Air Ryder (Harper's Mountains Book 3) (6 page)

Gently, he pulled her in front of him between his splayed legs and dragged her hips close.

Lexi ran her hands up his muscular chest and settled her palms just under his collar bones. “How are you so warm?” she whispered in awe.

“Snowy owl,” he murmured. “I’m made for the cold.”

“I’m always cold. It’s hard for me to get warm.”

He angled his head, his eyes turning a muddier color, from blue to light brown. “We fit.”

She rested her forehead against his chest and shook her head in disbelief that just a couple of words from his lips could affect her heartrate like this. Her chest was pounding like a drum, and as she stilled against him, his was doing the same thing, as if their hearts were racing each other. Oh, she was in trouble with this one.

“Bark!”

Lexi checked on her dog around Ryder’s wide shoulders, and the little Chihuahua had pulled her body right next to the door and was looking up at them with her tongue lolled out.

“Jealous,” Lexi accused. “He’s mine right now.”

The grin slipped from Ryder’s face in an instant. “Say that again,” he murmured.

“She’s jealous.”

“No, the other part.”

Lexi hesitated until she knew her voice would come out steady. Then she ran her hands down his chest and linked their hands. “You’re mine right now.”

Ryder looked down the street and blew out a long breath. “Woman, you’re making this real hard to take our friendship slow.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said innocently.

“No, you know exactly what you’re doin’.” He gripped her waist tighter in his big, strong hands. “Everything in me wants to drive you to a back road, pull over, and flip you over in that backseat.”

“And do what?” she asked on a shocked breath.

“You know what.”

And oh, she could see it—her ass in the air, tits brushing the seat fabric, getting pounded from behind by Ryder, his powerful body flexing against hers as he drove her to release. The warmth in her middle turned to magma, and her breath trembled on every exhale.

Ryder lifted his chin but kept his now-gold eyes on hers. “You smell sexy as fuck, Lexi.” He pulled her harder against his long, thick erection and murmured, “I’m about to start making real bad decisions if I don’t say goodnight to you now.”

Did she want that? Did she want to say goodnight and get her head back on straight, or did she want to give two flying middle fingers to caution and get herself taken by the Air Ryder?

“Woman, stop lookin’ at me like you want my dick buried inside of you, or it’ll happen. I’m trying to do this right.”

She opened her mouth to tell him she definitely wanted to be bad and do dirty things with him, but Sprinkles barked again. And at that interruption, Ryder was now looking mighty determined to slow them down. Sprinkles was a cock blocker.

Ryder eased her back and opened her door, then waited there, arms locked against the opening as she buckled in.

She didn’t want to leave him. Tonight had been amazing. The whole day had been. She’d settled into something so comfortable and interesting with him in just a few meetings, and today had sealed her heart to him. But she couldn’t be that girl—the one who begged for more time when he was clearly saying goodbye. She’d done that before and had more pride now. She could tell him something else, though, something she felt compelled to share.

“Ryder?” she asked quickly before he could shut her door.

“Yeah?”

She used his words from earlier because she felt them down to her marrow. “You feel different to me, too.”

Ryder’s gold eyes sparked with intensity as he leaned into the front of her jeep. He cupped her neck and pressed his lips to hers. He wasn’t patient like with their first kiss. This time, he plunged his tongue past her lips, demanding she let him in, demanding to taste her.

She slid her hands over his shoulders and gripped the back of his hair, raking her nails against his scalp. Ryder’s reaction was instant, pressing her against the seat, kissing her so hard it stole the breath from her lungs. God, she loved this. Loved the way he tasted, loved the way his lips were moved on hers, loved the way his mouth fit hers so perfectly. She’d never met a man who could kiss her like this. One who could make her forget where she was. Ryder had the uncanny ability to make the rest of the world fade away to nothing.

He pulled her hand from around his neck and pressed her palm against his chest, right over his pounding heartbeat. She smiled against his lips. How could someone make her feel this happy? This okay? This whole? This wanted?

Perhaps Weston had visions of the future, but Air Ryder was magic.

He bit her bottom lip gently and disengaged, gave her a peck, and then another and another, each getting more gentle until he eased away completely.

Without a word, he tugged her cell phone from the cup holder, saved his number into it, then called his phone. She was glad he was handling the number-swap because right now her arms and legs were numb and her fingers probably wouldn’t work on account of him kissing her so thoroughly.

He pulled her hand to his lips, kissed her knuckles, then backed out of the car and shut the door. Right. Now she had to remember how to drive.

And just like he had on the side of the road, Ryder watched her leave. Except this time when Lexi glanced in her rearview mirror, he didn’t look troubled.

He looked hopeful instead.

Ryder dropped the stack of logs from their resting spot on his shoulder to the ground. They clattered and scattered, but without a single second’s break, he strode back into the woods to grab the others he’d felled.

He and Wes had dreamed of starting a business like this since they were kids, but then they’d grown up, moved out of Damon’s Mountains, and lived in different places. Ryder had become a welder and Wes a logger, and he’d never thought this would be possible—their childhood dream.

But then Harper had called them in to give Wyatt some backup, and the small reunion with old friends had turned into so much more. They’d all landed an unexpected crew, and yeah, sometimes it was hell trying to figure everything out with the Bloodrunners, but this right here—the opportunity to follow through on a dream with his best friend—made Ryder feel like maybe he was supposed to end up here with the Bloodrunners all along.

Then he’d met Lexi. And holy shit, he’d never encountered a more terrifying woman. She had grown the ability, in an overwhelmingly short amount of time, to destroy him completely. Serena had tried and failed to break him, along with the other women he’d tried to bond with, but Lexi had power she didn’t realize yet.

Maybe he should keep it hidden from her. Maybe he should slow them down, or even grind them to a halt until he could wrap his head around how much he liked her. Wes had told him to take it slow, and the fact remained that not only had the Gray Back Crew’s seer, Beaston, not seen Ryder with a mate, but Wes hadn’t seen it either. That bothered Ryder.

When Alana had come along for Aaron, Weston had been pummeled with visions of her with shifter eyes. He’d known she would be Turned, known she would be a Bloodrunner without a shadow of a doubt.

But he saw nothing of Lexi?

Not only that, but he was acting strange. Ryder knew Wes better than anyone, and he’d never given two shits about bonds, relationships, or claiming a mate. But since Ryder had mentioned Lexi, he was cool-as-you-like about him dating her. And Ryder couldn’t help but think it was because Wes didn’t take their relationship seriously. It felt like Wes didn’t care if he dated Lexi or not because he didn’t believe she would be in his life long-term.

Was he reading into Weston’s behavior too deeply? Maybe. But nothing else he’d come up with explained why his best friend wasn’t fighting Ryder’s interest in Lexi.

And Ryder so badly wanted her to be more than just another woman passing through his life.

She felt special. When he hugged her, touched her, kissed her, or even looked at her, there was this bright spot in his middle that seemed to pulse with devotion.

A week since he’d first met her, and Ryder had been prepared to call out Kane’s motherfuckin’ Blackwing Dragon to brawl for grabbing Lexi’s hand too hard.

He was doing it again.

He was making the same mistake he made every time a woman showed interest. He locked onto her, suffocated her until she acted out and ultimately rejected him. And he was so fucking tired of rejection.

He’d been shouldering that since he was a baby.
No, don’t think about him.
Robbie Anderson was a prick and a leaver. Dwelling on him wouldn’t do anything but put Ryder in a tail-spin, and he was over that. He’d gone through his angry phase as a teenager. Ryder allowing his biological dad to affect his life took away from all that Mason did for him. God, he wished he could just cut all memories of his real dad from his head and start on the day he’d met Mason. Why the fuck were his memories at age four and five so vivid? They should’ve faded, but they were there in the back of his mind, the brightest memories that made up the darkest parts of him.

Fuck Robbie.

Ryder should’ve been born to Mason. He should have Beast Boar blood pumping through his veins.

Absently, Ryder ran his finger over the old scar Mason had cut just under his collar bone. That’s what the boars did to declare someone was theirs, and when Ryder had asked, Mason had cut him immediately. Mason had never rejected him, so why the hell was Ryder stuck in this unending hiccup over his biological father leaving him?

Because he left you.

It wasn’t like Robbie and Mom split up and his real dad had just drifted away. No, Robbie had tried to keep a relationship with Ryder, but Robbie had hated him so much, he couldn’t stand to be a part of his life. He’d said it over and over.
Sometimes I really hate you, you little freak.

And then he’d signed his parental rights over just so he wouldn’t have to see Ryder again.

Freak.

“Fuck,” Ryder choked out as he gripped his hair.

Riding this loop wasn’t doing any good. It would only hurt worse the deeper he dug into the whys and what ifs.

He had to dig out of the past if he wanted a shot at making a woman like Lexi happy. He couldn’t go through his whole life dragging the ghost of his dad. It would haunt him, haunt Lexi, haunt everything he tried to accomplish, and Robbie didn’t deserve that kind of power.

He never had.

****

Okay, there was the next marker. A red ribbon was tied around a tree trunk ahead. Lexi drove a washed-out road with two divots that tires had etched into the earth to create a single lane. Knee-high weeds comprised the center strip, and the brush and brambles
ping-pinged
against the undercarriage of Lexi’s Jeep.

The dirt track had seemed to go on forever since she’d turned off the main road, but Alana had assured her this would lead to Ryder.

Geez, she hoped he liked surprises. What if he was out here with another woman?
Stop it. Ryder isn’t Blake.
But she and Ryder hadn’t called each other anything more than friends. If he was dating other women, she would have to understand.

She rocked through a deep mud hole and passed the red ribbon, then curved around with the road. There was a clearing ahead with a foundation and framework up for a building. Beside the structure, Ryder was squatted down in the grass with his hands behind his head, his shoulders heaving. “Oh, my gosh,” she murmured, pulling to a stop. She shoved open the door and bolted for him, but by the time she was halfway there, Ryder stood and offered her a smile. Only it wasn’t a real smile. It was too tight and didn’t reach his bright gold eyes.

“Are you hurt?”

Ryder huffed, and the frail smile left his lips as he stared off into the woods. “What are you doing here?”

She cast her getaway vehicle a quick glance. “This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have just come out here like this. I’m sorry. Uuum, if you want to grab coffee or something later this week, just give me a call.”

She turned and made her way toward her jeep, but something blurred past her and then Ryder’s hands were on her shoulders, forcing her to a stop. “I’m sorry. You just…caught me at a bad time. I didn’t want you to see…” Ryder inhaled a big breath and shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.

She couldn’t meet his eyes right now because the color was so light and so bright. Clutching the hem of his white T-shirt, she murmured, “Are you okay?”

“Hell yeah, I’m okay. My girl came to visit me. You want the tour?” His voice was upbeat now as if the last minute hadn’t happened.

She didn’t like being shut out, but he seemed determined. Ryder grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the framework building.

“I’m rebuilding my job, my life, myself right now, and this is where it started.” Ryder pulled her in front of him and rested his hands on top of her shoulders. “Wes and I are starting up a business called Big Flight ATV Tours.”

“Really?” she asked, floored.

“Yeah. We have twelve ATVs we are fixing up for clients. This will be the office where the tours are booked, and we are leasing the land behind this property to build trails. We’ll do a beginner trail and an intermediate one. We’ve already scoped out the best places for scenic views of the Smokies and photo-ops. We have the company incorporated already and everything. Once we finish building the office, we’ll be able to immediately start booking tours.”

“Ryder,” she breathed, scanning the lush green woods. “This is going to be incredible! With all the tourism around here, an ATV excursion is such a good start-up. I can make up flyers for you and give them to the concierge at Smoky Mountain Paradise Cabins. Our clients will eat this up!” Excitement zinged through her as she looked at the building again. She could just imagine it. Rustic office, rocking chairs on the porch for the clients waiting for tours, snacks and waters inside, maybe a little shop with T-shirts and promotional water bottles and keychains.

“Come here,” Ryder said excitedly, dragging her behind him around the side of the building. “The bathrooms will be here, and the gear room will be here where we fit clients with helmets and the right protective clothes if they don’t come prepared. Back there in the shade, we’ll have a few picnic tables. Wes is building those right now. We still have some woods to clear and to get some gravel on the road.” He flicked his fingertips to the road she’d come in on. “A welcome sign still needs to be built over there, but look.” He gestured to a massive garage in the woods. The doors were open, and there were rows of quads sitting ready in there.

“And you won’t have to work those crazy welding shifts anymore!”

Ryder rounded on her and cupped her cheeks, his eyes feverish with excitement. “Yes,” he whispered. “I
knew
you would get it. I knew you wouldn’t think this was silly.”

“How could I think this is silly? Ryder!” she looked around at what he and Wes were creating. “I have a really, really good feeling about this.”

His smile was genuine again, stunning. White, straight teeth and dancing eyes that were morphing back to a happy blue color. He’d shaved today, so she could see his dimples and smile lines clearly.

“You want to go for a ride? I want to show you something.”

She gripped his wrists to keep his hands on her cheeks and beamed up at him. “Yes! But can we bring the picnic I brought? I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

His face went serious, and he dropped his voice an octave. “You brought food?”

She giggled and nodded. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“You’re tryin’ to get yourself boned, aren’t you?”

“Stop,” she said, shoving off him.

In a rush, Ryder hefted her over his shoulder so fast her breathless laugh got caught in her throat. He pulled the hem of her tank top up and bit her side.

“Ow!” she howled, smacking him hard on the butt. She wished she could stop giggling, but she loved this. She adored how playful Ryder was and was so relieved he wasn’t sad anymore.

“Did you bring my baby?”

“
My
baby, and no. I left Sprinkles resting at home. I want you all to myself tonight.”

“What color are your panties?” Ryder pulled the waist of her jean shorts to the side.

Lexi swatted at his hand. “None of your business.”

“Purple with pink polka dots? I fuckin’ love that. Does your bra match?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yes. Yes, I would.” He set her on her feet by her Jeep and hooked one finger into the low scoop neck of her tank top. He arched his red eyebrows high, daring her to stop him from pulling it down.

With a put-upon sigh, Lexi pulled down the neck of her tank top until it rested under her bra, which did, in fact, match her panties.

“Sheeeyit, woman,” Ryder said, standing back to admire. “That’s the best set of tits I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

He reached for her, hands cupped and ready, but she danced away from him and pulled her tank top back into place. “Feed me before you fondle me.”

Ryder squared up to her, hands on her hips and head ducked down. He lowered his voice. “I want to high five your pelvis with my pelvis.”

“Ryder,” she warned, trying hard for a straight face.

“I want to touch belly buttons.”

“Stop.” Now she had to bite her lip hard not to laugh.

Ryder lowered his voice to a seductive whisper. “Let’s make our nipples kiss.”

Lexi peeled into giggles and hugged him up tight. Ryder lifted her off the ground and squeezed her ribs. She could feel his smile against her cheek as his warm chuckle reverberated right next to her ear.

“I missed you big time, perv,” she told him.

Ryder leaned in and sucked her neck hard until she peeled into another fit of giggles. “I missed you, too.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Hell yeah, trouble. I pumped the python, like, a dozen times since I saw you last.”

“Oh, my gosh, did you just call your dick a python? And wait, a dozen times? You’re lying. You just saw me two days ago!”

“Yep, probably gonna do it another dozen times tonight after that little tit-tease you gave me. I’m just gonna be blowin’ dust.”

Lexi couldn’t breathe. She was doubled over laughing like a braying donkey, holding her middle because her abs were hurting so bad.

Ryder pulled her up and kissed her unexpectedly. His kiss was rough, and her giggles turned to chuckles, then to soft needy sounds as he worked her mouth. He eased her back against the Jeep and deepened their kiss, brushed his tongue against hers over and over until her legs buckled. He backed his mouth off hers with a soft, sexy smack, then rested his forehead against hers. “I wanted to taste you while you were laughing.”