Chapter Twenty-Five: Lolita
It was nearly seven o’clock by the time Ryder made it home. He had called me earlier in the day to let me know what was going on. Holy fucking shit, I think was my response. He didn’t have time to give me much in the way of details. He just asked that I look after Cody until he could get home and I said I would, no problem.
I told mom what was going on when she got home after work and, of course, got another lecture. Thank God, she had plans with Otto, so she couldn’t stick around long to harp on me. I told her that I understood her concerns and loved her for wanting to look out for me, but this was my life. I would live it as I saw fit. I had learned that from her. That comment pretty much shut her up.
Cody and I spent the afternoon alternating dips in the pool with watching cartoons, playing with Legos, and scribbling in coloring books. I meticulously stayed within the lines. Cody, not so much.
I gave him a bath so he would be clean when his daddy got home, but exhaustion got the best of him and he fell asleep on the couch watching SpongeBob.
Ryder sent a text that he was on the way home. I was standing in his front door watching for him when the fancy black Mercedes SUV pulled into the drive. I didn’t run out and throw my arms around his neck like I wanted to. His friend, Quinn, was behind the wheel and I didn’t know if Ryder had said anything to him about us yet, so I didn’t want to create a problem. God knows, the poor guy had enough to deal with as it was.
“Oh, my god, are you okay?” I asked as he came in the door. I couldn’t resist putting my arms around his neck to give him a big hug. I ignored the twinges coming from deep in my lady parts. This wasn’t the time for sex, I told myself, although the way Ryder was pulling me to him and burying his nose in my hair made me wonder if he wouldn’t welcome the distraction.
“I’m fine,” he said as I pulled back. He put his hands to my cheeks and kissed me on the lips. “I’ll fill you in later. How are things here?”
“Good,” I said with a sigh of relief, glad that he was home. I waved a hand toward the sofa where Cody lay snoring quietly. “We had a big day. I think he likes his new nanny. And she certainly likes him.”
“I’m glad,” Ryder said. He took my hand and led me quietly into the kitchen. He sat at the table while I got him a beer from the fridge.
“You hungry?” I asked, setting the icy bottle on the table. “I could make you a sandwich or something. There’s leftover pizza?”
“Not now,” he said, picking up the bottle and tilting it to his lips for a long drink. He sighed and wiped his mouth on the back of a hand. I slid into the chair across from him and reached out my hand. He wrapped his fingers around mine and gave me a reassuring squeeze.
“So, did they arrest Hank?” I asked.
He nodded slowly. “Yes. They are charging him with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident, according to the detective I talked with,” he said. “He has a bail hearing in the morning. I guess he confessed to everything, although he still claimed it was an accident. The police brought Bethany’s car back to the impound lot and impounded Hank’s truck to collect evidence.”
“Wow, that’s just so…”
“Weird?”
“I was gonna say sad,” I said. “His poor wife. Does she know?”
“I think so,” he said. “I haven’t talked to her, but I assume she was his one phone call. I’ll call her tomorrow. I’m too beat to deal with her tonight.”
“Do you think she suspected anything?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, I don’t think so. When I talked to her a few days ago about Bethany she seemed pretty clueless.”
“Do you think they’ll get a divorce?”
“Who know? Emily is very religious, so maybe she can pray her way out of it,” he said, shrugging his big shoulders. I watched the muscles in his neck flex and tried to resist the urge to climb onto the table and beg him to fuck me. “I think being convicted and sent to prison is what Hank is most concerned with at the moment. If he was concerned about his marriage he wouldn’t have fucked my…”
“It’s okay,” I said, squeezing his hand. “You can say it. Your wife.”
He made a sad face and glanced away. “Yeah, my wife.”
We sat silently for a few minutes while Ryder sipped his beer and I stared at the table between us, thinking. I didn’t want to heap more shit onto his pile, but there were things I had to know.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked. I let my hand slide from his and leaned back with my hands in my lap. I laced my fingers together to keep them from shaking.
He mustered a smile and said, “Of course. Anything.”
“Am I just a distraction?”
He frowned. “Just a distraction?”
“Yes.”
“You are an amazing distraction,” he said, looking at me with a sideways grin that faded after a few seconds. “Are you just a distraction? Honestly? I don’t know.”
“Okay,” I said, staring down at my hands. “That’s fair.”
He dipped his head to get me to look up at him. “Am I just a distraction?”
I let my shoulders slowly go up and down. “Honestly? I don’t know.”
He smiled at me and I smiled back. He said, “Well, I guess we are just two distracted people.”
“Apparently so,” I said. I was doing my best to keep the tears from my eyes. “So, exactly what does that mean?”
Cody stirred in the living room. I got up from the table to check on him. He had just rolled over and was already snoring softly again by the time I got in the room. I came back into the kitchen and started to sit in the chair, but Ryder scooted his chair back and held out a hand. I slid onto his lap and put my arm around his neck. He rested his hand on my leg. I felt a little tingle shoot from his fingers to my crotch.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about us,” he said, gazing into my eyes. He squeezed my leg. “About this. And I think maybe we should just…”
“You don’t have to say it,” I said. “I understand.”
“You understand what?” he asked, his eyes drifting around my face.
“I understand that you just lost your wife and we may be moving too fast. I mean, I love your little boy and I love our time together, but there is the age difference and, well, we don’t really know each other. I mean, we really just met a few days ago.”
“All true,” he said, nodding.
“And, well, I know how men are.”
He was trying not smile. “You do? How are we?”
“Yes, I do,” I said, bumping him with my shoulder. “You have needs. Especially now, with everything that has happened. You need a distraction. You need someone to support you and make you feel better.”
“All true again.”
“And I love being the one to do that, but I think we just have to accept this for what it is.”
“And what is that… exactly?” he asked.
I thought about it for a second. “Well, I guess it’s just sex. Great fucking sex.”
“And are you okay with that?” he asked. “For now?”
“Am I okay with just fucking you without strings?” I thought the answer would come quickly, but it didn’t. I felt my face melting into a sad clown mask. My lip quivered. My eyes filled with tears. God, I was such a girl!! I muttered, “I don’t know.”
Ryder looked deep into my eyes for a moment, then pressed his lips softly to mine. The arm around my waist pulled me closer. I cradled his head in my arms and pressed my cheek to the top of his head.
He said, “How about this… What if we distract each other and just see where it leads.” He pulled back so I could see his face. “I like you, Lolita. I really, really do. Do I think that we are soulmates and meant to be together? Fuck if I know. Do I think we’ll be sitting in this kitchen a year from now… two years… ten? Again, I don’t know. What I do know is that you make me happy and I don’t want to stop doing whatever it is we are doing. I like you. And I love this. So let’s just have fun and see where it goes. Fair enough?”
“Wow,” I said, snorting through my tears. “That would be…”
“Awesome?”
“I was going to say perfect, but yes, that would be awesome.”
“Good,” he said, nuzzling my neck with his nose. “Now, why don’t I put Cody to bed and meet you in my room. It’s been a very long day. I could really use a little distraction right now.”