by Box Set
Ryder glanced at her fisted hand, then into her eyes. “You’re in my life now, and this week you’ve already managed to spin the tabloids and media in my favor with your PR campaign.” He intertwined his fingers through her free ones. “I want these guys to meet you. It’s important to me.”
Zings of electricity pulsed through her skin, and desire unfurled low in her belly. Her death grip on her oversized handbag eased and a sultry sensation floated through her. So not good. Yet Ryder’s words meant more to her than she could admit. She’d always been a bit of an outsider, and her co-workers didn’t cross the tough border she’d created as a mechanism to protect herself.
She should say no to Ryder. But she couldn’t resist learning more about him. Not only that, but his gaze mesmerized her.
“Okay, I’ll come in to say hi, but then I should head back to the inn and buckle down. From the way my phone’s been buzzing, I’m sure I’ve got a zillion emails to dispatch before the end of the business day in LA.”
“Park the iPhone, and give yourself a break.” He pushed open the diner’s door, a bell tinkled, and they stepped inside. “We’re staying long enough to eat dinner and catch up with the guys.”
She glanced at the chalkboard with flowers drawn around it in different colored chalk pens. The owner had paired the regular diner fare with some interesting additions of turkey chili, meatballs, rustic salmon, and tofu surprise. They moved between the diner’s counter and booths. The healthier selections would allow her to stick to her diet, but her long-lost inner junk food addict screamed for burgers and fries.
Maintaining her self-control wouldn’t be easy, but she couldn’t back out now that Ryder had reached the booth where two men—both awesome specimens of the male species—quickly stood to make room for her and Ryder. Within moments she’d been introduced to Walker Hammond and Stefano Mercado, along with his traveling companion, Roxie Sullivan.
“How’re things in the auto world?” Ryder asked, then lifted a french fry from Stefano’s plate and bit into it.
“Hey, get your own food,” Stefano protested.
“Can’t complain,” Walker said. “But I’m looking to make a big change if things go the way I want.” He shot a look over to the counter where a dark haired woman hustled behind it.
“I didn’t know Savannah worked here,” Ryder said.
“She owns the joint,” Stefano said, then shifted closer to Roxie. “Best coffee in town and her cook makes a mean monster cheeseburger when he shows up.”
Addison looked at their half-empty platters. The scent of frying onions, burgers and her former favorite go-to comfort food, french fries, filled the air. It had been ages since she’d let an unhealthy carb or greasy burger pass between her lips. Her stomach grumbled, and she grabbed the laminate menu tucked between the napkin holder and a little white vase holding wildflowers to scan it for additional healthy options.
She would not cave to the hunger churning in her belly. No way. And certainly not in front of Ryder.
His leg pressed against hers and a delicious shiver trembled through her, making her crave so much more than the contraband monster cheeseburger on the menu. As much as she wanted to make Ryder her main course, she’d put a clamp on that desire, too.
“I’ll have the chef salad with grilled chicken, red wine vinaigrette on the side,” she said when Savannah came over to ask for her order with a sunny smile on her face. One definitely not directed at Walker.
Ryder ordered what she had denied herself and then went back to reminiscing with his friends about their days at Saddle Creek Ranch. Whatever wrongs they had committed to be sent to the ranch for remediation, each of the men had long ago shed their backgrounds to become successful in their own rights. An incredible testimony to their mentor’s no-nonsense influence over their lives.
While she couldn’t erase what had happened as a result of the crash, Addison believed she owed it to the man she’d visited to make sure Ryder’s future didn’t get screwed up. John had instilled honor and integrity in Ryder. Those qualities drove Ryder to do the right thing for Eric at great expense to himself.
She’d follow up with Eric Langston when they returned to Los Angeles. Discreetly. There had to be some way to give everyone what they needed to move on with their lives, including Ryder’s former teammate. Her promise niggled at her, and a smidgen of guilt threatened, but she pushed it aside.
Repairing this particular client’s reputation took precedence no matter what.
Their plates arrived and Walker took off to check on Savannah. Addison resolutely took her first bite of the freshly prepared salad. Chewing slowly, she reached for her glass of water and sipped afterward. Slow and steady. Don’t cave to the craving. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. But oh, the damn burger smelled like heaven.
Her stomach rumbled.
“You sure you don’t want at least one fry?” Ryder said, holding one up and dancing it in front of her face. “Used to be your favorite.”
Addison’s cheeks heated and she quickly jammed her fork into the chicken strip. “Not anymore,” she said primly while delicately cutting the strip into tiny pieces.
“You know you want to,” Ryder teased.
“Yeah,” Stefano said, smiling. “What’s the big deal? You’re so skinny you can eat whatever you want.”
“Come on,” Ryder said. “Live a little, Addie, and cut yourself some slack. One fry isn’t going to hurt you.”
Addison hated the teasing in their voices. Though she knew Stefano had no idea that her weight was an ongoing battle, Ryder did. Suddenly, her nose itched and tears pricked behind her eyes. Hot, ugly, wet ones were threatening to burst through the mental dam she’d elevated years ago. “Maybe not.” She dropped her fork and pushed his hip with hers to force him out of the booth. Standing, she glared at him. “But shallow, mean words can cause a lot of damage. Fortunately, I repaired the worst of it and I’m better off. So park your fries up your ass. I’m out of here.”
***
“Crap, I royally fucked up,” Ryder said, scrubbing his hand over his face and tunneling his fingers through his hair while Addison rush to the diner’s door.
“What the hell’s wrong with sharing a fry?” Stefano asked.
“Everything if it reminds her about the dumb ass shit she overheard eight years ago.” Ryder couldn’t believe he’d hurt her when he’d only wanted to get Addison to loosen up, relax with him like they used to do during their study sessions. “I didn’t stand up for her then—didn’t chase her down to apologize. I’m not repeating that fucking mistake.”
“You broke one of John’s rules,” Stefano said. “I know what that can do to screw up a relationship.”
“We’re not in a relationship. She’s my PR rep, but I have to make up for being a jerk.” Not just for how he screwed up today, but for the heartbreak he’d heard in her shocked gasp back then. He’d let foolish male pride drive his actions and words. And though he’d never used the term Fattie Addie, he hadn’t stood up for her, either.
He glanced at the platters, then moved to pull his wallet out to pay his portion of the bill. “Will twenty cover our meal?”
Stefano shook his head. “I’ve got this. Go after her.”
“Thanks.”
He bolted for the diner’s exit, stepped outside, and his gaze landed on Addison’s ramrod straight stiff back as she approached the SUV. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why did I let him talk me into going to the diner? He has no idea, none, about who I am and what I want,” she said, talking to herself.
His chest tightened. Hearing the tears in her voice, and false bravado filled him with a major case of self-hate. If he could turn back time and replay the entire episode, he’d do it in an instant. “Addison, wait,” he called, running toward her. He couldn’t do a retake on the past, but he sure as hell could forge a different ending to this situation. One that would prove to Addison she mattered more than he’d ever dared to admit all those years ago.
She glanced at him over her shoulder. �
�Get a lift from one of your friends after you finish your monster burger.” Her eyes glimmered, and her chin trembled despite the firm commanding tone in her voice. “I’ve got a mountain of files to go over when I get back to the Inn.” Addison looked away, digging into her purse until she retrieved the SUV’s keys with shaking fingers.
“Addison.” Ryder touched her shoulder. “You’re too upset to drive, let alone work.”
She pressed her forehead on the door panel. “You don’t have to be my hero, Ryder. Not like you tried to be with Tiffany.” Addison gave a heavy sigh. “I’m angry, but I’m not drunk. I have to get out of here before…”
His throat felt raw. “You aren’t angry, you’re hurt.” He couldn’t let her go. “I’m responsible for it. And I’m so sorry. So damn sorry I didn’t stand up for you after the guys razzed me about our relationship.”
Big plops of water landed on the curb beside the SUV. “I thought you were my friend.”
“I was.”
She swiped her face. “You sure didn’t act like one.”
“I was an idiot of epic proportions.” He closed the distance between them, and gently turned her to face him. God, it killed him to see the tears tracking down her cheeks. He’d put them there twice in his lifetime and he wanted to replace them with the sunny smiles she’d always had for him before he fucked things up with his tough guy act. “You helped me so much, Addison. I’ve had the career of a lifetime because of you. Do you have any idea how much that means to me?”
“I was your tutor. Nothing more.” Addison gulped in air, but still the tears ran down her face. “It’s just that I—I had fun and I mixed up the way we joked around. I made it more in my head. Stupid.”
“You’re one of the smartest people I know.” He brushed away her tears, and held her eyes with his. “You were right, Addison. I liked you. A lot. You made me laugh. You made me believe I could ace the economics final. I loved spending every minute with you. I miss that girl. More than you can possibly imagine.”
She blinked. “I was Fattie Addie. Remember? No one wanted me.”
“Sweetheart. You’re wrong,” he said. “I wanted you. But you were my agent’s daughter. Rich. Smart. Talented. Way out of my league and totally off limits.”
“Out of your league?” she asked, sniffing hard. “I was a fat, ugly nobody. And losing fifty pounds hasn’t changed who I am on the inside. I’m always one slip away from losing control… food used to be my emotional comfort zone. I can’t let it become a crutch for me. I won’t.”
“I shouldn’t have teased you with the french fry,” Ryder said.
“Not going to lie.” She dropped her gaze. “I wanted it. And the monster cheeseburger. But I know what will happen if I indulge my craving. One bite, one taste, won’t ever be enough. And I’ll become that loser. Fattie Addie.”
Her voice sounded small, vulnerable, raw. The pain behind his sternum intensified. He’d never seen her as that girl, but he’d let peer pressure stop him from standing up for her when she needed it most. “You weren’t a loser,” he said, tilting her chin up. She looked adorable with her tear stained face and the tiny hint of pink at the tip of her nose. “But I get what you mean about what will happen if you indulge in your craving. I want you. In a bad, bad way, Addison. But I’m afraid one bite, one taste won’t satisfy my craving.”
The pulse in the hollow of her throat fluttered wildly and her hazel eyes darkened. “You want me now because I’ve changed my physical appearance,” she said. “I won’t be an embarrassment to be seen with in public.”
“You’re hot. Sexy. Beyond attractive. No denying how much you turn me on. But that’s not why I want to be with you.” Ryder touched her forehead with his and caressed her cheeks. “I want you because you’re still the same person on the inside. You’re someone who cares deeply. You’ve always given 200 percent to support others no matter how tough the challenge, especially when the challenge is me.”
Ryder stroked his thumb over her full lower lip as she trembled in his arms and her breathing accelerated. He couldn’t resist the temptation of taking one small taste if only to show her how desirable she was inside and out. He lowered his mouth to hers, intending to give her a simple brush across the lips. One that danced on the edge of friendship, and skimmed around the border of his desire and stopped short of leading to more than they could handle. But when they connected, she felt so right and sweet in his arms that all of his good intentions shot into the stratosphere and flew over the Montana mountain range.
***
Addison tried to remind herself Ryder was off-limits, but her body refused to listen. After all, he’d once been her top fantasy man, and being with him during this past week had reawakened her long ago desire. But right now, he’d done more than recharge her rebellious hormones. Ryder had amped the charge of attraction way up with his gentle, tender confession. That endeared him to her far more than the way his clean masculine aroma swirled through her senses, intoxicating her. The softness of his mouth against hers, tentatively tasting along with the emotions he’d stirred, unraveled her ability to think clearly.
Hungry for more than a chaste kiss, Addison tilted her face to give him better access to her mouth. She coiled her arms around his neck, then opened her lips to let his tongue steal inside. She stroked over it, and he licked hers back, deepening their kiss.
Over and over, their tongues danced with each other. Tasting, teasing, and sliding together with sweet exploration, discovering each other and wanting more. So much more. Her hands tangled in his hair, and he clasped her waist, drawing her closer. Addison clung to him, losing herself in the mesmerizing connection of their mouths melding and becoming one.
Pleasure shot through her nerves until her body ached with hot need. For him. Only him. Her nipples pebbled, sending tingles to her core. Exquisite vibrations pulsed between her legs at the apex of her sex. She had never craved anything, anyone, as much as she craved Ryder.
The buzzing in her back pocket broke through the blood racing through her veins. Suddenly, she remembered where they were and what she’d signed on to do for him. Kissing him, and being kissed senseless had not been part of the bargain when she’d taken on Ryder’s PR campaign.
She wrenched her mouth from his, breathless. “We can’t do this.” Addison placed her palm on his chest to stop him. “Not now. Not when there’s so much at stake.”
He stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides, his eyes still searing hers with the heat they had ignited. “You’re right,” he said gruffly. “God forbid the press catch us doing anything.”
She shifted her gaze from his, and withdrew her phone to read the message. “Making Miracles Happen has a little boy with cancer who wants to meet his favorite Olympic star next Tuesday,” Addison said, slipping straight back into business mode. “That’ll be an excellent photo op.”
As much as she wanted him, Addison had to remember Ryder was her client. More than that, her father counted on her to show the world this man had reformed his wild, womanizing ways. She could not be one of his conquests. Well, she’d denied herself plenty of temptations during the last eight years.
Ryder would be one more indulgence she’d avoid.
Chapter 6
Saying no to a french fry, or a humongous bite of a monster cheeseburger, didn’t compare to denying herself Ryder, especially when Addison had a first class view of his extremely fine ass. Skin tight bicycle shorts hugged his chiseled butt to perfection while he climbed the mountain trail in his rental bike ahead of her. Addison mentally fanned herself.
“Won’t be long until we reach the lake,” Ryder called. “We’ll break to eat there, then head back.”
After getting up at the crack of o’dark early so she and Ryder could pick up their rental mountain bikes, they loaded them for their trek into the wilderness. Now she had an appetite all right.
For Ryder.
Not for the protein bars and water they’d tucked into their small back packs for the hour
long bike trip. “Sounds great,” she huffed, and continued navigating her way through the forest trail.
Ugh. Her legs burned with exertion. Sure, she worked out. In a controlled environment offering regular fitness classes along with a yoga program taught by a kick butt instructor who at fifty-five had the physique of a woman half her age. Riding this trail was tougher than she’d expected—not just physically, but emotionally. He’d done more than turn her on last night, he’d touched her heart. That made her want to be with him even more.
“Wait until you see the view,” Ryder said, slowing his pace to accommodate hers.
Her bike’s wide, powerful wheels crunched over pine needles, broken branches, and rocks. Sunshine landed on the stands of purple wildflowers throughout the trees’ bases. She inhaled the sweetness of the blooms along with the earthy scent of moss and vegetation, then pedaled harder.
“How much longer?”
“Less than a mile now.”
Today’s ride came close to kicking her butt, but nothing compared to the challenge of pretending she wasn’t hyper aware of Ryder’s incredible, athletic body as they rode through the mature forest. Or the way her heart had become vulnerable to the genuine compassion in Ryder’s.
Still, she should never have kissed him back.
Gargantuan mistake.
Because nothing. Not even hours of time logged on her laptop and juggling media requests for Ryder’s personal appearances could erase the memory of his tenderness, compassion, and affection. Nor could she forget how his touch sent heat through her entire body.
The taste of him still lingered at the tip of her tongue. Hot, delicious, and all male. It crept into her dreams, and teased her with the promise of his possession. Now she couldn’t stop fantasizing about acting on the attraction, or the unspoken emotions, swirling between them. Wind whistled through the evergreen trees swaying on either side of the narrow trail. But the chill it carried from the snow encrusted peaks in the distance had zero impact on the fire flaring through her veins. That he’d backed away without pushing for more spoke volumes about him. But a tiny, naughty part of her wished Ryder had lived up to his bad boy reputation. Because right now she truly wanted to be a bad, bad girl.