Page 26 of Hate the Game
He gathered my hair into a knot at the top of my head and I just stood there while he grabbed the hair tie from my wrist and did his best to tie my hair up. It was loose and more than a little floppy but he looked at it with a satisfied nod that made my stomach flip.
“You didn’t have to… Thank you.” I quickly fixed my hair when he turned to find another shirt for himself in the back of his truck. “I… Yeah.”
Ryder’s face twitched like he was trying not to laugh when he turned back around to me. “Nice bra.”
I snapped out of my lust haze and glared up at him. “Shut up. I need to do laundry.”
He locked up his truck and rested his hand at the small of my back as we made our way towards the shelter’s entrance. “I mean, it’s not quite as interesting as the Longhorns panties you had on last night but…”
I gasped. “How did you see those?”
“You bent over. I looked.” He stopped at the front door and took a deep breath. “I’ve never brought anyone here before. Don’t be weird.”
I scoffed. “Excuse me? I’m not weird.”
“Just try not to offend anyone.”
“Listen here, soldier boy, I am not- ” I saw he was fighting a smirk and growled at him. “You’re terrible.”
I thought I was in trouble before we walked inside the shelter but when I watched him smile at the elderly woman behind the counter I nearly had my first spontaneous orgasm. Stick a fork in me, I was done. Ryder scowling was dangerously handsome. Ryder smiling was just dangerous. He was beautiful. Beyond. That smile made my heart race and my pulse throb between my thighs.
“My favorite boy!” The woman had to be in her eighties wearing a velour tracksuit in a neon green color and the shirt under the unzipped top proclaimed that she’d rather be with her dogs. “Come here and give me a hug, young man.”
Ryder wrapped his big arms around her tiny body and picked her up. “Hi, Miss Kay. I’m sorry I didn’t come last weekend. It’s hard to get away now that the season’s started. Miss Kay, this is my friend, Savannah. She’s going to help out today, too.”
Miss Kay turned an ass essing eye my way as she patted Ryder’s chest. “Savannah. What are your intentions with my Ryder?”
I’d watched my brothers look at several of my dates the same way when I was younger. I smiled and stuck out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m working with a program to write an article about USC’s football team, mainly Ryder and his two best friends. My intention is just to get to know him so I can write a good article.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“Okay, so I also might want to see him without a shirt on.” I blushed and shrugged, all while refusing to look at Ryder.
Miss Kay pulled me into a hug that was surprisingly hard for such a small woman. “You and most of the straight, red-blooded women in this world who’ve seen him. It’s nice to meet you, too. He’s never brought anyone with him before so you must be special.”
***Savannah***
“Is Paco still here?” Ryder and the slight pink stain on his cheeks looked ready to move on.
“No, honey. A transport team was able to take him to a home in Oregon. A big family with lots of love to give him. I have a few pictures to show you.” Miss Kay grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the counter. “You did such a good job with him, Ryder. You saved him. Look at this.”
I peeked around his arm to look at the pictures she showed him and tears peppered my eyes. Sitting in the middle of a family was a grinning pitbull mix. Every single being in the picture looked over the moon. I looked up at Ryder and saw a flash of sadness before he smiled.
“Good. He deserves a good family.”
“Oh, sweetheart. There’s going to be a dog meant just for you when you’re ready. As soon as you’re in a place where you can keep a dog and have the time, there will be a little pup here for you.” Miss Kay looked at me. “Ryder is so good with the dogs. When we get an especially hard case we steal Ryder’s time andenergy as much as we can. I’ve never seen anyone be able to melt a dog like him.”
Again, Ryder moved on quickly, like her praise embarrassed him. “Any special cases today?”
“As a matter of fact, Jillian just got a call from a shelter in East LA. She’s on her way back right now and I haven’t heard from her just how bad it’s going to be. From the way the other shelter talked, it’s not pretty.” Miss Kay looked down at the monitor on the desk and clicked her tongue. “You’ve always had great timing, kid. She just pulled up.”
Ryder looked at me. “If the dog is scared, even if it isn’t an aggressive dog, it might go on the attack. Stay back and stay quiet. If you think you can handle it and stay calm, you can come back. If not, there’s something else Miss Kay can find for you to do, I’m sure.”
I straightened my shoulders. “I want to come.”
Miss Kay slapped a sheet of paper on the counter and pushed it over to me. “It’s a liability waiver.”
My stomach dropped but I signed my name and nodded at her. “I was raised around dogs and have had more than my fair share of run-ins with wild animals back home in Texas. I can stay out of the way and calm.”
