Note: This is Season Two of Wasted Love with You, which is LIVE on amazon & Kindle Unlimited. Be sure to read that book first before diving into what’s below.
This is my favorite story of all time for numerous reasons. If you prefer to wait for the edited ebook(s) in its entirety, please do so, and check out one of my live releases in the meantime.
Otherwise, read on and check back weekly for more! <3
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Episode 4: There Are Levels to This
Autumn
A couple of hours later
There’s a tiny ant in my mint sorbet.
He’s struggling to spring free, wiggling his legs and desperately begging someone for help.
During dessert, I watched him crawl around the crease of a window and then led him directly into my bowl.
As his head slips under the melted surface, I trap him with my spoon.
There’s no point in letting him suffer, no point in leaving him wondering about his inevitable fate.
He’ll thank me for that someday…
“Brace for impact, ladies.” The pilot’s voice suddenly comes over the speakers, forcing me to grip the armrests.
Within seconds, we descend into Seattle’s familiar rains, and the plane glides onto the tarmac.
My phone instantly buzzes in my lap with new messages from Ryder and Kylie.
I click on Kylie’s words first.
Kylie: UMMM….Why is your phone going to voicemail still? Call me!
Kylie: Nvm. Talking to Erica from high school for the next hundred or so miles. I’ll try you later.
Ryder: I need to taste you again. You should let me finish what we started when you complete this job. I don’t want you to remain on edge…
Too late.
I glance out the window as we roll toward a hangar. Gleaming lights greet me from a distance, and bright red controller lines are following the plane’s every move.
I squint, wondering if they are broken, but as we near, I realize that those red lines aren’t from air traffic controllers at all.
They’re lasers, and they’re pointed directly at us.
I slam the shade shut and close my eyes.
I can’t handle this level of stress and uncertainty for too much longer…
“Miss Jane?” Adele tugs at my wrist. “Miss Jane?”
“Yes?”
“We need to move to the front. They’re getting ready to open the door.”
“I need a minute to think.”
“I’m sorry, but your thoughts will have to wait.” She sounds just like her father. “My dad hates when people are late.”
My eyes flutter open, and I stand on my feet.
I follow her down the aisle and look at Hannah as we approach the exit.
“Hannah?” I say.
She keeps her gaze toward the galley.
“Hannah?”
“Oh wow. How rude of me.” She picks up a thermos and walks over to me. “I forgot to give you this before you make a run for it.”
She turns away before I can respond, but I heard her message loud and clear.
As someone outside opens the door, Adele takes my thermos and hands me an umbrella.
“Let it up on the count of three, and we’ll walk down the steps together on the count of five. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Below us, a row of sleek black town cars awaits, but only one parked at the edge of the staircase has its back door open.
“One,” I say, “Two….”
“Three!” Adeline beats me to it and guides me down the steps.
When we reach the ground, the driver moves to the side so she can slip into the car.
“Welcome back to Seattle, Little Miss Rochester,” he says.
“Thank you, Benny!”
I grip the umbrella tighter and look around. The laser lights are focused on something else now, and I’m convinced that I can make a decent run for the brick building that’s on the other side of the hangar.
I can tell these people that “Mr. Rochester” gave me something else to do, and they’d be none the wiser.
“Are you heading back to the estate with us, Miss Jane?” he asks.
“No,” I say. “Something came up. Please send Mr. Rochester my regards.”
“I will, Miss.”
“I appreciate that.”
“My pleasure.” He steps closer and lowers his voice. “Get into the fucking car, or I’ll stuff you into the trunk.”
“What?” I gasp. “I don’t think your boss would approve of that.”
“Who do you think gave me that order in the first place?”
I don’t need to guess.
I slip inside and buckle my seatbelt.
* * *
Several minutes later, the driver pulls onto the winding road that leads to Ryder’s estate.
Behind us, two cars follow, but they idle at the gate.
When we reach the house, Ryder is standing on the front steps, his black shirt unbuttoned and his hardened chest exposed.
He eyes the car as it rounds the water fountain, but before the driver can park, Adele jumps out of the car.
“I’m home!” She rushes toward Ryder. “I’m home!”
Smiling, he scoops her into his arms and kisses her forehead.
For several seconds, the two of them remain locked in an embrace, trapped in their own world. From where I’m sitting, it’s clear that access to outsiders isn’t easily given.
“You can step out now, Miss Jane.” The driver lets up an umbrella as he opens my door. “Welcome home.”
I walk toward Ryder as Adele leans back.
“Are you mad at me?” she asks him.
“No, Adeline.”
“Disappointed?”
“No.” He smiles. “Not at all.”
“Am I getting a long lecture later?”
“Definitely.”
“Figures.” She sighs. “Can we make dinner together first? Spaghetti?”
He nods, setting her down. “Take out everything we need and set the table. Call out for me when you’re ready.”
“Can we make brownies, too?”
“I’ll think about it.”
She rushes through the open doorway, and Ryder looks over at me.
“Would you like to come inside with us, Autumn?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Well, in that case,” I say, shaking my head, “No.”
“Why not?”
“I desperately need a nap. Besides, my new boss told me that this marks the end of my assignment.”
“It does.” He steps closer, keeping me pinned to the spot with his gaze. “I thought you wanted to talk to me, though.”
“Write me a raincheck.”
“I’d prefer to redeem it now.” He takes my umbrella and slips a hand around my waist, pressing his hand against the small of my back.
Ignoring my request to leave, he leads me through the front door, and I bite my bottom lip to prevent my jaw from dropping.
The inside of his home mirrors the luxury pages in Architectural Digest. The grey stone walls give way to towering ceilings that hold sparkling chandeliers. A fireplace crackles in front of floor-to-ceiling windows, flickering its warmth onto the cold grey and blue furniture.
A collection of violins and cellos guard in front of his marbled double staircase.
Ryder suddenly stops walking and presses me against a wall. “I’m listening.”
“It’s about this job…” I pause as he grips my waist, and my body betrays my mind with a rush of heat. “I would like… I’m trying to say that—I’m not sure if I can—”
“I need you to speak English.”
“I would like to take some significant time off,” I say. “I’ve been on quite a ride over the last twenty-four hours.”
“Hmmm.” He presses his forehead against mine. “Why do I have the feeling that’s not what you really wanted to discuss?”
“Because it isn’t.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
I suck in a breath as he stares deep into my eyes, rendering me utterly speechless.
“Autumn?” He trails a finger against my lips. “Tell me…”
“Where is Adele’s mother?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“She’s not a part of her life?”
“Not since she was six days old,” he says. “And before you ask, no. There were never any feelings there, and there never will be. Anything else?”
“I would like to be out of the dark on at least one more thing.”
“Name it.”
“Given your means of employment—”
“I’m the employer…”
“Right.” I pause. “Well, I’d like you to elaborate on some things that you actually do, so I can have a bit of insight.”
“Name something else.” The sudden dark shift in his eyes makes it more than clear that an explanation will never come.
“How do you and Nate know each other?”
He raises an eyebrow. “I thought we were done discussing your ex-husband.”
“We are, but on a scale of one to ten, how bad would the truth really hurt me?”
“A million.”
My stomach falls to the floor.
“Some questions are better left unanswered,” he says. “I need you to let that go…”
I nod, and he brushes his mouth against mine.
“Would you like a tour of my bedroom?” he whispers against my lips.
“You mean your house?”
“No. I said exactly what I mean…”
Clang! Clash! Pssshhh!
Loud sounds reverberate through the house, and Ryder looks toward the kitchen.
“I’m okay! I’m okay!” Adele calls out. “I’m still getting ready!”
“I really need a nap,” I say. “I’ll take you up on the tour another day.”
“Please do.” He runs his fingers through my hair, and a part of me wants him to disregard my words and finally fuck me right here and now, but he holds back.
“Thank you for completing the job,” he says. “I need you for something else soon, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I might not be able to help on short notice again,” I say. “I made plans with someone else.”
“Who?”
“A friend from the past.” I pause. “My best friend, actually.”
“I doubt she’ll prevent you from answering my phone calls.”
If only you knew…
He leads me down two long hallways and opens a door, exposing a courtyard full of luxury vehicles.
My used Audi is parked on the far end, an instant standout amidst his custom collection.
I resist the urge to ask how he got it here.
“Here you are.” He places the keys in my hand. “Drive safe, Autumn.”
“It’s only ‘Autumn’ when we’re dating, and ‘Miss Jane’ when I’m working for you,” I say. “I forgot to mention that I need to set some boundaries sooner with you.”
His lips curve into a smile as I slip behind the wheel. “I see.”
“I’ll do the same for you, Mr. Rochester.”
“You’ll call me ‘Ryder’ for everything.” He brushes a few strands away from my forehead. “Those are my boundaries. And you’ll stop holding back the question you actually want to ask, since I can see right through you.”
“Fine. Why did you ask me to pick up your daughter when you barely know or trust me?”
“I do trust you.”
“Why?”
“I’m an excellent judge of character, for one,” he says. “But honestly, you have no one to tell.”
“That sounds dark and disturbing.”
“The truth usually is. Speaking of which…” He leans over me and opens the glove box, pulling out a folder. “I’m sure you’ll need this in a few hours.”
“What is it?”
“It’s for your friend, Kylie.”
“Who?”
“Your best friend that you mentioned.”
“I didn’t tell you her name…”
“You didn’t have to.” He smirks, shutting my door. “She called the health department pretending to be my mother. Apparently, she wanted a digital copy of my birth certificate and a couple of other things that are a complete violation for strangers to get. I’m sure she’ll tell you about that when you see her later, though.”
I can feel all the color draining from my face.
I have no idea what to say.
“I don’t have any living family members besides Adeline,” he says, still looking amused. “The clerk knew it was a fraudulent call and wanted to get the police involved, but I told her to let it slide this time.”
I swallow. “I appreciate that.”
“Good. For the record, you know far more about me than most people do already.” He bends down and presses his mouth against mine, biting my bottom lip before slowly letting go. “Let me know if she finds anything interesting in her research. I’m intrigued…”
End of Episode 4
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