by Jennah Scott
Ryker’s mouth lingered over hers. A calloused thumb touched her chin, his fingers splayed across her cheek and he whispered against her ear, “Then I’ll let you go. But I won’t leave you alone, Angel. And you have to call me when you get to the bar and find Ray. Fifteen minutes. That’s it. If I haven’t heard from you by then, I’m coming to find you. I’m not done with you and I won’t let you run. Understand?”
The control he exerted earlier was back in his voice. Ryke’s eyes were caring, his touch soft. But he wouldn’t back down on this, Angel knew that with certainty. Chills ran down her spine and her stomach knotted. Angelica took a deep breath. Taking advantage of their close proximity, she let her hands travel the length of his torso, her fingers tangled in the wiry hair of his chest and the dips of muscle defining his abdomen.
“No worries, Ryke. I’m not running. Fifteen minutes, I’ll call. Promise,” she purred and kissed his collarbone. His eyes were an abyss she wanted to fall into. But she forced herself to let go and walk away. They’d be together again. “See ya, Ryke.”
“Angel, sweetheart. You need my number.”
Embarrassing. Ryke had her so messed up she couldn’t remember details like getting a phone number. She input his number into her phone as he rattled it off, then sent him a text so he had her number as well.
Angel pushed through the door and let her hips sway as she walked away from his home and back to the bar, praying Ray was still inside. If she wasn’t, Angel still wouldn’t go back to Ryker’s, there was no way she’d leave a second time—no, if Ray was gone, she’d just call and ask her to come pick her up. What were friends for, anyway?
Chapter 11
“James, I’ve got good news and bad news for you.” Ryker wiped his hands off on the red cotton rag and shoved it halfway into his back pocket, the corner sticking out for easy retrieval later.
“Okay, I’m ready.” James’s hands were on his hips, his face serious.
Ryker almost felt bad messing with him, but the other night with Angel left him floating around on a high for the last two days. She caught a ride with Ray and sent him a text ten minutes after leaving his place. He smiled at the memory. The little minx had a smart mouth, even if it was through text. She’d told him she was fine and offered to send him pictures to prove it. Of course he wanted pictures, but not the kind she referred to. Ryke dreamed of her that night and she’d not been far from his thoughts since then. He hadn’t seen her or heard from her since then, but that was okay, they weren’t an item. Yet.
“The bad news is: your truck is no exception. This model always leaked around the cowl, so you’ve got some rust where the fender meets the cab.”
James nodded his cowboy-hat-covered head in recognition. “And the good?”
Ryker smirked, “I’ve decided not to tell Miss RayAnne’s father how you were dirty dancing with her the other night.”
“Whoa, now!” James laughed. “I didn’t realize there was a daddy involved, but I guess we did get a little personal for not really knowing one another.”
“I’m just hackin’ on ya, James. I’m impressed, I’ve never seen Ray go on the attack like that before.”
Tilting his head to the side, James looked at Ryker with mild confusion on his face. “Hackin’? I mean, I can take it from context, but I never thought I’d hear you say something so, so—”
“James. Billy the fucking Kid. ‘I’m just hackin’ on ya, Billy.’ Young Guns?”
“Ahhh, Young Guns. All right, I follow you now. Fan of the westerns?”
“What blue-blooded American isn’t?” Ryker pulled up his shirt to reveal a tattoo across his rib cage, pointing out in front of him of a Colt .45 revolver.
“You shoot?” James perked up, looking more interested than he had all morning as Ryker had made his way around the truck figuring out what all was wrong and where they would need to start.
“Nah, but it looks pretty cool, doesn’t it?”
James shook his head and laughed. “Sure does, Ryke. Let me know when to stop by again to check on this thing.” He pointed to the truck. “And if you want to go pretend to be Billy the Kid in your spare time, let me know.”
“All right, I’ll give ya a call.” Ryker chuckled as they walked back to the truck. There were other things that needed to be done to it besides just the rust—quite a few things really—but he’d get there.
The truck had so much classic beauty to it. He ran his hand over the large curve in the hood, feeling years of wear on the metal under his fingertips. Giving it one last glance, Ryker patted the hood then walked away. He had to get back to work. It was the only way to prevent himself from going after his angel.
* * *
Angelica slid into familiar black pumps, the perfect pairing to her denim skinny capris and short but flowing black top with the simple words “Born Free” across the chest in a sort of spray-painted style. Deep red stained her lips and she drew the lines of her eyeliner out much further than needed off her eyelids. Smiling into the mirror, she bounded down the stairs.
“Ready, lover?” Angel peeked through the kitchen to the table where Ray sat with the contents of her purse in a messy pile in front of her.
“Yeah, I guess, I was going to switch purses but …” She motioned her hand over the table where the piles of lip gloss and spare tissues, a little notepad with a jeweled crown on it, a couple of pens, her large wallet and the book she was currently reading sat. “It doesn’t really fit in the organizer purse. I don’t get it, there are a million pockets in that thing, why can’t it hold all my stuff?”
Angel walked across the room and played with the curls at the end of Ray’s hair. “Because as charming as you are, you are not Mary Poppins. Now let’s go.”
“All right, ha, ha, let me just dump all of this back into my old purse.” Angel watched as RayAnne picked up her abused brown faux leather purse. The strap detached from the corner the moment she slung the purse over her shoulder. “No, oh crap! Angel what am I gonna do now?”
“Ray. We’re going into town, to the antique store and grabbing lunch. You don’t need it all. Put your money and ID in your back pocket, lip gloss in the front and let’s go.”
Ray harrumphed, looked down at the mess, but did what Angel suggested. Clarice from the antique store in town had said she’d gotten some good stuff from an estate sale in the south while she was visiting family. It was all going on the shelf today and nobody liked to hit the new vintage like Angel and Ray.
They weren’t alone, though. If they weren’t there early, they may as well not go at all. The antique store was a popular place to shop. Especially amongst the elderly shoppers, which meant if Ray and Angel didn’t get to through the narrow aisles first they’d be stuck waiting patiently in line for a chance to even look at the new stuff.
Bright green leaves fluttered in the breeze as Angel opened the door and started the walk to her car. The sun was bright, the grass was lively and birds sat on the telephone wires, chirping away. It was a beautiful day. Angel turned to see Ray watching down the street as she walked. “Who are you looking for? Your cowboy, perhaps?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know. It was sort of odd. When’s the last time you saw a cowboy in Kimmswick?” Ray opened the passenger side door and sat down at the same time Angel climbed in.
“Um, you’re the closest I’ve got, love. Did he have a good cowboy name?”
Ray giggled. “What? What exactly is a cowboy name?”
“You know, Clint, Jesse, something with two first names put together?”
“Oh you are hilarious. But I don’t know. We danced and then I sat down. You were there, remember?” Ray shot Angel a knowing look but continued on without further comment. “After you left, Shirley came over to talk. I guess nobody needed to be tended to at the bar, because she plopped down and stayed for a while. Pulled some line about wanting to talk about my ‘dance moves.’ Guess I really did make a spectacle. I laughed it off, just like you told me to do. I told her I’d rub
my body on any man that walked through that door, and there was nothing she could do to stop me.”
“Good for you. I’m proud of you for finally sticking up for yourself.” Angel put the car in reverse and pulled onto the street.
“But then I looked up and my cowboy was shaking his head and walking away, I never did get his name.”
Ray stared out the window wistfully. Oh to have that hope, that one day your prince would come and carry you off. Nowhere in those daydreams do they tell you if you fast-forward to the future you’d see lies and hurt, heartache and hard stares from strangers.
“Well, you only need his name if you intend on screaming it.” Angelica cut a grin at her friend, trying to boost her spirits.
Ray returned her smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Obviously, this guy had made an impression on her. Angel was happy and envious at the same time.
If only she could fall that easily. Instead, she ran scared. Just like she’d promised not to. After her text to Ryke that Ray was taking her home, Angel hadn’t talked to him again. Her finger hovered over his name more than once a day, but she hadn’t built up the courage to call him yet. One night and she was scared as hell to see where things may go. It had been a memorable night for sure.
“You know, you should teach me some more about this boldness thing and maybe I would have been screaming it. And speaking of screams, you’ve been awful quiet since I found you sitting and waiting for a ride home in my truck. How was your night?”
Angel twisted the silver dagger hanging from the chain around her neck, biting down on her bottom lip. “I know his name, that’s for sure.”
“I can’t believe you nailed him. Wait, that’s not true. If anyone was going to get Ryke in bed, it was you. I should have known it was only a matter of time. So you think we’ll need to start making bigger dinners?”
Angel raised an eyebrow at Ray. “Why? I mean there was definite energy exerted, but I don’t think I need to eat more to keep up.”
“No, I mean for him to eat with us!”
Without swerving into the oncoming lane—which was empty anyway—Angel managed to swing her head to Ray. “Why the hell would he eat with us?”
“Because he’s your boyfriend and you can’t always go out to eat, there are only so many restaurants, and wouldn’t you be more comfortable at home?”
Angel took a hand off of the wheel and patted Ray’s arm. “Lover, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s an incredibly sexy man that is even better in the sack than he looks like he’d be, but he’s not my boyfriend.”
“Oh come on, Angel. You guys have obvious chemistry. At the bar I wasn’t sure you two would make it to his house before he stripped you bare. I swear when we walked in he had to restrain himself from throwing you over his shoulder and taking you right there on the bar. He asks about you when you’re not around, and don’t think I don’t notice that you’re blushing talking about sex, which for the record, never happens.”
“Ray, honey, I love you, but you are so far from the truth. He’s like a big sexy toy that I know how to wind up, that’s all.” Angel pulled the car into an empty parking spot and turned off the engine.
It was a rude thing to say, demeaning to both her and Ryke, but Angel couldn’t take it back. Ryke was just as good at turning her on. Angel groaned. She needed to call him. “You ready?”
Thankfully Ray pursed her lips together and forced a smile. “Fine, because we’re going to have a fun-filled day of shopping and lunching, I’ll let it go.”
“Good girl.”
The green shutters of the antique store and the white and green old-style printing of the sign above the door smiled down on them as they giggled and hurried excitedly through the old glass door.
Chapter 12
The shopping trip with Ray went better than expected. They both walked out with a couple of new outfits and some decorations for the house. Angelica wanted to show off her newest outfit, and knew just who she needed to call. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered nervously as she pulled his number up in her phone and hit dial.
“Ryke.”
“Hey.” Angelica hated the insecurity in her voice.
“Well, hello, sweetheart. I didn’t expect for you to call me.” She didn’t know what he was doing, but he had to be at work, based on the clanging metal in the background.
“Yeah. So how are you? I mean, how’s the shop?”
“I’m good. Listen, I’ve got to finish cleaning up, can I call you in, say, twenty minutes?”
Angelica didn’t expect to be as disappointed as she was when he couldn’t talk. She understood, but it didn’t make it any easier. What if she wasn’t able to follow through when he called back? No, she needed to do this now, before she lost her nerve.
“Umm … actually I was calling to see if you wanted to get some dinner. Tonight, maybe.”
“That sounds great. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Great. Okay. Well, get back to work. I’m sorry I interrupted you.”
“Don’t ever apologize for calling me, Angel. I’m glad that you did, hearing your voice makes my day a whole lot better. But I do need to close up so I can take you out to dinner. Keep your phone near, I’m calling back in twenty minutes.”
The way he gave orders, she couldn’t help but be turned on. When his voice dropped an octave, the growl deep in his throat beneath the words, it sent chills down her spine and warmed her at the same time.
“Aye, aye, captain.” She had to dull her rising lust if they were going to make it to dinner, and a snarky response was the best way she knew to do it.
RayAnne walked into Angel’s bedroom right as they ended their call. She leaned against the door. “Going out?”
“Yeah. We are.”
“Good. Wearing that new outfit you found today?”
A smile turned the corner of her lips up. “Yeah, guess I should get it in the wash so I can get ready. He’s coming to get me at seven.”
“Can I just say how jealous I am? Ryke is such a great guy. Every time I see him my panties dampen just a little. You’re lucky, Angel.”
Ray’s eyes were dreamy as she talked about Ryke and, for once, it bothered her that someone—even her best friend—would think of him that way. A reaction like that when someone talked about the guy you had a date with only meant one thing—you were attached to him. Angel didn’t do attachments. She shoved the emotion away, and refused to be mad at her friend. Ray didn’t say anything wrong. If it weren’t for her, Angel wouldn’t have met Ryke.
“It’s not a big deal and I’m not lucky. We’re going to dinner. There’s nothing between us, Ray.”
Her friend laughed until tears fell from the corner of her eyes. “Angel, I love you to death, but you’re an idiot if you believe that. Listen, I know you don’t want to admit how you feel about Ryke. You’re trying to convince yourself that it’s only friendship and sex. But eventually you’re going to realize how much you want something more with him. Don’t screw it up and push him away. If you do, you’ll miss out and the only person to blame will be you.”
Angel thought about her friend’s words. Even if she was right, which Angel didn’t think she was, it wasn’t going to change her mind. Denial, ignorance, whatever Ray wanted to call it, she was wrong. There wasn’t anything between her and Ryke. Angel wouldn’t allow it. While she had thoughts of sticking around and settling down, that didn’t mean she needed a man to do that. No, the last time she let her guard down with a man, she’d cheated her way out of happiness and ended up humiliated only weeks later. That would never happen again.
“Thanks for your concern, Ray. I’ve got this. What are you going to do tonight?”
Ray looked down. She kicked her boot against the carpet. “I was kind of thinking about going to the bar. Maybe see who’s there.”
“Oh, Ray. You’ve got it bad, don’t you? And if he’s not there?”
“I don’t know. It’s Saturday, there should be at least one guy willing to dance wi
th me. It’ll be fun, no matter what. But if my cowboy is there, I’m going to take some pointers from you and get what I want.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to that and expect you to not be home when I get back tonight.”
“Ha. As if you’ll come home. Stay the night with him, Angel. Enjoy yourself. Just because you sleep over, it doesn’t mean marriage is in the future.”
How did she do that? Ray always knew what Angel was thinking and never failed to offer a logical argument. It was one reason Angel both loved and hated her best friend. They spent the next few minutes bullshitting until Angel’s phone rang.
She looked at the screen. “It’s Ryke.”
“He’s calling again?”
“Yeah. Earlier he said he’d call me back when he was done closing up. I guess it’s been twenty minutes and he’s done. I should probably talk to him.”
“Heck, yeah, you should. I’ll leave you alone.” Ray started to leave. Before she turned down the hallway she looked over her shoulder. “Remember what I said, Angel. Quit holding back. If you like him, then go for it. Your past can’t haunt you forever. My best friend is stronger than that.”
Angel didn’t respond. She answered Ryke’s call instead.
Chapter 13
It’d been a week since Ryke talked to Angel. And she called him. He felt guilty for not calling first, but he didn’t want to spook her or push too hard. So when she made the first move, he damn near fell off the ladder he’d been standing on. Ryke knew better than to talk on his phone while he stood on the ladder to put away inventory, but as soon as his phone rang he glanced down and saw her name. No way he’d let it go to voicemail. If Angel called him she had a reason for it. More than just chitchat.
Now he pulled into a parking spot at her and Ray’s house. They’d only made plans for dinner, but Ryke wanted to do more than that. It was a nice night and if they went into St. Louis to eat, then there were plenty of places to go afterward. Maybe they could find a gallery still open and check out some of the art.