Page 11 of Monsters of Midlife

I retracted the long black horns that twined in my hair and pulled back my fangs. She needed to see me in my human form, not as a monster, or even a semi monster

“Ryder.” She breathed my name and it was like a thousand butterflies flew across my chest, my heart thrumming at the sound of her voice. How long had it been since I’ve heard those dulcet tones? Now I let them roll over my body like a hot shower after a long swim in a cold pool making my appendages tingle. All of them.

Chapter 8

CAROLINE

“Ryder’s back,” I hissed the words into my phone, trying to get closer to the camera so Laney could hear me easily, but not so close that my nose looked like a balloon.

“Seriously?” Laney asked, her eyes dancing and her mouth twitching into a grin. “How back?”

“Not that back,” I said. “But he was in my house.”

“What do you mean he was in your house?” Laney leaned into the phone, her gaze wide.

I chewed my lower lip. “Like I woke up and he was in my bedroom.”

“Your bedroom!” Laney exclaimed. Her mouth curving as her jaw went slack. “Did you two do the nasty?”

“Oh, hell no,” I said. “I am never ever, ever doing that man again, never, not in a million years. Not if he was the last man on earth.”

“We’ve all heard those lines before,” she murmured.

“But I mean them.” I hadn’t slept with Ryder in three years and I didn’t plan on starting now. “He’s like a drug and there’s no way I’m taking a hit.”

“Yeah, but he comes in a nice package.” Laney cocked an eyebrow at me.

“Fine, have him,” I said, almost as a challenge to myself. Could I handle it if Laney was sleeping with my ex? I wasn’t sure but I felt a decided sense of relief when she shook her head, laughing.

“Oh, there is no way in hell I’m going to ride your horse. Sisters before misters and all that shit.” she chuckled, then her face grew serious. “If he wasn’t doing you, then what was he doing in your room?”

“He said he came to check on me. I don’t know, maybe he just needed a place to stay. I mean, he didn’t look rough or anything. He looked quite put together actually. Jeans, leather jacket, T-shirt kind of classic, right?” I commented

“Seriously, I think that guy could look good in nothing,” Laney said. “I mean not like I want to see him in nothing, but you know what I mean…he could wear a bag and still look good. That’s what I meant to say not about him wearing nothing. I’m definitely not sitting around thinking about your ex-husband but –”

“Laney,” I interrupted her, raising my hand. “Stop. I get it you fantasize about my ex. I would too if he wasn’t my ex. He’s hot, he’s got that whole good guy, rocker vibe thing going for him, but that’s not really the problem we’re trying to solve right now. The problem we’re actually trying to solve is what he was doing in my house.”

“Well, you told him to leave, right? Or is he still there?” Laney asked.

“He was gone when I woke up this morning,” I said. “I don’t know if he stayed the night or not. It’s not like I checked the couch for indentations. But the house did smell of him this morning.” A slight sigh escaped me as I thought about his pepper and copper aroma.

“His scent,” Laney said, shaking her head. “Man, I need a man who’s got a scent. The ones I get all smell of beer and peanut butter.”

“So, what am I going to do?” I asked her.

“You’re seriously asking me?” Laney said with the lascivious grin. “I’m just going to tell you to do it. Is that so wrong?”

“Yes. I already told you that was wrong. I can’t do it,” I said. She was my best friend; I could tell her anything. “I told you he’s like a drug. I mean it. When he gets close it’s not just wanting him, it’s like I feel this rise inside of me. I get feral like an animal. And nothing will scratch my itch, if you know what I mean, except him.”

“Dayum.” Laney chewed on her lower lip. “I’ll get a side helping of that, supersized.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “Right, but that’s not it, because it’s not what you’re doing. You are going to be abstinent from riding that horse. You are going to be a pedestrian. You are going to walk and be happy about it, okay?”

“Exactly. Because I’ll get sucked into him again and you don’t know what it’s like. He’ll be all running around and gone for weeks on end. Weeks! Not even days but weeks. I’ll be left alone. And somebody coming to you and telling you that you’re the world and then they disappear for weeks… My nerves can’t take that. My ego can’t take that. It just totally sucks and I’m not going to get sucked into him again.” I took a big sigh. The worst part was, I didn’t even think he wanted to be with me again. For some reason he was just checking in on me.

“What does he want?” Laney asked.

“I don’t know. He didn’t say. I mean he said he was checking on me. Something to do with the family business,” I muttered.

“He’s still working for the family?” Laney asked.

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