“You’re very quiet.” He eyed me carefully.
“I met your mother. She thinks I’m your girlfriend,” I blurted out.
“Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot to tell you that.” He shrugged like it was nothing and offered no further explanation. Was he okay with her thinking this was real?
“Come here.” He reached his hand out toward me, and I looked at it suspiciously. Snap out of it, Bailey. I took slow steps toward him and allowed him to grasp my hands, letting out a yelp when he pulled on my hands, making me fall forward and stumble onto the bed. He laughed as I shifted into a sitting position.
“You’re acting weird, Bailey. Just relax. What the hell is wrong with you?” His tone was harsh and annoyed, and I knew I was confusing him, but I just felt out of my depth. I had no idea how to act around him or how to hide my feelings. I felt him move on the bed behind me. His large hands clasped my shoulders as his long fingers began massaging and kneading the tight muscles in my shoulders and neck. I let out a soft moan at the scorching feeling of his hands on my skin.
“I don’t know what’s got into you, but you need to snap out of it,” he growled in my ear. His rough tone and soft actions contradicted each other. It was a strange but soothing combination. I liked the dominance in his voice but at the same time loved the gentle, caring way he touched me.
“We have a date tomorrow night. You need to be on your game, not acting nervous and crap like you are now,” he whispered harshly in my ear before pressing his teeth into the crook of my neck and sucking gently, making me completely forget about the mention of a date. A date that I didn’t remember agreeing to.
I gasped and rolled my head back to rest on his shoulder. That was going to leave a mark. I could feel Ryder’s bare chest pressing into my back; his arms encircling my waist as he pulled me back so I was sitting on his lap. My nails dug into his wrists as he continued kissing and sucking the sensitive skin along my neck while tickling circles on my stomach.
“Bailey.” He groaned my name. “If you don’t stop wriggling, we are going to have a problem.” His breath was warm on my neck, and I didn’t even realise I had been moving.
“Sorry.” I turned my head to look at him and saw his green eyes alight, blazing into mine. My eyes dropped to his lips and watched as they parted instinctively when he dragged his tongue across the bottom one before pulling the stud into his mouth. He cleared his throat.
“Ah, we should probably stop now.” His voice was gravelly and husky. I dropped my eyes to my lap before pushing off him and moving to the other side of his bed, putting distance between us.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. Even though I knew he was right—we had to stop before things went too far—I couldn’t help but feel hurt and rejected. Bloody Indie making me realise my feelings just made everything worse.
“Don’t be sorry,” he said. I kept my eyes down. I didn’t want him to see the hurt that I was sure was evident in them.
“Bailey, look at me.” He crawled over the bed to me and tilted my face up so I had to look at him.
“I’m sorry. When I’m with you, I lose all sense of right or wrong. You make me lose control, and I don’t want to do anything that will hurt you.” I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say or whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, so I just nodded my head slowly, wishing that he would change the subject.
“Believe me when I say I didn’t want to stop then. I want to lose control with you, but I know that it’s not right. You’re not one of those girls, and I don’t want you to become one.” He pressed his lips to mine briefly. I stared at him for a moment, frozen. I tried to take in everything he had just said, but I was just more confused than before.
“I got you something,” he said, thankfully changing the subject.
“You did? Why?” I raised my eyebrow at him, wondering what he’d gotten me and why. He grinned and lay down on his stomach to reach under the bed. He pulled out a small package neatly wrapped in purple paper.
“Open it,” he said, handing it to me with wide eyes.
“Ryder, you shouldn’t have got me anything. I can’t accept this.” I tried to hand it back.
“Open the damn gift, Bailey,” he snapped before softly adding a please and gently kissing my cheek.
I peeled off the paper quickly and carefully trying not to make him any angrier. I saw a small velvet box. I looked at him with wide eyes. He nodded his head in encouragement, so I lifted the lid and gasped at what I saw.
“Ryder, this is too much. Why?” I asked, eyeing the beautiful charm bracelet lying delicately on purple silk inside the box.
“Do you like it?” he asked, ignoring my previous question.
“Yes, it’s beautiful but—”
“But nothing. It’s yours. Be grateful and wear it.” He took it from the box before gently clasping it around my wrist.
“The charms, they’re—” I started to ask about the charms he’d chosen.
“They’re all things we’ve done together. Rides to school together,” he said, pointing out the car. “Eating at the diner.” He indicated to the hamburger before moving to a ladder. “Climbing the water tower.”
“Hanging out at the bookstore,” I said when his fingers brushed the small book charm.
“Yes, and making out at the drive-in.” He grinned, turning the bracelet slightly so I could see the little movie reel.
“And finally, celebrating your eighteenth birthday,” he said, lifting the silk in the box to reveal an eighteen charm. I gasped and stared at him in surprise.
“Happy Birthday, Bailey,” he whispered. He hooked the charm onto my bracelet. He knew it was my birthday. How? I was just about to ask him when he pressed his lips to mine, making me forget all about my birthday.
Chapter Sixteen
My days were filled. I didn’t think I had been this busy ever. Every day I had something to do. It was weird considering I’d always been a loner, even when I was friends with Christina and dating Chace. But it was good. I loved having things to occupy my time. I spent my afternoons at the bookstore and my evenings watching movies with Indie or having dinner at the roadhouse with Ryder. He actually cooked for me again a few nights ago. And he wasn’t lying about his being the best burgers in the state. I could have eaten a second one, it was so good. But then Indie’s warnings over the past week about not eating too much rubbish so we could still fit into our outfits for Chace’s party came back to haunt me, and I refrained from a second helping.
My mother burst through my bedroom door with a scowl on her face, moving straight for my stereo. It was blasting some of her classic nineties rock, which always put me in the mood to party.