Page 62 of Forgotten Pieces

He just shrugs again before taking a generous sip of his whiskey. “I guess I just need to start doing it alone tomorrow.”

I open my mouth before I have the brainpower to control my words. “I’m off tomorrow. Do you want some help?”

I could kick myself right now. I cannot believe I just offered to help him. And it’s one of my least favorite things to do. Ever.

He flicks his eyes to mine. “You would really want to help me?”

“Why not?”

He shakes his head, a short laugh coming out of his mouth. “If I recall correctly, you hated packing for college and told me that unpacking was even worse.”

“I can’t believe you remember that,” I say, pushing a piece of loose hair behind my ear. “But it’s still true.”

“You don’t need to help me Tacoma. I’ll be fine.”

“No way am I letting you unpack alone. I’ll be there tomorrow. Just give me a time.”

He quirks an eyebrow at me and says, “Eleven.”

* * *

What am I doing here?

Ryder texted me his address this morning. It then took me thirty minutes to get the guts to leave my apartment and head to his house. But now I am here, sitting in the street outside his driveway trying to gather the courage to make the turn.

My phone chimes and it nearly makes me jump from my skin.

Ryder: You gonna come in or you gonna sit there all day contemplating if this is a bad idea?

I laugh out loud. Of course he saw me sitting here. I man up and pull into his driveway, taking deep breaths to gain self-control.

I kill the engine on my SUV and slowly get out. I tell myself a hundred times this is a bad idea. I am developing feelings for him again. Bad feelings. Feelings someone shouldn’t have when the person is engaged to another woman. I take about ten deep breaths and slowly trudge to the front door. My eyes downcast the entire time, I don’t even pay attention to the house. By the time I look up it’s when I nearly trip on the front step leading to a gorgeous porch. A wraparound porch with gables in the corners and rocking chairs facing the creek to the left.

I’m so lost in the view from the porch I don’t hear the front door open.

“Quite the view?”

I turn to Ryder and try not to let my jaw hit the floor. He is leaning against the doorjamb in a pair of sweats, one foot crossed over the other, shirtless. I gulp noticeably. I can’t help it. I admired his body secretly from my window but up close I can’t help but ogle. He is everything a man wishes he could be. Sculpted muscle, towering frame, gorgeous smile. His beard looks trimmed from its usual disarray but his cropped hair is starting to grow, enough to run my fingers through it and grip it hard. “Magnificent,” I whisper.

I hear him chuckle and realize I said it out loud. “Do you need me to put a shirt on? I haven’t been able to get the A/C set up, so it’s hot as hell in here.”

I shake my head, unable to form words, as I keep my gaze fixated on his eight pack.

He moves from the door and takes a step closer to me. “They are coming by tomorrow to fix it. If it’s gonna be a problem, we can wait to unpack.”

I shift my gaze to meet his dark one. “Why would it be a problem?” I choke out.

“Don’t want you to overheat.”

Overheat? I don’t think lack of A/C is going to keep me from overheating when I am looking at this Adonis the entire day. “I’ll be fine,” I squeak out.

“Great. Let me give you a tour.”

He reaches his hand out to me and I flinch. I can’t touch him. Not like this. Not with all the thoughts going through my head about him. But despite my better judgment, I grab his hand and let him lead me inside.

Once we cross the threshold to the front door, I drop his hand as I am blown away by the wall of glass on the inside. The entire left side of the house is floor to ceiling windows, giving a perfect view of the woods and the creek. “Did Harper design all this?”

“She did. I told her some of the things I wanted. The open concept, kitchen island, breakfast bar, and a wall of windows.” He runs his hand through his short hair. “I just thought it would make me feel—"

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