Page 10 of Perfectly Imperfect Us
I tilted my head at her. “She’s got a point.”
Ryder chuckled and I smiled over at him, glad we’d called a truce of sorts.
Skylar elbowed me hard in the side.
“Ouch, woman. Stop that. What is your problem, Skylar Rae?”
She leaned in close and whispered, “Why are you smiling at you-know-who like that?”
“Excuse me?” I put both hands on my hips and faced her, curious as to what bug flew in her mouth and got her all fired up in my business like that. Kadee leaned in closer, wanting to catch every word of the drama.
“Okay, let’s pair up!” Max clapped his hands, oblivious to his wife poking her nose into something that didn’t concern her. “I’ve got Rae.”
“I’ve got Ava,” Ryder’s smooth voice had me dropping the staredown with Skylar.
I spun on him. “You know we’re gonna lose, right?”
He shrugged. “That’s okay. Maybe we’ll get some good pics though.”
I beamed, fist-bumping him. “Heck yes. Now we’re talking.”
The rest of the group split off, with Lacey, Jase, and Kadee agreeing to a threesome. Max handed out headlamps, which I didn’t think really worked with my outfit, but with the sun rapidly dropping into the ocean, I knew I’d need. Especially to keep an eye out for any Bigfoots. I didn’t like big hairy apemen any more than I liked apologizing or holding my tongue.
“Do you two need a chaperone?” Skylar whispered in my ear from behind me.
My elbow somehow found its way backward, jabbing her in the gut. Her “umph” made me smile. “Mind yo’ business, woman.”
Ryder came over, the headlamp looking ridiculously handsome on his forehead, which was really unfair.
“How is it you even look good with a flashlight attached to your head?” I asked him, my own not tight enough as it slowly slipped down my forehead and into my eyes.
He chuckled and helped me adjust the strap on the side of my head, putting my nose directly into his chest where I could smell his cologne, mixed with a manly dose of sweat. I got so dizzy I nearly grabbed his arm to hold myself steady.
“Ready?” he asked softly, his hands trailing down my arms and causing me to shiver.
“As I’ll ever be.” My voice came out breathy, what Lacey would call my Britney voice. Unintentional, I assure you, but what woman wouldn’t feel a little hot and bothered from Ryder Steele caressing her arms and offering to frolic in the woods with her at night?
He gestured for me to go before him, which I did, promising my legs a nice warm bubble bath tonight for doing their job and keeping me upright in the face of unbelievable challenges in the form of physical exertion and handsome men.
We ran the first half mile before I begged for mercy and Ryder laughed out loud. He seemed fine with it when he said we could walk the rest. We took pictures and gave each other ideas for shutter speeds and ways to manipulate the flash for a desired effect. Before I knew it, we’d reached the end of the trail and saw our friends all sitting in chairs behind Max’s truck, beer in hand.
I collapsed in a chair and Ryder, being a perfect gentleman, handed me a cold drink from the cooler. Skylar gave me a pointed look which I ignored. I’d had one of the best nights I could remember in recent history. As I glanced over to see Ryder laughing with his friends, I was embarrassed to admit I’d misjudged him.
There was far more to Ryder Steele than his ridiculous good looks.
And there was far more to my rapid heart rate than running through the forest.
5
Ryder
I heard the slam, followed by the clicking that makes you grind your teeth with its implication. I grabbed my camera and raced out the front door. Just as I expected, Ava sat in the driver seat of her ancient truck, trying once again to start it, when everyone on the whole street could tell she had a dead battery.
“Nooo! Come on, Tucker!” Ava groaned, slamming her hand down on the top of the steering wheel.
I grinned, even though I’m sure her car requiring maintenance was not her favorite thing. I grinned because now I could swoop in and offer her a ride. Finally, an excuse to spend some time together.
The weirdest thing had happened. After our run in the forest last weekend, I got busy looking at potential houses to buy with Emmilene, none of them turning out to be exactly what I wanted. But the weird thing was I started to miss Ava. I’d take a picture or see something online and want to chat with her about it. I almost went over to her place several times during the week, but showing off one of my photos seemed a little too narcissistic, even for a male model.
