FOUR

Ryder opened the door to Becca's house without knocking, and walked in, Lucas was following right behind him.

   Kat was sitting on  the kitchen table, nibbling on a pretzel. His eyes scanned her body. She looked nice in her short leather skirt and tank top. But she was forgettable. Too many fake red heads in the university.

“Hey Kat, you're look good in that outfit.”

   Kat did a fake yawn, and continued looking at the voluminous text book on the table in front of her. She was trying to ignore him, but he could see by the blush that stole up her cheeks that she was finding that very difficult.

   He liked women who still had the ability to blush, there was something about blushing that made them so innocently beautiful, and Kat wasn't such a bad girl either. He might have decided to sleep with her again, if he hadn't met Alecia. That girl was innocence personified, and she was damn beautiful.

    Ryder stepped forward and put both his hands on the table beside Kat, traping her. ''You know if you're so tired that you have to yawn, you shouldn't be reading, you'll not understand a thing.'' He knew how charming his voice could sound when he wanted it to, and watching the effect he had on the redhead almost made him laugh.

   She abandoned her reading all together, and turned up her face to him in a smile   Flirting with her had already gotten boring, Ryder decided to cut to the chase. ''Go get Helen for me.''

   He watched as the disappointment filled her eyes. Girls were so predictable. She placed a hand on her hip. ''You couldn say please."

  Ryder smirked.

“Whatever,” she said and left.

  Ryder leaned against the counter and looked at the clock on the wall. Why did that pretty brunette have to be friends with Helen? Anyone else and this wouldn’t be so unpleasant. He was tired of Helen. There was nothing special about the girl. Just someone to pass the time. But that brunette had a spark which made her innocence more enticing.

    Helen came into the room, wearing tight shorts, and a red tank top he had once told her he liked, he didn't care about the top again but she did not know. “Hey.” Helen stopped in the middle of the kitchen, planting her hands on her hips.

    "Hey pretty thing.” He walked up to her and placed two hands on her hips making her blush. At least she was easy to control. He leaned her against the counter, knowing it would make her feel small and submissive. He pressed his body against hers. Not one bit of him responded. This would be the last time he needed her. “It was exciting seeing you last night.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead . . . for some stupid reason, girl's concidered that romantic.

   "What do you want?” she asked, when he moved his lips to her ear. Her voice already sounded husky, he was turning her on.

    “What’s that girl’s name? The one you were sitting next to.”

    “I’m not telling you,” she said, forcing a laugh.

    "Tell me, Helen.” His lips trailed to her neck and down her shoulder. She sighed. He was chipping away her defenses. Just a little bit more and he’d have what he wanted.

   “Why, so you can seduce her?”

   "She won’t be able to hold anything over you.”

    Helen pushed against his chest, but he held his ground. Heat coursed through him. He had no patience for this game. “Come on, Helen, you’re sleeping with other people too.”

   “But….”

   He lowered his forehead to hers and looked straight into her deep brown eyes void of any spark of intelligence. “Besides you know, you’re the one I’m going to settle down with.”

    The pinkness of her skin deepened as he ran his thumb across her cheek and kissed her eyelids. He felt her melt against him. Now, if he could just get that brunette to do this. Wouldn’t that be interesting?

   “Her name is Alecia, Alecia Bell. I’ll go get you her number.”

   Ryder stepped back. “Thank you.”

    Her hips slightly swayed as she walked out of the room. She was trying to get his attention. He had seen her do that several times, but the motion made him want to look away.

   Helen would always be a girl guys used. Ryder turned to Lucas who had a smirk on his face. “The best thing I ever did was make that girl fall in love with me.”

    Lucas laughed. “I wish I could trick girls like that.”

   “All you have to do is treat them a little roughly, and still treat them like a princess at the same time.”

    Helen returned and handed Ryder a piece of paper. “I included her dorm number although I must warn you that she doesn't want to get protected, neither does she want to sleep with you.”

   Ryder laughed. ''What makes you think I want anyone under my protection? I'm Alpha remember, I already have my slaves without them signing that document, and as for sex, you let me be the judge of that.'' He folded it and put it in his dress shirt pocket. “Thank you.” He took her hand.

    Helen smiled, pulled her hand from his and left. Not even a goodbye. Maybe she knew what was coming. He hadn’t messed with her in a week, so if the twit had half a brain she’d know he was no longer interested.

    Ryder and Lucas walked out the door and Ryder slid a finger over his IPhone. As they strolled to his car and dialed a number to a local florist. He placed an order for three-dozen roses and had them sent to Alecia's room. When the woman at the shop asked if he wanted to include a message he said, “write, ‘sorry for being a drunken fool last night. Ryder.’ And put my number on it.” By tonight she’d call him. A sweet girl like her was always touched by flowers.

    Lucas talked on about some girl he spent the night with. A girl who his friend wouldn’t remember tomorrow. Had Lucas ever run across a girl like Alecia? He floated from girl to girl just like his friend, so why was she sticking in his mind? He had thought about her all night, imagining what thoughts lay behind those pretty eyes. How did she see him? Did he scare her? Why did he care?

    Ryder placed his elbow on the edge of the window, and leaned his cheek on the back of his fist, driving the car through the downtown area of New Haven. Tall oak trees decorated the road and shaded the businesses, competing with the baby sky scrapers. He had a feeling that if he could only talk with the girl, things would be different. But how, was the question? She would want to get to know him – dive into places no one had ever been. She was the type. The good girl type that he always stayed away from. The ones who never missed classes, did community service, and believed the worst thing to ever happen to them would be a one night stand. He did not want a one night stand with her though, but neither did he want a relationship, he did not do relationships. Anything in between that endured he was going to hold her beautiful curves in his arms was good enough for him.

   Ryder decided that he'd let her dive, hell answer all her questions, but he wouldn't answer them truthfully, that was the only way he could get her to trust him, if she thought he was someone he wasn't, and if she trusted him, it would be easier to get her into his bed.

* * * *

Alecia tried to focus on the history book in front of her, but for some reason she just couldn't. This had never happened to her before, she had always enjoyed studying.

    She curled her legs under her as she tried to find a comfortable position on the chair. If she could just get right all these Asian Monarchs she’d have another ‘A’ in her result sheet. Glancing at her laptop, she spotted the folder on her desktop named novels. She hadn’t had a second to pull up one of her works and continue the heroine’s story, helping her way, as she fell into the arms of the hero. Maybe after this semester she’d have time to finish one of the many stories she had started. But she’d have to figure out an ending, and the endings were always the hardest. She could never find solutions to the heroine’s problems. She giggled. What did her writing teacher say? “If you can’t figure out the ending just kill the heroine.” What a copout.

    The sound of a knock made her flinch. She got up and went to the door, opening it. The color red filled her vision, and it took her a few seconds before she realized there was someone behind the mass of roses in front of her face.

   "Ma’am, are you Alecia Bell?” the delivery person asked.

   "Yeah.”

   "Here, these are for you,” the woman said as she handed Alecia the roses.

   "Thank you.” She looked around the roses but the woman had already left.

   Alecia brought the roses into her room and placed them on her desk. She ran her fingers over the petals to a white card - the floral scent surrounding her. She picked it up, opened it, and read the message from Ryder. Crumpling it, she threw it against the wall. She placed her hands on her hips. Who could have given him this number? Helen would have never given it to him.