Page 17 of Wild Fires

Gracie

Chapter 6

I wasn't sure Ryan knew just how many people watched him on a daily basis. The town would certainly talk if we were seen together casually eating lunch. That wasn't something I wanted to deal with. It did surprise me a little just how upset it had made him. He even seemed a little angry about it.

Ryan Davenport, angry?

He certainly wasn't known to have anger issues. Hell, I wasn't even sure he had emotions except constant happiness, always exuding positivity. It was disgusting.

But the Ryan I'd spent the morning with was nothing like that at all, and it had confused me. Could there really be more to him than the shallow, self-assured, probably conceited man I'd imagined him to be? Or was that just the devastated little girl inside me who had crushed on a man who had never even seen her?

I don't care what Ryan thinks about me, I reminded myself.

Oh, but I did. And I hated that I did.

I should have kept my back to the door. If I had, then I couldn't have sat here like a pathetic loser staring at the back of his head as he sat there talking with his brother and sister. If Dean were here, then we'd be blessed with all the Davenport kids. Not that any of them were kids anymore.

They were certainly an attractive lot blessed with strong genes. Here in Ravenden, their family was practically royalty. It was normal to see one of them around. And ever since Elias had mated one of Gia's waitresses, it was very common to see two of them together. But three was a rare treat, and four was practically unheard of.

Elias may have gotten away with mating beneath his station when he mated Kim, at least by our society standards, but I knew Ryan would never mate beneath his station. And I wasn't sure I would either. I certainly could never see myself mating Andrew though I supposed it wasn't entirely because he was a Grimes. He was just too much like a brother to me no matter how much I adored him and his family.

The Montgomery name was respectable enough, certainly more so than a Grimes, but still well beneath the illustrious Davenports. And Ryan cared far too much about images to actually allow anything to happen between us, and I knew it. So no matter what sparks may fly or the fact that we were both feeling something, it simply didn't matter. It couldn't. The best thing I could do for myself was keep a distance from this man.

So I was doing just that.

Kim had already come and gone with my order, and I smiled as she walked over with my club sandwich and crinkle fries.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Fine.”

She watched me closely for a few more seconds. My traitorous eyes flickered back over to Ryan, and she followed my line of sight and smiled.

“If you need to talk to the mayor, I'd recommend waiting. When he sits with his back to the room, it's a sign he wants to be left alone. Few people know that about him and constantly talk to him anyway. The guy just wants to eat in peace. Plus, he's not in the best of moods today, so I'd recommend you catch him in the parking lot if it's important.

“Huh?”

“Whatever you want to talk to him about. Trust me and wait.”

She squeezed my shoulder and walked away.

I felt like a part of her was being protective of him, but also, she seemed to genuinely be trying to help me too.

Why would she think I needed to discuss something with him? I wondered.

With a sigh and a scowl of frustration I picked up the sandwich and took a big bite.

It's because you can't stop staring at him like a starry-eyed teenager.

But I wasn't that girl anymore, and I wouldn't be her again. So that line of thought did nothing but piss me off.

Why was I even here? This was ridiculous.

I was pretty sure I'd come into the diner just to see how he'd react. I just couldn't stop myself from playing with fire. It was in my DNA or something. But Ryan had only turned to look my way once. Otherwise, I only saw the back of his head. It wasn't the reaction I expected after seeing the emotional turbulence within him when I told him I didn't want to be seen with him. In that brief moment, I felt like I'd seen a different side of Ryan, one that I had never suspected possible.

Just maybe under that perfectly cultivated exterior there really was a lot more depth than he showed the rest of the Congress.

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