of people in my life that I hurt. My parents, my friends...” Ryder’s eyes found her again and said, “You.”

Violet had been furious at Ryder, each drunken day that led up to her wedding. But, on the very day itself, she saw the regrets of that day weren’t Ryder’s fault and he’d simply been an outlet to unleash her resentment. He couldn’t deny that he’d been an ass, but Violet was mad at herself for being forced to marry Joel.

Ryder might not remember, but Violet had found him the evening of her wedding, when the guests were dancing, laughing, and enjoying the elaborate Caliendo celebration in the gold ballroom.

Violet remembered that night when she’d merged into a loveless marriage, on her way out the door, her dad had stopped her. She’d hoped Robert had changed his mind after seeing the pain the union was causing Violet. Instead, he had taken her glass of champagne away and told her she was drinking herself into a foolish girl.
Girl.
The way he said it sent the disappointment a child felt straight through Violet.

Borrowing a bottle of wine, she had headed down the hall alone and away from all the lies they were telling people. The silver ballroom had welcomed her gloom into the pitch black room with the only light streaming in from the moon beyond the large window. It was unnerving how Ryder had no memory of a night Violet had never been able to forget.

Violet was lost back in that night, listening to Ryder slur sentences she couldn’t comprehend while slapping his hand away from her bottle and greedily drinking the numbing liquid herself. Then she found herself dipping into the hard liquor in his flask.

Ryder continued talking in the present and she had to force herself to give him the attention she didn’t that night, when her problems felt like they outweighed his.

“When I look back now, after losing my mom and other hard times I’ve had since, I feel embarrassed. I overreacted.”

“What happened?” Violet was surprised she asked, but she had always wondered.

Ryder looked more shocked that she’d inquired, but he left no room for her to retract and dove right into an explanation.

“I was heartbroken,” he said and sucked in his lips, making a hissing noise like he was embarrassed. He continued through his emotions. “Courtney Brenden, was her name. My whole life, women have thrown themselves at me. I’m not saying that to be cocky or smart, it’s simply the truth. I have money and with that, comes this title that ladies presume perfection, when the truth is, I am just like everyone else, except that I was born into money.”

Violet could relate to Ryder. Only people shied away from Violet because of her status...or was it the hardness she portrayed to keep people out of her life, fearing the outcome of friendships or love?

“Courtney was different. She wasn’t interested in me and that only made me more interested in her. When I thought I found the only woman who saw the real me, I fell in love. Hard. At the time, I thought I was in love with Courtney, but looking back I think I loved that I could be myself around her. When I thought we were making a future together, she was planning a wedding and marriage to my money.”

Just like Joel.

“Violet, I may have bedded a lot of ladies in my time and that might be a deal breaker here. I hope it’s not. I have a past, we all do. I can’t change it. I can only apologize and honestly tell you that I am not proud of the events that transpired at your wedding. I promise you that I am not the same person that I was back then. I’m not looking for a quick fling with you.”