Wildcard: Volume Three

Penny: Out of nowhere?? You asked me my opinion. You know I’ll support you whatever you do. I’m sorry if you think I was out of line.

My heart is pounding. I’m so confused, because nothing is making any sense. I asked her? What the hell does she mean by that? I haven’t asked her anything. If that were true, there would be something in my message history other than what I’d sent her earlier, telling her we’d arrived.

Maybe I’m losing my mind. I shiver and run my hand over my arm. I’m sweating everywhere—my arms, my back... I adjust the collar of my shirt.

God, it feels like a freaking sauna in here.

I shove my phone under me as Ryder strolls back into the room carrying two sodas. He tilts his head to the side as he hands me my drink. He knows something is up. I’m a wreck. I can feel myself breaking. I set the glass down on the coffee table, not trusting my trembling hands.

“Still not feeling well?” he asks. His eyes sweep over me as he takes in my appearance.

I snort, because I know I’m a mess.

I shake my head. It’s not a lie; I feel like shit.

I stand up and my head starts to spin. I reach for the back of the sofa but it’s not there. The next thing I know, Ryder’s by my side. He wraps his arms around me. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down, but it’s no use. I’m so worked up that I’m on the verge of cracking.

“I think you should be in bed.”

Ryder lifts me into his arms and carries me to his room. He sits me down on the edge of the mattress, and I let him undress me. His eyes never leave mine as unbuttons my shirt, pushing it down over my shoulders.

He kisses my neck as his hand reaches behind my back, unclasping my bra. I groan as his lips trail down my shoulder. He pulls my bra away and lays me down on the bed.

“Sleep well,” he smirks, kissing my forehead as his fingers brush over my exposed nipple. His eyes twinkle as he pulls the covers up over my body.

Tease.

I narrow my eyes as he walks out, closing the door, leaving me alone in the darkness with my thoughts. My arousal vanishes as I remember why I was feeling so sick in the first place.

That text from Penny.

Pushing the covers aside, I slide my legs over the edge of the bed, my bare feet touching the thick, plush carpet. I creep over to my handbag and rifle through it, searching for my phone. Once I have it, I move back to the bed and climb under the covers.

My heart pounds as I dial Penny. I’m praying this is all a misunderstanding, but in my heart I know he knows. How could he not mention it? How could I not? Are we supposed to ignore it and pretend this never happened? I have no idea what to do.

“Hello?”

“It’s me.”

“Hey. How are you? What was with your crazy texts before? Has the bad weather over there made you lose your mind?” she teases.

“That text you sent me came out of nowhere, Pen. I’m confused. The last message I sent you was telling you we arrived.”

“What?” she replies, confused. “No, I replied to that, and we had a whole conversation about Ryder and Tony. Are you okay, Scar?”

“I didn’t text you!” I say, my voice rising. My hand flies to my mouth and I glance at the door. I need to keep my voice down. “I didn’t text you. I think it might have been Ryder. Can you resend the messages?”

“Sure.” She sounds unconvinced. “Call me back later, okay? I’ll send them through now.”

We hang up and I stare at the phone, waiting for them to come through. One by one, they do, and I read them. My anxiety is sky high and rising by the second. I can taste bile as it rises up my throat.

I didn’t text these messages . . . and if I didn’t, there’s only one person who could’ve.

Ryder.

Chapter Ten

Ryder