The Mating Game: Big Bad Wolf(21)

“So, where were we?” she said to Ryker.

He thought of how lonely he’d felt when she wasn’t home earlier. How hurt his mother would be when he told her that he and Daisy weren’t going to be mated after all, a few weeks from now.

He cleared his throat and summoned all his willpower, which was barely enough. He ached for her and craved her touch. He wanted to taste her, bite her, make her moan in pleasure… If he gave in now, he’d never be able to let her go.

“We…you know what, you’re right. We don’t want to lead my family on and get their hopes up. We shouldn’t start anything we aren’t going to finish.”

He sat there and waited for her to tell him that maybe they could finish. Maybe she’d want to stay there after all.

But she just looked angry and hurt, and leaped to her feet. “Fine. Be that way. I’m going to bed.”

“Be what way?” he said defensively. “I’m just agreeing with what you said earlier. Have you changed your mind?”

“No, but the fact that I’m still here apparently means I’ve lost my mind.” She flounced off to her room, scowling.





Chapter Nine




Monday morning



Daisy’s ancient car was making horrible gurgling, coughing sounds. She turned off the ignition, closed her eyes, and waited ten seconds. Then she turned the key again, and the engine made even worse noises.

Ryker strode up to her and rapped on the window with his knuckles.

“Morning, glory,” he said. “Your car sounds like it’s trying to cough up a hairball.”

She stopped turning the key to direct a scowl at him. “Thank you, that’s helpful.”

“I’ll give you a ride,” he said, tilting his head at his car. “And I’ll have your car towed to a repair shop.”

She glanced over at the car, biting her lip. . On the one hand, she was still really hurt and offended over last night, and seriously pissed off about the mixed messages he was sending her. One minute he was kissing her senseless and the next he was pushing her away?

But she didn’t want to be late to work. And she had to admit, their situation was weird and confusing – a fake relationship with a built-in expiration date. It wasn’t all Ryker’s fault.

“Fine,” she sighed, and climbed out of her car. He headed towards his little sports car. “We’d be better off with the pickup truck,” she told him.

“Okay,” he said, and they headed over to the pickup truck and climbed in. “But why?”

“You’ll understand when you see the neighborhood where I work.” She gave him the address and he punched it into his GPS. It was about half an hour from his house, and they rode in moody silence.

As they drove into the neighborhood, he looked increasingly worried.

“I thought you worked at some fancy prep school,” he said as they drove past buildings with boarded-up windows, and the burned-out shell of a car.

“You assumed. Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” she said loftily.

“Ouch.” He looked up at the school building ahead. “So I guess you took a job there because you wanted to make a difference?”

“I’d love to claim that I’m that noble, but the teaching job I had fell through at the last minute and I had to take something, or I wouldn’t be able to pay my rent.” She glanced out the window at the kids filing in through the front door. “But you know…it’s not all bad here. A lot of these kids have no responsible adults in their lives. They need someone to care about them. I’ve never felt needed before.”

“You’re needed,” Ryker said quietly, staring at the road ahead of him. Daisy suddenly felt a little lighter and warmer as they drove. But Ryker was frowning as he pulled into a parking space near the side entrance.

“You drive here every day?” he said, his tone worried, as he turned off the ignition.

“Nobody’s murdered me yet.” She shrugged. “I mean, it’s not like I go gallivanting around the neighborhood. I get here, I go to work, I drive straight home.”

“Maybe I should drive you and pick you up from now on,” he said.

“Ryker, we’re only together for a few weeks, remember? After that I’ll be back on my own. Nobody’s ever tried to mess with me. Don’t worry about it,” she said. She climbed out of the car quickly..

Inside, as she headed for her classroom, she saw Jasmine sitting on a bench outside the principal’s office. There was an older woman with her, wearing pale blue scrubs and looking tired and haggard. Marta Diaz. She worked the overnight shift as a nurse’s aide.