Page 4 of Save Me

Shoving her way through the crowd, she practically sagged with relief when she got to the door.

And slammed her hand against that one too for one last glorious exit.

Not that anyone would notice.

* * *

Ryker noticed.

Hell, from the moment he first laid eyes on Ryleigh Donovan, he’d noticed everything about her—from her long auburn hair and green eyes to her defiant attitude and sensual curves.

She was trouble with a capital T and apparently, that just added to her appeal.

For months, he’d been doing his best to get her to go out with him and she’d shot him down every time. Most guys would take the hint and move on, but Ryker had a feeling that her bravado was all an act.

Actually, he was pretty damn sure of it.

It had almost killed him when he walked through the door tonight and saw her sitting in the booth with that doofus who looked like every uptight loser he’d ever despised.

And yet…Ryleigh was out with him.

Because Ryker spent so much time at Donovan’s Pub, he knew her mother was constantly trying to fix her daughter up with nice, upstanding guys.

Which totally left him out of the picture.

On the surface, Ryker was basically every mother’s nightmare: tattoos, long hair, beard, and extremely rough around the edges. If that guy was Kate Donovan’s idea of the perfect guy, then there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of her ever considering him.

And that was a damn shame because he knew he’d treat Ryleigh better than any man alive. Hell, he’d treat her like a princess if given the chance.

He thought about the way she’d stormed out of the pub and wondered why he was still sitting here nursing a drink when he could potentially go after her and make sure she was alright.

Tossing a twenty down on the bar, he nodded to Ronan before making his way out the door. There was a chance that she was long gone, but he was hopeful.

Just like he was hopeful every time he tried to start a conversation with her.

He loved her snark and dry wit and he admired the way she didn’t seem to tolerate anyone’s bullshit.

Even his.

Out on the sidewalk, he glanced in both directions, raking a hand through his out-of-control hair. He was about to mutter a curse when someone beat him to it.

“Dammit! Dammit, dammit,dammit!”

A slow smile crept across his face as he made his way toward the parking lot. There, he found Ryleigh standing next to her sensible little Toyota, stomping her foot in frustration. Doing his best to appear casual, he slowly made his way over to her.

“Hey, beautiful,” he drawled. “Is everything okay?”

Her green eyes shot daggers at him. “No, everything is most definitelynotokay,” she snapped. “I dropped my keys back in the kitchen and I am not going back in there!”

That…wasn’t what he was expecting.

“Why not?”

With a groan, she fished around in her purse again before replying. “Because I had a fight with my mother and made a big stink about how I didn’t even want to see or talk to her for a few days. If I go back in there, it completely nullifies my glorious exit. Dammit!”

“Glorious exit?” Leaning against her car, he studied her. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone describe leaving that way.”

“Trust me, in that moment, it was awesome. If I have to go back in to grab my keys, it will look like I did it on purpose and…” She groaned again before digging in her purse one more time.

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