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His grand plan was losing steam quickly.
Whitney winked at him and went back to tending her tables. A few minutes later, he saw Penny talk with Whitney and heard the word “break,” and then he watched her ass, in those shorts he was becoming very fond of, walk toward the back exit and outside.
Ryder finished his beer and set it on the bar.
“Have a good evening, Clara,” he said quickly, then left out the front door. Any luck, he’d head Whitney off around the side of the diner. It was time he took back control.
Chapter Six
Whitney kicked the gravel and took a big bite of the apple she’d snagged on the way outside. The small rocks crunched beneath her feet as she walked from the back of the BBQ to the side of the building. The low glow of the light and muted music coming from the diner were both distant and muffled. She breathed deep of the crisp night air and the smell of wheat on the breeze.
There was a lone red truck parked in the shadows near the side of the building. It was somewhat secluded from the main parking lot around front. She leaned against the front bumper and took another bite of her apple, chewing with purpose.
That damn man inside was getting to her. He was hot, alpha, and made her skin prickle with anticipation. But maybe now she understood another side of his conflict, because he was also talking to the kind of woman that could be the right fit for him. The kind in summer dresses, with perfectly manicured nails. AKA, not Whitney.
Not that she was comparing herself to anyone. But it made more sense now why Ryder was the way he was. She thought back to the other night when they’d played their “I’ve Never” game. He’d given her only a few specifics, but they’d revealed insights about him. He wanted things he thought he couldn’t have, which left him wondering if he had to settle for the things he could.
Where did that leave Whitney? What did she want from Ryder?
Mostly just him.
She knew also what she didn’t want, and that was to be lumped into some kind of ladies club. If he wanted distance from her, she’d give it. If he wanted to another night? She’d give that, too. But life was too short to pretend to be or feel something she wasn’t interested in. And she wasn’t interested in being one of Ryder Diamond’s pals.
The way he looked at her alone made her chest spasm. He met every challenge she issued and then gave back some of his own. She was already having withdrawals from the way he’d touched her, and she’d only had him for a single night.
She took another bit of apple.
“Fuckin’ Ryder,” she muttered.
“Careful, sweetness. I can fill that request easily.”
Ryder approached from the shadows, crunching up gravel beneath his boots. With her ass pressed against the front of the truck, she stared him down as he closed in on her.
“Leaning on a man’s truck like that gives the wrong idea,” he said.
“Oh? What kind of idea?” She gently put her heel behind her and balanced it on the shiny bumper.
“The idea that you just may get your wish, right up against it.”
“What was my wish again?” she mused, bending her arm to hold the apple in front of her face. Ryder closed the last few feet between them.
“Fuckin’ Ryder,” he said, then took a bite of her apple and stood up straight. She watched his jaw work the crisp fruit, and lord, the man was built, and sexy as hell.
“Wouldn’t that go against your boundaries?” she asked, trying to keep the rising need out of her voice.
He glanced down the front of her. “I told you that my intentions were to interact with you while your clothes remained on.”
She nodded, but the sly way he looked at her had her heart pounding harder. He moved against her, parting her legs with his knees. She dropped the apple as the smooth chrome of the Chevy behind her pressed against her spine.
“You told me the other night you’ve never had sex in a man’s truck.” He shifted his hips, dragging the bulge of his thick, jean-clad erection across her lower stomach. She couldn’t hold back a soft moan. “What about up against it?”
Her eyes flew to his. “This is your truck?”
He nodded.
Just her luck. Still, she had to keep her pride a little. Ryder was trying to set boundaries while breaking them at the same time. She was up for breaking rules, but there would be no coffee afterwards, or other awkward dating attempts.
She glanced over her shoulder at the big rig. “You know, a truck this size suggests the man driving it might be trying to compensate for something.” She glanced down at the very hard, very large cock straining against his jeans.
