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  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.

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One

  Click here to explore

  FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black

  CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham

  CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom

  DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake

  AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione

  NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones

  SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair

  ROPED IN by Lorelei James

  TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian

  THE FLAME by Christopher Rice

  CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights

  TAME ME by J. Kenner

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two

  Click here to explore

  WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan

  WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham

  EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby

  MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair

  CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner

  ADORED by Lexi Blake

  HADES by Larissa Ione

  RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton

  DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James

  RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright

  DRAGON KING by Donna Grant

  PURE WICKED by Shayla Black

  HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye

  STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian

  ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham

  KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice

  DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster

  TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti

  THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights

  THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice

  SERVICING THE TARGET By Cherise Sinclair

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three

  Click here to explore

  HIDDEN INK by Carrie Ann Ryan

  BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham

  SEARCHING FOR MINE by Jennifer Probst

  DANCE OF DESIRE by Christopher Rice

  ROUGH RHYTHM by Tessa Bailey

  DEVOTED by Lexi Blake

  Z by Larissa Ione

  FALLING UNDER YOU by Laurelin Paige

  EASY FOR KEEPS by Kristen Proby

  UNCHAINED by Elisabeth Naughton

  HARD TO SERVE by Laura Kaye

  DRAGON FEVER by Donna Grant

  KAYDEN/SIMON by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright

  STRUNG UP by Lorelei James

  MIDNIGHT UNTAMED by Lara Adrian

  TRICKED by Rebecca Zanetti

  DIRTY WICKED by Shayla Black

  THE ONLY ONE by Lauren Blakely

  SWEET SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

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  1001 Dark Nights story

  The First Night

  by Lexi Blake & M.J. Rose

  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.”