Page 18 of Fighting for You

I slowly bring my eyes back to him. “Is this a job interview?” I ask, taking another drink of my margarita.

Ryder leans his elbows on the table and captures my attention. “No, but if you aren’t willing to date, then where do you see yourself? Still, living with your friends? Single?”

Wow, his cockiness has gone from cute to now just annoying. My gaze shifts to his and I narrow my eyes. “That was pretty cruel, don’t you think?” I ask.

This was why I wasn’t ready to date. Wade never would have said something like that to me. He never would have hurt me for his own amusement. This evening is over.

I stand, ready to get out of here as fast as I can. However, Ryder stands, too, and grabs my hand. “Wait, don’t run off. I didn’t mean to insult you,” he begins.

I smack his hand away. “How dare you? Was this all some joke? Take out the widow only to throw her own demons in her face? Well, congratulations, you have me all figured out.”

I move through the maze of tables until I am back onto the sidewalk again. The noise from the streets drowns out everything else as I take off like a bat out of hell.

I feel a hand grip my arm and before I know it, I am being spun around. My hands land on Ryder’s massive chest. I’m in shock as I stare up at him.

“Please, let me explain,” Ryder says.

“Let me go,” I seethe.

He slowly releases his hold on me, but I notice that he doesn’t budge away from me. “I am sorry if what I said hurt you. I was honestly wanting to know. If you aren’t willing to find love with someone else, other than Wade, then what do you want for your life in ten years?” he asks again. I go to open my mouth, but he stops me. “When I look into your eyes, I see a burning pain that hasn’t been scorched. You try to hide your pain by keeping your heart locked away. But that will only intensify the pain you feel. I see something inside of you that is begging to be loved. I refuse to look the other way, because that is what you want me to do. I found you and I want to know you. I want to be with you. And, I think you feel the same way about me, too.”

I’m wrecked. Speechless. Part of me wants to reach out and slap his face while the other part of me wants to break down and cry while he holds me.

Ryder has seeped into my soul and read every dark and dangerous secret I possess. He is refusing to leave me alone.

“Ryder,” I begin, but he crushes his lips to mine, and instantly my world stops spinning.

I feel his arms wrap around my waist as he pulls me against his massive chest. My hands fight him at first, pushing against his rock hard abs, but then, I give in. I take in the kiss and allow myself to feel the moment.

It's been so long since I've been kissed like this, with such ferocity and passion, that I almost forgot how it feels. His tongue slips inside my mouth and I gladly welcome it, our tongues dancing together as if choreographed. My hands now tangled in his hair as I lose myself in the moment.

Bliss fills me, a heated passion that I didn't realize I was missing until now. With each passing second, the intensity of the kiss only grows, making me moan in delight. I feel his hands roam down to my hips, pulling me closer to him. Our bodies mold together, fitting perfectly as we continue to kiss, lost in each other.

But just as quickly as the passion ignited, it suddenly fades. We pull apart, our heavy breaths mingling in the air. I look up at him, my cheeks flushed and my lips swollen from the intensity of our kiss.

When we finally part, I struggle to catch my breath. Ryder releases his hold on me, but keeps his hands planted firmly on my waist. I stare up at him, unsure of what to do or say next.

“What was that?” I ask, my mind still spinning with emotions.

“That was me finally taking what is mine.”

Chapter 18

Ryder

Iwanted Meghan so badly, that I became desperate with need.

In all of my years of training, I knew better than to give in to your own needs. I had been beaten, starved, and hunted down and still, I had held better resolve than when I am with Meghan. With her, I crumble at the slightest smile. Her touch could undo me in a heartbeat. And, it did.

I had told myself that I would wait before I kissed Meghan. I would have some self-restraint and wait until she was more comfortable being with me. I knew I needed to gain her trust first. I know it sounds absurd, but dealing with a broken woman is like being out in the fields.

When you are hunting the enemy or trying to get a victim to trust you that you are the bad guy here to save the day-- well, it requires a level of expertise. And, if I had been in combat, I would have been dead or lost my target. Meghan blinded me to everything else and this was a dangerous game we both were playing.

Too bad, I refused to stop playing.

Still holding her in my arms, I saw the look in her eyes that told me, she was beginning to see that I wasn’t, in fact, the enemy but a good guy. Her heart was racing wildly against my chest as we both struggled to breathe.

“What exactly do you think is yours?” Meghan asked me, that sassy attitude back.

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