Page 119 of Hellbent
I listen for every sound. The door closing. The deadbolt sliding home.
Footsteps echo through the house. Water running in the kitchen. A cupboard opening and closing.
The stairs creak. One step. Then another.
I sit up, pulling the sheet around my waist, even though I’m wearing a t-shirt, my heart beating with anticipation.
The bedroom’s dark, but the hallway light spills through the open door, catching the edge of the bed, the corner of the dresser, painting everything in soft gold and shadow.
The doorway darkens and he stands there, framed in light. Low-slung jeans, black shirt, his hair rain-damp and pulled back.
His eyes meet mine, and everything inside me goes still.
He looks tired.
He doesn’t speak, and neither do I. The silence stretches between us and then, finally, he steps inside and sits down on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry,” he finally says in a low voice. “For the way it went down.”
I swallow. “It wasn’t all you.” My voice comes out quiet. “Where did you go?”
He sighs and runs a hand over his beard.
“To Jake and Damian’s.”
That catches me off guard. I blink. “You went to talk to them?”
“Had to.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m the one who broke it.”
He stares at the floor.
“I crossed a line I shouldn’t have. Let them down, let you down. I told myself it was just heat-of-the-moment shit, but I know better. I knew exactly what I was doing.” A pause. “And I did it anyway.”
I don’t know what to say to that. I’ve seen Ryder’s toughness, his violence. But this is a glimpse into Ryder the leader, the one who can shoulder a mistake and own up to it. It surprises me that he has the strength of character to face Damian so soon; to apologize. It impresses me.
“Did they say anything?” I ask.
He nods. “Jake listened. Said it was bound to happen sooner or later. Damian—” He blows out a breath. “Said I should’ve acted on my feelings sooner. That maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so fucked if I had.”
That stuns me.
“Your feelings?” I repeat, voice thin.
He looks at me, and his brow twitches like he’s surprised at my question.
“Yeah.”
A beat passes before he goes on.
“When you got here, you were wrecked. I don’t mean that as judgment—I mean you were barely standing. I respected the hell out of that, though, how hard you fought to get your footing. How strong you were. Over time, you started…getting under my skin. You’re sharp. Funnier than I expected. Braver than hell. And you don’t care what I think, which pisses me off—but I guess I like the challenge.”
A faint, wry smile. Then he looks down at his hands.
“But by the time I knew it was more than just respect, you were already with Jake.”
