“You coming?”
The corner of her mouth lifted, and the temptation in her gaze almost made me abandon my plans altogether.
Fuck strategy. I wantedher.
“Thought you’d never ask.”
I stepped aside, giving her ass a hard smack as she passed by. “Later.”
“You should be so lucky.”
Gods, this woman.
Adjusting myself in my trousers, I quickened my pace and followed her.
Chapter Sixty
Cadence
The moment my feet settled outside Riordan’s chambers, unease washed over me, sharp and uninvited. The weight of what I’d learned pressed against my chest, and guilt clawed its way up my throat, bitter and choking.
Knowing my own father had been the one to torture him made my stomach twist.
The sins of my father weren’t new to me, but this one… ithurt.
Riordan was my friend, and it was my blood who had harmed him. I couldn’t fathom the softness in his gaze when everything about me should have hardened it.
“Temptress,” Ryker said. “Are you all right?”
I closed my eyes, letting out a slow breath as I worked to quiet my turbulent thoughts.
“How will he ever forgive me?” My voice was soft, barely audible, but the pain was unmistakable.
Ryker gripped my chin, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. “You are not responsible for the transgressions of your father, Temptress.”
“But —”
“No, you need to hear this.”
Ryker’s gaze seared my flesh, the storm in his steel-grey eyes enough to make my spine lock straight.
“You are not your father,” he said, each word crisp and sharp. “Not even close. You think I’m going to let you carry that weight for him?” His grip tightened, holding me in place. “Your father is a bastard, Cadence. You owe him nothing, least of all your guilt. You hear me?”
I nodded, but it wasn’t enough for him.
“Say it,” he demanded.
My throat worked around the words, hesitation clawing at me. But his intense gaze left me nowhere to hide.
“I am not my father.”
“Good girl.” Ryker pressed his lips to my forehead, his breath hot against my skin. “Ready?”
I gave a curt nod, and he rapped his knuckles against the polished wood.
“Didn’t take you for someone who knocks,” I said, my eyebrow lifting in amusement.
Ryker groaned. “Trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way.”
