Page 9 of The Scout

“You walk through the world too soft, Isabel.” Hisvoice dipped lower, edged with something that shouldn’t have made my stomach flip. “One day, someone’s going to notice.”

I exhaled, ignoring the warmth creeping up my neck. He was messing with me. Probably trying to scare me, keep me in line like he did with everyone else.

I rolled my eyes. “Are you always this dramatic?”

“Not dramatic,” he said, his tone so steady it sent a ripple through my chest. “Just observant.”

Pia gripped my arm, her expression feral.

I shot her a please chill look, but she didn’t budge.

“So,” I said, attempting to take back some control, “is this what you do? Call women late at night just to warn them about vague, non-specific threats?”

“Only when they don’t listen.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Because I had no idea what to say to that.

Ryker wasn’t flirting, not exactly. He wasn’t sweet-talking or charming or playing games. But somehow, the way he spoke—low, controlled, steady as a pulse—felt more intimate than any compliment I’d ever received.

Like he already knew how I’d react.

Like he enjoyed it.

I exhaled. “Well. Thanks for the warning, I guess.”

“Get some sleep, Isabel.”

A click.

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone, my brain struggling to catch up.

Pia made a strangled noise before launching herself onto the bed. “What the hell was that?”

I blinked at her. “A phone call?”

“That was not a phone call. That was the single most sexually charged thing I have ever witnessed!”

I groaned, flopping backward. “It was not.”

“His voice,” she practically moaned. “That gravelly, deep, possessive—‘Get some sleep, Isabel.’” She mimicked, dropping her voice an octave.

I covered my face. “Stop.”

“I will not.” She sat cross-legged, bouncing slightly. “Babe, if I were you, I would be all over that.”

I peeked at her between my fingers. “You have a boyfriend.”

“And?” She grinned. “I can still appreciate when a man is criminally hot.”

I exhaled, shaking my head. “You’re impossible.”

She flopped onto her stomach beside me, kicking her legs up. “You like him.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You want to see him again.”

---