He snorted and put some distance between us. “Like that’s not patently obvious already. You’re a wicked temptation, Thaddeus Grey. Something I believe you’re well aware of.”
“Pfft.” I flicked my hand casually in dismissal. “Don’t blame me for your lack of control.”
His eyes locked on mine, and I glimpsed a feral flash of teeth. Then he responded slowly and deliberately. “If I lacked even the smallest amount of control, then believe me, you’d already know it.”
Holy crap. I fumbled for a reply,anyreply, because if there was ever a comeback guaranteed to crank my shit, that pretty much nailed it. The idea of watching Ryder Nelson lose control either with or about me was as sexy as it got. I swallowed hard and somehow croaked, “A lucky escape then, right?”
Ryder rolled his eyes and took the empty cup from my hands. “Here’s a thought. Why don’t you grab the ladder while I cut the plywood?”
I looked him up and down. “Are you chickening out of the conversation?”
He grinned. “Absolutely.”
“Fine.” I returned his grin. “So long as we’re clear about that.”
I moved the ladder into position and climbed the first few rungs to see how stable it felt. The tiled floor had sunk in a few places over the years, and I was glad Ryder would be there if I needed him. When he had the plywood cut to size, I climbed to the top, and Ryder supported the ladder while I manoeuvred the patch into position and secured it. When I was almost done, I glanced down and caught Ryder staring at my arse.
“Ryyyyyder.” I tut-tutted. “Whatever are you doing?”
His cheeks blew red... again, and he quickly looked down. “Sorry.”
I grinned to myself. The man truly sucked at hiding his feelings, but it was kind of nice. The majority of men I’d dated treated their feelings like a disease they had to hide from the public. A sign of weakness in a world that mostly didn’t give a shit. Ryder was either incapable of hiding them or simply chose not to. His interest in me was in every covert look he sent my way. Which only made his refusal of my very blatant and ongoing invitations something pretty extraordinary, at least in my world.
“Look all you want,” I countered, making my way down the ladder until I was standing in front of him. “It’s kind of reassuring to know that even if my mother doesn’t necessarily agree, Judd wasn’t some kind of unicorn, and there are other options for my future waiting out there. Hopefully, better ones.” I was only half-teasing and Ryder knew it.
“Trust me, you’ll have a lot of options,” he argued, meeting my eyes. “So maybe don’t settle next time. Wait for the right one, and to hell with your mother.”
I studied him for a moment. “You’re pretty good at this coaching shit, you know. Maybe you missed your calling?”
“You mean spend all day listening to people talk about their problems when there are gardens to plant? Are you crazy?”
I laughed at the horrified look on his face. “Yeah, point taken.” I stepped back and looked up. “Not too bad, even if I do say so myself.”
“Agreed.” Ryder held his hand up for me to high-five, and I obliged. “Which means—” He turned and gripped my shoulders in his hands, looking so fucking serious, I almost laughed. “—there’ll be no more talk of you being a runner or not being brave. It takes balls to do what you just did.”
It was nice of him to say, but “Not really. Heights don’t worry me, so it’s hardly courageous?—”
He pinched my lips together, his gaze intent on mine. “Nope, Thaddeus. Not. Another. Word.”
I obliged because my brain had basically gone into meltdown. The electrifying feel of Ryder’s rough fingers on my skin, on mylips, sent every cell in my body into a state of hyperawareness on a scale that confounded me. Yes, Ryder was hot. And yes, for absolute sure, I’d love to lose myself in a tumble or two with him between the sheets.
But this, right now? This... feeling? This was more than lust. This waslikewith a capital L, and that meant trouble. I may not have led a loose sexual life, far from it, but I was no virgin either. Lust was one thing, but this kind of attraction? Oh, hell no. I was done withthatfor a long, long time.
And like he felt it too, Ryder dropped his hand as if the touch of me burned him. He stepped back and fell over his words. “All I’m saying is that everyone has shit they’re scared of. For me, it’s heights, along with a few other things—don’t ask. For you, it’s dealing with conflict. My sisters like to say that change happens when you can take your courage from one context and learn to use it in another. I admire you for being able to scoot up that ladder without even blinking an eye. I could’ve done it, sure, butI’d be a shaking mess right about now. It’s something I’ve tried hard to overcome—you should see the shit I have to climb—but I still hate it.”
I smiled and offered a snappy dismissive salute. “Thanks for the pep talk.” It wasn’t the right response, I knew it, but in that moment, I felt a little too seen.
Ryder hesitated, then took the hint and segued to a new subject. “On the subject of things that scare us, or rather, me, would you consider taking a look at my ventilation control system? I don’t even know if that’s in your wheelhouse.”
“Oh my God! Finally, something I’m actually good at!” I rubbed my hands together and shot Ryder a wink. “Or brilliant at, if I’m honest.”
Ryder laughed. “I think I like this side of you.”
I grinned. “If it has software anywhere in its name, I’m your guy. Lead on.”
CHAPTER TEN
RYDER
