Zoey: Ryder…
Ryder: I at least want to talk about what happened last week.
I swallowed hard. Time to stop tiptoeing around this. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and I wasn’t going to let my personal rule of no attachments get in the way this time.
Before I could change my mind, I dialed her number. She picked up on the second ring.
“Yes?”
“Do you like wine?”
“Does the Earth revolve around the sun?”
“From what I remember in my eighth grade science class, yes, but I slept through most of it. I had this spinster of a teacher with a hairy mole.”
She giggled, and the stress of the day faded into the background.
“Would you like to go wine tasting with me? There’s a vineyard opening up just outside the city, and I hear that their cabernet is amazing.” I quickly added, “If you’re into that sort of thing. Jason was thinking of serving it at the resort, and I could use a second opinion.”
“Are you…asking me out?”
“Yes.” For once in my life, I was so damn sure this was what I wanted. Just one more date. Everything about this woman drove me crazy, and to just be in the room with her was enough.
“I don’t know…” She trailed off, and sweat beaded on my brow.
“Zoey, the last time I asked someone out I had braces and that bowl cut you loved so much, so can you cut me some slack?”
She sighed and her hesitation was palpable over the phone. “You said it has to do with the resort?”
“Technically.” The new manager that I’d hired early last week would be in charge of picking the alcohol to dispense at the resort, but this winery was on the list.
Silence flooded the line. I braced for her to shut me down again. If she did, I’d stop trying, because there wasn’t anything left in my arsenal.
An agonizingly long time later she said, “I’m in. When do you want to go?”
Victory. “Friday night,” I said.
“Okay.”
Great. “It’s a date.”
“Is not. Just wine.”
“Call it what it is, Zoey. I’ll pick you up at six.”
My lips pulled into a smile as I hung up. This was uncharted territory, but for the first time ever, I was ready to explore.
…
Zoey
Friday rolled around five excruciating days later.
Socks, shirts, and a pair of shorts flew through the air as I entered Lainey’s room.
“Going to see your mom this weekend?”
“Yeah.” She stuffed a rogue sock into her duffel bag. “She’s redecorating her office for spring and wants me to help. Even promised me Greasy Guys as payment if I handle the glitter and glue gun.”
“Sounds like a great deal.” My stomach rumbled. Oh, how I missed Portland food. Seattle had its fair share of eclectic dining, but I hadn’t found any restaurants that were favorites, those go-to places for certain moods. Like when I was a bloated mess, I’d always pick up gyros from the food cart in downtown Portland. Or if my favorite ship on TV sank, there was the Chinese restaurant in the parking structure off of Grant. They had the best pink egg flower soup.
“Did you want to come with? There’s an extra glue gun with your name on it.” She waggled her brows.
“Tempting, but I can’t.” I hadn’t mentioned my date tonight because I didn’t know what to think of it. Half of me was doing a victory dance, and the other half of me side-eyed the crap out of my decision. And last time I slept with Ryder, he’d disappeared without a trace. Sure, that had to do with his brother’s injury, but what was to say he wouldn’t leave again?
She slid her gaze to me. “I didn’t know you had plans?”
“I have a date.”
“Please tell me it’s not with that guy on Tinder who sent you pics of his Star Wars figurine collection.”
“Well, you do know how those battle droids really do it for me.”
“Is it…?” She raised a brow.
I nodded. “I told him we’re going as friends. We’re going wine tasting.”
She let out a squeal. “That is so not a friends thing.”
I motioned between us. “We go wine tasting.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want in your pants.”
“Don’t deny you’d totally tap this if you didn’t have Brogan.” I shook my butt at her and she smacked it. “But for real, what do I even wear?” I dragged her into my room, and she stared at the options I’d laid out on my bed—a high-neck dress and my work slacks. “Which one would you choose?”
“Depends. Are you trying to send the message that you like to cross-stitch and watch Wheel of Fortune?” She laughed and threw both outfits on my chair. “And seriously, don’t you wear those pants to work on laundry day? Last time I checked, you had a closet full of fun clothes, Z.”
She rummaged through my closet and came out a few seconds later. “Jeans and a cute top should work. You can borrow my boots if you want.”
“Thanks.”
“And text me if you need anything. And for God’s sake, don’t bring up random trivia facts.”
“What? It’s a good ice breaker,” I said defensively. I did that for one date, and she never let me live it down. Granted, the guy did make an excuse that he had to leave halfway through dinner, so maybe he didn’t appreciate my knowing that when people blush, the lining of their stomach also turns red.
“I think the ice is more than melted between you guys.”
“Right.”
“And you can tell him that if he’s an ass, I will personally throat-punch him when I return.”
“Noted.”
Lainey gave me a hug good-bye and then was out the door in a flash. I stood in the middle of the apartment wondering if I could Google what to wear on a non-date date.
Forty minutes later and my hair was in the middle of a throw-down with my flat iron. Half my wardrobe was on my bed or in a mound on the floor, and I was two minutes away from a minor panic attack.
After I pulled on a fitted cashmere sweater and jeans, I turned to my cat, who was sprawled out on my desk chair, cleaning his face. “What do you think of this, Jitters?”
He didn’t even deign to respond, just kept licking his paw.
“Right. Cashmere is for luncheons with clients.” He was such an ego booster.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Five outfits later, I’d decided on dark skinny jeans, a flowy top, and my hair was pulled into a loose bun. It said casual, friendship, and I’m not trying too hard. Right. Why was I doing this again?
Ryder knocked on my door the moment the clock on my phone hit six. My breath hitched, and a heat wave worked its way up my back, to my neck, and ended at my cheeks.
Stay cool. You kissed. He did amazing things with his tongue. And you’re about to imbibe copious amounts of wine, but you have this under control.
Hell, I had jeans on, everything was on lockdown. Not that that had stopped him last week, but that was beside the point. I could handle myself like a responsible citizen. Whatever I needed to tell myself to feel better, right?
I kept my hand firmly planted on the door handle as I opened it. My breath rushed out in a whoosh as I took in Ryder’s hulking frame in the doorway. He wore a pale blue button-up that brought out his eyes, a pair of jeans that hugged all the right places, and his hair was the same mussed mop as usual. He smiled and handed me a single purple calla lily.
“Gorgeous. Thank you.”
He mashed his lips together and looked down at his hands. “I know your duke would have something perfect to say, but everything that comes to mind is cheesy as hell, so I’ll leave it at I’m excited to have dinner with you, and you look beautiful.”
Gifts didn’t typically do much for me, but this one was especially sweet. It showed he was actually listening. “Wait, I’m pretty sure you weren’t around when this happened in the audiobook.”
He shrugged. “I might have sampled the audio.�
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Wow. He’d tried out a romance novel because I was interested in it. What happened to the guy who left me high and dry in November? Hell, even the guy from two months ago. I put the flower to my nose, inhaling the sweet scent. “Ryder Covington. You really are full of surprises.”
I strode into the kitchen, grabbed a small vase, and plopped the flower in with a little water. As I shrugged on my coat, Jitters hopped down from his perch on the couch and wound through my legs, purring loudly. I bent down and scratched behind his ears. “I’ll be back later, sweetie.”
“Who is that?”
I’d locked Jitters in Lainey’s room last time Ryder was over because he tended to not like other men in the house. My possessive little alpha cat. “Oh, that’s Jitters. He’s my main man.”
Ryder bent down to pet him, and Jitters hissed in response.
“He doesn’t like strangers. Takes him a little bit to warm up.”
“I used to have a cat when I was younger. His name was Milo. Was more like a dog with his fetch skills.”
“Jitters can play dead.” I stood, aimed my two pointer fingers at him, and said, “Bang, bang.”
The cat flopped down on the floor onto his back.
He laughed and the sound vibrated through my chest. “Your cat kicks ass.”
I scratched Jitters on the tummy and then said, “Well, we should get going.”
He opened the door wider and put his hand on the small of my back as we both exited my apartment. Professional Me should have slipped away from his touch. I should have declined this evening altogether. Instead, I leaned in closer to his touch. Resistance was futile at this point. I’d broken my rules—why was I trying to abide by them anymore?
We made our way to the parking garage and stopped at his truck where he helped me in the passenger side.
As he pulled open his own door, he climbed in and gave a quick, deliberate perusal of me, his gaze snaking down my chest to my crossed legs, then back up again. He’d barely said a word since we walked to the car, which was very un-Ryder-like.
“Want to plug the address into the GPS?” When I didn’t say anything, he glanced over at me and frowned. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I—nothing.” Don’t mind me, just having epic flashbacks. Hands, lips, neck…name a body part and my mind was coming up with very creative ways to make use of it. I cleared my throat and entered the address of the winery into his dash navigator. If he could keep it together, I certainly could as well.
Thirty minutes later we pulled into the drive of the winery. Twinkle lights wrapped whimsically around the tree branches, and soft music played through the outdoor speakers. It was the perfect spot for a…date. Yup, this was a full-fledged, bona fide date that I’d just agreed to go on. No backing out now, not when sweet and savory spices mixed in the air with the promise of wine that cost more than ten bucks for a two-liter. Like I said, Lainey and I were frugal, but it got the job done.
Ryder put his hand on the small of my back as we entered the lobby of the restaurant. It was a light touch that was anything but friendly, and I didn’t bother to pull away.
A hostess came to the front desk, looking at the laminated layout of the restaurant sitting on the podium. “Would you like to sit at the bar or at one of our tables?”
“Table would be great,” Ryder said. He returned his hands to his pockets and moved his neck from side to side.
She led us to a table overlooking the vineyard.
The sun had already set over the mountains, leaving blotches of pinks, oranges, and deep purples punctuating the skyline. A gorgeous early spring night.
She handed us two menus, and I stared at the selections of reds, whites, and sparkling dessert wines, my mouth watering. Lainey and I drank boxed wine because it’d been customary from our days in college and fit our broke young professionals budget, but it didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the good stuff every once in a while.
Ryder’s gaze scanned the menu and then focused on me. “I’ve actually never done this before.”
“Really? Lainey and I went all the time in college.”
He set the menu down, folding his arms on the table. “Is that where you two met?”
It was intoxicating, having his full attention focused on me. I’d been on dates where the guy spent more time with his phone than having an actual conversation with me. Ryder’s was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his hands were clasped atop the table, and he looked at me like what I had to say really mattered. “We’ve been friends practically my entire life.”
I sat back and stared at the sunset. To think, a few weeks ago, I could barely stand to be in the same room as him. And now my heart threatened to pound out of my chest with just one glance his way.
The wine came first, and I’d downed the first two samplers in record time. The delicious factor wasn’t even taken into account. It was a survival tactic. More food in mouth equaled less stupid crap said.
“You tell Lainey you were going out with me tonight?”
“Actually, yes.” I drummed my fingers along the tabletop. “She sent a message with me.”
His brow raised at this. “Yeah?”
“She said to be nice, or else.”
“I’m not buying she was that diplomatic about it.”
“Okay, she threatened to throat-punch you.”
He smiled. “I like her.”
“She’s the best.”
“Seems like it. Friends like that are hard to come by. The only person I’ve been that close to is my brother.”
Lainey was the sister of my heart. “They are.” She’d been there for me when my mom died. She’d been there for everything, and I didn’t know what I’d do once the time came for us to move out and go our separate ways. I kicked back the jigger of wine. Damn, this was good stuff. “You just missed her when you picked me up tonight. She’s going to be away for the weekend at her mother’s.”
“Is that so?”
Why was I telling him this? This had to be the wine taking effect. That could totally happen within five seconds of taking a sip, right?
He thumbed the knife on the table and gently clinked it against the spoon sitting next to it on a crisp white linen napkin. “About last week…” He trailed off.
I set my glass down. “What about it?”
So, I’d done the coward thing and ignored the situation, throwing myself into my work. It was about 23 percent effective.
“Are you really going to make me say it?” He lifted his brow. When I didn’t answer, he straightened and blew out a breath. “What happened between us was intense. I figured we needed to talk this out.”
“Yeah?” I swallowed hard. “What about your whole one-night rule?” As much as I wanted to blame my entire reluctance on my job, this was the real reason I hesitated when it came to him. Not that I thought Ryder was going to play me, but because he wasn’t the type to stick around.
His lips pulled into a thin line. “I think we know that I’ve screwed that up. I tried the relationship thing once, and it failed miserably.”
“I’ve screwed up many times. Did you know I almost brought flash cards on this date?”
His lips tipped into a smile. “What would they have said?”
“I like to have random facts prepared, just in case there’s a lull in conversation.”
“Okay, lay one on me.”
“You really want to hear my Guinness record-worthy knowledge of random facts?”
He took a sip of wine, and I caught the slightest grimace ghosting his features. “Hell yes.”
“A shrimp’s heart is in its head. And a crocodile can’t stick out its tongue.”
“Interesting.” He smiled and my chest squeezed.
“And, just like fingerprints, people have different tongue prints as well.” I worried my lip between my teeth. “Sorry. I’m ruining this, aren’t I?”
“No, I could listen to you share trivia facts all night if it meant spending time with you.”
Boom. Duke Renau had nothing on Ryder Covington. A scary thought, especially since I’d been burned by this guy before.
“Ryder, what happens when you start your circuit again?”
He frowned. “I don’t know. And I’m not able to make any guarantees. But I know I’d sit here and choke down wine if it meant even one more minute with you.”
Okay, back the truck up a moment. I wasn’t supposed to want this. I always went for the sure bet. The riskiest thing I’d done not pertaining to Ryder was to try to match a yellow armoire in a beige room. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
“Say yes. Give this a shot. It’s not perfect, but I feel like we should at least try.”
My mind fuzzed over. It was the wine. It had to be. This was why I stuck to Tom Collins. Something that I could sip and savor, something that lasted. But I’d guzzled down the wine like it was on a BOGO sale. Maybe it was because I was with Ryder—without us constantly bickering, I didn’t know what to do with my mouth, so I kept it busy. Drinking.
“You know how much this job means to me.” Coward. I was using my job as a buffer. Sure, this went against office policy, but I’d already broken that, so I couldn’t even really claim it as an excuse anymore.
“I do. And I’d never jeopardize that. But we’re two consenting adults. I won’t let this get in the way of business if you don’t.”
“Okay.”
He cocked his head. “Okay what?”
“Let’s do this.” Why not? Might as well stop fighting it and enjoy myself for once.
Three glasses later and the room spun like a carnival ride. There was a teensy chance that I’d overdone it, but the dessert wine was good enough where I just couldn’t pass it up. And wow, Ryder was really cute. Like, really, really cute. Did I mention how cute he was?
I hiccupped and set my glass down on the table, giggling. “I can’t feel my teeth.” Everything was pleasantly numb.
He chuckled and sipped at his glass of water. “I don’t think you can normally feel your teeth.”
“But I really can’t now.” I tapped my canines. “Completely numb.”
“If that’s the case, maybe we should get you something else to eat on the way home, Flash.” He paid the bill as soon as the waitress handed him the check, and we both got up. I pulled my coat off the back of my chair and put it on, making my way around to his side of the table.
The Rule Maker (Rule Breakers) Page 14
