Page 62 of Broken Player

"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to back the fuck down like the little bitch you are, and then you're going to mind your own goddamn business. My relationship with Ryan? Not your business," I laid out, taking a step closer to him and chuckling when he stepped backward. "If you want to start shit with me, I promise you I have no fucking problem finishing it."

I waited a couple of seconds, but he didn't say anything, so I turned and walked toward the exit, not wanting to waste any more time getting to my girl. I stopped when he yelled out behind me. "Watch your fucking back, Everleigh. You have no idea who you're messing with."

"Bring it on, dickhead," I smirked. He could try, but he'd never actually be able to do shit to me. I'd been dealing with people trying to trap me and take me down for years. He wasn't even worth worrying about.

I refused to give him one more second of my time tonight. Stepping into the warm, humid air, I searched until I spotted Ryan. The way her eyes lit up when she saw me made my heart clench and then race out of control.

I turned back to Connor and Quinn. "Do you mind sharing your room with Connor tonight, Quinny? I'm going to kidnap Ryan."

Quinn looked Connor up and down before he cracked a little grin. "I think I can handle that."

Connor chuckled. "Sorry, bro. I don't swing that way."

They followed me to the valet stand, and I handed over my ticket before wrapping my arm around Ryan's shoulders and pulling her into my side. I dropped a kiss to the top of her head. It'd only been a few minutes since I'd seen her, but I missed her all the same. When we were apart, it felt like a piece of me was missing, and I fucking hated it. What would I do if she actually went through with this whole thing?

I couldn't let myself go there. Tonight, she was mine. That was what mattered right now.

When my black truck pulled up, I reached into the back and tossed Connor his bag. "See you guys in the morning," I told them before pulling open the passenger door and helping Ryan up into the seat.

I ran around and climbed in the driver's side, starting the engine and taking off. It was nearly dark, the last bits of sunlight making the sky pink and purple off toward the west, but the stars were already out above us, and the sky was beautiful.

I hadn't wanted distractions tonight. I wanted just Ryan and me surrounded by the night like a cocoon, fireflies and stars our only light. We drove in comfortable silence for about twenty minutes, our fingers twined together, and her body pressed against mine on the bench seat. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I steered with one hand gripping the top of the wheel. Thiswas my version of heaven, and I could've just kept driving all night, taking us both away from the reality of tomorrow.

Instead, I pulled off the highway into a field filled with corn. It stood tall, and it didn't look like there were any roads through it, but I'd already made arrangements with the farmer earlier today and paid him for any damage my truck did to his crop. Once we were past the tallest stalks, I steered us toward a huge oak tree in the middle of a tall grass field that swayed gently in the light breeze. I parked us near the tree but not underneath it since I wanted to see the stars.

"Stay here," I said, jumping down into the thigh-high grass and walking around to lower the tailgate. I climbed into the truck's bed, unrolling the blankets I'd packed and creating a soft bed for us to stretch out in. I also brought my guitar and drinks and snacks. I'd never played guitar for a girl before. In the band, I played bass, so not many people knew I could play, but it felt too private and intimate for me to play for just anyone.

Satisfied with my setup, I walked back to the passenger side and opened the door, catching Ryan's hand and gently pulling her toward me. I let go of her to grip her hips and helped her out of the truck. I held her close and let her body slide down against mine before her feet touched the ground. Tilting my head down, our eyes locked, and the look of devotion in hers took my breath away until she blinked and it was gone.

"C'mon," I found myself whispering, not wanting to disturb the peacefulness of the night. Linking our hands together, we walked to the back of the truck, and I helped her up into the bed, enjoying the view of her toned ass as she practically shoved it in my face. My fingers twitched with the desire to reach out and slap it, leaving my red handprint behind as proof that she was mine. But I didn't. Now wasn't the time.

"I can't believe you did all this," she gasped, looking around in wonder. She deserved so much more. This was just a simplenight out in the country, and I could give her so much. I could give her everything. But how she was looking at me right now like I'd made all her dreams come true? Yeah, I could get fucking used to that.

I shrugged and sat against the wheel well, pulling my guitar into my lap as she settled into the blanket, laying back on one of the pillows and staring up at the stars. "Want a beer?" I offered.

"Sure."

I reached into the cooler and wiped off the water droplets before popping the top, taking a swig, and handing it over to her. She sat up and watched me as I strummed a couple of chords, testing and tweaking the tuning on the guitar. "Are you going to play for me?" she asked, her eyes brightening.

Shrugging, I strummed a couple more chords, happy with how they sounded and started to play one of my favorite Shadow Phoenix songs from our last album. It was the one Zen wrote for Kennedy. I wasn't the best singer in the band, but I could hold my own, and as I quietly finished the last few notes, I heard Ryan sniffle. I looked up at her and saw her swipe at her eyes.

Setting my guitar down, I moved to her side, wrapping her in my arms and holding her against my chest as I rocked us slowly back and forth. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head against me but didn't say anything. We sat in silence for a few minutes before she pulled away and gave me a watery smile.

"What can I do to make you feel better?" I wanted to take away every ounce of hurt she was feeling and kill every motherfucker that caused her discomfort.

"Lay here with me," she pleaded, laying beside me and staring up at the stars. I stretched out on my side, watching her instead of the sky. "I only want to think about us tonight," she declared in a whisper so quiet it floated away on the breeze but not before I caught it.

To hear her talk about us? It was fucking addictive.

She shifted even closer, molding her body against mine so I could feel every soft curve. "Make me forget about tomorrow, Maddox," she begged, her breath ghosting along my skin and making me shiver. Being so close to her was tempting as fuck.

My heart felt like it might pound out of my chest. I was no saint. I'd been with so many women, I couldn't count. And yet it was like I was a virgin all over again. Ryan made me feel like I was brand new. Like no one else before her had ever mattered. Like they'd all been practice leading up to this moment.

Laying beside her with my weight balanced on my arm, I stared down at her reverently. The way she was looking up at me was magnetic, her wide, innocent eyes pulling me in closer and closer until I had no choice but to kiss her. To feel her lips under mine, hungry and needy and begging for more.

I fought with myself, the urge to rip her clothes off and claim her as mine so intense I had to squeeze my fingers into a tight fist, digging my nails into the soft flesh of my palm until I broke the skin to keep from acting on my animal impulses.

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