The Rush (The Siren Series)

CHAPTER Nineteen



“Oh lord, I’m so nervous!” Exie squealed as we crossed the street to Delice.

I rolled my eyes. “What do you have to be nervous about?” I demanded over the clicking sound of our heels against the wet pavement. The sky hadn’t stopped spitting since it opened up yesterday morning and the constant drizzle made even my hair frizzy and wild.

“To meet him of course!” she exclaimed dramatically. “I just hope he’s everything I want him to be! Last night was so anticlimactic that if he’s not there tonight I might die. Seriously, I might just die!”

Sloane laughed delicately from the other side of Exie and I threw her a “what the hell” look just for good measure. “He had band practice last night, or that’s what Phoenix told me today. So he should definitely be here tonight. But, honestly, I don’t understand why you’re so worked up about this, Ex? It’s not like I’m ever going to date him or anything. I’m just mildly curious about why he seems so…. impenetrable.”

“Oh honey,” Exie groaned. “I’m not sure there is a man out there that is…. impenetrable. In fact, I’m pretty sure they are all very aware of how…. penetrating they can be.”

Sloane snorted this time, not at all delicately. Even I couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on my face.

“You sound like my mother!” I laughed. “You’re so gross.”

“But accurate,” Exie giggled.

“I just don’t understand the fascination with him,” I paused at the door to Delice, holding my hand firmly on the handle so they couldn’t muscle their way past me.

Sloane let out an exasperated sigh and explained, “Let’s start with the fact that you have never once, not once, been even curious about a boy. But you’re so much more than curious, and don’t even try to deny it. You are protecting him like the fiercest kind of guard dog, which is also completely uncharacteristic. We know he’s hot and that you’re attracted to him. And then throw in the fact that he isn’t the least bit enslaved by the curse, I mean, come on, Ivy, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why you would be so fascinated by him. But don’t take that the wrong way; it’s Ok that you’re into him. I promise that it is. Just because the curse has repressed us, doesn’t mean we have to live in bondage to it. You deserve a free life, a free love life.”

“Plus, he’s hot, Ivy! Look at him!” Exie practically swooned right here on the damp sidewalk. Her eyes glazed over and her lips parted slightly as she took in his extremely messy dark hair and full lips. He looked like he just crawled out of bed after hours of making out or something even more lascivious, and his tough, overly masculine hands were working the cash register with practiced, confident movements. He had a black apron folded in half and tied around his waist that accentuated how narrow his hips were, and he was wearing a gray cardigan over a faded red t-shirt that made him look more college-hottie than high school-bad-boy.

Sloane sighed again only this time it was in complete adoration for the boy on the other side of the glass. She pushed past me and walked into the coffee shop with an intense presence that demanded she be noticed. She had never looked more like Snow White in my opinion than tonight, with her long, almost black hair tumbling over her shoulders in soft waves, her glossy red lipstick and soft pink blousy mini dress.

A pang of jealousy clenched my gut and I hated how frumpy and unkempt I felt next to my two gorgeous friends. Exie followed Sloane and the two of them made their way up to the counter while I watched them like a creeper from through the door. I wanted to drag them back outside and explain to them that I hadn’t meant my fascination with Ryder, I meant theirs.

They were wrong. There was no fascination on my part. None at all. Only a desire to protect something outside the realm of our world.

Sloane had waged a completely unnecessary argument against me.

I hoped.

Because even now something was fluttering in my stomach and I refused to name the emotion that drugged my senses and narrowed the entire scope of my vision just to him. He was looking at me through the glass now while my friends made fools of themselves gesturing for me to come inside.

The corner of his mouth kicked up into a crooked smile and his face softened into an intimate kind of secret between us. He tilted his chin, silently telling me to join them inside. The movement was so subtle but so commanding my hand was reaching for the door before my brain registered what it was doing.

I was starting to hate those subtle movements he seemed to command so carelessly but received the most immediate results with. As the warmth from the coffee shop blew into my face and tugged me inside I decided that Ryder must have some kind of mind control power to get everyone to obey those casual movements. Or at least he had one over me.

It would explain so very much.

And then there would be nothing to be worried about.

Only, there was no such thing as that kind of mind-control power. So whatever was happening between us had to be something even more unexplainable.

Or at least on my end. With a whoosh of exhaled breath I entered the coffee shop and made my way to the counter.

“Hey, Ryder,” I threw a smile at him. In a weird play of power I wanted to be the one that spoke first.

“Hey, Ivy,” he echoed in only a slightly teasing voice. “Caramel macchiato?”

“Yes, please,” I dropped my eyes to the counter, hiding a wider smile.

“Have a seat ladies. I’ll bring these out to you when they’re ready,” Ryder directed with his gravelly voice.

“How much is it?” I asked, reaching for my purse.

“That’s alright, I’m using my employee benefits.”

“Oooh,” Exie cooed. “Employee benefits! Do all of your friends get these benefits?”

Ryder’s small smile turned into a full on grin and he turned his focus to my best friend. I immediately felt the loss. “Sure, and friends of friends.”

“Sweet!” Exie exclaimed in her screechy girl way.

“Mmm-mm. I want to pay,” I argued.

“Not a chance, Red. Go sit down,” Ryder countered with restrained force. He wasn’t going to be argued with. I wondered if I had offended his pride, but when I looked up and met his stare a shock of some emotion rocked my body leaving me breathless. His steely gray eyes were daring me to defy him. They were filled with cocky arrogance and something more.... something like possession, like it was his entitlement in life to pay for my coffee.

Losing the battle easily to that kind of resolve, I simply nodded and followed my giggling friends to a table. I was used to Nix’s male-dominant tactics; they were like the slow poison sucking away at my life. Nix wanted to control, to force me to serve. I loathed the prideful power that was Nix.

But Ryder was something so different, so…. gentle. He was pushy and domineering and a complete Neanderthal. But his feelings came from a place of sweetness, and with a desire to protect.

When Nix ordered me around I felt like a caged animal.

When Ryder ordered me around I felt…. turned on.

Oh no.

This was so not good.

“Ivy, he’s so yummy,” Sloane murmured, her eyes glittering with appreciation for the male species.

“Right!” Exie squealed in an exaggerated whisper. “I told you!”

What was with my friends and look at all guys like they were edible? Possibly we should have ordered some croissants too to curb their obvious hunger….

“But you’re right,” Sloane continued, her tone dropping with disappointment. “He’s so not affected by us at all. It’s kind of eerie actually.”

“But kind of nice?” I posed the statement as a question even though for me it was like balm to open wounds. I knew without a question how healing it felt to be around Ryder, to feel how unimpressed with me he was.

That was sick, right? There had to be something wrong with me.

“So are you going to….” Sloane hesitated and I knew what she was getting at but I didn’t even want to hear the question out loud. “I mean, Chase is almost times-up, right?”

“I’m not, no way.” I growled. “He will never get anywhere near Nix, or my mother. Could you imagine?” My voice dropped to a whisper as if the axis of evil could somehow overhear me.

Sloane nodded with approval, her worried expression turning back to one of respect. Exie just smiled at me with this enormous grin that ate up half her face.

“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

“Nothing,” she said but kept smiling and now her eyes seemed to be holding a secret.

“Exie, what?” I demanded.

“Nothing,” she sighed contentedly. “I’m just…. I’m just happy for you.”

I snorted. “I just told you, I’m not-“

“I know,” she rushed quickly. “I know you’re not. But can’t I be happy for you anyway?”

“Whatever,” I laughed and then Sloane joined in.

Three coffees were set down in between us and I felt the presence of Ryder’s overwhelming body looming over me. He pushed the hot cups around the table, sorting out the different orders to their owners and then returned the smiles that Exie and Sloane were drowning him in.

“Ivy, scoot over. I’m taking my break with you guys,” Ryder commanded and this time I didn’t argue.

Well, I didn’t argue until I scooted over. “You’re so demanding,” I accused.

“What?” Ryder shrugged. “Isn’t that why you’re here tonight? To introduce me to your friends?”

I choked on a sip of hot macchiato and then set it down hard enough so that it splashed over the sides of the red ceramic cup. “Geez, cocky.”

He returned my snide comment with a proud smile and his eyebrows rose as if challenging me to contradict him. “Well, isn’t that why you’re here?”

“Psht. No,” I denied adamantly. I turned my focus to cleaning up the coffee spill with the thin napkins that sat on the table. “We were just thirsty. Don’t be so full of yourself.”

“I’m not full of myself,” he argued.

“Oh really? Then why assume we came here just for you?” I chanced a look at him, hiding half my face with my lifted shoulder. He stared met me straight on, his gunmetal gray eyes lit with amusement.

“Because you’re friends said that’s why you were here,” he answered as seriously as he could.

“My friends? What?” I gasped. “I don’t have any friends. At least not anymore….”

“Ives, we so did not say that’s why we were here,” Exie shook her head, blonde curls swinging wildly around her shoulders.

“Sloane?” I raised my eyebrow at her. She was more of a straight shooter and the moment her shoulders sagged I knew they outed me. Wenches.

“I think it was more like, we might have said…. um, how excited we were to finally meet him is all,” Sloane answered in a small voice.

“Finally?” I squeaked.

“What they said was that they had been waiting a very long time to meet me and couldn’t believe how much better looking I was in person,” Ryder corrected in a smug tone.

I shrunk into my seat, praying for an earthquake that would open the ground beneath my feet and swallow me whole. That was possible right? A freak earthquake and quick demise? Ugh.

“So how long have they been waiting to meet me, Ives?” Ryder asked in a softer tone, but none the less dangerous.

“Since yesterday morning,” I winced as the confession came out of my mouth. “Exie saw you yesterday when she dropped me off at school. So, obviously enough time for her to get worked up about meeting you.” I shoved sarcasm into each syllable as I spoke, but it was only a weak attempt to salvage what was left of my pride.

“Wow, yesterday morning, huh?” Ryder pressed, addressing me only. “You must have given her a pretty nice impression of me to get Exie so worked up.”

I peeked up at him, hating how he was lording this over me, but he was looking at Exie and sharing some kind of secret smile with her. Instead of mortification, jealously bloomed bright and fast inside my chest and soon my cheeks were painted red with the emotion. There was no end to how this boy affected me.

“I told her you had a girlfriend,” I snapped before I could stop myself.

Great now I sounded jealous too.

Ryder’s smile only grew. “I do have a girlfriend.” He turned his attention back to me and held my gaze this time. “So why are you and your friends here?”

I took a breath and tried to come up with an appropriate response, er… excuse, but the gray of his eyes had melted to silver and I couldn’t think straight. He tilted forward a little, closing some distance between us and waited for me to speak.

“For coffee,” I finally whispered after what felt like an eternity of silence.

“For coffee,” he echoed in a velvety voice.

More silence stretched out between us while we continued to stare each other down. We were bordering on inappropriate by now, but there was something about him that drew me in. He stared at me like an equal, like he could look away if he wanted. Like it was his choice to fall into this tractor beam between us.

And that terrified me. And then I felt like the worst person ever.

“I really like Kenna,” I announced and then sat up straighter.

“Good,” Ryder snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat trying to come back to himself. “I like her too.”

I barely heard him. “I’ve never really had like a girl friend before….”

“Hey!” Exie and Sloane interrupted together.

So I amended my statement, “at school. I’ve never really had a girl friend at school before. But Kenna has been really, really nice.”

Ryder stared at me for another thirty seconds, his expression turning to quizzically annoyed. And then he swung around to look at my two friends who were also giving me the evil eye. “Exie, Sloane, it’s been…. fun. But I have to get back to work now. You ladies should come with Ivy Wednesday night. I’m in a band and we play the Slowdown for their smaller house shows. You’ll get a chance to meet Kenna, my girlfriend. You already know Ivy likes her, so I’m sure you both will too. Have a great night.”

He stood up and stalked around the corner and to the back room, ignoring his coworker as she tried to welcome him back from his shift. I shivered against the completely unnecessary words that still hung in the air over us. What was that all about? He had seemed polite to my friends, but there was a hardness to his tone that even I couldn’t ignore.

I took a quick breath and met the curious stares of my friends. “I don’t know what that was about,” I admitted before they could start the twenty questions. He was going to be back out here in second and I didn’t want to get caught in the middle of a discussion about him.

“Ivy are you still doing that concert thing?” Sloane gasped instead. Her eyes were pained and her mouth set in a grim line. “I thought you quit.”

“I quit because I was out of state,” I reminded her softly. “I’ve only been back once.”

“Because you’ve only been here for one Wednesday,” Exie lectured in a snippy voice.

“It’s not like that,” I said weakly. “I’m not like that.” When they both continued to stare hard at me I mashed my lips together, wetting them quickly and then launched into an explanation. “It’s my only thing. It’s the only thing that’s mine. And they won’t find out, I swear. I couldn’t…. I wouldn’t let them send me back, I swear.”

They were both oppressively quiet as they took in my explanation. Exie refused to meet my eyes, staring down at the napkin she was shredding apart in her delicate fingers. And Sloane was regarding me with her shrew eyes. She was hot in like the Sexy Secretary way and right now I could feel every ounce of her brain power as she tried to pick me apart.

“We’re not worried about them sending you back to Arizona, ok?” She reached out her hand and laid it gently on mine for just a brief moment before retracting it immediately.

“I know.” And I did know. If I was still a problem there was only one place I would go. And I was afraid I was already on my way. “I won’t get caught. I promise.”

“You won’t get caught because we’re coming with you,” Sloane decided with a smile.

“We are?” Exie’s face lit up and she was back to her bubbly self again. “Yay! A concert!”