Page 23 of His to Defend

Ryker laughed. It would be good to see her. And maybe she’d be able to talk a little sense into him and keep him from acting like such a lunatic. She always had an innate ability to call Ryker on his bullshit.

Ryker had avoided her all night. Nina kept looking to him to see whether she could catch his eye, but he seemed to be making a special effort not to meet her gaze.

Had she done something wrong?

No. Of course she hadn’t. They’d had amazing, hot sex in the woods and ever since he’d been treating her as if…she were just a booty call.

Wasn’t that what he was to her?

Whatever. It didn’t matter.

Ryker was only ever going to be a fling anyway. Something to entertain her while she was at the ridge. It’s not as though he were going to be a serious relationship. That didn’t change the fact that it stung a little that he would be so callous as to ignore her after he got what he wanted. But at least she knew where she stood.

Determined not to let it bother her, Nina turned her attention to the other side of the large dining room table and listened in on the conversation that Ella and Kade were having. Their first baby was due in a few months, just before the twins, and just like the rest of the couples on the ridge, they weren’t yet married either.

“I don’t think it’s something we need to do,” Kade was telling Ella. “It’s a silly tradition.”

“Mi amor. Don’t say that.” Ella glanced around but neither Harper nor Axel was paying them any attention. “Your brother is getting married.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s ridiculous.” Kade caught Nina watching them and shrugged. “It’s not that it’s ridiculous,” he corrected for her benefit. “It’s just that I don’t think I need to have a ceremony or a piece of paper to prove that I love this woman and I’m totally committed to her for life. That’s all.”

Nina nodded. She could understand that. He wasn’t the first person she’d met who felt that way.

“But it’s so romantic,” Ella said. “Wait until you see her in the dress. Muy hermosa.”

“You’re already beautiful.”

Ella smiled at her man. Her beautiful face lit up and Kade leaned forward to press a kiss on the tip of her nose.

Nina couldn’t help but be wrapped up in the love between the two of them. With all of them, really.

She couldn’t help it; she glanced back to the other side of the table and was instantly frozen.

He was looking at her.

No, he was staring at her. Intensely.

A shiver of desire ran through her, directly to her core. Like a reflex, her panties moistened but still she didn’t look away from his green eyes.

“Nina?” Harper tapped on her arm. “Earth to Nina.”

She turned to look at her friend, but then quickly turned back to Ryker.

He was gone.

“I’m sorry,” she said over her shoulder as she pushed the chair back. “I have to…”

Nina caught up with Ryker outside on the patio. “Hey.”

It wasn’t until he turned around that she realized she had no idea what she wanted to say to him.

“I just wanted to…”

He took a step toward her. “You wanted to what?”

She swallowed hard, annoyed that he had any kind of effect on her at all. She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, determined not to be one of those women who got clingy after a little bit of sex. No matter how good the sex was. Especially because it wasn’t as though she wanted a relationship or anything. Right?

She was being ridiculous. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that what happened between us earlier…” She started talking, the calm in her voice surprising even her.