8. Chapter Eight
8
Wren
As quickly as possible, I pull the clothes I got out to visit my parents and slip them on before finding a sensible pair of shoes. I don’t bother looking around as I scurry through the house and out the front door – if he needs me, he’ll call me. There’s no way I can be here for another second after what just happened.
I send a quick text to Elias to let him know that I’m on my way to our parents and for him to meet me there with Luna saddled up for me, then peel out of the driveway without a backward glance. If I see him standing on the front porch, watching me pull away, there’s no guarantee that I’ll keep going.
I can’t believe I just did that.
My parents live about thirty minutes away, which gives me enough time to get all these emotions out of my system before my mother takes a good look at me. Melanie Grace is like a ninja when it comes to her kids, always knowing what’s going on with them before they’ve even got it figured out.
One look at my flushed cheeks, mussed hair, and swollen lips is all it will take for her to understand what happened. Luckily, I’ve got my favorite lipstick tucked beneath my radio – at least, that will give me some sort of advantage against her scrutinizing stare.
Don’t get me started on Elias. If there’s anyone I’m closest to in my family, it’s my big brother. He’s the one I would run to about all my boy problems in high school and also the one who would handle them. I remember talking to him on the phone about my job, complaining about Ryker, and I could tell there was something he wasn’t telling me.
God, if he were to find out I’d done something with Ryker when he knows I shouldn’t have – I’d never hear the end of it. Which is another reason I need to get these pesky emotions locked tightly away and save them for a later date. All I want and need right now is to get on the back of Luna and ride to my heart’s content.
***
When I pull up the winding driveway, Elias is leaning against my parents' front porch, his arms crossed in front of him as he frowns at my car, and I’m not surprised when my parents throw open the door.
My mother smiles brightly at me and bounces in place next to my father, who’s shaking his head with a soft chuckle. He drapes an arm over her shoulder and pulls her against him as I make my way over to the two of them. “Honey, you act like you didn’t see her just last week.”
She swats his arm playfully and pushes away from him with her arms held out for me, which I step into with a warm smile. When it comes to my mother, no one can be in her vicinity without feeling like the sun is shining even brighter on their face. I’ve watched her interact with groups of strangers, never having met them a day in their lives, and end up calling her up to connect.
“We’ve missed you around here, sweetie,” my mother says softly as she tightens her arms around my small frame before pulling away. “Your brother said you came here to ride. Is everything okay?”
And there it is.
As much as I ride for the fun of it, my mother knows that most of the time, I do it to relieve my stress. This means even though I’ve gotten hold of my emotions after my moment with Ryker, she’s still going to pick apart my head to see what’s going on. I give her a small smile and nod. “Everything’s great.”
I can tell she doesn’t believe a single word I’m saying by the way her eyebrow rises curiously, but Elias clears his throat before she can keep questioning me. “Ready to ride? I saddled Rocky up too and figured we could do it together, that okay?”
“Definitely,” I say with a bright smile.
Riding with Elias was always one of my favorite things to do growing up, and it’s kind of become our thing. I expected to come here with the full notion that he would be joining me on whatever adventure I choose to go on this time. Except, I can see the silent questions lingering in his gaze, and it makes me want to backtrack on my words.
“Awesome, let’s head out before Mom decides she needs to take you into the house for an hour-long conversation disguised as a simple glass of sweet tea,” he says with a chuckle.
“I can never win with you guys,” my mother responds with a shake of her head as she heads back into the house with my dad following closely behind her.
Before he disappears into the house, he turns around and flashes me the smile Elias inherited from him. “Good seeing you again, baby girl.”
Elias clears his throat while we head to the stables, where Luna and Rocky are saddled up. “So, what’s going on?”
“Does something always have to be going on?”
He chuckles. “Sis, you’re in the middle of working and decided you needed to go on a horseback ride in the middle of the day.” I groan when he nudges me. “Talk to me. You know you can tell me anything.”
“Except, I can’t talk to you about this because I don’t even know what this is.”
Elias pulls me to a stop, and I look up, finding his mouth pulled down into a frown. “What does that mean, Wren?”
I shake my head and groan. “I don’t want to talk about this right now, Eli. That’s the whole reason I came here to ride Luna, can we just table this for another day?”
“Not a chance,” he mutters. “What the hell is going on?”
“Don’t get an attitude with me. What’s your problem anyway?”
“Is this about him ?”
I blink in surprise. I’ve never known my brother to talk about people with such disdain in his voice. “What’s your problem?”
He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Don’t get involved with him, Wren. He’s bad news. Don’t jeopardize your career.”
“Seriously? You don’t even know him.”
“I know him enough with everything I’ve seen. Wren, his anger isn’t exactly hidden, and I’d hate for him to hurt you.” He tries to reach out and wrap an arm around me, but I step out of his reach. “Come on, you know I’m right.”
“No, actually, I don’t.” I shake my head and frown up at him. “Out of all the people in the world I thought would be more understanding and less judgmental, you were it.” His eyebrows dip at my statement, and I back away from him. “Look, I should probably ride Luna alone for a bit.”
“Wren, wait.”
Instead of stopping like I’m desperate to do, I swipe at the angry tears slipping down my cheek and shove the stable doors open. Luna’s looking pretty and white, as always, with Rocky saddled up in the next stall over, but I ignore the urge to turn around. Elias can catch up to me if he really wants to fix our argument.
I can’t believe he judged Ryker like that based on what he sees in the media and the way they’ve painted him. Sure, I thought his anger was the only thing he had, but there’s more than that. The way he sang those lyrics, all the raw emotion within them, there’s more than the anger – there’s pain and heartache.
I’m not going to let my brother jump in the middle of whatever’s going on, even if it shouldn’t be going on, and change my view of Ryker.
Not happening.
As soon as I’m on Luna, Elias finally rushes through the open door and groans loudly before jumping on the back of Rocky to come after me.
Guess it’s a good thing I’ve got the better horse.
Quick as a flash, and before he catches sight of me, I pull the reins to lead Luna down a hidden pathway that’s overgrown with weeds. When I’m deep into the bushes, sights set on where I know Elias will end up, I pat the top of Luna’s head and watch as he races past the pathway with a look of determination on his face.
All I wanted was a breath of fresh air to get out of my head, but it looks like even my alone time is going to be filled with thoughts of Ryker.
My pussy clenches as I remember the way his hands felt on me, how delicate his mouth was as he brushed those soft lips against my breasts, and the firmness in his touch when he softened my hips against him.
I’d do anything to have his hands on me again.
And that’s exactly why I had to get out of there.
He’s making me lose all sense and jeopardizing my career.
When I think the coast is clear, I ease Luna out of the pathway and head back toward the stables. If I’m not going to get my stress figured out by riding, then I’m going back to Ryker’s to give him a piece of my mind.
Why should I have to rush out of his home when I’m supposed to be working, all because he can’t seem to control himself?
It’s ridiculous and not going to be accepted any longer.
Once I get Luna unsaddled, I grab the brush my parents keep hung on a hook and brush through her silver mane before putting it back up. I press a quick kiss to her nose, then make my way out of the stables and over to my car.
“Sweetie, you’re leaving already? Why don’t you come in for some tea?”
Like true Melanie Grace fashion, my mother wants to grill me about my problems, and I don’t have time for them right now.
I flash her a big smile and shake my head. “As much as I’d love to, mom, my client called, and he needs me back. Maybe another time?”
She nods. “Of course, sweetie, be safe. Love you.”
“I love you, too, mom.”
Just as I start backing out of the driveway, Elias comes to a stop in the middle of the dirt field where the horses hang out, and he watches me with a frown on his face.
He should’ve kept his opinion to himself.
It takes a shorter amount of time to get back to Ryker’s, mainly because the closer I get to his place, the angrier I get, and I come to a screeching stop in front of his house.
When I storm through the front door, Ryker is lounging on the couch looking as carefree as ever and that only sets me off more.
“Why are you getting in my damn head so much, and how do I get you out?” Instead of the question coming out harsh, like the way I had intended, I whisper it more to myself.
Ryker rises from the couch and walks over to me, nothing but promise shining in his gaze as he comes to stop in front of me. I must not have said it low enough that he couldn’t hear.
He reaches out, brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear, and shrugs. “I can’t answer that because I’m not sure how to get you out of mine either.”
I groan loudly and pull away from him, then head down one of the many hallways on the first floor. When I come to a stop in front of my guest room, I look over my shoulder to see if he’s following me and hate the sadness that builds when it’s empty.
I’m a damn mess.
I need to get myself together before things go sideways… and fast.