Chapter Eight
The hour had grown late, Sophie was officially intoxicated, and after the kitchen she’d stayed as far away from Ryder as possible.
That kiss had shaken her. And it had shaken her badly.
The force of her lust, her longing, her willingness to forgo all her rational common sense when it came to him worried her. Scared her. Her reaction to him—it was too strong, too volatile, their chemistry too out of control to be comfortable.
He reminded her too much of the bad decisions she’d sworn off when she was in college and was addicted to a guy that was no good for her. Tony had been her first real boyfriend. She’d always been reckless, up for anything and flying by the seat of her pants. Back then, she’d loved anything wild, and when she’d met him as a sophomore in college he’d called to everything inside her. She still cringed when she remembered her devotion, ignoring all the red flags and everyone’s warnings that he was no good. When he’d finally grown bored with his psychological warfare, his abandonment had left her with a hole she’d thought would never fill. It had, but she’d sworn never again, and she’d kept her promise.
Less reckless and wild. Less willing. She’d stuck to her vows and cleaned up her act, and she’d never regretted it.
Yes, sometimes it made life a little too safe, a little too predictable, but it was a hell of a lot better than suffering that kind of loss. Better than ending up with some guy that didn’t treat her the way she deserved because she was too obsessed with him to walk away.
Ryder reminded her too much of how she’d been, all that rushing, crazy chemistry and wild abandon. Which was why she needed to stay away from him. The right path was a guy like Bill. Guys that inspired white picket fences and school districts. Not guys that made her want to go down on them in the kitchen at a party.
Ryder had tried to corner her later on, but she’d slipped away from him. Penelope had tried to corner her too, but she’d avoided her, not wanting to talk about or explain her actions.
Now she stood in the powder room of Maddie’s house and tried to figure out how to drive home with him and not attack him. The problem was she had no self-control around him. Nowadays if she slept with a man it was because she wanted to, because she liked him and he was skilled and fun. Not because it was compulsion. Aching need.
She knew what she had to do. She ran her hands through her hair and gazed in the mirror.
Her eyes were glassy, her cheeks flushed, and even all these hours later she could feel the hard press of his mouth on her. She shuddered.
God, had she ever been kissed like that?
She couldn’t remember.
She didn’t think so.
The best thing to do was go on the offensive.
As soon as she got in the car she’d tell him that kiss was a mistake. Because it didn’t matter how much she wanted him. Ryder Moore made her crazy. And craziness like that, never ended well, so she couldn’t even start. If she broke the seal she’d be lost.
So she couldn’t break the seal.
Secure in her plan, she took a deep breath and left the bathroom, taking the small hallway to the kitchen and out the back door to the yard.
As soon as she stepped out of the house, his gaze flickered down her body.
Instinctively, she shivered, feeling him everywhere. The sensation of him between her thighs imprinted on her skin. “You ready, Sophie?”
No she wasn’t ready, but it was time to go home. She nodded. “Sure. I’m going to sleep for a week.”
She hugged Penelope, who whispered in her ear, “I’ll be calling you tomorrow.”
“Yes, Mom.” Sophie smacked a kiss on her cheek.
She hugged the rest of the group, and when she reached Maddie, she smiled. “I’m drunk. Mission accomplished.”
Maddie laughed. “Good. Me too. Isn’t it awesome?”
“It is.” Except for all the stupid decisions she wanted to make.
Maddie pulled back and beamed. “Do you know how excited I am that we can have lunch next week?”
“Me too.” The one good thing that came from the disaster of her life was she got to see Maddie all the time. Whenever she wanted. Just like the old days when they were teenage hellions and they’d go out after school and make mischief. She leaned back and slanted a sly glance at Maddie’s husband, Mitch. “You are so screwed, because we are going to cause so much trouble.”
“God help us all.” Mitch shook his head, but his expression was amused.
“Indeed,” Ryder said from behind her.
She looked over her shoulder. Why did he have to look like that ... Stop thinking about it.
She pulled away from Maddie, shifting her attention to Ryder, and putting her hands on her hips. “What have you got to complain about, I’ve been an angel.”
He raised a brow. “You murdered my door.”
“I replaced it.”
“That door is boring.”
“That door is fantastic and it works. You should thank me.” She was doing it again. Engaging him. Provoking. No control.
His gaze flickered down her. “We should go.”
Evan laughed and put his arm around Penelope.
Sophie ignored him and flipped her hair. “Fine.”
“Oh wait,” Bill said, stepping forward.
Sophie blinked at him. Shit. She’d forgotten he was there. “Oh, hi.”
He smiled. “I need your number.”
“Right.” She bit her lip and refused to look at Ryder. Bill handed her his phone and she input her number before handing it back to him.
“Great, I’ll call you this week. Maybe we could have coffee.”
She studied him without the cloud of Ryder getting in her way. He was tall, broad, and very nice to look at. His eyes were a pretty bright blue, and he had a killer smile. Coffee with him was exactly what she should do. She beamed her best smile. “Sure, but I’ll have to play it by ear, I start at City Hall Monday and I have no idea what to expect. I’ll need to see how the week plays out.”
Bill gave her an affable shrug. “No worries.” He shifted his attention to Ryder. “I’ll give you a call to figure out where we’re going to take these lovely ladies Friday.”
Ryder gave her a sideways look. “I have some ideas.”
None of them were proper. Of that she was certain.
She glanced at Cheryl, who looked at Ryder like a six-year-old girl looks at a Barbie Dream House, and then back at Ryder. She waved a hand at the pretty nurse with her soft smile and smitten expression. “Aren’t you going to get Cheryl’s number?”
Ryder snaked his hands into his jeans and pulled out his keys. “Already have it.”
“Oh.” Sophie wasn’t an expert or anything, but wanting to roundhouse kick the nurse in the stomach might not be an appropriate response. Not that she was jealous, she just ... wasn’t a fan of people who helped other people. So what?
Ryder smirked at her. “You coming, Sophie?”
She sucked in a breath. That rotten bastard. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him before shaking her head. “You’re the worst.”
“Just trying to get you home safely.” His voice was far too sweet, filled with fake innocence.
God, she wanted to fight with him. She wanted to fight with him so damn bad. And then she wanted to spend hours aggressively and inappropriately sweating out their differences until she was finally exhausted and boneless.
She clucked her tongue. “Aren’t you, like, the best neighbor ever?”
“Absolutely.” His gaze was hot on her.
She shivered and tried to shake off his spell, and refusing to look in Penelope and Evan’s direction, waved. “Have a good night.”
As they walked to the car Sophie gave herself a pep talk. In her head she ran down her list of reasons he was a terrible idea. Reasons she wanted to chuck into the wind. Which was why he was dangerous.
When she got to the car she put her hand on the door handle and looked at him. One look at his gorgeous face, chiseled features, and broad shoulders had heat flooding her, pooling in her belly and tightening her nipples.
Oh, for the love of God. She was so screwed.
She needed to say something now. Right now before she stepped foot in his awesome car that just screamed have sex in me. “Ryder.”
He looked at her.
She shook her head. “What happened in the kitchen was a mistake.”
His gaze narrowed. “We’ll talk about it in the car.”
“I mean it, I’m not going to sleep with you.” Her voice even sounded certain. Good for her.
He put his hands on the hood and cocked his head. “You want me to argue with you about this, Sophie. And that’s all you need to realize.”
She bit her bottom lip. “What does that mean?”
His attention drifted to her lips. “It means you’re making these statements because you want me to prove you wrong.”
“I’m making these statements because they’re true. Because you and I are a bad combination. And there are a million reasons to stay away from each other.”
A muscle in his jaw tightened. “There’s no part of you that doesn’t want me to stalk over there, take you by the arms, push you up against the car and say, ‘You and I are going to fuck, it’s just a matter of when before I kiss you, slide my leg between yours, and show you exactly what I can make you do for me’?”
Well, of course she did. Her thighs clenched at his words and she might hyperventilate. The reasons were all true, but deep down, under all her justifications, that was exactly what she wanted. What she hoped for. But she couldn’t admit that—it was a horrible thing to admit. She shouldn’t want that. She was thirty-one, too old to be playing this game.
This time when she spoke, the word didn’t come out certain at all. “No.”
“You sure about that, Sophie?” His gaze bored into her and his tone was deep, slow, and seductive. “Because I think that’s exactly what you want.”
She cleared her throat. “You’re wrong.”
She held her breath, waiting to see if he’d prove her wrong.
They stared at each other, the knowledge of how easy it would be for him to do just that sitting between them, filling the air.
He shrugged. “Fair enough.”
He got in the car, and Sophie tried to contain her disappointment.
She was so twisted.
* * *
Ryder turned over the engine and fought his baser impulses.
Sophie sat next to him with her bare legs and peaked nipples, in that little white dress with straps he could snap with the slightest tug.
In silence, he pulled out of the spot, down the drive, and onto the main road.
The tension was pulled tight, too tight, like a rubber band waiting to snap. If he pulled over, hauled her on top of him, she wouldn’t refuse. He’d have her dress above her hips, and she’d be riding him.
All he wanted was to get inside her.
But he didn’t pull over. He just kept driving toward home, his fingers tight on the steering wheel.
Because she was right. It was lust clouding his brain.
That kiss. It fucked with his head. He was supposed to be playing it safe now. He was thirty-three; it was time to start thinking about settling down, giving his mom and dad those grandkids they wanted. Sophie was here for six months, and then she’d go back to Chicago where she belonged.
Even if he put his life on hold to get inside her, what were the chances they’d even last six months? There was nothing calm about their chemistry. Nothing calm about the woman sitting next to him. Why make things messy? Better he stick to his first instinct and stay the hell away from her.
He’d tasted her mouth. Had his hands on her. Felt her rocking along his cock.
That was enough.
His grip tightened on the steering wheel even further as he gritted his teeth.
He didn’t appreciate the way she made him feel.
Which was why it was best to stay away.
They drove for three blocks before the quiet got to be too much for her. Sophie cleared her throat. “I just think it’s better to be neighbors.”
“Agreed.” The word a hard bite.
She shifted in the seat, and her skirt inched up. He wanted to reach over and slide his hands up her thighs. His hands would look good against her lightly tanned, smooth skin.
“You sound angry.”
“I’m not.”
“We should clear the air.”
He shot a sharp glance at her. “Clear the air about what, Sophie? That if your friends hadn’t come into the kitchen we wouldn’t have stopped?”
Her hands clasped tight in her lap. “I don’t know what happened. I’m not even sure I like you.”
He pulled up to a stop sign in the middle of Main Street. “That’s bullshit.”
She shook her head. “It’s not. I swear. Do you even like me?”
He narrowed his gaze. “You’ve been nothing but a pain in the ass since the second I laid eyes on you.”
Her attention shifted to his mouth. “So this is good. Being neighbors?”
He returned his focus to the road and stepped on the gas, shifting the car into first and then second before he said, “Yep, fucking great.”
She fell silent, but there was nothing peaceful about a silent Sophie. Her silence was loud. Restless and agitated.
He pulled into his driveway and pressed the garage door opener.
She pointed. “Why do you get a garage door and I don’t?”
“You do have a garage door.”
“Not one that goes up and down the way it’s supposed to.”
He pulled into the garage. “It does go up and down.”
“Not by a click of the button.”
A smile twitched at his lips. “Think of it as character building.”
She huffed. “It’s still unfair.”
“You could move.”
Her brows furrowed. She put her hand on the handle but made no move to open it. She licked her lips. “Do you want me to move?”
“And sic you onto some poor, unsuspecting citizen of Revival? I took an oath to protect and serve.”
She jerked her head up to glare at him. “I’m not that bad.”
Their eyes met. Heat flared to life, filling the small space that separated them.
He growled. “Get out of the car, Sophie.”
“Okay.” She made no move to exit.
He smirked and tilted his head. “I know how bad you want it.”
“That’s arrogant.” Her breath kicked up a notch.
He skimmed a path down her body. “It’s not arrogant if it’s true.”
“I need to go.” She glanced over his shoulder in the direction of her house, and then back at him. “I’m buzzed and not my best right now.”
“Nobody’s stopping you from getting out of the car.” He leaned back against his door. “No matter how badly you want it to be true.”
She stared at him, unblinking for a good fifteen seconds before she blew out a breath. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Isn’t that the truth? If he’d had any idea what awaited him he would have sent Maddie Riley on her way when she’d suggested he rent the house to Sophie. He could live without upgraded appliances. He nodded. “It’s unfortunate.”
Her brows furrowed. “My life, it’s such a mess right now.”
Her confession surprised him, made him stop thinking about sex and start thinking about her. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
He waited. The car was silent. Neither of them made an effort to leave the small space.
She blew out a breath. “I had this great, glamorous career in Chicago where I was invited to all the best places and got to do all sorts of fun things. Then the president of the company decided to get greedy and extort money. Overnight it was all gone.”
“I’m sorry.” That had to be rough. He hadn’t known her long, but with all her energy he could understand how hard it must be to go from the rush of city life to plunked down in a small town of twenty-five hundred people.
“I just want everything to go back the way it was.” She scraped her bottom lip with her teeth.
There was an air of desperation in her voice that didn’t sit well with him. Like she was trying too hard to convince herself, of what, he didn’t know, but it was something. He nodded. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Me too.”
“Is there more?” Because it seemed like there was more.
She sighed. “I don’t want the distraction of you. All I want is to do my time and get back home.”
“Fair enough.” It was the smart move. They had lives moving in different directions.
He needed to focus on what he needed to do, cementing his life in Revival. She wanted to get back to Chicago. They had chemistry and heat, but something about the way they mixed made her uneasy.
And the truth was, it made him uneasy too. He just didn’t know why. He didn’t know her well enough to understand the meaning behind the gut reaction.
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve always had an impulsive streak.”
“That doesn’t surprise me one bit.”
She sighed. “And giving into it has never led me anywhere good.”
He narrowed his eyes and looked past her into the darkened garage. “I can relate.”
“You can?” She shifted in her seat, glancing at him.
“I can. I’ve been burned by my impulsiveness before.”
She nodded. “Me too.”
Seeing no way to have his cake and eat it too, he conceded the point. “It’s okay, Sophie. You’re right. I won’t kiss you again.”
“It’s for the best.”
“It is.”
“So do you think we can be friends?”
No way in hell, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of other options. He shrugged. “Yeah, of course. We’re going to be neighbors, it’s best to get along.”
Their gazes met. Held too long for friendship.
She looked away first. “I guess it’s time to say good night.”
“Guess so.”
“So I’ll see you later?”
“You will.”
She sat there for a few more moments, her fingers restless in her lap. Then she straightened her shoulders and put her hand on the door. “Have a good one, Ryder.”
“You too, Sophie.”
Then she climbed out of the car, taking her little white dress with her.