nothing happened, that’s what I would do.
“We’re going to breakfast as soon as I get out of the shower. You coming?” I asked, walking away. I hoped I sounded like I didn’t care what he did, but my voice was shaking too bad to sound convincing.
Reaching out, he wrapped his long fingers around my wrist, stopping me.
"You should have told me no, Maddie. I would’ve stopped. I would’ve ended it before we went too far. I know you want it all. Love, a relationship. But I can’t give that to you. I won’t because I’ll just end up hurting you.”
“I guess we’ll never know, will we?” I snapped, yanking my wrist from him. I narrowed my eyes at him, wanting to know the truth. “Tell me, Ryder, was it worth it? Did you get what you wanted?”
He shot to his feet, shoving his chair back to tower over me.
“Don’t talk like that, Maddie.” His voice was low, threatening. Not scary at all.
I closed my eyes, hiding the desire that flared again. When I felt under control again, I opened them.
“I’ve got to go,” I whispered.
I made myself walk away. If I remained, I would have kissed him. Or done something silly like told him I loved him.
Chapter Nine
I scooted into a booth and was surprised when Ryder slid in next to me. Any other day, I wouldn’t think much of it, but now, I was so confused by his actions and words that I just wanted to scream in frustration.
Feeling nervous, I tried to look anywhere but at him. My eyes landed on the flat screen TV on the opposite wall. Multiple scenes played out, leaving me stunned. A newscaster looked frazzled as he read the news. A clip of soldiers moving through a desert played on a loop along with a shot of fighter jets taking off for parts unknown. And in big red letters, the words "Threat Risk Rising" blinked across the bottom of the screen.
For a moment, my relationship with Ryder was forgotten. Not only did I feel as if I was falling apart, but it seemed the world was falling apart too.
Eva noticed me watching TV and turned to look at it over her shoulder. She let out a loud sigh. “I hope this doesn’t put us in another world war.”
“Chemical warheads, nuclear bombs, death threats — its war,” Ryder mumbled, looking over the menu.
I peeked at him out of the corner of my eye. Strands of hair fell over his forehead and curled around his ears. I couldn’t hold back the blush that traveled up my neck when I remembered grabbing his hair while he was deep inside of me, taking my innocence.
I took a deep, cleansing breath, determined to act normal and ignore my raging hormones.
“Is your dad worried?” I asked him.
Ryder’s dad was ex–military. Special Forces to be exact. He kept up on all current affairs, both military and political. When he wasn’t running a ranch, he was a survival expert. For as long as I could remember, Robert Delaney believed in stockpiling supplies in preparation for a national catastrophe. Most people thought he was crazy. I just thought that the things he saw while serving in the military made him realize how vulnerable we were in an emergency.
Ryder’s father also insisted that everyone in his family learn how to survive. Ryder never took his dad too seriously. He had always been more interested in girls and parties than in worrying about the end of the world.
His ice blue eyes turned to look at me. “My dad is always worried.” He glanced at the TV and shrugged. “I’m sure he’s watching the news around the clock and driving my mom crazy with all his end–of–the–world talk. They’re going to shit a brick when I tell them I’m enlisting.”
I chewed on my lower lip, worried. I knew that sex with me wouldn’t stop him from enlisting. It might make him more in a hurry to leave. There was nothing holding him here, including me, but I had to try.
“You can’t enlist, Ryder,” I said. The words came tumbling out faster. “You just can’t. You would be sent overseas immediately. I don’t want
“We’re going to breakfast as soon as I get out of the shower. You coming?” I asked, walking away. I hoped I sounded like I didn’t care what he did, but my voice was shaking too bad to sound convincing.
Reaching out, he wrapped his long fingers around my wrist, stopping me.
"You should have told me no, Maddie. I would’ve stopped. I would’ve ended it before we went too far. I know you want it all. Love, a relationship. But I can’t give that to you. I won’t because I’ll just end up hurting you.”
“I guess we’ll never know, will we?” I snapped, yanking my wrist from him. I narrowed my eyes at him, wanting to know the truth. “Tell me, Ryder, was it worth it? Did you get what you wanted?”
He shot to his feet, shoving his chair back to tower over me.
“Don’t talk like that, Maddie.” His voice was low, threatening. Not scary at all.
I closed my eyes, hiding the desire that flared again. When I felt under control again, I opened them.
“I’ve got to go,” I whispered.
I made myself walk away. If I remained, I would have kissed him. Or done something silly like told him I loved him.
Chapter Nine
I scooted into a booth and was surprised when Ryder slid in next to me. Any other day, I wouldn’t think much of it, but now, I was so confused by his actions and words that I just wanted to scream in frustration.
Feeling nervous, I tried to look anywhere but at him. My eyes landed on the flat screen TV on the opposite wall. Multiple scenes played out, leaving me stunned. A newscaster looked frazzled as he read the news. A clip of soldiers moving through a desert played on a loop along with a shot of fighter jets taking off for parts unknown. And in big red letters, the words "Threat Risk Rising" blinked across the bottom of the screen.
For a moment, my relationship with Ryder was forgotten. Not only did I feel as if I was falling apart, but it seemed the world was falling apart too.
Eva noticed me watching TV and turned to look at it over her shoulder. She let out a loud sigh. “I hope this doesn’t put us in another world war.”
“Chemical warheads, nuclear bombs, death threats — its war,” Ryder mumbled, looking over the menu.
I peeked at him out of the corner of my eye. Strands of hair fell over his forehead and curled around his ears. I couldn’t hold back the blush that traveled up my neck when I remembered grabbing his hair while he was deep inside of me, taking my innocence.
I took a deep, cleansing breath, determined to act normal and ignore my raging hormones.
“Is your dad worried?” I asked him.
Ryder’s dad was ex–military. Special Forces to be exact. He kept up on all current affairs, both military and political. When he wasn’t running a ranch, he was a survival expert. For as long as I could remember, Robert Delaney believed in stockpiling supplies in preparation for a national catastrophe. Most people thought he was crazy. I just thought that the things he saw while serving in the military made him realize how vulnerable we were in an emergency.
Ryder’s father also insisted that everyone in his family learn how to survive. Ryder never took his dad too seriously. He had always been more interested in girls and parties than in worrying about the end of the world.
His ice blue eyes turned to look at me. “My dad is always worried.” He glanced at the TV and shrugged. “I’m sure he’s watching the news around the clock and driving my mom crazy with all his end–of–the–world talk. They’re going to shit a brick when I tell them I’m enlisting.”
I chewed on my lower lip, worried. I knew that sex with me wouldn’t stop him from enlisting. It might make him more in a hurry to leave. There was nothing holding him here, including me, but I had to try.
“You can’t enlist, Ryder,” I said. The words came tumbling out faster. “You just can’t. You would be sent overseas immediately. I don’t want
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