Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

My hands slid up his chest, feeling his warm skin and the steady beat of his heart beneath my fingertips. The kiss deepened, and a small sound escaped from between my lips as his hands moved to my waist, drawing me closer.

All my doubts and fears seemed to fall away for the moment, replaced by something I hadn’t felt in longer than I could remember. It was almost as if I couldn’t refuse whatever it was that was happening.

In the back of my mind, I knew it was a mistake letting someone get close to me again, but for once, I didn’t care. There was absolutely no reason I could think of to not just relax for once and enjoy myself, even though I didn’t know how we got to this.

Ryder pulled me even closer, his hands gliding around my hips with an urgency that made my breath catch. I reached up, tangling my fingers in his thick hair, allowing myself to get lost in the warmth of his mouth and the sensation of his beard against my skin.

I grabbed his shirt, pulling him back toward the couch. A chorus of howls caused him to stop in his tracks, his eyes darting toward the nearest window.

Ryder broke away from me instantly, his body going rigid. “Son of a bitch.”

I dragged my finger across my lips as if I could still feel him there. My pulse was pounding, but this time it wasn’t because of the howling wolves nearby.

His eyes darkened as he stepped up to the window. “I should stay tonight.”

“Um,” I said, looking around as if I’d find the right words to say. I mean, kissing was great, but staying the night seemed a bit fast.

He shook his head quickly. “Not that. The wolves. I don’t trust Kellan to leave you alone.”

“Oh,” I said, clearing my throat. “Yeah, right? I just thought maybe the couch was too small.”

“I can sleep anywhere,” he said, flicking me a quick look.

“Good,” I said, twisting my fingers. “I feel safer with you here. Especially without my SUV to run away in.”

His head bobbed. “I’m not going anywhere unless I know for a fact he won’t bother you or I can arrange for someone else to guard the vicinity.”

As the night wore on, it was almost as if I weren’t there at all. Ryder paced from window to window, checking the yard with his phone in his hand. The soft glow of his screen illuminated his face as he fired off text after text. Whatever moment we’d shared earlier had vanished, replaced by this vigilant protector who seemed to have forgotten I was even in the room.

After watching him make his third complete circle around my house, I sighed. “I think I’m going to get ready for bed.”

“Okay,” he said, barely glancing my way.

In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face, trying to clear my head. What the hell was I doing? One minute, I was practically melting into Ryder’s arms, and the next, I was being completely ignored. This was just another reason never to let anyone get too close.

I brushed my teeth and quickly changed into a fresh pair of pajamas — a worn soft t-shirt with a deep V-neck and a pair of loose pajama pants that always slid down to my hips. They were incredibly comfortable, and that’s all that mattered, even though I had company.

I walked back out to the kitchen to get a drink of water, finding Ryder at the back door tapping an aggressive message into his phone. He didn’t even bother to look up, although I was sure he’d heard me two feet away from where he stood.

I rolled my eyes. “Well, goodnight then.”

“Night,” he said, flicking his eyes up for a second. His eyes widened, and he turned back to me, a low rumbling noise escaping from his throat.

“Wow,” he said, the single word carrying more weight than it should have.

My cheeks warmed. “Can I get you anything? Water? Extra blanket? I’m sorry, I don’t have any pajamas that would fit you.”

Ryder seemed speechless, his eyes lingering on me in a way that made my skin tingle. “I’m fine,” he finally managed. His eyes remained fixed on me, traveling from my face down to my loose pajama pants before quickly snapping back up, almost like he was fighting with himself. “I probably won’t get to do much sleeping anyway. Usually don’t.”

“I’ll get you a blanket just in case,” I said, walking to the hall closet to pull out my softest blanket.

I set it on the couch, smoothing it out more than necessary just to give my hands something to do. Ryder stood, running a hand through his hair.

“Sleep well, Everly,” he said, his voice lower and rougher than before.

“Night,” I said, offering him a gentle smile.

I turned toward my bedroom, feeling his eyes on me as I walked away. I closed the door with a soft click, my hand still on the door.

It was stupid, but I wanted him to crawl into bed with me. Just one night of letting go and not having to worry about feelings or getting hurt. Surrendering to each other.

I crawled into bed, forcing myself to think of anything other than wolves and the extremely attractive man in my living room. Despite my exhaustion, sleep came fitfully, and my dream was a tangled web of howling, kisses, and warm hands on my skin.

I jerked awake a few hours later, disoriented for a few seconds, before realizing I wasn’t in my bed in the city. It would have been one hell of a crazy dream, but at this point, nothing seemed impossible. In fact, I wouldn’t even be surprised if someone told me vampires were real, too.

The digital clock on my nightstand read 3:17 AM. After trying unsuccessfully to fall back asleep, I threw back the covers and silently walked out into the kitchen for water.

Ryder was sitting on the couch, the blanket folded neatly where I’d left it. He still had his shoes on, but the top two buttons of his shirt had been unbuttoned, revealing his rock-hard chest.

“Everything okay?” he asked, voice quiet in the stillness of the night. He didn’t turn.

“Sorry, I was trying to be quiet,” I said, frowning. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“You were quiet. I just have really good hearing.”

I glanced toward the window and then back toward him. “Are they still out there?”

“No.”

“Then why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked, raising a brow.

He shrugged and set down his phone. “A lot on my mind.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I made things more complicated for you,” I said, sitting on the edge of the couch cushion.

“No,” he said, his hands resting loosely on his wide-spread legs. “It’s Kellan that’s the problem. Not you. What’s keeping you up?”

I leaned my chin on my closed fists. “Everything.”

“He won’t hurt you. Not while I’m around,” Ryder said, his eyes glowing fiercely.

“It’s not just that. I don’t belong here. And Steven called to ask me to help out at the bar again next weekend?—”

“No fucking way! You will not be going there again.”

My eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“That place isn’t good…”

“You were there!”

“I can take care of myself,” he growled. “Not to mention, I wasn’t alone.”

I pushed my shoulders back. “I can take care of myself, too. I’ve done it since I was seventeen.”

Ryder’s eyes pulsed. “It’s not the same thing. You’re human. If they wanted to?—”

“I’m not going to let you or anyone else, for that matter, tell me what I can and can’t do,” I said, sucking a sharp breath.

“This is to keep you safe,” Ryder said, throwing his hands in the air. “We have to be smart.”

“We?”

He let out a slow breath as he stared at his hands. “Promise me that you will at least wait until I know Kellan will leave you alone. Until I know you’ll be safe. I couldn’t handle it if something?—”

“Fine,” I said, pressing my lips together. “Who knows if I’ll even still be around by next weekend? My car will be fixed, and I should really just go home.”

“Maybe that would be for the best,” Ryder said, his mouth dropping as if I’d slapped him across the face. “At least then I’ll know you’re safe.”

I stood up abruptly, my temper flaring. “Great. Perfect. Then I’ll be gone in a few days, and you’ll never have to see me again or worry about me getting destroyed by a rogue werewolf.”

Ryder got to his feet in one fluid motion, closing the distance between us so quickly I almost stepped back.

“That’s not what I want,” he said, his voice rough. “I don’t want to never see you again.”

My hands balled into tight fists, trying to ignore how having him so close made my pulse quicken. “Really? Because it sounded like you’d be relieved if I weren’t here.”

“What? No,” Ryder said, shaking his head. His eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made it hard to breathe. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I haven’t been able to get you out of my fucking head since I first saw you in the woods that night.”

My hands relaxed, and my mouth went dry as I stared at him. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response.

“Everything about you,” he said, his voice dropping lower, “filled this emptiness inside of me.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I wanted to fight it. I’m trying to fight it because I know better. I know what I am.”

“I don’t care what you are,” I said, my breath catching. “I care who you are.”

“I shouldn’t let myself feel this way… not about someone like you,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. “Someone I could hurt. Someone who shouldn’t know about any of this.”

I reached out, my fingers brushing against Ryder’s arm. Even through the fabric of his shirt, that smallest touch sent shivers racing across my skin and up my spine.

“I already know about it,” I said, my voice soft. “There’s no going back now.”

Ryder looked down at where my hand rested on his arm, his eyes darkening to something primal and hungry. The air between us seemed to crackle with electricity.

“I didn’t realize how weak I was until now,” he murmured, his voice rough with need.

“If you’re weak, then what the hell am I?” I breathed.

He moved fast, lifting me at the hips. I gasped as my feet left the ground, my hands automatically going to his shoulders. For a heartbeat, our eyes locked, and I saw something wild and desperate filling his gaze.

His lips crushed against mine with an urgency that made my head spin. I responded instantly, my fingers digging into his shoulders, my body arching against his as he held me effortlessly in his strong arms.

The kiss deepened, his tongue sliding against mine as a small moan escaped from the back of my throat. Everything outside of this moment — wolves, danger, my plans to leave — all of it disappeared in the heat of his touch, replaced by a need so intense it almost frightened me.

But for once in my life, I wasn’t going to run from what scared me. Not tonight.