The Bed Mate
A Room Mate Novella
By Kendall Ryan
1001 Dark Nights
The Bed Mate
A Room Mate Novella
By Kendall Ryan
1001 Dark Nights
Copyright 2017 Kendall Ryan
ISBN: 978-1-945920-52-3
Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose
Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Book Description
The Bed Mate
A Room Mate Novella
By Kendall Ryan
I might be a typical guy, but these last few years, my love life’s been anything but. From crazy ex-girlfriends to one-night stands who are stage-five clingers, my relationships go bad faster than the milk in your fridge. The only constant has been my best friend Maggie.
Fresh off a bad breakup of her own, I invite Maggie to my guys’ skiing weekend knowing she needs an escape from reality. But then something funny starts to happen. I start noticing things about her that I never noticed before.
She’s beautiful and doesn’t know it, she’s funny without even trying, and now she’s suddenly single for the first time in forever.
Sharing a hotel room with her proves to be the tipping point in our very platonic friendship. Suddenly I want to put my hands, my mouth, and my...other parts...all over her gorgeous body. I want to claim her, make sure no man touches her ever again.
But am I ready to screw up the best relationship I’ve ever had for a shot at something more?
About Kendall Ryan
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 2 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. She lives in Texas with her husband and two sons.
Website: www.kendallryanbooks.com
Facebook: Kendall Ryan Books
Twitter: @kendallryan1
Also From Kendall Ryan
Click to purchase
The Room Mate
The Play Mate
The House Mate
The Soul Mate
Unravel Me
Make Me Yours
Working It
Craving Him
All or Nothing
When I Break Series
Filthy Beautiful Lies Series
The Gentleman Mentor
Sinfully Mine
Bait & Switch
Slow & Steady
Hard to Love
Reckless Love
Resisting Her
The Impact of You
Screwed
Monster Prick
The Fix Up
Sexy Stranger
Dirty Little Secret
Dirty Little Promise
Torrid Little Affair
Xo, Zach, Coming January 22, 2018
Baby Daddy, Coming February 26, 2018
Acknowledgments from the Author
I would like to thank my dedicated team for helping this book come to life, each in your own way. A big thank-you and a tackle-hug to these fabulous ladies: Liz Berry and MJ Rose, Danielle Sanchez, Alyssa Garcia, and Lauren Blakely.
An immense amount of gratitude goes to my readers. I love writing about all the bumps in the road on the way to a happily-ever-after, and I’m so thankful that you love reading about them. Let’s never break up, okay?
I would like to thank my family for standing by my side and supporting my dreams, no matter how “out there” they might have seemed. Of those, my husband is my biggest and best supporter, and my rock. He believes wholeheartedly that I can do anything I set my mind to. I know I don’t deserve his never-ending love and devotion, but I’m so thankful for it.
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CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
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NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones
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ROPED IN by Lorelei James
TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner
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SEARCHING FOR MINE by Jennifer Probst
DANCE OF DESIRE by Christopher Rice
ROUGH RHYTHM by Tessa Bailey
DEVOTED by Lexi Blake
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Table of Contents
Book Description
About Kendall Ryan
Also From Kendall Ryan
Acknowledgments from the Author
Discover 1001 Dark Nights
Collection One
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three
Foreword
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Four
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
An excerpt from The Room Mate by Kendall Ryan
Special Thanks
One Thousand and One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually
become part of them.
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new
one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.
Chapter One
Maggie
“Fifth bar of the night!” Jeremy’s speech was slurred but his eyes were filled with an unholy glee.
“Personal best,” Peter agreed with a snort, holding up a hand for a high five that Jeremy attempted to oblige him with but failed, swinging wildly and almost toppling off his chair.
Excellent.
I rolled my eyes and sipped my vodka soda, glancing out of the corner of my eye to see Sam’s expression. He wasn’t drunk like his other two friends—he was too responsible to let himself get trashed in public. Either way, though, I knew at least two of them were only sips away from tearfully telling me how much our collective friendship meant to them, and I so did not want to stick around for that.
“Maybe we ought to hit the road,” I murmured to Sam, jerking a thumb over my shoulder toward our drunken companions. “These two can grab a ride, right?”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Jeremy held up a hand and then dropped it back in his lap with a smack. “We didn’t get to the main event.”
“Yeah,” Peter agreed, clicking his beer against Jeremy’s.
“Maybe we better talk about it another night,” Sam said with a patient smile.
I shook my head and sighed. This ought to be good. “What’s the main event?”
Sam rolled his eyes. “It’s what my genius friends have taken to calling our big snowboarding trip.”
“Not exactly.” Jeremy eyed Sam, then turned to me. “The main event for tonight was going to be us convincing you to go. Peter and I figured if we got enough booze in you, you might reconsider.”
I swirled my drink with its tiny red straw and frowned. “And how do you think your plan is going so far?”
“You tell me.” Jeremy waggled his eyebrows comically. “Don’t you want to spend more time with us on the snow-topped mountains of Colorado?”
“Appealing as that sounds, no,” I shot back with a grin.
“Come on. You have no idea how it feels to slice through the powder on your snowboard,” Peter protested. “It’s like heaven on earth.”
“I also have no idea what it feels like to break my leg, but I don’t want to find that out either,” I countered easily, taking another long pull from my drink. “Did you know that more than forty people died snowboarding last year alone? A snowboarder who gets on a mountain twenty times a year is likely to be injured once every seven years. You can’t argue statistics like that.”
“It could be fun…” Sam hedged with a shrug.
“Breaking my femur after wildly careening down the side of a mountain? I think not.”
Sam gave me a dead-eyed stare. “Not that part, scaredy cat. The trip, I mean. These guys aren’t right about much but you should come along. We’re doing New Year’s in style. Hot tubs and hot toddies in a winter wonderland.”
“Did you not get the stats I sent you the last time you tried to convince me to go snowboarding?” I demanded.
“Some of us don’t live our whole lives by the numbers,” Sam said, a teasing light making his dark blue eyes sparkle.
Stop it, idiot.
Best friends weren’t supposed to notice things like that about each other. It was just weird.
“I fail to see what’s wrong with it.” I shrugged, feeling suddenly warm despite the relative chilliness of the room, and sucked down the rest of my drink.
“Come on, Mags. Take a risk.” Those eyes searched mine and, despite myself, I could sense my resolve weakening. I hated saying no to him, even when his daredevil lifestyle threatened my cocoon of safety. We were as different as night and day, but for some reason, we clicked and I felt more comfortable around him than pretty much anyone else.
A stab of guilt shot through me and I cleared my throat.
“I really can’t. Trevor and I probably have plans, I just can’t remember what they are.” I pulled out that feeble old excuse and Sam glanced at his other friends before turning his attention back to me.
“Right. Trevor. Hey, you need another drink? Or a water?” He pointed at my empty glass.
“Nah,” I said. “I’m ready to crash for the night if you think Heckle and Jeckle will be okay without us here to babysit.” I jerked my head toward Peter and Jeremy, and Sam laughed.
“Come on, guys, let’s head out. I’ll give you a ride.” He snagged his coat off the back of his chair and slung it over my shoulders before motioning for his friends to join us as we moved to the bar to settle up.
“I’ve got hers and mine,” he said to the bored-looking bartender. I protested, holding my hand out, but he moved away before I had the chance to argue.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said.
“I think I can handle a vodka soda on my bill.” Sam’s lips twitched into the confident grin that had always made all the girls swoon.
The other gu
ys paid their tabs and collected their cards and, together, we all made our way to Sam’s massive truck. Still snapping insults back and forth, the two boys hopped in the back of the extended cab while I took my spot up front and rolled down the window to feel the crisp, winter air.
“It’s going to snow,” I said.
“It better. If I don’t take my nephews sledding soon, they’re going to murder me,” Jeremy murmured.
I nodded. “You’re in luck, then. I can sense it coming.”
I breathed in deep. Maybe winter sports weren’t my thing, but there was nothing I liked better than the smell on the air just before the snow. It reminded me of Christmas or a cozy evening by a crackling fire with a book in one hand and mug of hot cocoa in the other. All the things that made wintertime on the east coast the best time of year.
“You’re going to catch your death with the window down like that,” Sam warned.
“Ha! Look who’s the conservative one now?” I crossed my arms over my chest triumphantly. “Seriously, though, you know how I love the smell. Just let me leave it down for one more minute,” I pleaded.
He laughed and nodded like I knew he would.
We made our way to Jeremy and Peter’s apartment first and, after making sure they had their phones, wallets, and keys, dropped them off. Silently, we watched them make their way to the front door as the first flurries of snow drifted to the ground. When they’d disappeared behind the wide metal doors of their complex, I turned to Sam again.
“Never again without a warning,” I said flatly.
“With them?” He chuckled. “I know. I actually didn’t know they were coming for sure until last minute or I would’ve warned you. They were in rare form tonight.”
I laughed. “That’s one way to put it. I’ve never seen Jeremy give his number to so many women in one night.”