Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) (3 page)

She turned and looked at me sadly. "No, because I need to find a hotel. Then I need to get up early and go home to tie up some loose ends. It's been a long day. Goodnight Ryder."

"You're going home already?" I asked incredulously. Even with the mixture of anger and happiness to see her, I wasn't ready for her to leave yet. Plus, she should stay for Scarlett, and I didn't want to explain to her that Kallie left because of me.

"No!" she shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Why are guys such jerks? Even though you don't really want me here, she does. She asked me to stay and be in the wedding. She is expecting me to be at the bonfire this weekend and be around to help plan. I'm staying for her." She was fuming.

"You're kinda hot when you're mad."

She forced a laugh and her posture relaxed slightly. "Don't flirt with me, Ryder," she half-teased.
 

"And why not?" I asked, moving closer out of instinct. Again, my mind took a backseat and my body was in the driver's seat.
 

"Wouldn't want me to think we had something more," she said bitterly.
 

"Probably not, but we can still have fun," I suggested in a low voice, thinking of how I wanted to resume the kissing that was interrupted by that prick.
 

"Screw you," she bit out. "You made it perfectly clear you didn't love me. I'm not willing to get hurt again."

"Neither am I," I threw back at her. She had no idea how easily she could break me.

Kallie seemed to study me for several seconds before fixing her face into a neutral expression. I took the time to take a good look at her, without shock or anger clouding my mind. Her silk blouse clung to her, showing off her nice body, but while appearing professional at the same time. Her pencil skirt and high heels screamed sexy librarian at me. Her nails were freshly done and fake. A glimmer on her wrist caught my eye.

I reached forward and lifted her hand to my face. The charm bracelet was still in place, and then I noticed the hose clamp she took from the shop tucked in right next to it. It looked like she never took it off. Images of her, broken and sobbing, played over and over again in my mind. I wondered if I could ever forgive myself for hurting her like I had.
 

"How's Logan?" she asked, seeming to be on the same thought process as me.

"He's okay. Doing good," I nodded to her. He still had his bad days, but he was coping and moving on from that night.

"I hope so," she said quietly. "Anyway, I should be going."

"Right," I agreed and dropped her wrist.
 

She picked up her bag that she’d dropped on the floor in her haste to hand over the keys to Ivan earlier. She quickly checked for her keys and cell phone before heading to the door. I fought every fiber in my body to go to her and make her stay. Right before she turned the doorknob, she paused.
 

"We can play nice, right? For Scarlett?" she asked without looking at me.
 

"Of course."

She nodded and opened the door. I watched it close behind her and pushed my hands through my hair. I wanted to run down the stairs and stop her. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder, like a caveman, and haul her into my bedroom. More than that, I wanted to stay intact. I knew without a doubt that I could never deal with her rejection again. When she admitted again that I wasn't good enough, I would be done for.
 

I paced the living room, fighting with myself. I'd been so angry with her, and then seeing her standing before me almost tore down the wall I’d rebuilt. I wasn't sure if I should be more mad at her or myself. I knew then that I was wrong for her, but I let myself believe that we could make it work. I was foolish enough to think that she could forgive me for what I had done to her life.
 

I ripped the one she loved away from her. I was responsible for causing her unimaginable pain and suffering. She said she forgave me, but no one could really have a heart that good. I couldn't say that if the roles were reversed that I would be that understanding. I wasn't worthy of her and not even close to good enough for her to turn her back on her life.
 

Did I really think that Kallie wouldn't give in to her family? As much as she said she didn't want that life, why would she turn down the luxury and security? I worked as a mechanic. I had little money and undesirable skills. She could have someone that would provide for her. She could be successful and powerful in her career.
 

Just look how lost that prick was without her. He made the four or five hour drive to come get her. She was important enough and did things that no one else could. With her determination and brilliance, I'm sure she did wonders for the family business. I couldn't disagree with her parents for wanting her around.
 

With a sense of doom and depression that was familiar to me, I grabbed a beer and wandered to the couch for another night of boring movie watching. When I finally leaned back with my feet on the couch, I heard my phone ding from the kitchen. Out of habit from always hoping it would Kallie, I hopped up and went to grab it. I was surprised to see Kallie's name on my screen.

Please come down. I'm hurt.

My heart jumped in my chest as I made my way to the door and down the steps in record time. Pushing open the heavy metal door, I spotted her car stopped right before the road, ready to pull out. I quickly made my way over as she opened the driver side door. Her wet eyes met mine.

"I twisted my ankle," she said miserably.
 

Relief washed over me, considering worse could have happened. "Let me see."

She winced and turned so that she could slide her feet out of the car. "Damn heels," she mumbled. "I tried to suck it up and drive, but it hurts too bad. I can’t."

I took her right ankle gently in my hands. She hissed as I inspected it. It was already swollen, almost twice the normal size. Her skin was pouring out from under the straps of her shoe, so I gently slipped it off. Kallie's eyes closed tightly and her lip trembled. Tears leaked out from under her lashes as she gripped the seat with all her strength.
 

"Come on, lets get you some ice," I offered as I stood up. I held out my hand for her and pulled her out of the car.
 

I held her up as she hopped over to the door, grunting as she hobbled across the lot. Once I had her seated on the first step, I went back over to her car and got in. After adjusting the seat so my knees weren't crammed into the dashboard, I backed into an empty parking space.
 

"I have no idea how you walk in those," I teased as I reached her again.
 

"It's the gravel," she claimed.
 

I pulled her to a stand and tried to help her maneuver next to me so I could help her up the stairs. After several grunts and cries, I gave up and lifted her into my arms.
 

"Ryder!" she squealed.
 

"What? I'm being the knight in shining armor," I winked.

She shook her head at me, laughing slightly, as I carried her the rest of the way up the steps. I probably just saved us ten minutes of stumbling and struggling. I gently placed her on the couch and went to the freezer for an ice pack. I grabbed the one that I use whenever my back gets sore from work and brought it back in the living room.

"Thank you," she whispered with red cheeks. "I can't believe I did that."

"Really?" I asked. "I'm not shocked at all. These have to be, what, four inches high?"

She smacked my arm and laughed. "I’ve never had a problem before."

I helped situate the ice pack so it covered most of the ankle. It was strange seeing a body part so large on her tiny body. Once I was confident that the cold was covering where it needed to, I trailed my fingers up her bare calf. My eyes locked to hers as I tickled the soft skin up to her thigh. Her chest stopped moving when I reached the hem of her conservative skirt.
 

Kallie

I heard stomping up the steps right before the door busted open. Scarlett was wrapped up in Adam's arms as he tried to eat her face off, or at least that's what it looked like. Ryder's hands disappeared, and we both stared, waiting for the couple to realize they weren't alone. Hands were everywhere as they kissed, loud and sloppy.
 

Finally, Ryder coughed and Scarlett's back straightened. Adam, not seeming to notice or care, started to lick her neck before she shoved him off. They both turned to stare at us, Adam giving more of a glare.
 

"Kallie! Are you okay?" she asked, rushing over to me.

"I'm fine," I said, trying to brush her off. "I twisted my ankle in the parking lot."

She crouched down in front of me and shoved her brother away. Ryder stood and took a few steps back to let his sister assess the damage. She gently turned my ankle this way and that. Pain shot up and zinged through my body. I gasped and bit down on my lip to keep from crying out. It was grossly swollen, and every movement felt like I was setting my foot on fire.
 

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" she asked me.

"No," I insisted. "It just happened. I just need to let the swelling go down."

"Were you leaving?" she asked, and I didn't miss the hurt tone in her voice.

"I was just going to take care of a few things back at home," I improvised. She turned to glare at Ryder. "I was going to be back by tomorrow evening."

She smiled sadly at me and wrapped the ice pack back around my ankle, sending another jolt of pain through my body. I was never good with physical pain. The worse I ever went through was the tattoo Scarlett gave me. Other than that, I never broke a bone or had stitches. I leaned my head back on the couch, trying to keep from passing out. My skin felt tight, and my ankle throbbed. I was vaguely aware of the soft voices surrounding me.
 

Opening my eyes, I saw the door closing, and only Scarlett and Ryder were left in the room. Scarlett handed me some pain reliever and water, claiming it would help with the swelling. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the constant pain I was feeling.
 

"Where were you going to stay tonight?" Scarlett asked me after I swallowed the pills.
 

"Home," I answered. When I saw her confusion, I quickly added, "I didn't pack or anything. I was going to head home and pack, take care of some things, and then be back tomorrow night before you got off work."

She looked at me like I was stupid. "So, you drove five hours, hung out for a bit, and then you were going to drive another five hours home? Only to then do it again in the morning?"
 

"Pretty much," I admitted. It sounded good earlier. I actually expected to make up for lost time with Ryder, but I now knew that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
 

"Girl, you really need to learn to pack for road trips," she teased. I laughed, remembering the last time she had to take me to buy all new stuff because I didn't bring anything then, either.
 

"I know."
 

We sat in silence while I kept my eyes closed. I focused on trying to ignore the pain and hoped that I could do so for at least the drive home. Pressing the pedals proved to be too much, but maybe after a little rest and ice I would be fine. This could just be a minor delay.

"You need to stay here tonight," Scarlett interrupted. "Ryder or I can give you a ride up north tomorrow. You really shouldn't' be driving with this," she insisted, taking another glance under the ice pack.
 

I wanted to argue, but the movement sent another wave of stings up my leg, so I bit my tongue. She rubbed my shoulder before getting up and heading into the kitchen. She returned seconds later with a few beers. We each accepted one and took up our old spots on the couch. I sat in the middle, with Scarlett on my right and Ryder on my left. Although there was a large gap - physically and figuratively - between Ryder and I, it was almost like old times.
 

A movie played in the background while I listened to Scarlett chat away and catch me up on what I missed. Although we texted every now and then, she didn't mention Adam or anything of importance. I was informed of the tattoo shop getting an extension, the paintings she sold to a gallery, and some gossip on the people I knew from the diner.
 

After Scarlett yawned for the tenth time, she stood up and stretched. "I have to open in the morning. You want to wait for me to get off or do you want Ryder to take you up to Cleveland?"

"Um, I'm sure I'll be fine to drive," I insisted. I didn't want to get in that late, and I didn't want to spend hours confined with Ryder if he was angry with me.
 

"Yeah, right," he scoffed from next to me. Leaning over, he peeled back the ice pack to reveal that the swelling had barely gone down. "I'll drive you."
 

With that, he got up and left the room. I gave Scarlett a hug before she retreated to her room, and then I settled in on the couch. I’d spent so many nights on the couch that you’d think I would be used to it. But knowing that I had once upgraded to Ryder's bed, the couch seemed lumpier and more uncomfortable than before. I watched the time pass on the cable box before finally drifting into a restless sleep.