tightened, like he forgot who he was talking to. Violet Caliendo. Joel’s ex-wife.
Ryder suddenly shut down from Violet, the way she recognized and had mastered herself. To be honest, it didn’t feel nice to be on the other side of this door.
“Anyway, here you go,” he finished up and handed her the pole.
When she took it, he made sure their hands did not touch, did not graze and he did not send her a wink, smile or even the slightest grin. His attention had turned back solely to digging a worm out for his own bait.
Violet stood up with her pole, not exactly sure what she was supposed to do with it.
How hard was it to throw the line in the water? Her children could do it...but her children went fishing more than she did.
Violet didn’t like the rising wrench in her gut that Ryder didn’t want to talk to her. Was he embarrassed? Or was it because of who she was?
“Ryder?” she said, standing in front of him and looking down at his hunched over, tensed shoulders.
Ryder looked up and their eyes locked...for a long moment. The same way they locked in the lobby bathroom at the resort. The same way they locked on the dock only a short hour earlier. It was a simple lock-down of everything in their region. They just stared at each other.
Why? Why did this keep happening to them? Why was she attracted to him? Why was he attracted to her?
It had to be the sex...the sex was good...real good.
But Violet knew differently.
This stare was deeper, she could feel it. The attraction was there and the lust was like lava bubbling into the surface of a volcano between them, but at the very moment, it felt like each of them was ineffectively attempting to figure out the other.
What do you want from me? What do I want from you? Was there really anything possible between them?
Violet had to break the contact. She dropped her eyes to the floor and took a deep breath. Yes, she took a deep breath in front of Ryder. She had to get her boundaries collected. Everything about them screamed no. She was a mother, he was a traveler. She had sworn off falling in love and him...he probably didn’t even know what love was. And you do?
Violet forced herself to look back at Ryder and found his eyes hadn’t strayed like hers. He was, no doubt, trying to determine why hers had moved in the first place. Because you drive me hot and wild and thinking about love. Love? Love!
Violet needed distance. Now.
“It is very sweet of you Ryder, to bring along a reminder of your mom,” she said. “Even if it seems silly, like a can of corn. It shows how much she meant to you. The way you talk about her is beautiful.”
Violet smiled.
She wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but thought better of it.
Would he touch her back? Would he rise to his feet and kiss her? Did men actually do things like that? Just rise to their feet and kiss someone because of a look passing between them?
It sounded like horny teenagers again. She wanted him to act like a horny teenager, but knew she couldn’t.
Violet walked to her children, ruffling Parker’s hair and kissing the top of Sophia’s head. They smelled like coconut from a nice coating of the all-natural sun block she’d purchased at the Old Town Soap Store that Kate’s sisters had opened last year.
“How are you two doing?” Violet asked.
“Nothing yet,” Parker said and his tone lacked disappointment. Then he added. “But with fishing you need patience. You have to wait for the fish to bite. It could take hours, or it could take only minutes. Sometimes when we fish, we don’t catch any fish.”
Violet held her lure out between her kids. “I have corn,” she said, watching both heads turn, laugh and tease their mom. She loved these two.
Violet being the amateur fisherman she was, moved to the rear of the boat.
She passed Ryder, but didn’t look at him. If she had a book, she’d sprawl out across one of the loungers and escape to a world written without Ryder Carlex.
Ryder suddenly shut down from Violet, the way she recognized and had mastered herself. To be honest, it didn’t feel nice to be on the other side of this door.
“Anyway, here you go,” he finished up and handed her the pole.
When she took it, he made sure their hands did not touch, did not graze and he did not send her a wink, smile or even the slightest grin. His attention had turned back solely to digging a worm out for his own bait.
Violet stood up with her pole, not exactly sure what she was supposed to do with it.
How hard was it to throw the line in the water? Her children could do it...but her children went fishing more than she did.
Violet didn’t like the rising wrench in her gut that Ryder didn’t want to talk to her. Was he embarrassed? Or was it because of who she was?
“Ryder?” she said, standing in front of him and looking down at his hunched over, tensed shoulders.
Ryder looked up and their eyes locked...for a long moment. The same way they locked in the lobby bathroom at the resort. The same way they locked on the dock only a short hour earlier. It was a simple lock-down of everything in their region. They just stared at each other.
Why? Why did this keep happening to them? Why was she attracted to him? Why was he attracted to her?
It had to be the sex...the sex was good...real good.
But Violet knew differently.
This stare was deeper, she could feel it. The attraction was there and the lust was like lava bubbling into the surface of a volcano between them, but at the very moment, it felt like each of them was ineffectively attempting to figure out the other.
What do you want from me? What do I want from you? Was there really anything possible between them?
Violet had to break the contact. She dropped her eyes to the floor and took a deep breath. Yes, she took a deep breath in front of Ryder. She had to get her boundaries collected. Everything about them screamed no. She was a mother, he was a traveler. She had sworn off falling in love and him...he probably didn’t even know what love was. And you do?
Violet forced herself to look back at Ryder and found his eyes hadn’t strayed like hers. He was, no doubt, trying to determine why hers had moved in the first place. Because you drive me hot and wild and thinking about love. Love? Love!
Violet needed distance. Now.
“It is very sweet of you Ryder, to bring along a reminder of your mom,” she said. “Even if it seems silly, like a can of corn. It shows how much she meant to you. The way you talk about her is beautiful.”
Violet smiled.
She wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but thought better of it.
Would he touch her back? Would he rise to his feet and kiss her? Did men actually do things like that? Just rise to their feet and kiss someone because of a look passing between them?
It sounded like horny teenagers again. She wanted him to act like a horny teenager, but knew she couldn’t.
Violet walked to her children, ruffling Parker’s hair and kissing the top of Sophia’s head. They smelled like coconut from a nice coating of the all-natural sun block she’d purchased at the Old Town Soap Store that Kate’s sisters had opened last year.
“How are you two doing?” Violet asked.
“Nothing yet,” Parker said and his tone lacked disappointment. Then he added. “But with fishing you need patience. You have to wait for the fish to bite. It could take hours, or it could take only minutes. Sometimes when we fish, we don’t catch any fish.”
Violet held her lure out between her kids. “I have corn,” she said, watching both heads turn, laugh and tease their mom. She loved these two.
Violet being the amateur fisherman she was, moved to the rear of the boat.
She passed Ryder, but didn’t look at him. If she had a book, she’d sprawl out across one of the loungers and escape to a world written without Ryder Carlex.
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