“That would be good.”
Mara reaches up and kisses me. “I won’t be long.” She gives me an apologetic look.
“I’ll get you back later.” I pat her on her sexy butt. “Go look after your sister.”
She gives me a saucy grin in return.
Watching them go off chatting, I turn to Ryder. “So what did you do to piss her off?”
He looks pissed, which soon changes as he laughs. “Fuck. What makes you think it was my fault?”
“Because a girl doesn’t have that look on her face otherwise.”
He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“You do realize that Dahlia will probably tell Mara, who will tell me.”
“Fuckin’ hell!! It’s like a church fuckin’ meeting.”
“Just spit it out.”
“I kissed her.”
He kissed her?
“So why is she pissed at you? I thought you’d both been doing plenty of that already.”
He starts walking towards where the girls have gone before pulling me up short.
“We haven’t done anything. We’re trying to be friends, but she’s driving me crazy so I kissed her, briefly, then apologized. She couldn’t get away from me quick enough.”
“You apologized?”
“I know, but my life isn’t that straightforward. I took what I’ve wanted since the first time I saw her, but anything else isn’t possible. She needs permanence in her life, and that isn’t me. Anymore. So I stopped.”
He looks pained.
“What can be so bad that you can’t even contemplate a relationship with her?” I laugh. I never thought I’d be giving relationship advice. “You want more with her that’s why you stopped and didn’t just go for the one night. Is that right?”
He nods dragging his hand down his face.
“F
or the first time in six years I’ve met someone who makes my heart lighter. She makes me forget, but when I remember, it’s like being shot through the chest.” He rubs his chest as we both watch the girls approaching laden down with drinks.
I grin when I spot the corn dog in my girl’s hand. She’s going to be sick if she eats anything else.
Ryder clears his throat. “I know I was kind of cryptic, but can we keep what I’ve said between us?”
“No problem.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Mara