His voice stopped me cold, the smile on my face instantly slipping as he stepped off the street and into my driveway.
Dammit, I was so close to perfecting this day. I was going to grab a coffee and take a stroll through town just to remind myself that I didn’t need him by my side for protection against the gossip.
The whole plan was ready to be set in motion.
And then he appeared.
My heart rate kicked up, the blood rushing through my veins heating as I took in his handsome brown eyes and that dark mess of hair on top of his head. And that damn suit. I sighed internally, wishing I had never seen him in that suit. He looked so freaking good, and my body wanted to go to him, to let my hands tear that tie from around his throat and lick the column of his neck just as he had done to me so many times.
But that wouldn’t be happening, and I would not allow my body to control any of this interaction.
“What do you want?”
I nearly grumbled under the heated gaze he shot my way. It took all my willpower to ignore the way his eyes roamed over my body, settling on my breasts before continuing south.
My thighs involuntarily clenched just by that one look, and I hated myself a little for it.
“I left something at your house.”
Typical. Of course he left something behind. He wasn’t here to see me. There was no longing in his eyes other than to fuck me. And that wasn’t enough to make me wilt like a flower in his arms. Nope, I was made of stronger stuff, and I wasn’t about to fall back into a weeping mess just because I saw him again.
“You still have your key. Go get whatever you need. I’m going to be late.”
“You still have fifteen minutes,” he argued.
“Yes, and none of those fifteen minutes are dedicated to you. Have a nice day, Ryder.”
I opened my door and climbed into my Jeep. Within seconds, I started the vehicle and backed out of the driveway, nearly hitting him when he didn’t move fast enough.
Oops. Perhaps I was allowing my anger to get the best of me. With a honk, I took off down the road, my hands shaking with a mix of rage and need as I drove into town.
“Fuck you, Ryder!” I shouted, banging my fist on the steering wheel.
God, I was so stupid. Of course I didn’t have it all together. I was a mess, just like any other woman who’d been shoved aside by a man.
But that didn’t mean my day had to be ruined. I stopped by The Daily Grind and ordered my coffee, trying to smile the whole time. But something inside of me was torn open, unable to truly grasp the concept of happiness. I knew what it was like to fall for a man now.
And unfortunately, I also knew what it was like to feel the bitter sting of rejection.
As I stormed out of the shop, I slammed right into Ryder’s outstretched arms, nearly spilling my coffee on him. Huffing in irritation, I backed up a step and tried to go around him, but he countered the move, ensuring I couldn’t get past.
“Move out of the way.”
“No.”
“Ryder—”
“We need to talk.”
I barked out a laugh at that. “We already did talk. I don’t think there’s much more to say.”
“This is ridiculous!” he snapped, finally stepping back and giving me the space to escape.
But as I rushed toward my Jeep, he ran around and got in front of me. “What do you want from me, Ellie?”
“Nothing,” I answered calmly. “There’s not a single thing I want from you.”
“My secrets, is that it?”
