Ryder patted the pocket of his jeans. “It’s safe. I’m more worried about whether you’re okay.”
Now, there was a question. Ithought about how to answer. My hands were still shaking, my heart felt ready to jump out of my chest, and a ball of fear and anger was still lodged deep in my throat, but— “I think so,” I finally replied. “A bit shook up, sure. But apart from losing my crown and a split lip, yeah, I think I’m okay.”
Ryder pinched my chin in his fingers and turned my face from side to side. “Are you sure? Open up.”
I rolled my eyes. “Does that line usually work for you?”
He snorted. “I’m serious. I want to see if he did any more damage.”
I sighed and did as I was told. Ryder tilted my head back and took a good look inside my mouth. He nodded, seeminglysatisfied, then dug in his pocket for my broken crown and handed it over. “Should I drive you to a dentist?”
I studied the broken crown and let out a heavy sigh. “Nah. I’ll call my Wellington guy, but I don’t think it’s an emergency.” I ran my tongue over the nub of what was left of the original tooth. “There’s no pain. It just feels... odd.”
Ryder eyed me with a soft look in his eyes. “You’ve had a busy day.”
I shrugged. “I got that ventilation program working this morning as well.”
“You did?” Ryder beamed. “On top of going toe to toe with the evil council worker? Damn, Thaddeus. I don’t know what to say, except thank you, thank you. That’s fantastic. It’ll save me a ton of stress this summer. You’re a fucking miracle worker.” His hands opened and closed at his thighs like he was holding himself back.
My cheeks burned with his approval. “It was nothing. A way to say thank you, I suppose.”
Ryder held my gaze for a long moment like he wanted to say more. Then he swallowed and flicked his head toward the pile of rocks blocking access to the paper road. “I take it that was you as well?”
I gave the rocks a guilty sideways look but couldn’t stop from smirking. “Potentially, depending on whether you think it was a good idea or not.”
Ryder’s hand cupped my cheek and turned me back around to face him. “I think it was a bloody brilliant idea.” His blue eyes softened and he leaned forward, his lips pressing ever-so-gently to mine. It was barely a brush. A whisper. Testing. Tasting. Like he was trying me on for size. The tip of his tongue teased along the crease of my lips, grazing lightly over the stinging split. He was a question looking for an answer.
So, I gave him the only answer I had. The only one that made sense. The answer I’d been wanting to give him for four days. My lips parted, inviting him in, desperate to know how he tasted, how he felt in my arms. My hands slid around his neck. my fingertips delving deep into his sweat-damp hair, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss, wanting everything he had to give.
“Jesus, Thaddeus.” My name issued forth in a rumbling growl from deep in Ryder’s throat. “You taste so fucking good.” His arms encircled my waist, his hard-muscled body wrapping around mine until all I could feel was him, Ryder, the world beginning and ending with his flesh burning against mine, every nerve in my body bursting into flame.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
RYDER
Coffee,salt, and the coppery zing of blood coursed over my tongue. All of that, and a little bit of magic as well. It was the only explanation for my body’s overwhelming, instantaneous reaction to his. As if I’d been plugged into a power outlet, nerve endings crackling with need.
It wasn’t like I’d been starved for the feel of another man. I got enough action to keep me on an even keel. So, what the hell this was about, I had no idea. And I didn’t much care. The feel of him in my arms, the soft brush of that ridiculous, adorable moustache against mine, and the back-and-forth glide of his lips was just so fucking good, I didn’t have words.
For four days, I’d wondered how it would feel to kiss Thaddeus Grey. Kiss this confusing man who’d appeared from nowhere and taken over my every thought. Four days of circling each other, feeling the pull, the casual flirting, the heat, the hunger. Four days of me trying to be the better man, trying to keep things cool... safe.
So much for that.
One taste of Thaddeus and I was done being careful. He’d put his body on the line for me. Twice now. For Ziggy too. For my property and the dreams that came with it. He’d been wily and brave, and even confrontational—something that didn’t come easy to him. And it hadn’t even been his problem. He barely knew me. He could have easily walked away. He could’ve let the council do what it wanted and left me to deal with the fallout. It’s what most people in his position would’ve done. Maybe even what I would’ve done.
But Thaddeushadn’t taken the easy option. The sensible one. He’d had my back when I wasn’t there, and no one had done that for me in a long time. Not since... well, not since he’d done something equally brave just a few days before.
Thaddeus pulled away, a wide, sexy grin on his face. He took both my hands in his and walked backwards toward the cottage. “I think we should take this inside.” He caught his lower lip between his teeth and eyed me up and down. “So we don’t scare the birds.”
I grinned. “Oh, the birds. Right. Wouldn’t want to do that, would we?”
He waggled his brows, dropped one of my hands, and began running for the steps with me in tow. We tumbled through the open front door, Thaddeus pausing just long enough to set his broken crown on the hall table and check his split lip in the mirror. He swore at the sight. “What a mess. At least it’s stopped bleeding.”
I kissed the side of his neck as I eyed his reflection. “You’re still pretty.” I rested my chin on his shoulder. “You sure you want to do this with your lip and that tooth?”
He rested his head against mine. “Are you looking for an out, Mister Nelson?”
I met his gaze in the mirror. “Not a chance, Mister Grey.”
