Ryder

by Ali Parker

  "Do we need to pay?" She moved up beside me, and I reached out and took her hand, helping her onto the cable car.

  "No. I help everyone where with their businesses or farms from time to time. They won't charge us." I got into the cart and locked the bar down in front of us. "Tell me what you do for fun, Miss New York City."

  She smirked. "I'm not really sure life can be fun after a certain age."

  I balked. "Are you shitting me? We're still young, and to be honest, the people who have the most fun are those who are old enough to know that all life can be is fun."

  "You think so?" Her voice softened, and I caught a glimpse of that hurt, that timid nature that she seemed to be trying hard to hide.

  "I do." I leaned back and extended my arm around the back of her shoulders as the ride started to move. She squealed, and I laughed. "You sounded all of ten years old just then."

  "I wish." She scooted a little closer. "My sister and I haven't talked in three years."

  "Why is that?" I cupped her shoulder and forced myself to relax. I wanted to lean down and kiss her exposed shoulder, to breath her in, to let myself fall in love with the gorgeous stranger pressed to my side. I hadn't wanted for anything or anyone in years. How weird it was to feel those feelings again. The slight fear that she would return to New York and leave my plain world just that - plain.

  She glanced down and cupped her hands together. "My mom and dad were killed in an accident coming to see Nora and me in L.A."

  "I'm sorry to hear that. My folks died on the way back from a funeral about ten years ago. They were five miles from the house." I cleared my throat. It wouldn't ever be easy to talk about losing them, not that I brought it up much. Jeremy and I steered clear of the conversation and had for the longest time. It was too painful. Even still.

  "Wow. That's horrible." She glanced over at me, the kindness in her eyes meaning far more than the heat I'd seen earlier. "Who's funeral? Were you with them?"

  "No. I was in the service. I joined the Navy out of high school and had worked my way up to flying at the Air Force flight school, but after mom and dad died, Jeremy was a mess. I got out of the military and came back here to help him work through everything."

  "And is he better?" She glanced around as if trying to pick him out from all the other bodies that moved around on the earth far below us. He wouldn't be too hard to find. He was the only one in slacks and a button-down shirt. He'd never fit in again. He didn't want to.

  "I don't know if better is the right word. He's become a different man than the one I left when I graduated high school and went on with my life, but he is who he is now." I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair. "So tell me why you and Nora haven't talked in three years."

  "Because I look like my daddy and she looks like my momma." She glanced over at me, her face so close to mine. Up close I could see the laugh lines on the side of her mouth and cute little freckles lining her nose.

  "You're beautiful." I reached up with my free hand and touched her cheek softly as the world seemed to fade. "Did you know that?"

  "No," she whispered and pulled my hand down. "My sister is the pretty one."

  "Not from where I'm sitting." I pushed her hand away from mine softly and cupped her face again. "Let me kiss you. I've wanted too since I drove up the road to my home last night."

  She laughed, and I could tell it was genuine. "What? That's ridiculous. Do you use these lines on all the girls around here that are after you?"

  "Ain't nobody after me." I glanced down toward her lips and licked mine. "And it's not ridiculous. I could see sadness in your face yesterday. Something inside of me wants to force it to fuck off. Why is that?" I glanced back up, locking eyes with her.

  "Because you said it yourself. You help everyone around here. A wounded bird shows up, and you're the first one in line to fix its wings and help it fly again." She pressed against my palm, her cheek soft, her perfume sweet.

  "Do you need help flying again?" I leaned in and brushed my nose by hers, breathing her in.

  "Do I look like I do?" Her soft panting left me so hungry for her touch, so needy to help her find release of any kind.

  "Not in the slightest, but we all wear the mask we want others to believe in." I brushed my lips by hers. "Time for that kiss, pretty girl."

  "Please?" She whimpered and closed her eyes as I leaned in to devour her sweet mouth.

  Chapter 5

  Harper

  The kiss lingered on my lips as I rode in silence with Nora back to the house. She'd been going on and on about the nerve of Jeremy Daniels, her voice loud and filled with a false frustration that was nothing more than attraction. She just couldn't see it, and I wasn't going to be the one to bring it into the light. We fought better than anything else, and I'd had enough angst in my own life.

  "I think I should just slap him. Plain and simple." She huffed.

  "Wait a minute." I glanced over at her. "What did he do again?"

  "Are you not listening? I told you that he hung out around my booth at the fair all damn afternoon. Like he has nowhere else to be!" She gripped the steering wheel and growled. "He makes me want to punch a baby."

  "You're a doctor. Let's not do that, m'kay?" I laughed and rolled down my window before leaning out a little and letting the wind blow my hair back. "I barely remember what it feels like to live. Not a high or a buzz, but to really live."

  Her voice softened, and I knew she wanted to go deep with me. She'd been so good not to ask what was eating me alive, though I'd made it obvious that something was on our last few phone calls.

  "I'm here for you. Whatever you need." She reached out and gripped my hand.

  I glanced over at her. "Luke kissed me tonight, and it seems so silly, but I felt alive again. Like adventure could be mine one day."

  "Why not today?" She rubbed her thumb over my knuckles and gave me a look mother would give me all of the time. "And good for you for taking that kiss. Was it hot?"

  "So hot." I leaned back out the window and closed my eyes. "It made me feel like a girl again."

  She laughed. "You'll always be a girl, silly. The kind that gets into trouble and blames her little sister. The kind that looks for love in the all the wrong places, but that's okay. Embrace it."

  "And you?" I glanced at her. "What girl is still inside of you, Nora?"

  She pulled her hand back and gripped the steering wheel. "A scared one."

  "How so?" I moved back into my seat and pulled my legs up, wrapping my arms around my shins.

  "I don't know." She brushed her hair back as her eyes widened a little. She was going to close up if I didn't get her to open up. We'd been apart too long, living separate lives in hopes of never having to relive the pain and suffering of losing mom and dad. "I guess it seems easier just to ignore every guy that comes my way."

  "Except that's not so easy with Jeremy, is it?" I rolled the window up as she pulled into her driveway.

  "No. It's not." She glanced down at her hands. "I just know that if I give him a chance, he'll take and take and take and then when he's done... he'll walk away."

  "You're so jaded for someone who's never been on a date, Sis." I got out of the car and walked to the front to wait for her. The sun had already started to set, and the burnt orange and red filling up the sky was enough to steal my breath.

  "It's not that easy, Harper. I was sheltered by mom and dad, and you were a thrill seeker. You wouldn't understand." She moved past me.

  I reached out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. "I would if you would talk to me."

  "I'm not ready for that." She tugged her hand free. "You’re staying out here for a little while?"

  "Yeah. I'm going to wonder back to Luke's property in hopes of finding him." I held my breath, waiting to hear her spill a zillion reasons why going out this late at night was a bad idea. She didn't say a word, but nodded and walked toward the house.

  Where a huge part of me knew I should have gone after her, I couldn't f
orce myself to do it. We weren't kids anymore. She needed to learn to live a little, and I needed to learn to live again.

  I pulled my phone from my back pocket and walked toward the back of the yard, turning a little to start my hike across the open hill toward Luke's family's pond. He'd given me permission to be on their property, and sitting by the lake sounded perfect, especially if he saw me and showed up himself.

  A quick text to Peter that I was fine and made it to Nora's, and I was free from distraction. Much to my amazement, stars sprinkled the sky in a way they never did back in New York. It had to be the thickness of the dark around me, the blanket of the night allowing the bright lights above to shine so well.

  "Hey there. You're trespassing!" Luke's voice was playful.

  I laughed and walked toward his porch as he stood barefooted in jeans and a t-shirt. "I wasn't sure you'd be home yet."

  "Yeah, I just got here and took a quick shower. You end up helping Nora with allergy shots all evening?" He opened the screen door and jogged down the stairs.

  The smell of his soap mixed with the light hint of cologne filled my nose. Every wicked desire I wanted could easy be played out with the handsome man in front of me. The fact that he drove a bike and owned a farm was only part of the deal... he was rich. And with wealth came power. Not that I wanted either, but the yearning for a dominate man my whole life left me seeking out the elements that forged men into standing strong, into being aggressive and taking what they wanted.

  Did I want him to do that? With me?

  I wasn't so sure.

  "I did." I hugged myself and stopped in front of him. "I was going to take a walk by your lake if that's alright."

  "I don't mind at all." He watched me with a hunger that I knew I'd give into before too long. "You want some company?"

  "If you promise to keep your lips to yourself." I took a shaky breath.

  "You don't like my lips?" He tilted his head to the side. "You didn't seem to protest too much earlier at the fair."

  "I didn't want to be rude." I shrugged playfully and turned to walk toward the lake. He moved up beside me and reached out, taking my hand.

  "Just in case you fall into a hole. I need something to pull you out by."

  I laughed and snorted. "You're too much. A billionaire that is benevolent to the town's people and isn't married." I paused. "Wait... you're not-"

  "I was." I wrapped his fingers around mine. "But she left three years ago."

  "Left?" I swallowed the multitude of questions that followed the one word I uttered.

  "Yeah." He ran his fingers through his hair and moved down onto the long dock that hovered above the lake. "She needed a faster life. One that was filled with significance, and I didn't."

  "Oh." I sat down on the dock beside him and glanced up at the stars. "I was married for a while to a really good guy."

  "And?" He pressed his shoulder against mine, forcing me to return my attention to him.

  I glanced up at him, my eyes lingering on his lips. "And he was too docile. Too easy. I've always been one to live life full-speed ahead." I blinked and backed up a little. "A lot like it sounds like your ex-wife was."

  "Maybe so." He reached out and brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. "Maybe if I had unleashed the wild side of my personality, she wouldn't have left."

  "Do you wish she were still here?" I yelped as he reached over and gripped my waist, hoisting me up and pulling me into his lap.

  I turned and straddled him, grateful for the jeans I had on. If it had been the skirt I was wearing the day before; we'd have been in trouble. I loved sex with strong men, and the one beneath me had me wanting to purr.

  He pressed a kiss to the top of my chest, just above my breasts as his fingers dug into the top of my ass, his thumbs rubbing my hipbones. "Not at all. I quite like the woman sitting in my lap."

  "You don't even know me," I whispered and rolled my hips as he growled softly against the top of my breasts.

  "I want to." He glanced up and cupped the back of my head, pulling me down into a long, probing kiss. A hint of the brown sugar and BBQ sauce rolled across my tongue, and I moaned loudly, rocking against the thick length of his erection.

  Why didn't I wear the skirt?

  "I'm leaving in ten days, Luke. I'm a wild child who has fucked up so many times that I've lost count." I ran my hands up his shoulders and cupped his neck as I leaned down to breathe him in and kiss him a little longer.

  His strong hands felt so good running down my back, over my ass to the backs of my thighs. "Spend the night with me. I don't care where you've been or what you've done. I want you in my bed."

  He licked my lips, and my insides turned to liquid heat. His thick hair felt good under my fingers; his muscular chest pressed against mine was divine. There wasn't anything I wouldn't have done to be owned by him for a night before my world came crashing down.

  A night beneath him would have been more than I deserved, and yet I knew I couldn't. He was addictive and I'd barely gotten to know him. A night of hearing him moan and feeling him thrust deep inside of me would lock me down to considering things I promised myself I would never consider again.

  Love.

  "I can't." I kissed him once more before crawling off of his lap. "I gotta go."

  "Harper. No." He stood up and reached for me, but I backed up.

  "No, seriously. I like you and think a friendship would be better than anything else we're planning on doing."

  "No, you don't. That's a fucking lie."

  "Maybe, but it keeps me safe." I turned and walked back toward the house as my heart beat against my chest.

  "I'm not going to hurt you, Harper." His words followed me all the way home.

  It wasn't him hurting me that I was worried about.

  Chapter 6

  Luke

  “Thanks, Coach.” Danny waved from his mom’s car as I got in my old truck that I used to carry equipment.

  He was the last of my players picked up for practice. Some of the parents didn’t get off work until six, so I’d made it a habit of staying around to throw the ball with their kids until they showed.

  “Take care, Danny.” I cranked the old beast and drove her out to the local dive, so I could get a nice iced cold one.

  Finn had our usual table full of peanut shells, and I walked up and pushed them aside spilling them to the floor. The owners preferred it, and it did wonders for the floor. “You’re making a mess.” I held out my hand, and he took it giving it a shake.

  Finn, who was a few years older and constantly down on his luck with everything in his life except for women, had been a friend for years.

  “Yeah, man. I’ve been sitting for an hour now, can’t you tell. Let me guess; you was babysitting again?” He’d given me a hard time about coaching Little League, but some of the best memories I had as a kid involved a baseball diamond.

  “Yeah, man. I can’t leave the kids sitting out there all alone. They’re eight-year-olds.” I motioned to the waitress who knew my usual and headed off to get it.

  “When I was eight I was driving a car and working.” Finn was also one of those men who had walked to school uphill both ways barefoot in the snow to hear him tell it. He always had a story and an opinion.

  “I saw you at the fair with that new girl, the doctor’s kin. Is she staying next door too?” Finn rubbed his whiskers and knocked the dust off his cap before putting it back on his head.

  “Yeah, her name’s Harper, and I’m not ashamed to admit that while I’m interested, she’s not.” I took my beer from the waitress and turned it up. The amber liquid quenched my thirst, and with any luck, it would quench my hunger for Harper.

  “You’ve got to keep pushing, man. Women want two things, to be heard and to be told. Be that guy and trust me you’ll get what you’re after.” I thought about Harper and what she might want, but I couldn’t help thinking his advice, however sincere, would get me slapped. She wasn’t the local pushover, she was Nora’s sister and
had city street smarts to boot.

  I took another pull from my beer and cracked a peanut tossing the shell to the floor with the others. “She’s only around for another week or so.”

  Finn kicked my leg under the table. “Then what they hell are you doing here? You better move fast. There’s no better lay than a woman on her way out of town. Hell, you won’t even have to date her. Go get you some.”

  “I just might.” I downed the rest of my beer and then a couple more before leaving. By the time Finn was done with me, he’d given me enough determination to believe that Harper was going to give in.

  I drove home and finding her wasn’t hard. She’d wandered to my property like a lost lamb not knowing it was dangerously close to the wolf’s den. I drove up beside her, and she crossed her arms over her front, closing the billowing sweater around her. “Either you really like it here, or you’re reconsidering my last offer?”

  She gave me a sideward glance and shook her head. “You’re impossible and no. As for the first part, yes, I do quite like your yard better.”

  “Then how about I take you on a proper tour? I could take you fishing tomorrow and show you my creek.” She stopped if only because I was running out of road and headed straight for my house.

  “I don’t know.” She glanced off into the setting sun as it shone off her brown hair making it look lit with flames.

  “I know you said you think friendship is best, so let’s be friends. Friends go fishing; it’s no big deal.” I patted the seat beside me. “Get in, and I’ll take you down to the creek and show you where we’re going.”

  She huffed out a laugh and then gave me a look telling me she knew better than to get in the truck with me. “I’m not getting in your truck. I know where that leads.” She turned and started walking back down the drive, so I threw it in reverse.

  “You’re going to make me wreck. Get in; I’ll take you home. It’s a long walk from here.” Her house was a good way across the field, but she shook her head and waved me off.

  “You’ll make yourself wreck. No one told you to drive backward.” She stopped, and I could see the apology in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”