with distaste. “Or come down with some horrible, untreatable STD. Now why exactly
would I want a piece of that?”
Tossing her hair over her shoulders, she made a grand exit, making sure that she closed
the suite door softly behind her. She wanted to slam it, but there was no way in hell
she was giving either of them that satisfaction. Nothing like giving a speech that
made her knees knock together and then blowing it all by showing them just how much
they’d gotten to her.
She walked swiftly down the hallway to the elevator, determined to get the hell out
of there before Jared came after her. She couldn’t afford it, but she would totally
eat the cab fare back to her apartment if it meant getting out of there with the last
vestiges of her pride intact. She loved her brother and the other guys, but she couldn’t
face Ryder right now. Couldn’t look him in the eye and behave normally when the derision
in his voice was still ringing in her ears.
She’s not exactly my type. Like his could-be-disease-riddled ass was such a good catch?
She’s a little too much. Like she needed an announcement to tell her that? It wasn’t like she’d spent the night
trying to get into his pants, for God’s sake. He was the one who had backed her up
against that wall. He was the one who had kissed her. After you bit him , her conscience reminded her.
Ryder had made it abundantly clear that he would never be interested in her. She wasn’t
going to waste the next ten years of her life the way she’d wasted the last—pining
away for a man she could never, ever have. It might not have looked like it last night,
or this morning, but she had more self-respect than that.
Determined not to think about it—about him—any more, Jamison punched the down button
and prayed that the elevator would come quickly. It wouldn’t take Jared long to throw
on a T-shirt and come after her. She needed to be gone by then.
She heard a door slam behind her and every hair on her body stood straight up. She
leaned forward, punched at the elevator key like her life depended on it. Logically,
she knew it wouldn’t make the stupid thing come any faster, but it made her feel better.
But it wasn’t Jared’s hand that closed around her arm just as the elevator doors finally
slid open, wasn’t Jared’s thumb that stroked softly over the veins at the underside
of her wrist. “Let go of me,” she said, wrenching her hand out of Ryder’s grasp.
He let go, but stepped into the elevator and hit the stop button.
“You can’t do that!” she growled, as she tried to look anywhere but at him. He hadn’t
bothered to put on a shirt before he came after her and all his glorious skin was
still on display. Not that she was tempted to touch it or anything.
“Why not?”
“Because people need the elevators?”
He waved a hand dismissively. “It’s the middle of the night. No one but you is going
anywhere.”
“It’s nearly seven a.m.! People have to go to work.”
“At this hour?”
“Well, we can’t all be rock stars, Ryder.”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Jamison. Don’t run away. I said I was sorry—”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Well, I am. Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“As if.” Tears pressed against the backs of her eyes, but she refused to let them
fall. She hadn’t cried over her car, her boyfriend, or her job. She’d be damned if
she’d cry over him. “Look, I really need to go.”
“Fine.” He shoved a frustrated hand through his hair. “But this isn’t over. We’ll
talk about it when you come to the concert tonight.”
“First of all, there is no this.” She wagged her finger between them. “And secondly,
I’m not coming tonight.”
He looked shocked, and more than a little horrified. “Don’t let what happened between
us chase you away, Jamison. I was an ass. I never should have gotten so upset and
I sure as hell never should have grabbed
would I want a piece of that?”
Tossing her hair over her shoulders, she made a grand exit, making sure that she closed
the suite door softly behind her. She wanted to slam it, but there was no way in hell
she was giving either of them that satisfaction. Nothing like giving a speech that
made her knees knock together and then blowing it all by showing them just how much
they’d gotten to her.
She walked swiftly down the hallway to the elevator, determined to get the hell out
of there before Jared came after her. She couldn’t afford it, but she would totally
eat the cab fare back to her apartment if it meant getting out of there with the last
vestiges of her pride intact. She loved her brother and the other guys, but she couldn’t
face Ryder right now. Couldn’t look him in the eye and behave normally when the derision
in his voice was still ringing in her ears.
She’s not exactly my type. Like his could-be-disease-riddled ass was such a good catch?
She’s a little too much. Like she needed an announcement to tell her that? It wasn’t like she’d spent the night
trying to get into his pants, for God’s sake. He was the one who had backed her up
against that wall. He was the one who had kissed her. After you bit him , her conscience reminded her.
Ryder had made it abundantly clear that he would never be interested in her. She wasn’t
going to waste the next ten years of her life the way she’d wasted the last—pining
away for a man she could never, ever have. It might not have looked like it last night,
or this morning, but she had more self-respect than that.
Determined not to think about it—about him—any more, Jamison punched the down button
and prayed that the elevator would come quickly. It wouldn’t take Jared long to throw
on a T-shirt and come after her. She needed to be gone by then.
She heard a door slam behind her and every hair on her body stood straight up. She
leaned forward, punched at the elevator key like her life depended on it. Logically,
she knew it wouldn’t make the stupid thing come any faster, but it made her feel better.
But it wasn’t Jared’s hand that closed around her arm just as the elevator doors finally
slid open, wasn’t Jared’s thumb that stroked softly over the veins at the underside
of her wrist. “Let go of me,” she said, wrenching her hand out of Ryder’s grasp.
He let go, but stepped into the elevator and hit the stop button.
“You can’t do that!” she growled, as she tried to look anywhere but at him. He hadn’t
bothered to put on a shirt before he came after her and all his glorious skin was
still on display. Not that she was tempted to touch it or anything.
“Why not?”
“Because people need the elevators?”
He waved a hand dismissively. “It’s the middle of the night. No one but you is going
anywhere.”
“It’s nearly seven a.m.! People have to go to work.”
“At this hour?”
“Well, we can’t all be rock stars, Ryder.”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Jamison. Don’t run away. I said I was sorry—”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Well, I am. Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“As if.” Tears pressed against the backs of her eyes, but she refused to let them
fall. She hadn’t cried over her car, her boyfriend, or her job. She’d be damned if
she’d cry over him. “Look, I really need to go.”
“Fine.” He shoved a frustrated hand through his hair. “But this isn’t over. We’ll
talk about it when you come to the concert tonight.”
“First of all, there is no this.” She wagged her finger between them. “And secondly,
I’m not coming tonight.”
He looked shocked, and more than a little horrified. “Don’t let what happened between
us chase you away, Jamison. I was an ass. I never should have gotten so upset and
I sure as hell never should have grabbed
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