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“No, I’m fine,” I blubber again. “I don’t need coffee.”
But the man is persuasive.
“A lemonade then,” he says. “And trust me, I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Then, the man gently takes my bags from me, before turning to his car and depositing them in the trunk. I have half a mind to demand them back, except that now he’s holding the passenger door of the luxury vehicle open. To hell with it. What do I have to lose?
Through my tears, I stumble over to the passenger side and get in before he shuts the door.
“Thank you,” I mumble. He nods, and then closes the door before going around the vehicle and getting in on the driver’s side.
“There’s a coffee shop close by,” he rumbles. “With coffee and lemonade, not to mention milk shakes.”
That makes me giggle through my tears, although it comes out as more of a wet snort.
“What?” he growls.
“Do they have strawberry milk shakes?”
The handsome stranger merely smiles while we pull away from the curb.
“I don’t know, but we can ask,” he says in a deep voice. “Milk shakes always make me feel better.”
I sigh because this man seems normal, even if I just did a really stupid thing.
“You know, I always told my mom I’d never get in a car with a stranger, and yet here I am, and it’s actually her fault. Isn’t that ironic?”
The man says nothing for a moment as we drive silently through the neighborhood. Oh no, did I say too much already? My cheeks go hot as my soul curdles in my chest. God, I’m such a blabbermouth and the last thing this man wants is to hear about my troubles.
But somehow, even though heisa stranger, I feel strangely safe because deep in my heart, I know that he’s not the judgmental type. Not only that, but he could have thrown me into the trunk as part of an abduction, but here we are, going to get milk shakes instead.
I allow myself a glance sideways at the ropes of muscle in his arms, and the size of his hand on the steering wheel. Then, unable to help myself, I drop my gaze to his crotch, taking in the enormous bulge in his designer jeans. OMG, this man is packing a monster and I feel my body run hot as I squeeze my thighs together. Will I get a chance to see it? But then, I look quickly away, praying he didn’t notice because these thoughts are so inappropriate! What am I doing?
The man shoots a sideways grin at me and says, “I'm Ryder, by the way.”
“I’m Ellen,” I reply breathlessly. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“There,” he rasps. “Now we’re not strangers anymore, so your mom can rest easy.” I look out the window.
“Yes, I suppose so,” I whisper to no one in particular.
The man casts me another sideways glance.
“You can tell me all about that inside,” he replies darkly. “But now, we’re here, so out you go.”
He parks the vehicle and is about to exit, but stops in his tracks, sensing my hesitation. After all, I didonlyjust meet him, and now I’m going for a coffee with him? Maybe I’ve read the situation all wrong. After all, there’s been a lot of emotional turmoil in the past couple hours, not to mention the fact that I nearly escaped a car accident. Now that I’ve had a few moments to collect my thoughts, suddenly I’m wondering whether this is such a good idea, and he knows it.
“Look,” Ryder growls, “you’re fine okay? We’re at the Sunshine Café with dozens of other vehicles around. The café’s got a good number of customers, so you’re safe. Have a coffee and tell me what’s on your mind. Or don’t, and that’s totally okay too. But relax a little, and afterwards, I’ll take you wherever you want to go, no questions asked. Deal?”
I bite my lip again, but then nod because I can see into the windows of the café, and it’s true. There are quite a few guests inside, and we’re in the middle of suburbia. Nothing crazy’s going to happen right? As a result, I step out of the vehicle and stand to face the handsome stranger. Maybe our acquaintance will only be fleeting, but I’m willing to take my chances.
3
Ryder
This unexpected rendezvous has thrown off my entire day, and yet, I’m not that upset. It’s strange though because this kind of thing doesn’t usually happen to a dude like me. I had two meetings scheduled at my firm, Landsman Partners, not to mention a session with my fitness trainer after lunch, but making those commitments is clearly out of the question now. Instead, I’m headed to a coffee shop, of all places, with Ellen.
It's weird because I have women falling over to meet me non-stop, and usually, I play it calm, cool, and collected. Hell, it’s even boring at times because I’ve been in the game so long. Yet with Ellen, it’s different. I shoot a glance at the curvy girl and immediately, my heart starts racing. She’s absolutely gorgeous, of course, but then again, there are a lot of beautiful women out there. So what is it about this girl that’s making me behave like some sappy boyband fan? I have no fucking idea.
