My jaw dropped.What exactly was he implying?
But I never got the chance to ask, because suddenly, I was looking at Ryder's back while he faced the complainer head-on.
Ryder cut him off. "What did you say?"
I hadn't needed the help. And yet, seeing Ryder step in like that knocked me off-center, as if the ground under the argument had shifted without warning. But letting him fight my battles, especially now, wasn't what I wanted.
Except, therewasno battle. Not anymore.
By the time I stepped sideways to confront the stranger on my own, the guy was already backing into his room, mumbling, "I was just saying, jeez."
I looked to Ryder's face and saw what the stranger saw – barely contained fury, wrapped up far too tight.
But when the guy's door clicked shut, and Ryder looked to me, his face was wiped clean of everything, including anger. I was still trying to make sense of it when he looked toward his own door and frowned.
I looked, too, seeing what Ryder saw. His door was shut – and presumably locked.
He muttered, "Shit."
As for myself, I only smiled. Sure, it wasn't a happy smile, but I had something Ryder didn't. I reached into my pocket and pulled it out – the keycard I'd been planning to return. I gave it a little wave and said, "Looks like we're both in the hall now."
His gaze dropped to the card. "Meaning?"
I held the card higher, forcing his eyes back to mine. "We can talk here. Or inside. Your choice. But wewillbe talking."
89
About That Elephant
Ryder
Inside the suite, I braced for the fallout. If she was going to flip, the time would be now. My gaze strayed to the mini-bar, and I resisted the urge to scoff.
When I looked back at Tessa, she was glaring.
"What?" I asked.
Her expression hardened. "I know what you're thinking."
Doubtful."Yeah? And what's that?"
"You're standing there thinking, 'Gee, I wonder if she's gonna raid the mini-bar.'"
It was an impressive guess, but I refused to admit it. "So,areyou?"
By now, she was practically quivering with indignation. "If I didn't raid it last night, why would I now? I was here alone for two whole hours. I could've cleaned out a lot more than the bar."
As she said it, something twisted in my gut. I had imagined her storming out the moment I left, doing a grab-and-go with her own stuff.
And now I felt like an ass.
But what came out of my mouth was, "You could've. It's not a big deal."
"Oh, please," she said. "It's obviously a big deal to you, because you brought up that stupid video."
I gave her a look."Ibrought up that video?"
"You brought up me 'grabbing the booze.' Thatishow you put it, right?" She crossed her arms. "So, do you want to knowwhyI grabbed it?" She answered without waiting. "Because it was mine."
