I chauffeur him the rest of the way in silence. All I know is Cole Matthews doesn’t deserve to be this alone, so while I figure out who’s behind these threats, it’s a damn good thing his friend is visiting for a few days.
Chapter 18
COLE
“Hey, man.” I open the door, slap his hand, and hug my best friend. With everything going on, it’s nice to see someone who’s like family.
“Hey.” He slings his thick, tattooed arm around me, hugging me back.
Nick is quiet but goes into full bear mode when something strikes a nerve. He doesn’t have a lot of friends and keeps a low profile, but what I’ve learned about him over the years has shown me he’s one of the best men I’ll probably ever know.
He drops his suitcase inside the door and laughs. “It looks exactly the same as the last time I was here. Glad to see those shitheads you call teammates haven’t changed your excessively anal tendencies.”
If he only knew.
I see the moment Ryder’s thumping on the treadmill registers.
“What’s that? You have company?”
The agitation that’s loitered since yesterday, when I got off the bus, and T-Bone took aim at Ryder, rises to the surface. My skin grows tight again.
“Uh. . .yeah. I have someone staying with me.”
His brows tip in. Nick is a big dude. He’s a defensive end and one of the best in the league. I’m six feet, three inches, and he’s taller than me with shoulders twice as broad. The man is a tank.
“Youhave someone staying with you? Who?” His skeptical eyes narrow.
Nick knows I don’t mess around with women. He’ll jump to every conclusion when he finds out that Ryder is living here. The same ones my family has from a few pictures.
I shove it out because I’ve got nothing else. “Her name is Ryder.”
Both eyebrows shoot up. “Her?”
I’m not sure if it’s a question or a statement. “Yes. She’s staying here for a while. I’ve had some—”
“Hold on.” He raises his hands. “You’reliving with a woman? When the hell did this happen?” He scratches his scruffy jaw, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Is she the chick in the pictures? I was certain she was just some fan caught at a good angle.”
I run a hand through my hair. Ryder isn’t some chick. “Yeah.”
“Shit, Matthews. Are you saying you actually have a girlfriend?”
“I. . .uh. . . ”
Like she’s doing her job of protecting my ass, Ryder comes down the stairs. Her music is loud enough in her earbuds that I can hear it. I know exactly what it is. It’s the same Bruno Mars song she always listens to.
Nick’s astonished gaze drifts to her.
She taps her phone, and the music stops. “Sorry, I didn’t know. . .”
I watch her absorb Nick’s presence, and I withhold a smile.
“Ryder, this is Nick.”
“Hey,” Nick says.
Ryder’s hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, her tank is soaked but only with sweat this time, and she’s wearing those black leggings that hug her long, toned legs.
“Hey.” She has that stony expression as she tips her chin in his direction and then moves to the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of water.
