Page 25 of Hate the Game
I made the mistake of thinking I was safe and that he’d gone back to his room but when I left the bathroom he was leaning against the wall next to my door, waiting for me. I took a deep breath and gave myself a pep talk. I could handle Ryder. I was strong and tough enough to not fall to my knees in front of him.
I might’ve whimpered when he slowly turned his head to face me. My hands shook so I clutched them together at my back as I stopped to look up at him. “Did you need something?”
His eyes moved to my lips and flicked back and forth between them and my eyes. “Are you busy tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” I had to clear my throat so it sounded even somewhat normal. “Let me check…”
I was so stupid to open my door and turn my back to him but I needed a few seconds to remember what I was doing. My mind was racing with silly what-ifs that I had no business entertaining and it was making me slow to react. I made unintelligible thinking sounds as I tapped away at my phone without actually looking at anything.
I felt Ryder’s body heat behind me and squeezed my eyes shut. I was in so much trouble. My body was reacting like a big hoe and I needed it to stop. He was the enemy, dammit.
His big hand rested on my waist, his finger teasing the sliver of skin that my camisole didn’t cover. “I thought it was time for our one on one.”
I had to clear my throat yet again. “Um. I… Sure. I can plan something. Like lunch at a restaurant. Or the library…”
“I have the day off tomorrow and I’m going to spend it at one of my favorite places. I thought you could come with me.” He leaned slightly closer so his chest just barely brushed against my back. “Wear something like this. Something that you can get dirty in.”
I didn’t even get a chance to say no before he was across the room, gripping my door. I spun around and caught him staring at my ass but saw no shame in his gaze once he’d been caught. “W-What time?”
“Early. Be ready by seven.” He looked at my chest once more and shook his head before leaving. He shut my door behind him thankfully because I couldn’t stand for a second more.
I fell into bed and covered my face with my hands. I was in over my head. When Ryder looked at me with his intense eyes I forgot everything. I became a traitor and wanted nothing more than to climb him like a damn tree. It wasn’t good. I had to remember what I was doing. I couldn’t forget the mission. They were assholes and they deserved to go down. I just needed to remember that.
***Savannah***
It was my turn to have my tongue roll out of my mouth and slap the floor. Ryder picked me up right at seven and basically pulled my still half asleep body down to his truck. After not sleeping hardly at all I wasn’t fully aware of my surroundings until he shoved a coffee in my hand. I might’ve grumbled a thanks, I wasn’t sure, but as I slowly woke up I started noticing things. Ryder was in a snug black t-shirt and basketball shorts. I could see his strong calves and apparently I was a leg girl. Then there were the veins in his arms as he gripped the steering wheel. Holy arm porn.
I was so focused on those arms that I didn’t realize he’d stopped the truck until he reached over and took the empty coffee cup from my clenched hands. I looked up and saw that he was watching me, his jaw tight as his eyes raked over my bare legs and oversized t-shirt. I hurriedly looked away and saw that we were parked outside of an animal shelter.
“Is this where we’re going?” I tried to keep the excitement out of my voice but it was hard. I loved animals. I missed them. I missed my brothers’ dog and I missed the dog my dad’shousekeeper raised for him and I missed the cat I’d spotted walking across campus the week before. I just loved animals and if Ryder had brought me to an animal shelter I was in serious trouble.
“Yeah.” He looked towards the building. “I come here as often as I can. This is a smaller place with less funding but they take in a lot of dogs other places won’t. I like to help.”
There went my panties. I scrubbed my hands down my face and blew out a deep breath. “Okay. Sure. You work with at-risk dogs. Of course.”
“Was that a question?”
I cut my eyes at him, slightly annoyed that he’d brought me somewhere so amazing and that he just kept getting better. “No.”
“If you want to write about the real team, the real us, this is it. This is what matters to me.” He opened his door and stepped out. “Coming?”
Oh, bless his heart, but I was close. My body didn’t even care that my brain was sending out warning bells over his statement about the real team. Nope. My body was just a heat seeking missile with a big, hot football player as its target. Stupid body.
He met me at the front of his truck and looked down at my outfit. “Cute shirt. One of your exes’?”
I made a face and shook my head. “One of my brothers’.”
His face stayed perfectly blank but he heaved out a deep breath and pushed me back to my side of the truck. I grunted and nearly stumbled but he caught me with one massive hand while yanking open both of his truck doors so it formed a little nook that hid us.
“What are you doing?” I pulled away from him and frowned. “Why don’t you just pick me up and toss me over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes? You know asking hasn’t gone out of style, right?”
He grunted at me and then yanked his shirt over his head. Once again I was struck stupid by the sight of his bare chest. I snapped my mouth shut so I didn’t drool and I might’ve leaned in a little so I could check out the happy trail situation again. He cut off my plans when he gripped the bottom of my shirt and snapped it up and over my head.
I squeaked and covered my bra with one arm and smacked him with the other. “What the fuck is-”
He growled at me as he yanked his shirt over my head and covered me again. “There’s not a chance that you won’t get dirty in there and I didn’t figure you’d want to mess up your own clothes.”
My ovaries quaked. My self-control went up in flames. The bubble of space I tried to keep around myself poofed out of existence. I was past trouble. I was so far past trouble that I just let him tug me closer and manipulate my arms into the sleeves. “Oh.”’
