Page 19 of Save Me

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“Ryker? You got a call on two. Someone looking to have you speak at an art school up in Boston,” his assistant, Billie, said as she stood in his office doorway.

“When?”

“The fifth of next month.”

He snorted in disbelief. “Did you tell them I’m booked out for the next year?”

She shrugged. “I figured I’d take a chance and ask. I realize you’re booked, but not heavily. Besides, you mentioned how much you enjoy going up to the Northeast.”

Normally he did, but after the way things went down with Ryleigh last night, he wasn’t looking to add anything more to his schedule just yet.

“Send my regrets,” he told her and watched as she walked away. Turning in his chair, Ryker looked at the drawing in front of him. It was something he was working on for a friend and he wanted it to be the absolute best it could be.

And so far, it wasn’t.

Reaching out, he crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the trash before jumping to his feet to pace.

He was on edge today and he knew the exact reason why.

He just didn’t know what to do about it.

Last night when he’d dropped Ryleigh off at her car, they’d exchanged numbers, but…that was it. There was no talk of seeing each other again, no plans, and no kiss.

And that last one was a damn shame because he had been seriously hoping for another chance to kiss her.

She’d knocked him on his ass last night and all he wanted to do was call or text and ask what she was doing tonight, but…he couldn’t. One thing he learned about her was that she did not like to be rushed.

Unfortunately, that was the way Ryker approached everything. He went into every situation and faced it head-on and just kept pushing forward until he got what he wanted or whatever needed to be done. Taking his time with Ryleigh was going to be a huge test of his self-control.

Something he definitely wasn’t known for.

Muttering a curse, he sat his ass back down and stared at the blank sheet of paper and began to draw again.

Normally he worked in black ink, but for this piece, he wanted something softer for the draft. There was an entire case of pencils next to him and he kept reaching for new ones and testing them out until he settled on the perfect grade.

Then his hand moved faster than it had in a long time as the sketch started to take shape. Shifting in his chair to get more comfortable, he barely stopped. Every line, every shape, breathed more life into his creation.

At some point, Billie came in and put a bottle of water on his desk but she didn’t say a word. He finished it down in several long gulps and moved on to add some color to the picture. He could have waited for the second draft, but he had a feeling this was going to be one of those drawings that would be perfect in one. It didn’t happen often, but there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that it was happening now.

In the distance, he heard people talking, heard the phone ringing, but nothing distracted him from the task at hand. And when he finally tossed the last pencil aside, Ryker’s hand was cramped and filthy and shaking from holding the pencils for so damn long. A quick glance at the clock showed that several hours had gone by and yet it felt like barely any time had passed.

“Hey, boss, I’m outta here,” Billie said, pausing in the doorway. Her eyes immediately went to the drawing. “Holy shit! Who’s that for? I thought you were working on the tattoo for Dax?”

Yeah. So did he.

Unsure of what to say, Ryker leaned back in his chair and said nothing.

His assistant, however, no longer seemed interested in leaving and stepped closer to look at the drawing. “She’s beautiful. Seriously, who’s she for?”

Me.

She stood there for several minutes before she sighed loudly. “Fine. Have your secrets. I’ll see you Monday.”

“Have a good weekend,” he murmured, but his eyes never left the drawing.

Ryleigh.

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