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His brow inched up. “Going somewhere?”
“Yes. And I need to get ready.”
“Another date?”
“Yes.”
His jaw tightened. “Does Coop know what happened in the gardens?”
I nodded. “I told him.”
Ryder edged closer to me, his eyes boring into mine. “All of it? That I ate you out? That you came all over my fingers? That I fed from you while I fucked you?”
“I didn’t give him a rundown, no.”
“And he doesn’t give a shit that I had you last night?”
I frowned. “If you thought he’d pitch a fit and declare that he and I were no longer dating, you thought wrong. He and I aren’t exclusive.”
“Oh, I didn’t expect him to pitch a fit. I don’t think he’s any more serious about you than you are about him. You’re both looking for what you want in the wrong places.”
“I’m not even going to ask where you think I should be looking, because my personal life is really not your business. No, don’t even dare claim I’m wrong on that. You and I had yet another one-time, no-strings fuck. That was it. It was just sex.”
Ryder’s eyes flared. He put his face closer to mine. “It was fucking great sex.”
“It was angry sex.” I stepped back. “You don’t like that you want me. You never have. And hey, I get it. You have some demons riding you. If I lost someone I loved and then found myself wanting someone else—even if only for a quick fuck—I wouldn’t feel too good about it or … what’s funny?”
Scrubbing his hand over the amused smile he wore, Ryder shook his head. “Everyone thinks they know what’s going on inside my head. They don’t. They don’t have a clue, because they don’t have the full story.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Then let’s hear it.”
Sighing, he looked away.
Yeah, he wasn’t going to explain. But then, I hadn’t thought he would. I’d learned fast that he wasn’t a man who shared easily. He’d reveal bits and pieces about himself here and there, but nothing too personal. His little anecdotes were often so vague that they only left me with more questions.
“You should go,” I told him. “Like I said, I have to get ready. Thank you for checking on me, but it wasn’t necessary. I’m fine.”
His eyes drifted over my face, hot and intent. “I never like leaving you, you know,” he said, his voice low and soft.
Ignoring the clenching of my stomach, I said, “I have a solution. Stop coming to me.”
“I try. Doesn’t always work. That’s what I get angry about. You fuck with my hard-won self-control.”
I blinked, taken aback. Did I know that Ryder liked having absolute control over himself? Yes, I did. I could easily imagine him getting pissed about anything that even came close to fracturing that control. But I doubted the situation was really that simple. His anger ran too deep. There had to be more to it.
I didn’t push for more details, though, because it would only lead to disappointment—he wouldn’t share shit. To be fair to him, he wasn’t obliged to. We weren’t together. We weren’t even bed-buddies. He owed me no explanations.
“Maybe one day you’ll stop resenting me for it,” I said.
His mouth tightened. “I don’t resent you, I resent—”
A knock came at the door.
“That’ll be Coop,” I said. “And I’m not ready. I don’t suppose you could let him in on your way out, could you?” I turned and retreated into my bedroom. I heard the door hinges creak, the low murmur of male voices, and then the click of the front door closing. But the talking didn’t stop. So, what, Ryder had invited Coop in like it was his apartment? Bastard.
I dressed quickly and tracked the voices to the living area. There, I looked from Ryder to Coop. Both were sitting on the sofa, chatting amiably like they were old pals. Coop was so engrossed in Ryder’s tale that it took him a moment to realise they were no longer alone.
Coop grinned up at me. “Oh, hey. Ryder’s telling me this amazing story about how he and Sebastian tracked a vampire in Egypt.” He glanced back at Ryder. “I would love to be a tracker or part of the legion, but that level of danger isn’t for me. Being a PA suits me much better.” Coop’s eyes flew back to me. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
By the way. Like I was an afterthought. Nice.
I smiled, hoping it wasn’t brittle around the edges. “Thank you.”
Ryder raked his gaze over my dress—it was a slow, thorough, blatantly sexual perusal. “Red is definitely your colour, babe.”
It’d be the colour of his face if he didn’t stop with the ‘babe’ shit. I looked at Coop. “I’m ready when you are.”
If he asked to hear the rest of Ryder’s story first, I’d kick his ass. It honestly appeared as if he would, but he must have thought better of it because he stood and said, “Then let’s go.”
