“I don’t want your money.” Laney swung her legs over the side of the chaise and pushed off, using the arm of the sofa for support. “I want you to stop dancing around this attraction. We already know we’re compatible between the sheets.”
“Sit down before you hurt yourself.” In three strides he’d reached her and was ushering her back down. “I hope you don’t care how the ornaments are put up because I’ve never done this before.”
Laney didn’t budge, but it was difficult to hold her ground when he was pushing her and she was putting her weight on one foot.
“Why are you so stubborn?” she demanded, then waited until he looked her in the eyes. “Seriously. Can’t you just tell me why you won’t even consider giving this a chance?”
His fingers curled around her shoulders. “Because you see something in me, in us, that isn’t there.”
“I see potential. I see a man who wants something and never goes after it. He’s too busy working his ass off for everyone around him.”
The muscles in his jaw clenched. “That’s enough, Laney.”
“Is it?” she threw back. “Because I don’t think it’s near enough. I think you need someone to tell you just what the—”
His mouth slammed onto hers. For a split second she was stunned, then she was thrilled. Finally. He was finally taking what he wanted.
Those hands moved from her shoulders at once. One went to the small of her back, pulling her closer to his body. The other crept up beneath her hair, fisting it and jerking her head just where he wanted it.
Laney held on to his biceps to steady herself. A full-on attack like this required a bit of warning. She supposed her warning had been his intense gaze, the way he stalked across the room toward her. The way he’d torn her dress weeks ago.
Ryker broke the kiss, his forehead resting against hers. “You have to stop.”
Excuse me? “You kissed me.”
“To shut you up,” he growled. “I can’t keep fighting this with you. You push and push until I snap.”
“Maybe I push so you can see what it is you’re missing.”
Ryker pulled in a deep breath and took a step back. His arms dropped to his sides. “Believe me, I know what I’m missing.”
If she’d ever met a more frustrating man, she couldn’t recall. “What would you do if I quit pushing?” she countered. “Maybe one day I’ll give up, move on. What would you do then?”
Six
Ryker shoved his hand in his pockets, a futile attempt at reaching for her. There was nothing he wanted more than to take her and rip those clothes off and make use of that sofa.
The penny in his pocket mocked him, reminding him of where he came from, of who he actually was. If he were a better man, a man who could offer Laney and their baby something of worth, he wouldn’t think twice about taking her up on her offer.
“I won’t wait on you forever,” she whispered. “I feel like I’ve already waited most of my life. We had one night and you flipped out. And that was before you found out about the baby.”
Ryker didn’t know what to say. He didn’t do feelings, and he sure as hell didn’t discuss them. Laney was right, though. He’d flipped out after their night together. Never in his life had he ever felt something so perfect—he didn’t deserve perfect. In the midst of betraying the only family he’d ever loved, he’d found a dose of happiness he never knew he was longing for.
“I think we’re done here.” Laney eased herself back onto the chaise. Clearly she’d taken his silence as rejection. “I’m tired. Set the alarm on your way out.”
“You think I’d leave when you’re this upset?”
Laney’s bright green eyes misted. “I’m not upset. I’m exhausted. I’ve beat my head against the proverbial wall for too long, and now I have a child who needs my attention. I have to look out for myself now, and if you can’t see what we could be, then we have nothing left to discuss.”
Getting shut out was not what he wanted, damn it, but he couldn’t let himself in, either. There was no right answer, but there was an answer that would keep Laney and their baby safe.
“We need to tell Mac and Braden soon.” Ryker ignored the pain in his chest. Pain was just a by-product of doing the right thing for those he cared about. “I’ll do anything for you and our baby, Laney, but I can’t be that perfect man in your life. You know why.”
She kept her focus on her lap where her hands were folded. “I know you’re a coward, so maybe you’re not the man I want.”
Her harsh words gutted him. The idea of her being with anyone else made him want to hit the faceless bastard. How could Ryker let her go so easily?
Because she was an O’Shea. Her father had taken Ryker in when he’d been on the verge of going down a path of complete destruction. Respecting Patrick, keeping his relationships with Mac and Braden, that’s what Ryker needed to do. He’d built his entire life around working for them, taking risks to keep them safe and going through hell in keeping his distance from Laney.