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Chapter Fifteen
True to his promise, Ryder had stayed away. At home he only spoke to her when absolutely necessary. There’d been no more drop-bys, no more dinners, no nothing. At work he’d been polite and cordial. Not cool, exactly, but professional. He’d been receptive to all her ideas, praising her when he liked something, arguing with her when he didn’t. But there was no sparking with her. No evil gleam in his eyes like when he sparred with her.
Sophie couldn’t pretend. She missed him. Too much for comfort.
By Friday evening, Sophie had prepared herself for the night to come. Or as much as she could. She wore a flirty little sleeveless black cocktail dress with matching four-inch sandals that made her legs actually look long.
To her dismay, all day she’d been excited for all the wrong reasons. She wanted to see him, be forced to spend time with him. She ached for that hot, electric jolt he evoked in her. No matter how hard she’d tried, she’d been unable to talk herself out of it. With no idea what to expect, her instincts were on high alert, inappropriately thrilling her.
The doorbell rang and her heart leapt into her throat, pounding in a rapid beat. As slowly as she could, she walked to the door and opened it.
Oh dear God.
Ryder stood in front of her wearing all black, his silvery eyes practically glowing in the porch light. She swallowed her lust, put on a bright smile, and said, “Hey, ready to go?”
He raked his gaze down her body, bold and aggressive, giving the first sign in forever that he still wanted her. “Ready.”
The Mustang was in the driveway, looking as badass as its owner. She turned and grabbed her purse. “Great. Bill said we were going to Rock’s Steakhouse?”
“That’s the plan.” He stepped aside.
Some of her tension eased as she slid past him. So far so good.
Behind her keys jingled. “You look nice.”
Wasn’t this all ... civil. Good. Maybe this would be easier than she thought.
She climbed into the car, and as the doors shut she said, “So do you.”
He smirked. “I’m sure Bill will be happy.”
“Cheryl too.”
Was this a game? It had to be a trick?
He turned over the engine, and it roared to life. “Did you have a good day?”
“Busy but good. Small-town government isn’t as easy as I thought.”
“There’s a lot going on right now.” He pulled out of the driveway. “The town square is important to people, and everyone I’ve talked to is happy with your contribution.”
The niggling of disappointment poked in her sternum, frustrating her. It forced her to confront the truth: She’d been prepared for sabotage, and it had excited her.
Well, good. This was the best-case scenario.
She cleared her throat. “I’m glad. The Fourth of July Festival is in good shape and I’ve met with a lot of business owners in town, and I think given a little time I can increase sponsorships by thirty percent. The advance pre-order ticket sale promotion I came up with has been really well received, and with the strong sales, it can only help businesses see the benefits.”
“I know.” He shifted into third gear, and she tried not to get distracted by the muscles moving under his powerful thighs. “I get your daily reports.”
“I wasn’t sure if you read them.”
“Every word.”
The car fell silent.
She looked out the window. She could get through this night with him being nice and polite.
She thought of him, the way he kissed her and made her ache. She pressed her thighs together.
