Ash(77)

I hadn’t thought anyone had noticed in the chaos, except for Ryder of course, since I’d full on shoved him across the room to get to Jayden. But my best friend had seen too.

“Kick my ass all you want,” I whispered, “but nothing will stop me coming for you. No matter what.”

Jayden groaned, pulled back to stare at the ceiling. “Stubborn woman, you deserve to love someone as hardassed as Ryder. He might whip you into line.”

I whacked him across the back of the head for that one, even though I knew he was joking. Plus, I’d never mentioned love before. I wasn’t going to delve deep enough into my Ryder emotions to put a label on them.

I settled in beside Jayden, the couch snuggling around me. Oliver dropped in on the other side of us and handed me a glass of red. I held it between my hands, warming it.

“You have to stop with this Ryder stuff,” I blurted out. The not thinking about him thing was not going well. “He doesn’t want me. I mean, he freakin’ kissed me like I was the only woman in his world, like he couldn’t live or breathe without me. The walls were down, the fire was lit between us, and then he not only doused the flames, but iced right the hell over them.”

I took a sip, letting the sweet copper tones cross my tongue. It was followed by a burst of blackberry and cherry, which was tart and crisp and delicious. I would have to let Lucas know this one was a hit also.

“Give Ryder time,” Oliver said. “You mean something to him. He rarely lets anyone new into his world, but you somehow snaked your way in there almost from that first night in the club when you were just some human he ran into. He’ll come around.”

I shrugged, even though a part of me jumped with joy to think that it hadn’t just been me who noticed the connection between us. Even from that very first night. Still, I wasn’t sure I had the time or energy to wait around any longer. Ryder and I were friends, and that was where it would stay. This time I was almost certain of it.



The next morning I woke up dry-mouthed, with the slightest of hangovers. Luckily, Lucas had provided more than twenty bottles, because the boys and I had polished off at least ten of them – with a little help from Kyle and Markus, who had joined us later in the night. Ryder and Sam were no-shows, and I couldn’t say I was surprised about that.

Breaking the silence, there was a loud knock on the door. It sent a pounding pain through my head, and for a second there I thought I might throw up. I closed my eyes for a second, gripping the thick blanket in hope of regaining my equilibrium. Thankfully, the dizziness and pain passed, enough so that I could drop my leg over the bed and stumble my way to the fridge for some blood.

O-negative, not tainted by alcohol. My fangs had descended and the bottle was already in my mouth when I wrenched open the front door. I was not in the mood for visitors today. The second I saw who it was, I instantly regretted not at least brushing my hair, or my teeth for that matter.

Ryder’s eyes were light, the black swirling with silver as he stared. “Rough night?” he finally asked, his lips curling up as if he was fighting a smile. I narrowed my eyes and pulled the bottle of blood from my lips before sticking out my tongue and slamming the door in his face. I was totes not in the mood for Ryder. I sank back against the door, my body sagging as I fought the urge to tear the barrier open and throw myself at him. Don’t be pathetic, Charlie. Not even for the hottest man that ever lived. I finished my blood before throwing the bottle into the trash.

“Charlie, open the door.” His low words penetrated through to me, and I had to squeeze my eyes tightly shut, my nails cutting into my palms as if the pain would somehow make me stronger. “Charlie … please.”

My knees pretty much collapsed under me as he uttered those words. I had never heard that tone from him before, that level of low anguish and need. I bit my lip as tears rimmed my eyes. The pressure in my chest was sharp and biting as the force of my emotions slammed into me. I couldn’t ignore him when he spoke like that, I needed to know what he was here for. This Ryder seemed different.

I wrenched the door open again. Ryder was still in the same position, his eyes almost purely silver now. We stared for a few long moments, and he didn’t speak as the energy stretched between us. Finally, he held out a hand, asking me to take it, and jerked his head to the hallway, asking me to trust him, to follow him.

I swallowed roughly, before nodding in a jerky moment. “Just give me a second.”

I dashed away from him into the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth in record time. I managed to tame the rat’s nest hair I had going on, and even threw on a clean shirt. Mine had a few blood wine stains on it.