Page 59 of Exception

“So, how are you feeling?” This is a question I used to avoid asking because it was clear Ryder wasn’t taking the loss of his brother well, and I naively thought it was better to let him talk when he was ready instead of pressuring him to.

“I’m dealing. Still feel guilty as fuck for putting him on that plane, but I don’t feel as guilty for living anymore.” In the aftermath of the plane crash that killed his brother, Ryder blamed himself since that was a trip he paid for his brother to take. It messed with his head for a while, understandably.

“Glad to hear it, man. You sticking around town for the summer?” As a pro snowboarder he travels a lot during the winter, but is usually home over the summer.

“You’d know that if you answered my call the other day.” He punches my shoulder just hard enough to make me feel it without causing any real pain.

“You called?”

“Yeah. Blake and I were shooting pool at The Underground. Thought you might want to join.”

“Shit. I would’ve but I don’t remember getting a call.” I scratch my jaw, racking my brain for answers. Running a business has me conditioned to answer the phone all the time in case it’s work-related, so I don’t usually miss when it rings.

Ryder studies me from under the wisps of hair hanging over his face. “I got a theory of why that is.”

I don’t like the sound of that. “Why?”

“My guess is you were otherwise occupied. With Tiff.”

“Tiff?” I play dumb.

“Yup. I saw you coming out of her backyard when I was walking home.”

Willing my face to stay expressionless, I wait to see what else he might say. Given that I always look for movement before I leave the shadow of her yard, and I’ve never seen any, chances are he’s messing with me. The whole town knows I’m helping her with her business plan at this point, so he’s probably trying to add gas to that fire just to see how I’ll react. It’s what passes for entertainment in such a small town, and the boys and I are a little juvenile that way.

“You probably didn’t see me since I was crouched down to tie my shoe,” he adds.

I was not expecting that detail, which makes his claim more realistic. Still, I hold my ground. “Are you sure it was me? I don’t have any reason to be at Tiff’s house.”

He shakes his head like he’s disappointed. “See, if you’d said you were helping her with that business plan we all know you’re working on I might’ve believed it. Even if it was nearly midnight. But denying you were there at all… What are you doing?”

Shit, why didn’t I think of that?

“Nothing.” I double down.

“Deacon, not too long ago I was self-destructing. I know the signs.” His eyes are sympathetic, which throws me off balance.

“I’m not self-destructing.”

“Not like I was, no. But you’re still doing shit that’s only gonna hurt everyone involved. Her most of all.”

That’s where he’s wrong.Imight get hurt since this has started to feel like more than just sex for me, but I’ll never let her go through that. That’s why she calls all the shots.

“It’s not what you think.”

“You mean you aren’t sleeping with the girl your cousin considers his little sister? The daughter of the man who hired you for this job at the rec center?” He swings his arm toward the building as if I don’t know what property I’m standing on.

“I mean, I am,” I sigh heavily, “but it’s not like that.”

“What’s it like then? Because unless you love her, you’re asking to get run out of town by an angry mob led by Cade and her dad.”

“I…” I don’t have the words to finish that sentence. Do I love her? I’ve lusted after her for a while now, and that’s only increased since we’ve started sleeping together. But sex isn’t the biggest draw. It’s the bravery she’s starting to exhibit, the daring streak beneath the innocent exterior. The fact that she has faith in my ability to help her reach her goals, and her endless curiosity, both in and out of bed. She’s the brightest spot in my day, and—

“Oh shit.” Ryder reads my expression.

“Don’t say it,” I warn.

“Why not?”

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