Rush Into You (9 page)

I wanted him to.

Back and forth we talked, the conversation flowing easily between us. When we’d first met, the conversation was all about me, so tonight I wanted to get to know Ryker.

He told me about his friend Hendrix Cooper, and I instantly wanted to meet him. He sounded hilarious. I also found out he helped bartend events for different catering companies once in a while.

“I used to be a caterer,” I told him. “I had to wear this ridiculous uniform. Tuxedo pants, white button up, and a burgundy vest complete with a black bow tie.”

He laughed. “I bet you looked hot. Usually I just wear black pants and a black button up, but sometimes I have to wear the company uniform. I hate it.”

I bet he was the one who looked hot in his uniform. His body would look good in anything—Ryker Rosse was definitely blessed in the look’s department.

When Ryker turned back towards the sunrise again, I took the opportunity to check him out. Just like at the bar a year ago, I noticed how full his lips were. They were perfect.

Kissable.

Lickable.

Biteable.

His lashes were long and thick, framing his eyes perfectly. Looking at his bright eyes now, I didn’t even see how they could become even brighter from their normal blue color, but they did—I had seen it. I laughed aloud at the memory.

Ryker’s head turned to me, his eyes narrowed. “What’s so funny?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. Just remembering when I kicked you in the balls.” I laughed again.

“Oh, so you thought that was funny, huh?” He playfully shoved my shoulder.

“The look on your face was priceless. Too bad I didn’t get a picture. You should’ve seen it,” I teased.

“Be grateful you don’t have balls. Even the slightest flick can cause a grown man to go down, never mind a full-blown power kick.”

“Well, I am sorry about it, but…it
was
kind of funny,” I softly said, unable to stop smiling.

“Want to see something really funny?” Ryker asked calmly.

I looked at him for a second, trying to figure out what he had up his sleeve. I nodded shakily, afraid I’d regret my decision.

Ryker roared and pounced on me. I shrieked. “Oh my God! Oh my God, stop! I’m so ticklish! Don’t!” I laughed hysterically. Knowing Ryker wouldn’t let up that easily, I fought back. I shot out my own hands and started trying to tickle him.

Bingo!

His arms immediately retracted to cover his own stomach. “No! Shit! Fuck! Ahhh!” Ryker screamed, laughing uncontrollably like a little boy.

“Oooh, how the tables have turned, tough guy. Who would’ve thought that underneath the tattoos and piercings, you were ticklish like a little boy?”

“Being ticklish doesn’t just go away with age,” he managed between laughs. “At least not with me.”

We both stopped tickling each other and called a silent truce. We were still tangled together, breathing heavy and laughing. My hands trailed from his chest to his solid, ripped abs, and I didn’t want to pull away. My breathing grew even shakier as my laughter subsided, and this time it had nothing to do with the exertion from our tickle fight. Ryker’s hands rested gently on my sides, causing my heart to skip multiple beats.

His laughing ceased and I looked up into his perfect eyes and saw them locked on me. His eyes were electric blue again.

My heart stopped beating.

Right now would be the perfect time to give in to my deep desires and kiss him. It’d be romantic, and it’d be perfect, but I didn’t want to ruin this thing between us. If I could keep it beautiful and magical, then I would. I wouldn’t spoil it in any way.

I cleared my throat and diverted my gaze. I was suddenly fascinated by my chipped nail polish. “Tonight has been great, Ryker.”

He took the hint and sat back slightly, removing his hands from my body. I pulled my hands from his stomach, feeling immediately cold. I needed his hands on me again to feel warm, and I needed my hands on him. I got that taste, and now I wanted more.

Take it slow, Gabby. Deep breaths. Calm down.

I had a history of addiction, and although I was drug free, my addictive personality stayed with me. I just tried targeting healthier things instead. Right now, all I wanted was more of Ryker, but it scared me since it was just the second time I’d hung out with him in over a year.

If I didn’t get out of here soon, I might do something I’d regret. No, I wouldn’t regret sleeping with him but I would definitely regret sleeping with him too soon. I already liked him too much for that.

The sun was almost all the way up as I stood and stretched my body with my arms way above my head. It felt so good after sitting down for so long that a soft moan escaped my lips.

Ryker was watching me with bright eyes, his Adam’s apple slowly rising and falling, prominent beneath his perfectly bronzed skin.

“I have class at nine, so I should probably try to get a little sleep before I go. My legs are okay enough to walk now.”

Ryker was the one to clear his throat this time. He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. “Yeah, yeah, of course. I should have asked earlier if you had plans for the morning. I wouldn’t have kept you out so late.”

“It’s okay, really. This is the first moment that I thought about the time. Tonight was perfect.” He took my hand in his and started to lead me down off the large rock. I liked the feel of his calloused hand against my soft one.

“So tell me more about your motorcycles…” I smiled up at him. Just as I thought they would, Ryker’s eyes widened with that passionate gleam.

“For real?” I nodded. “Well, the Ducati is bright red. I always wanted a red street bike, and I saved up for this one…”

I listened to him talk as we continued walking. I wasn’t lying when I told Ryker that tonight was perfect. It absolutely was. Even my earlier anxiety and Ryker’s stupid prank had contributed to the amazing night. I loved that Ryker wasn’t perfect or overly worried about charming me. He was being himself, and that alone made him perfect in my eyes.

MY SLEEP WAS plagued by nightmares, as usual, but for once the light that streamed through the window didn't make me cringe. I actually looked forward to what the day held. My thoughts immediately traveled to Ryker, and I wondered what he was doing right now. Was he still sleeping after our late night together?

I hadn't realized how lonely I really was until last night. I had lost everyone that ever meant something to me, and Jay was my only friend here, but now I had Ryker back in my life. I never planned on being close to another person again, but sometimes a person’s needs come before their wants.

Just remembering the rush I got on the back of his motorcycle gave me the chills, making my lower body clench in all the right places. I hoped it wouldn't be my last ride. If it were up to me, I’d definitely see lots more of Ryker.

Oh, shit.

We hadn’t exchanged phone numbers last night. By the time we’d left the cliffs, I was exhausted, and the only thing I thought of at that point was my comfortable bed.
What if it took another year to see him again?
No, I wouldn't let that happen. We lived about fifteen minutes from each other, and I knew where he worked. Eventually, I’d end up seeing him.

I looked down at my phone to confirm the time and noticed I had about thirty minutes before my first class started. Just enough time for a quick shower and a trip through the drive thru to get my morning coffee. I was lucky my school was only a five minute drive from my apartment. I would hate to ruin my perfect attendance by being late.

I was just putting my earrings in when Pink’s voice sang through the tiny speaker of my cell phone, alerting me that Jay was calling—right on time.

“Hey, bitch!” Jay screamed before I could say hello. I quickly pulled the phone away from my ear so that I didn’t go deaf from her obnoxiousness.

“You’d think I’d have learned to keep the phone at arm’s length when I answer. One of these times I’m going to go deaf.” I acted as if I were annoyed with her, but I really didn’t mind. It was one of the things I loved about her.

“Oh, hush. You know you love it.” She laughed. “Come outside, I just pulled onto your street.”

“Got it.” Once my phone was safely in my purse, I made sure I had everything else I needed before running out of my house.

Jay picked me up for school every morning. She knew I didn’t drive, and she never pushed for an explanation why. That was one of the things I liked about Jay—she was so into herself that she didn’t bother digging deep with me. It sounded shallow, but we got along, and it worked for us.

Jay was probably preparing to give me one too many details about her and Brian’s sex life. She had been throwing ideas around all week about the impossible sex positions she planned to try with Brian for his birthday, and I didn’t even want to know which position she chose.

“Okay, spill,” she said.

That caught my attention. I wasn’t expecting this to be about me. “What are you talking about?”

“Girl, this is the first time you’ve stepped into my car without a death grip on my door handle, and you’ve been cheesing since I got here. I know it’s not because you’re happy to see me, so spill it. What happened with that guy last night? I want details, Gabby,” Jay demanded.

“There’s nothing to tell,” I answered coyly.

Jay erupted with her contagious laughter, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. “Girl, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Who’s the guy?”

“What makes you think I’m happy because of a guy?”

“Trust me, I know that look.”

For a second, I thought about denying everything to her, though I had to admit that it would be nice to talk to someone about Ryker. I was already thinking about him so much that I thought I just might explode.

“Okay, okay. Yeah, it’s about that guy—”

She squealed, but shut up when she saw my hard glare. One of her hands went up in surrender while the other stayed firmly wrapped around the steering wheel.

“So, yeah… no offense, but I was bored out of my mind at that party. You know how that’s not my thing anymore.” I shrugged apologetically. “Anyway, I went down by the water to have some space, and he was there.”

My cheeks heated. I couldn’t believe I was blushing just by talking about him. I didn’t think I’d ever blushed in my life before I met Ryker. What the hell was he doing to me?

“Oh, Gabby, you’re blushing,” Jay cooed and clapped her hands like the cheerleader she was.

“Do you want to hear about him or not?” I snapped.

She nodded eagerly but stayed quiet.

“He was gorgeous, Jay.” I had to hold in my own girly squeal this time. “Six feet of solid, lean muscle. Covered in tattoos and piercings. Style. His eyes were in a league all their own.” I sighed like a lovesick teenager.

“Yeah, he looked like a bad boy.”

I nodded. “Yeah, he definitely has the look, but he wasn’t an arrogant asshole. Or a man whore. He was actually funny...and sweet.”

“What did you guys do?” she asked curiously. I told her everything about our night together in detail. “Wow, sounds kind of crazy and romantic at the same time. Why didn’t you just kiss him? I would’ve.”

I shrugged. Jay didn’t know anything about my experience with men. I wasn’t sure if she’d understand or if she’d judge me, and I didn’t have it in me to be judged by my only friend. I did throw her a bone though.

“I met him before. Once. Before I moved here. He was amazing then too. When I saw him last night, I couldn’t believe it. We were both shocked. That’s why we left the party together, to talk and catch up. He races. Motorcycles.” I smiled.

“Hot damn!” Jay whistled. “Pass him over to me when you’re done, will ya'?”

Her comment irritated me, and that surprised me. I had no right getting all territorial on him after we hung out twice. It wasn’t even a date. “I don’t think that will go over well with Brian, Jay.”

“Oh, hush. I’m joking, and you know it. We should go see him race though.”

“He wants me to.” Jay’s eyes lit up with excitement. “But we didn’t exchange numbers.”

Her face fell. “Why not?”

“The sun was up when I got home, and we were tired. I wasn’t even thinking about it, and I doubt he was either.”

“It looks like I’ll just have to work my magic and find out where these secret races are.” She winked.

After we’d ordered our caramel ice coffees, we were quiet the rest of the ride to campus. We got out of the car and were about to part ways when she called out to me, “What’s lover boy’s name, anyway?”

“Ryker Rosse.”