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“That look on your face says otherwise.”
“There’s no look.”
“There is.”
“Ryan, please. Just drive.” I sigh, and then it hits me. “Wait. What am I saying? Take me back to my car. I’m not leaving it at the bar. How am I supposed to get it back?”
“I’ll take you tomorrow.”
“What? No. Turn around.”
“Nope,” he says, shaking his head.
“Why are you being so weird?”
Silence. He doesn’t answer me. He just keeps that sly smile on his lips as he drives down the dark roads towards the cottage. Crossing my arms over my chest, I watch the wall of black whirl by.
Turning into the driveway, the air in the truck starts to change. The static charge makes the hair on my arms stand, and I keep darting my eyes over to Ryan to see if he can feel it too.
He shifts in his seat, and tightens his grip on the steering wheel.
The crunching of the gravel beneath the tires is the only sound filling my ears, and the driveway starts to feel like it’s miles long. When we finally get to the end and he parks, I look around in the dark to see if anything is out there. But all I get is black.
“I’m tired from tonight. So, I’ll see you around. And don’t worry about my car, I’ll just ask Ally to take me.”
“I don’t mind. I’m the one who made you come with me.”
“Yes, you did. I don’t know why, but it doesn’t matter. Goodnight.”
Reaching out, Ryan grabs my arm before I can open the door. “It matters,” he says, his voice low. Meeting his eyes, I can see that he’s waging some sort of battle on the inside. “And you know why.”
My mind is blank. I can’t think straight when he’s looking at me like this. “Why what?”
“You know exactly why I’m driving you home. You know exactly why I’m mad that you had men all over you last night, and tonight. And you know exactly why I want to carry you inside right now and push you up against the wall.”
“I really don’t,” I whisper, my heart racing, my skin hot.
“You’re pretending it didn’t affect you, but I know you’ve thought about me. I know you’vebeenthinking about me.”
“You’re not the first man to think that I’m just pretending not to like them,” I tell him, then mumble under my breath, “At least you didn’t force yourself on me.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“Who forced you?” His one hand tightens on the steering wheel, and his jaw ticks.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, pulling my arm free. “Bye, Ryan.”
“Ashley, wait!” he calls as I slam the door shut on him, quickly walking up the porch steps.
Fumbling around with my keys, my hands shake, and they fall, clattering against the wood.
“Ashley.” Ryan’s voice floods my ears, and I jump when I feel him grab my arm and spin me towards him.
When he takes a step forward, I take one back, trying to maintain a safe distance. But he follows me, the look in his eyes like that of a cheetah stalking its prey.
“Ashley,” he says again, and my eyes lift to his. Big mistake. His blue eyes are glowing, the battle he’s waging on the inside starting to show. “Don’t be afraid.”
