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He eyes me warily. “What?”
“I’m just trying to get a read on you. You’re not what I expected.”
He arches a brow. “What did you expect?”
“Someone grumpy. Super closed off.”
Laughing, Ryker shakes his head. “Well, you’re not that far off.”
“I’m pretty sure you have very few truly grumpy days.”
“You should tell Sawyer that. He’ll get a kick out of your theory.”
“Here you go, honey.” Maddie places a mug in front of me, then another in front of Ryker, before filling both from a fresh pot of coffee. She sets the pot aside and pulls out a notepad. “What can I get you both?”
“French toast with whipped cream and cinnamon, please. Then two eggs over easy.”
“You’ve got it, honey. Ryker?”
“Same,” he replies.
“You’ve got it.” With a wide smile, she leaves the side of the table, so I turn back to Ryker.
“I think you want people to think you’re all growly, but really you have teddy bear tendencies.”
He stares at me, clearly shocked if his raised eyebrows are any indication. “Teddy bear tendencies?”
“I’m standing by it.”
He chuckles. “I have to say, I kind of appreciate that read on me. Not many people would call me a teddy bear.”
“I said you have teddy bear tendencies. But I also get the impression you could be quite a ferocious grizzly if the situation calls for it. It’s what makes you effective as a bodyguard. You managed to diffuse my poor mood and give me hope, but you also dove into a raging river and pulled an unconscious stranger from a car.”
Ryker takes a drink of his coffee while I add three creams into mine. “Now I can’t wait for you to tell Sawyer all of this. Actually, don’t. Recently he’s taken to driving me insane with nicknames. The last thing I need is him adding Teddy to the list.”
I laugh and stir in an ice cube from the water Maddie brought. “The secret is safe with me.” I take a drink of my coffee, then cock my head to the side to study him. “Can you tell me something about you? I mean, you know everything there is to know about me.”
“There’s not much to tell. I went into the Navy, became a SEAL, worked for the government, then decided I wasn’t done helping people, so I started working for Knight Security.”
“That’s the company in Maine?” He nods. “Well, that’s quite a lot. What about your family?”
“Like I said, my mom’s gone. Dad left when I was young, and I have a brother I don’t talk to.”
“Why don’t you talk to your brother?” When he doesn’t immediately respond, I add, “You can also tell me to stop asking questions. I’ll respect your privacy.”
He takes a deep breath. “We had a falling out. That’s about the extent of it.”
“Okay.” Is that what left him so scarred inside? Or is there something else? “How about your time in the Navy? What made you want to join?”
Once more, he locks up for a brief moment. “I didn’t really have anything else to do, and I wanted to keep myself from repeating old mistakes. So I chose a profession where my days would be chosen for me, rather than left open for a bunch of decisions.”
So he didn’t trust himself.
“And now? Are you happy with what you’re doing?”
“Well, it’s got me enjoying breakfast with you, right?”
Swoon. My heart skips in my chest, and I have to bite back what I know would be a grin as I melted into the booth. Because, oh boy, Ryker Granger saying something like that to me? It should be illegal.
