“We’ll see.”
“You sound like my dad, only his noncommittal response often meant no. He never had time when he was working.”
Without responding, he stood at the driver’s door and waited for her to unlock it and then opened it for her.
“You don’t have to open my door.” She smiled anyway. “But thank you.”
After one more glance around the parking lot, unable to shake the feeling of being scrutinized, he took his place in the front passenger seat.
She didn’t start the engine right away, and he turned to meet her gaze. “Relax, Ryder. We’re not in any danger. If you remain on a constant level of heightened awareness, you’re going to exhaust yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
But she spoke the truth. Just this past hour or so had left him drained. How could he effectively protect her if he didn’t have the strength to fight off attacks?
Especially the attacks from within.
* * *
After they stopped at the hardware store, Megan hurried back to the condo. Seated beside her, Ryder fisted and unfisted his hand repeatedly. She didn’t know what had caused his anxiety, but remembered those first months with Patrick after he returned from Afghanistan.
Did Ryder suffer from post-traumatic stress or was he just someone who didn’t like being in crowds? The way he expected everyone around them to attack at any moment must be exhausting. She made a note not to ask him to go out during the busiest part of the day again.
She reached across the seat and squeezed his arm, feeling a slight tremor through his shirt sleeve. “Thanks for going along with me. I appreciate it.”
“I promised your brother I’d protect you.”
Putting her hand back on the wheel, she realized she and Adam needed to have a talk. Did he expect Ryder to be plastered to her side indefinitely?
“I think we both know that whatever the burglars wanted, they got. I don’t expect any more trouble.”
“Don’t you want to bring them to justice?”
She sighed. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to find justice in this world? No, thanks. I’m happy knowing they are out of my life. I don’t need anything more.”
His gaze lingered on her for a long time, and she tried to ignore the way his stare made her insides turn to jelly. Not easy. The man was so…intense. Didn’t he ever lighten up and have fun?
Don’t judge, Megan. You haven’t been through what he has.
Combat changed people. She’d seen it in Patrick and the few from her high school who’d gone off to serve their country. No one should have to do the things they had to do, but thank God men and women were willing to make those sacrifices.
The rest of the drive passed in silence. She wondered what he was thinking, but decided to give him time to unwind after the shopping trip. Opening the garage door, she pulled in next to his Harley.
Outside the SUV, her hand stroked over the leather seat before remembering what part of his anatomy had been plastered to it. She’d never ridden on a Harley. “Maybe we can go for a ride later.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
He stared at her as if she were clueless. Oh, of course he would be worried about her safety.
“I have a helmet. I ride with Patrick sometimes on his BMW.”
“We’ll see.” He opened the hatchback to collect her bags.
“Do you have kids, Ryder?”
He shifted his gaze toward her. “No. Why?”
“I just wondered. You’re always saying ‘We’ll see.’ Just reminds me of what my dad would say when he hoped I’d forget about whatever it was I wanted.”
She thought she saw a glint of humor in his eyes, but if it had been there, it soon disappeared. “I take it you didn’t forget very often.”
She flashed him a smile. “Never.”
He sighed and shook his head, but she definitely saw the hint of a smile before he averted his face. “Maybe we can go for a ride later on, when the day cools off.”
She joined him behind the SUV. “That sounds great. Thanks for the offer.”
Perhaps a ride in the mountains or desert. Maybe he’d relax if they left the city for a while.
Ryder took the bags from the cargo area and carried them to her office. “I’ll start working on the locks while you’re busy in here.” He left her alone.
The hours spent inside setting up her new laptop and second monitor flew by. At lunchtime, he brought her a sandwich, but she barely paused to eat. She breathed a sigh of relief when all of her latest work had been restored on her computer. She hadn’t lost anything.
A soft knock came to the door. “We have about three more hours of daylight, if you still want to take that ride.”
That he would remind her was surprising, but she saved what she was doing and closed the lid on her laptop. She tried to knead the knot in her right shoulder.
“Want me to work the kinks out first? I used to give a mean neck, head, and shoulder massage.”
She nearly came at the thought. “Please!”
His footsteps approached, and she closed her eyes. The t-shirt she wore was so thin she felt the heat from his body against her back as if she were naked.
Stop thinking about getting naked with him.
His hands were heavy and strong as he laid them on her shoulders. Without even beginning the massage, her shoulders tingled. Magic hands.
More lightly than expected, his fingers and thumbs probed the muscles of her shoulders. When his thumb pressed into the knot on the back of her right shoulder, she groaned, and his movements stopped.
“Did I hurt you?” His voice sounded more husky than usual, probably from being silent so long as he concentrated on her massage.
“God, no. You just homed in on where I hold most of my tension. Keep doing that.”
Ryder didn’t move immediately. She grinned. He probably was berating himself for touching his master sergeant’s little sister in such an intimate way. The man really did take his responsibility to her brother seriously.
No surprise. Adam’s Marines revered him.
When he did begin to work on that knot, she groaned again. So good. Her head lolled to the side to give him better access.
“Feel better?”
“Yes—but please don’t stop.” Not yet. The next sound from her mouth was more of a moan, and she blushed. Sounded as though she was turned on, but truly she just loved what his hands were doing. Her nipples hardened, and she was thankful he couldn’t see them. Maybe she needed to put an end to this.
Soon.
“You’re very good with your hands.” Her voice sounded a little husky now, too.
“My wife used to enjoy massages, too.”
She patted his hand to stop him. Dear God, she was getting turned on by a married man. No wife would be this understanding of a man’s loyalty to his military buddies.
“Isn’t she going to miss you if you spend too much time here with me?”
His hands stopped. “No. She left me years ago. We’re divorced.”
Megan swiveled around in the chair, breaking the contact with his hands. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
She saw the hurt in his eyes, but he tried to shrug it off. “You didn’t pry. I wouldn’t respect you much if you didn’t ask about her when you thought I was married.” His gaze dropped to her chest, and her face grew hot. He could see her nipples and had to know the effect his hands had on her.
Being a gentleman, he quickly met her gaze again. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t give her back the man she married after I returned from my last deployment.” He shrugged. “It happens.”
She nodded. “I know Patrick couldn’t make it work with his old girlfriend after he came home either. I guess a lot of relationships are casualties of long and multiple deployments. How many times were you sent over there?”
“Three since 9/11, but I also served in Kosovo in ninety-nine. That’s where I f
irst met your brother.”
“Were you planning on a career in the Corps?”
“Initially, but missed it by a long shot. Didn’t reenlist after Fallujah. Eight years was plenty.”
“Well, thank you for the many years you served. I know I couldn’t have made it eight minutes.” A silence ensued that told her that this conversation was over. “I guess I’d better lock this computer in Patrick’s safe and get ready if we’re going to ride tonight.”
She heard the relief in his voice that she’d changed the subject. “Sure thing. I’ll wait for you in the garage.”
“Be there in ten minutes.”
Chapter Five
Ryder’s HD Road King was in top-notch condition, but he needed to keep his hands busy, so he tinkered with the engine while he waited for her. What the fuck was he thinking to give her a massage like that? Touching her had him firing on cylinders long blocked. Good thing he didn’t explode.
The sight of her hard nipples nearly caused him to turn tail and run so she wouldn’t notice his hard-on. Thank God she turned away first.
He didn’t know how old she was, but she couldn’t be much more than twenty-five. Hell, he’d be thirty-eight in a couple of months. What the fuck was he doing getting turned on by someone so young and innocent?
Worse yet, how could he turn her on? He was a fucked-up Marine.
This ride was a bad idea on so many fronts. He probably should just tell her there was something wrong with his bike and escape from having her sweet body plastered against his for the ride up to Gilman Tunnels he had planned for them.
It would be just his luck, though, that she’d pull out her tool box and fix it. He wouldn’t put it past the woman to know how.
When she entered the garage, he didn’t make eye contact with her. While he continued to inspect his bike for the ride, she walked over to the shelf in the corner.
Next thing he knew, she stood next to him in black leather pants and boots with her patriotic helmet, emblazoned with the American flag and a bald eagle, held against her hip by her wrist. As his gaze roamed up her body, he saw what appeared to be a tank top peeking out from a leather jacket.
He moved quickly past her chest to meet her gaze. “You’re more than a casual rider.”
She grinned and took his breath away. “I don’t get to ride often, but if you or Patrick roll your bikes, I’m not getting road rash.”
“I’ve never rolled a bike.”
She glanced at the holes in the knees of his jeans. “Well, good. Then this will just keep me warm when the sun goes down.”
Practical and resilient. He liked those traits in a woman.
Hell, Top’s little sister wasn’t a woman. She was a girl. Besides, he had no plans to be messing around with her.
“Grab the door remote and let’s ride.”
The sooner he got this over, the better. Maybe he should take her over to the other side of the Sandias. They could ride to Madrid and then double back. Shorter trip for sure.
But, no. After nearly a day in the city, he needed the special peace that only came from being in the Jemez Mountains. Ryder mounted the bike and started the engine as the garage door opened.
“Ryder, do you mind if I bring my camera? I promise not to slow us down, but I’d hate to be without it when we get off the bike to stretch.”
“No worries.” He opened the right-hand saddlebag, and she stowed her camera case before donning her helmet.
The woman was too hot for words.
Fuck.
She’s Top’s sister. Hands off, grunt.
At least she’d be seated behind him where she couldn’t feel his hard-on. He walked the bike out of the garage and waited for her to close the door and stow the remote. He didn’t look forward to having her crotch pressed against his back for the next hour, but too late now.
She placed her left hand on his shoulder and mounted the bike before wrapping her arms around his waist and plastering her entire torso against his back.
Sweet Jesus, what did I ever do to deserve this kind of torture?
He rolled the throttle and shouted over the noise, “Hang on, Red.”
Red? Where had that come from? Still, it fit her personality, as well as her red hair.
The bike eased down the drive and onto the cul-de-sac. Through her neighborhood, he took it slowly, but as soon as they reached the interstate, he flew. Her arms squeezed harder at his waist. His cock throbbed. Eventually, the rumble of the motor numbed his thighs and eased his hard-on.
As they left the overpopulated valley and Albuquerque’s city limits, the landscape changed in a flash. His body relaxed as the desert enveloped them. Cool air touched his kneecaps where he’d ripped his jeans for that purpose, and he flipped his visor up and took a deep breath. He’d been cooped up less than a day in the city. How much longer would he need to be there to watch over Megan?
He hadn’t been able to reach Adam this morning, but had left him a message to let him know she was safe. He’d try to call tonight for further orders.
When he came to the stop at Highway 4, he pulled over to the shoulder and pointed ahead of them. “Let’s stop so you can take some photos.”
The first sign of the red rocks always took his breath away. This evening was especially beautiful with white puffy clouds against a deep blue sky and even a patch of green grass in front of the rocks.
She dismounted first and removed her helmet while he pulled out her camera case. After retrieving her camera, she ran across the road to snap photos, as if afraid he wouldn’t give her enough time.
Ryder took off his helmet and ran his hand through his hair. He watched her shoot the formation from all angles. When she crouched down to the ground, the outline of her ass in the form-fitting leather ramped up his guilt level for having the hots for Top’s baby sister.
She came back smiling. “Thanks for stopping. This is one of my favorite places to shoot, but I’ve never seen the colors more vivid than today.”
Megan placed a kiss on his cheek and picked up her helmet. The skin where she’d kissed him burned to life, and he rubbed it when she wasn’t looking, trying to disperse whatever strange kinetic energy had been in the simple press of her lips.
Before he put his own helmet on again, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, “My brother’s bike rides well, but I love the rumble and vibration of your Harley.”
His groin tightened at her husky voice and the suggestion in her words. But she didn’t mean them the way he interpreted them.
Focus, man. “We’ll head up Highway 4 a bit and then take the Gilman Camp Loop. You’re going to get some great photos up there.”
Seeing some of his favorite places through her eyes energized him like nothing had in a long while. He rolled the throttle and eased into traffic then gunned the engine as he raced to the turnoff. Daylight was fleeting. He wanted to be sure she had all the time she needed to take photos of the tunnels, mountains, and Rio Guadalupe.
They weren’t far from his place, but it would be dark soon. Hold on! He hadn’t planned on taking her there anyway. He sighed. No, tonight they would return to that boxy condo in the city.
Live in the moment. He didn’t want to think about going back yet.
The time he’d spent with Carlos at his grandmother’s had taught him a lot about that philosophy. Forget the past. Stop worrying about the future.
Sometimes easier said than done.
* * *
Megan watched the gorgeous scenery fly by as they rode up the winding mountain road. She’d heard of the tunnels and this old logging road, but had never ventured out here. Usually she was on her way to Bandelier or some other site and didn’t stop.
The evergreens against the deep red earth stole her breath away, but the sky mesmerized her. Every now and then, she caught a glimpse of a river down below as they climbed the narrow road. When he slowed down and eventually cut off the engine, she removed her helmet and peeked around him to see a tunnel. She’d always enj
oyed taking photographs through windows and tunnels. They made great frames for the view that lay beyond.
Ryder was sweet to accommodate her need to grab her camera and take photos. She hoped they turned out well enough to sell as prints in a gallery.
“After you take some shots here, we can ride up to the next tunnel where there’s some interesting road art you might like to see.”
“Absolutely! I’d rather stretch my legs.”
She started but soon felt him tug at her arm, slowing her down. “You walk at a city pace.”
“Guilty as charged. Grew up in Chicago.”
She started up the hill through the first tunnel again, and soon he grabbed her hand forcing her to match his pace. “It’s not a race. Time to slow down and smell the roses.”
The heat from his hand made her palm tingle, but she ignored it and forced herself to focus on the speed of her steps. She looked ahead, not finding much of interest in the darkened tunnel.
Until Ryder stopped.
“What is it?”
She saw him looking at the wall of the tunnel at some faded graffiti. He pointed to the initials RW. “I’ve been coming here since I was sixteen. Left my mark all those years ago.”
“What, no girlfriend you were in love with?”
He shook his head. “No. She came along when I was seventeen.”
“Your ex?”
He nodded.
“High-school sweethearts. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
Ryder shrugged. “A lot of my buddies had marriages fail. Military spouses become used to living on their own and handling things without you. Hard for them to make the adjustment to share responsibilities when you come home.” He stared at his initials on the tunnel wall.
Megan wondered if that was the only issue they struggled with, but it was none of her business. She squeezed his hand, pulling him back to her.
“Show me what you were talking about on the other side of the tunnel.”
“It’s after the next one.” He began walking again, and she held onto his hand. Anyone happening upon them would think they were a couple.
Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5) Page 5