Page 53 of Something to Someone

“I know you’re hungry, so we should probably get going.”

“What?” It wasn’t the last thing I expected him to say, but it was definitely low on the list.

“Do you want to change first or…?”

My arms fell to my sides, and I shook my head as I walked past him and down the hallway toward my bedroom. I heard Ryder’s steady steps behind me and headed straight through my bedroom and into my closet.

I surveyed the clothes hanging around me and spun around when I heard him enter. He was leaned against the doorframe, arms and ankles crossed, looking better than he had any right to which made me even more frustrated.

“What should I wear?”

He shrugged and glanced around the room. “Something casual. Jeans, shorts, sneakers, that kind of thing.”

With a huff, I found a pair of jeans and pretended to ignore the feeling of Ryder’s eyes on me as I tried to unzip my dress. Getting it on was easy, but removing it was much harder. Especially when I was amped up.

Before I had a chance to try again, Ryder was behind me. Tender fingers brushed against my neck and lowered the zipper. He didn’t linger and stepped back far enough for me to slip the dress off and my jeans on. I grabbed the first top I saw and a white pair of sneakers.

Dressed and ready to go, I turned to find Ryder had gone back to leaning against the doorframe.

“Good?” I asked, walking toward him and motioning to my new outfit. He inclined his head as I stopped in front of him but didn’t appear interested in moving to let me pass.

A stare-down commenced. But it didn’t last as long as the one in my entryway. Ryder’s offset smile graced his face, and I stiffened.

“Why are you mad, Caroline? Because he showed up or because I didn’t react?”

I brushed a piece of hair that had fallen from my clip out of my face and cocked my head to the side.

“I’m not mad.”

He snorted out a halfhearted laugh and straightened to his full height. “Okay, whatever you say. I just don’t think there’s any reason for me to be jealous.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“Because he left, and you’re coming with me. In this scenario, I won. And when he calls you later, you’re not going to pick up.”

I ran my tongue along my teeth and stuffed my hands into my jean’s pockets, searching for something to do with them. I felt raw under Ryder’s stare. Like he was seeing too much of me, knew too much of me.

“He probably won’t call. I think you did a good job scaring him off.”

Ryder laughed, and the sound bounced off the walls of my small walk-in closet.

“He’ll call.”

“You sound very confident discussing the behavior of a man you don’t even know.”

He took a step forward, one hand in his own pocket, the other reached for me. I could’ve stepped back or ducked around him. I had an opportunity to flee the closeness, but I didn’t. I stood there as he clasped my jaw and ran his thumb over my cheek. I was frozen as he surveyed my face with a sweet tilt to his lips.

“I know he’ll call, pretty girl, because you’re Caroline Grant. And no man is stupid enough to let you slip away without a fight.”

TWENTY-FIVE

MERCY RULE

Caroline

Unfortunately,Ryder was right on all accounts. Scott called, and I didn’t answer.

Granted, I didn’t hear my phone ring anyway. I was too busy beating Ryder’s ass at air hockey and any racing game we could find.

---