Page 68 of Something to Someone

And being together in the reception hall while his mom was down the hall as Theo’s date was not a good idea. I just hoped Addie would be enough of a buffer.

“Okay, you can help.”

On the other side of the table, Addie used her last bit of energy to clap and jump up and down. “Great! I have heavy stuff you can lift.”

Ryder dutifully removed his suit jacket and tossed it over one of the chairs before rolling his sleeves up. Addie walked back toward the front doors, motioning to the boxes I knew she wanted help with and giving Ryder instructions over her shoulder. He wasn’t listening, though, and frankly, neither was I.

My eyes were glued to his newly exposed forearms. The lights were lower in the ballroom than they were elsewhere on the property. I was getting a headache, so I’d turned them down earlier. But I could still see the dark hair dusting his skin and the muscles tensing beneath it.

It had been two days since I’d felt his arms around me. Two days, and I was going mad with the need to feel them again.

I swallowed and blinked away the sudden rush of arousal. When I looked back up, Ryder caught my eye and had noted where I was staring.

“Keep looking at me like that, pretty girl, and I don’t care who else is in the room. I’ll throw you down on that table right now.”

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “Don’t touch that table. It took us at least twenty minutes to put together.”

He glanced around the room and pointed to one of the tables we hadn’t gotten to yet. “That one okay?”

“Yes, perfect.”

“Ryder?” Addie called. He turned toward her, but his eyes lingered on me as he walked away.

And they didn’t move from me for the next hour as we worked. We finished the tables and every other piece we still had left including the seating chart and the arches around the two main entrances to the room that would be strung with flowers the next day.

Ryder and Addie were finishing up the final touches as I sat on the floor and proceeded to lay down on the cool wood. Every part of me was exhausted, but it was mostly done. Only a few things were left and then the actual wedding itself. But I wasn’t worried about that—it would be perfect.

I stared up at the elegant, painted ceiling and tried to relieve some of the pressure in my back. I had taken to trying to awkwardly massage some of the tension as Ryder plopped down next to me. I looked to my left and saw his dress shoes.

Propping up onto my elbows behind me, I peered over at him. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his hair was a mess. Addie had been right, too—his help was much needed.

The sounds of the rehearsal dinner had quieted the later it got. The music was still echoing down the hallway, and every once in a while, we could hear laughter or raised voices.

Ryder nudged my arm with the tip of his shoe, and I glanced over at him. His little smirk was on the verge of becoming an all-out grin.

“I still like watching you work,” he said. I was too tired to control my facial expression, so my surprise was written all over my face. He shook his head. “You’re just so good at your job. You’re creative and authoritative but not too controlling. And you had a vision from the start—taking what Stephen and Miles wanted and making it even better. It turned out…perfect, Caroline.”

The unrestrained sincerity in his voice made my chest tighten. I sat up so I was eye level with him. “Thanks,” was all I could manage to say around the lump in my throat.

“I think—” Ryder began, dropping his eyes to my hands that were fidgeting in my lap. But we were interrupted by both Theo and Natalie.

“This place looks phenomenal,” Natalie complimented. I smiled up at my friend who looked gorgeous in a blue and white floral dress. She tapped Ryder’s leg with her foot. “I was wondering where you went.”

“Found a few wedding planners who needed help,” Ryder said.

Natalie looked back at me and grimaced. “You okay?”

“I will be after I take a shower and lay down in that comfy bed upstairs.”

Ryder stood and then offered me his hand. If I didn’t take it, I would look rude, instead of like I was trying to prevent myself from reacting to his touch like I actually was. I slipped my hand against his and ground my teeth against the shock that ricocheted up my arm at the slightest, most innocent touch.

I groaned like I was twice my age as I stood, and even as I straightened our hands lingered together. Ryder’s thumb brushed the back of my hand once then twice before he reluctantly dropped it. Both of us watched our hands fall apart and quickly looked away.

I rubbed my palm against my leg and took a step farther away. Theo was glancing between us, from me to Ryder and between us where our hands were linked a moment before.

“Is there anything you need from us?” Natalie asked, leaning into Theo’s side. He wrapped an arm around her but didn’t drop his quietly incredulous look.

“Nope, we’re done. And the clean-up crew will start on the rehearsal dinner in the next few minutes.”

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