Page 34 of The Scout

Ryker’s lips twitched like he knew exactly what I was doing—grasping for normalcy, for something to keep me grounded.

“Giving you the rest of the tour.”

His voice was smooth, unhurried, but his hand lingered for just a second longer before he let it fall away.

I exhaled.

Dominion Hall was even grander than I realized. Ryker led me through a sprawling sunroom that overlooked the harbor, the glass walls letting in the golden light of the morning. A sleek black grand piano sat in one corner, its glossy surface gleaming.

And then—the library.

I stopped short.

It was massive. Two stories of towering bookshelves, floor-to-ceiling, accessible by dark mahogany ladders that slid on brass rails. Plush leather chairs and velvet couches filled the space, the scent of aged paper, leather, and something faintly smoky curling through the air.

I turned to Ryker, brows lifted. “Do you even read?”

His mouth curled at the edges. “We all do.”

“All of you?” I gestured vaguely. “The seven of you?”

Ryker shrugged. “Most of us. Charlie probably just uses it to impress women.”

I snorted. “And you?”

Something glinted in his eyes. Something amused, something knowing.

“I don’t need books to impress women, Isabel.”

The air crackled.

I should not have felt the heat rush to my face. I should have ignored the way my stomach dipped at his words, the way my body reacted to his voice alone.

But I couldn’t. And Ryker knew it. His gaze dropped. A flicker of something dark passed through his expression—something undeniably male, something predatory.

He took a step closer.

And then?—

“Ryker?”

The sound of another voice cut through the moment.

I startled, stepping back just as Marcus strode into the library, his sharp eyes flicking between us with too much awareness.

Whatever he saw in my face—or in Ryker’s—made his lips twitch slightly before his expression hardened.

“Something came up.” He didn’t elaborate. Didn’t need to. His gaze landed squarely on Ryker. “We need you.”

Ryker’s entire demeanor shifted. The teasing edge? Gone. His jaw tightened, the easy amusement in his eyes hardening.

He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over his jaw before glancing at me.

“You staying?”

I hesitated.

I had come here for him.

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