Chapter 23: Chapter Twenty-Three

A crack of thunder struck outside the motel, the deafening crack so loud it woke Ryder from a sound sleep. He bolted upright in bed, heart hammering, and glanced around. The room was still shrouded in total darkness. The power was still out. Rain beat against the roof and windows, the noise an angry, violent staccato. He squinted in the direction of Madison’s bed, but it was too dark to see anything.

Lightning flashed and lit up the room just enough for him to see Madison huddled beneath her blankets, body trembling. Then he heard the unmistakable sound of a whimper.

“Madison?” he said softly.

“I hate thunderstorms,” she said, her voice thick with fear. “I’m terrified of them.”

Well, that certainly explained her strange behavior in the car earlier. Another crack of thunder shook the walls, and Madison whimpered louder.

“Can I please sleep over there with you tonight?” she asked.

He took a deep breath, knowing he was going to regret this, but whatever discomfort he suffered was a small price to pay to ensure Madison felt safe.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice timid. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“C’mon,” he said. He scooted over and pulled the blankets back so she could climb into bed next to him.

As soon as she did, he yanked the covers over her and draped his arm around her. She didn’t hesitate to curl up next to him, head on his chest, hand tentative on his bare stomach. He rested his head against his pillow and closed his eyes. She felt too perfect in his arms. How could she not feel it, too?

After a few minutes, she stopped trembling. But when another bolt of lightning hit outside the window, she scrambled closer and buried her face in his chest. He held her tighter and stroked his hand up and down her arm, content for the time being to just hold her like this.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“Don’t apologize,” he said softly and tugged her just a little closer. “The storm should be over soon.”

She nodded, and her hair tickled his chest and arm in the most enticing way. He took a deep breath, letting her floral scent seep into him. They were silent, the only noise the sound of the storm raging outside—and his pounding heart. Even in his wildest dreams he never imagined something as normal as a thunderstorm would send her running into his arms, but he’d take it for the blessing it was.

“So, what do you do when it’s storming and there’s no one to climb into bed with?” he asked.

She chuckled softly. “I climb into Lil’s bed.”

He could easily picture the two of them huddled in bed, riding out a storm, sharing secrets and gossiping about guys. But damn if he didn’t want to be the one she ran to whenever a storm hit.

“I accidentally got locked outside once during a major storm. My father was away on business, and my stepmother didn’t even know I was missing until the following morning,” Madison said, her voice raw with emotion. “I spent the night in the unfinished pool house. Only a small section of the ceiling had been done, so I huddled under that. I still got soaked, and then lightning hit one of the support beams.”

“Jesus,” he breathed out. No wonder she was so terrified of thunderstorms. “How old were you?”

“Twelve.”

He bit back the urge to curse. How could her stepmom not know Madison was missing? What kind of woman did that? He couldn’t wait to meet Madison’s stepmother and rub it in her face how well Madison was doing.

“Gina, my stepmom, thought I’d taken off to a friend’s house, so she locked up without bothering to check.” Madison huffed.

The tension that had tightened her body from the moment she climbed into his bed eased, and she relaxed beside him. If he could keep her talking, he could distract her until the storm passed.

“One year, we had the worst snowstorm. I’m talking several feet in a matter of hours. Everything was shut down, but my brothers and I had made plans to go to the movies to meet these girls.” Ryder laughed at the memory. “Of course, we were so mad that we couldn’t go, so we decided to show our parents they couldn’t tell us what to do. We built this massive snow fort in the backyard, and then proceeded to carry all of our pillows and blankets outside. We were going to live out there until they agreed to take us.”

Madison laughed, the sound filling the room, and him, with a sense of joy that had been missing since they’d arrived. He grinned, pleased that she was relaxing even more.

“How long did you stay out there?” she asked.

“Twenty minutes. Then the freezing rain started, so we ran back inside.”

“Your brothers sound like a lot of fun.” She moved her hand ever so slightly, her fingertips curling over his belly button. He sucked in a breath and held it, praying she wouldn’t stop touching him.

“They are,” he said, his voice rough with heated desire. “Do you have any siblings?”

“I had a brother.”

“Had?” He tucked his free hand behind his head so he wouldn’t be tempted to push her hand lower.

“He died when I was four. So did my birth mom. A car accident.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what that was like for you.” God, if he’d lost one of his brothers… He couldn’t even bear to let the thought fully form in his mind.

“Well, you know what they say about Karma being a bitch and all that.” She said it so matter of fact. “I’m just sorry my brother got caught up in all of it.”

He waited a beat to see if she’d explain, and when she didn’t, he risked asking, “What do you mean?”

“My mother was late picking up my brother from school because she was too busy cheating on my father. In a rush to get home before him, she lost control, busted through a guardrail, and hit a tree.” Her affect was flat, her tone indifferent.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s horrible.”

“Yep. And to make it worse, my father remarried a year later, when I was barely five. Gina’s the only mom I’ve ever truly known, but when I decided to go to Florida for college, she strongly disagreed with my choice. We’ve only talked once since I left.”

Ryder was beginning to understand why Madison didn’t like to talk about her family, and why she’d been quick to lie to her stepmother about having a fiancé.

“We’re going to have to get our story straight if we’re going to make everyone believe we’re engaged,” he said.

“I know.” She sighed, her breath warm and featherlight across his chest. “Can we talk about that tomorrow?” She yawned.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he pressed his lips to the top of her head in a soft kiss. Her hand stilled, and she inhaled sharply. He closed his eyes and forced himself to pull away. “Are you sleeping over here with me?” he asked.

“I—” A deafening crack of thunder followed by several quick flashes of lightning had Madison curling against his side. “Yes please,” she said.

As badly as he wanted her to stay exactly where she was—in his arms—he knew tonight would be another sleepless night. He settled in for the long few hours until the sun rose.

****

Madison stretched her legs and groaned with satisfaction at how well she’d slept last night. Much better than she had since learning about Heather’s wedding and realizing she had to go home. An arm draped over her stomach tightened, dragging her back against a hard, warm body.

Ryder.

God, he’d been so incredibly sweet last night. He hadn’t once made fun of her for her phobia of thunderstorms. He’d simply welcomed her into his bed, his arms, and held her until she fell asleep. No—he’d done more than just comfort her. He’d talked to her, distracted her from her fear.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and wiggled her body…to get away from his hold or get closer to him she wasn’t really sure. Ryder’s deep groan rumbled through her, and just like that, her entire body was on fire, begging for his touch. How the hell did he manage to do that to her with nothing more than a sound or a look?

Madison closed her eyes and focused on breathing evenly, hoping he’d think she was sleeping so she could ease out of bed without him knowing. Her heart hammered in her chest, and blood pounded in her ears. She should be figuring out a way to get the hell out of this bed, but all she could focus on was the feel of his arm draped over her, how the weight of it was just right. Safe but not suffocating. Of how his body was molded to her back. Even through her night shirt she could feel the heat of his bare chest.

She shifted her upper body forward an inch, causing her ass to push back against him. He groaned again, this time louder. Then, his arm moved from her stomach, and he planted his hand squarely on her hip. Heat from his hand seared her, and she bit down on her bottom lip to stop from moaning. Cringing, and holding her breath, she attempted to shift a little more.

Another throaty groan rumbled from somewhere deep in his chest, and lust, thick and heavy, whipped through her.

“For the love of God, Madison. Stop. Moving,” he said, his voice thick with sleep and raspy. His breath was warm against the back of her neck, causing the hairs on her nape to stand on edge, and she couldn’t stop the shiver that shook her body.

“What? Why? I just—”

He shifted behind her, and his erection pressed firmly against her ass. Holy shit. She bit down hard on her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. The boy was packing some serious heat, and it took everything in her not to push her ass against his hard cock. Her clit ached with a lifetime’s worth of unquenched desire.

“You can admit defeat right now and ride me out of the friend zone, or you can very slowly get out of this bed and give me a few minutes to calm down,” he said, his lips dangerously close to her ear.

She could feel her pulse in her throat, beating a tortured rhythm. Every bone in her body wanted to roll over, crush her mouth to his, and take that ride he offered, but fear and insecurity kept her frozen in place. Once she crossed this line with him, there would be no going back, and she’d spent every day for the past three years fighting for her independence. How could she let herself get lost in a guy now?

After what felt like an eternity, she let out a shaky breath. “I’m going to get out of this bed.” Her voice trembled with uncertainty.

Without a word, Ryder removed his hand from her hip and eased away from her. She climbed out of bed, legs weak. Only then did she realize the power had come back on. Thank God. She snatched clean clothes from her back and hurried toward the shower, unable to spare a parting glance at Ryder. She’d never be able to handle the disappointment she knew she’d see on his face. I’m such a coward, she thought as she locked herself in the bathroom.

When she emerged thirty minutes later, Ryder was out of bed and dressed. She moved cautiously across the room, her gaze lingering on him. Was he mad? Why wasn’t he saying anything?

“Um, are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he said, a knowing smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. “Are you?”

She nodded. “I feel a lot better now that I took a shower.”

Something wicked flashed behind his dark eyes, but he didn’t say anything other than, “Want to go get breakfast?”

“Yes. I’m starving.”

They walked silently to the diner, which was surprisingly empty save for a dad with his two little girls, and a homeless man in the back corner. His hair was damp, and Madison suppressed a shudder at the thought of him having been stuck outside during last night’s storm. Madison and Ryder slid into a booth, giving her a clear view of the homeless guy. The waitress approached his table and refilled his coffee. He nodded, then dropped a handful of change onto the table. He counted out a certain amount and asked for an order of toast.

Madison’s heart went out to the man. She’d never had to worry about food or shelter or any of life’s basic necessities. And she’d turned her back on all of it because she hadn’t liked her parents’ rules. Things could have turned out so differently for her.

Ryder narrowed his eyes at her, then turned to follow her gaze before returning his attention to her. “Everything okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah.” She grabbed the menu from behind the napkin dispenser and opened it.

“So, what do you think about hanging around here today? Maybe explore a little bit?” he asked.

“Maybe hunt some aliens? Stare up at the sky to see if we can find a UFO?” She tried, and failed, to hide her smile behind her menu.

“Funny,” he said, his lips quirking with a barely contained grin. “Actually, I was thinking we could buy you a ring.”

“What?” She slowly lowered her menu and stared at him, positive she hadn’t heard him correctly.

“We’re pretending to be engaged, remember?” He raised a brow and leaned back against the booth, one arm extended along the back. “Do I look like the type of guy that would propose without an engagement ring?”

She could feel the color draining from her face. She hadn’t even thought about that, but Ryder was right. If she showed up without a ring on her finger, everyone would know she was lying. She closed her menu and set it on the table.

“I’ll pay you back for the ring,” she said, though she had no idea how she was going to manage that. Still, she couldn’t let him buy her a diamond and not at least offer to repay him.

He leaned forward. “I’m not taking your money. Just make sure I get the ring back when this is over and we’ll call it even.”

“Okay.” She cleared her throat. “Then I guess we’re going ring shopping today.”

The ordered and ate their food in relative silence. When they were done, Ryder snagged the check from the table and walked to the front of the diner to pay for it.

“Can you do me a favor?” Ryder asked the woman behind the counter.

“Sure, hon. What do you need?” she asked with a bright smile.

“That gentleman back there in the corner… Tell him to order whatever he wants and then bill it to my room, please.”

Madison’s jaw dropped at Ryder’s offer.

The woman’s smile widened as she nodded. “You betcha.” She leaned over the counter and lowered her voice. “He’s in here at least once a week. No idea where he stays, but whenever he has spare change he comes in for coffee and toast. When the manager isn’t here, us girls give him a little extra on the side.”

“That’s kind of you,” Ryder said as he shoved his credit card back into his wallet. Then, he held open the door for Madison.

She stepped outside in a daze, still stunned that Ryder had bought that man meal without being asked or in any way prompted. In all the years she’d known Will, he had never once helped anyone less fortunate than him. He, like her father, had no trouble writing checks to various charities, but what Ryder just did… That was kindness and selflessness in action.

Ryder was absolutely nothing like the other men in her life, and that knowledge had her stopping cold in her tracks.