Ryder by Jani Kay Page A

a family of my own. Something I’d never given much thought to before, now had my heart twisting strangely.
    Our eyes locked for a moment over Isabella’s head. His eyes softened and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, as if he could read my thoughts. Damn. I turned away, my heels clacking down the hallway as I got away from Mr. Dark and Dangerous as quickly as I could.
    After inspecting all of the rooms and finding no evidence of orgies or outlandish behavior, I hovered by the door of the main bedroom. His woman was in there with the little boy. I knew by what I’d seen of the rest of the house that it was unnecessary to see the master bedroom as well, yet curiosity had taken hold of me. I needed to know what kind of woman had stolen the heart of the most badass man I’d ever met.
    What did it take to tame a man like Ryder Knox?
    Images of him naked, making love to me, flashed through my mind as if he were another of my fictional book boyfriends. Heat rose to my cheeks and dampness settled between my legs. I imagined his strong arms—tattooed— on either side of my head, leaning over me and devouring me with his eyes.
    What the hell was happening to me? I was turned on by images of Ryder, when I knew I’d never go for his type in a million years.
    A friendly voice called from within the bedroom. “Come in, honey. Don’t be shy.”
    Hesitantly, I pushed the half closed door ajar and drew in a breath. Lying against the pillows was a woman straight out of a romance novel. She was gorgeous. Voluptuous. Sexy. Her black hair fanned over the pillows, her olive skin smooth and perfect beneath a tight fitting camisole top that accentuated her large breasts. The little boy cuddled into her side, hiding his face, when I entered the room.
    Big brown eyes s tared at me curiously as she beckoned me in. It was obvious which parent both kids got their doe-like eyes from.
    “So you’re the one ?” She laughed as she looked me up and down. Even her voice sounded sexy as sin, with a slight foreign accent I couldn’t quite place. I could just imagine men falling over themselves to worship her. No wonder Ryder was secretive about his family. They were gorgeous and clearly he didn’t want to share them with anyone. “Not at all what I expected. You’re just a slip of a girl.”
    Confused, I frowned. “What do you mean? I’m from Clarke and Sons Realty. Were you expecting someone else?”
    “Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. Ryder described you…differently. I was expecting someone much older and meaner looking. Not someone who looks as if she just finished high school, dressed in a business suit.”
    Was she making fun of me? I pulled my shoulders back and pushed up my chin. “What did Ryder say about me?”
    The gravelly voice behind me dripped with sarcasm. “I told her what a hard time you gave me. How I had to pay down a lot higher deposit than I intended to, just to get this place.”
    I swung around to see him leaning against the doorjamb, Isabella sitting on his forearm, a smirk on his face as he glared at me.
    His eyes shifted to the woman and softened. “But Mia wanted this house because of the lovely garden for the kids. So I had to do what I had to do, to get it. Let’s just say, you didn’t make it easy.”
    I folded my arms across my chest. “You’re the one who made it difficult. Not filling in the forms. I still don’t know much about you. All I have is your name and phone number. No history, no background check. I’d say it was your lucky day Uncle Eric was there.”
    “You’d deny these kids the garden that was clearly designed for kids to play in?” He nodded toward the boy and kissed Isabella’s cheek. “That would make you a super bitch.”
    “The kids ne ed the garden after what they’ve been through—” Mia clapped her hand over her mouth, as if she’d already said too much. On hearing her mother’s voice, little Isabella squirmed in Ryder’s arms, reaching out for her