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Cassi
Ryder Mills is going to be my husband one day. He might not know that yet, but I’m already picturing what kind of wedding we’ll have once the day comes along. It’s going to be a big celebration with lots of friends and loud music.
First things first, my future husband has to at least know of my existence first before I can even think about what kind of dress I want to wear.
When I stroll inside the Fairland Mountain Rescue headquarters, I purposely pretend I forget where my brother’s desk is and roam the room in hopes of catching a glimpse of the big boss man who runs this place. If I’m lucky, I might even get the chance to see him in action.
Nothing better than watching him bark orders at someone. Oh, how I’d love to get that kind of attention sent in my direction. Even if he’d want to scold me for hanging around despite not actually being employed here, I’d take that attention with open arms.
Unfortunately, I don’t see Ryder anywhere. Must be hiding somewhere. The guy doesn’t know how to take a day off, hence my daily visits. Since I can only ever catch glimpses of the guy while he’s at work, I’ll continue annoying my brother for a couple of hours each day until Ryder and I casually get stuck in a room together or something.
Wesley’s desk eventually crosses my path and I find him talking on the phone while staring down at a map. His pen is dragging across the coordinates, his attention fully on whoever is on the other end. If I have to guess, he’s probably giving the location to a life flight. I’ve seen him do plenty of those before.
Wesley doesn’t even glance my way when I flop down in the chair across from his desk. Though, his brows pinch together as soon as I get comfortable. He clearly missed me since the last time he’s seen me.
Inside my bag, I pull out a laptop and charger. Unplugging his desk lamp, I jab in my charger and settle comfortably.
I’ve got a paper to finish, purposely left undone for today. I start typing, hardly getting a few sentences in before I hearhisvoice. Ryder Mills.
Looking up, my heart automatically thuds in my chest. The man must hear the loud pounding because he looks in my direction the moment he steps out of the room he was hiding in. Pretty sure it’s his office.
Our eyes meet for only a moment but I swear it feels like a lifetime. Then he turns away and I remember how to breathe. Even with the distance between us, I can see his handsome features as he strolls through the large room.
He trimmed his beard this morning, or maybe he styled it. His beard is looking more tamed than usual. If I got my hands on his face, I’d run my fingers through the coarse hair and give his beard a wild appearance.
Our relationship has been this way since I first showed up last month. We had a short introduction thanks to Wesley. I fell in love with his boss at first sight and he refused to shake my hand.
Maybe Ryder’s shy, Wesley won’t actually tell me. If my brother hadn’t set the condition of hanging out with him at work and not bringing any attention to himself, I would’ve definitely approached Ryder myself.
Wesley never said I couldn’t accidentally bump into him. Not specifically. I’d want to literally run into Ryder and give him an excuse to wrap those two thick arms around my body. Thinking about it now is enough to make me want to stand up from my chair.
Ryder inches closer in our direction but doesn’t pass us. As badly as I want him to stroll over so I can get a better look, he doesn’t come as close as I want him to. Still, I definitely look when he’s got his back turned to me.
His leg catches my eye as he walks. It’s not the first time and even now, I still don’t know what happened to him. Each time I see those scars on his calves, I consider asking my brother what happen. Knowing it’s not my business, I keep my curiosity inside.
His scars don’t make him any less attractive to me. Ryder is still very much appealing.
It’s a shame Wesley ends his phone call, catching my stare as it’s happening.
“Don’t even think about it,” he orders with a frown. My brother is a mind reader. Here’s to hoping he can’t see what I picture whenever the other man crosses my thoughts.
“Look at him Wes, he’s sticking out like a sore thumb. I can’t help it.” I sigh in defeat and try to look at my laptop in hopes that my paper catches my attention like my future husband does. The words on the screen don’t even come close. Boring words about a historical figure stare back, hardly written. Ugh.
“You’re gross,” Wesley insults as he folds up his map.
Does my brother judge me every single time I fantasize about his boss? Yeah, definitely. Wesley is an open book, that’s for sure. He’s never tried to hide his distaste for what my heart has always wanted.
Growing up, he’s definitely gotten an earful about how much I’ve wanted to find my other half. Being someone who is simply in love with the idea of loving someone else, I’ve always hunted for the person who felt like they could be ‘the one’.
I didn’t even have to talk to Ryder to know. The tingles came rolling in the moment our eyes met.
Trying to work, I lift my eyes whenever Ryder moves. He’s not going back into his office space, drifting across the room. He’s watching his employees, waiting for someone to ask for assistance.
A part of me wants to pretend that he’s lingering about so he can watch me from a distance. The thought makes me giggle.
Wesley rolls his eyes, grabbing his phone to dial another number. “Calling the clinic, so stay quiet.”
“Calling your girlfriend, more like it,” I grumble, typing nonsense on my screen. “Wannabe girlfriend.”
