Chapter 18. Personal Assistant

Ryder’s POV

I hadn’t been able to get her out of my head since that night.

The moment she left my house, still flushed, still trembling, still carrying the scent of me on her skin, something shifted inside me, something I couldn’t name and didn’t want to examine. I told myself it was just sex. Just a mistake. Just a moment of weakness after years of keeping everyone at arm’s length. She was young enough to be my daughter, for God’s sake. She was Dylan’s ex-fiancée. Letting her stay in my head any longer than necessary would be reckless, dangerous, and reputation-destroying. So I tried to bury and lock it down. I told myself I was over it, but deep down, I wanted to drag her back into my bed and lose myself in her all over again, but that was impossible. After lots of difficulties, I was finally able to get myself again, not having the intention of meeting her again.

And then I saw her in the office this morning.

She was sitting at that desk near the wi