Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Chloe
Ahot shower feels good. But not nearly as good as the bath Ryder drew for me the day before. The trek back to the lodge didn’t take long, with the sun shining and the storm over. As far as I was concerned, it didn’t take nearly long enough.
With every step we took closer to the lodge, I felt as if I were getting further and further away from Ryder.
His brothers, Jaxon and Briggs, greeted us in the equipment shed.
Before I knew it, Jaxon had bundled me up and escorted me to my room with promises of dinner on the house and their most expensive bottle of wine as an apology for the inconvenience of spending a few nights in the rustic hunting shed.
I know he’s worried about the article and what I’m going to write, but there’s no way I can tell him the truth. That as beautiful and luxurious as the lodge is, the remote cabin was the best part of my trip. By far.
No. It was best to keep the details of our snowed-in stay secret. Ryder hadn’t said anything, not that I expected him to. After all, we weren’t in a relationship. Despite what my heart thought.
With a sigh, I grab my phone and for the first time, power it on to see all the voicemails and unanswered text messages from Lisa.
There’s no point delaying the inevitable much longer.
I know from her messages, Lisa is pissed. Even though Jaxon had let her know the situation with the storm, a deadline was a deadline, and I’d missed mine.
I press the number to call her and hold my breath.
“Tell me you have the article done.”
“Hi, Lisa.” I try to sound more relaxed than I am. I’m pretty sure I’m failing. “I’m fine. The storm was crazy, but—”
“Yeah. Yeah. Obviously, that’s great. I’m glad you’re fine, but I have a big blank spot where your article is supposed to go.”
“It’s a website—can’t you just move things around?” It’s not like it was an old-school newspaper press.
“Chloe, that’s not how this works,” Lisa says. “I need writers I can count on, and right now, I don’t think you’re one of them.”
“No. No.” Panic wells up inside me. I need this job. “I’m definitely one of your writers. I’ll get the article done right away.”
“I need it tonight, Chloe. Eight at the latest.”
Eight?
I glanced at the time. That didn’t give me long. I was going to have to skip dinner. “Okay,” I agree. “Eight. It’ll be in your inbox.”
The lodge is beautiful, and I already know I’ll write a great review. But I’d really rather be having dinner in the dining room, preferably with Ryder, and then writing my own book. Or better yet, doing more research for it.
I’m still thinking of what more research with Ryder will look like when I walk down to the dining room. I see him right away, across the room with his back turned. My pulse races and my panties are already wet. My reaction to this man is insane.
There’s no way I can walk away from the lodge—and him. Not when the connection is so strong. I just wish I knew if he felt the same.
As if he senses me, Ryder turns at that moment. He has a huge grin on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. For a split second, I think that smile is for me, but then I see her.
A gorgeous blonde with huge boobs straining against a very low-cut shirt. She’s leaning in and clearly flirting with Ryder, who, from where I’m standing, looks to have been flirting right back.
I freeze only a few feet away from him, my appetite gone. All I want to do is run and hide in my room.
“Chloe.”
I can’t listen to anything he has to say. It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m just a stupid girl who thought I’d finally found my happily ever after. I was wrong.
With a shake of my head, I turn and run.
Ryder
Shit.
I know it looks bad. Really bad. But it’s not what she thinks.
It can’t possibly be, because it’s so clear in my head. Chloe is the only woman for me.
“Chloe!”
Jaxon and Briggs will probably want to kick my ass for making a scene in the dining room, but I don’t give a fuck. I need to get to my girl.
Without a backward glance at the guest I was chatting with, I take off through the dining room and catch up to Chloe in front of the stone fireplace.
“Stop.” I grab her arm and pull her to a stop before she can run off again. “It’s not what you think.”
“It’s okay that it is.”
She won’t look at me.
“Chloe. I was just talking to a guest.”
“I saw the way you were talking.” She swipes at her face and then curses.
Shit. She’s crying.
As subtly as I can, I move her to the side of the huge stone hearth, where hopefully no one will see us talking. If my brothers think I did something to upset her…well, I can’t even deal with that right now. Chloe is my only priority.
“Hey.” Once I’m sure we can’t be seen, I tip her chin up with two fingers. “Look at me, kitten.”
Maybe it’s the use of her nickname, but she finally looks at me with big, hopeful eyes. Now is the moment. I need to tell my girl exactly what the last few days have meant to me. What she means to me.
I lean in and stroke the side of her cheek, brushing a stray tear away. “The last few days with you were…”
A flash of movement catches my eye, and I see Jaxon walk through the front doors.
Shit.
I promised my brothers I wouldn’t mess with Chloe.
But she’s right here and…fuck.
I take a step back. “They were incredible.” It’s the truth, but it’s still a total cop-out. There’s so much more I want to tell her. That I need to tell her.
But I can feel Jaxon watching me, and the last thing I need is a fight or an interruption. When I tell Chloe exactly how I’m feeling about her, it’s going to be special and she’s going to know exactly how much I mean it.
I’m not going to let Jaxon—or anyone—else ruin it. Which is why I need to get her alone.
“Ryder, I—”
Jaxon clearing his throat interrupts us.
I take another step back, putting distance between us. “How’s the article coming, Chloe?” I ask when my brother is within hearing distance. “That’s the most important thing now, isn’t it?”
Fuck. I’m such an ass. It kills me that I’m hurting her.
She needs to hear how I feel about her, and how meeting her has turned me upside down in ways I never could have imagined.
How I don’t want her to leave. How I need her to stay with me in Rock Creek and have my babies while she writes her novels, or articles or whatever it is that makes her happy.
Because her happiness is the only thing that matters.
My girl needs to hear all those things.
And I need to tell them to her.
But I can’t. Not with Jaxon here. Not like this.
She looks stunned for a moment, and I can see the hurt in her eyes, but she recovers quickly. “It’s…well, I’m behind. I need to finish it tonight.” She waves in the direction of the dining room. “I don’t think I’m going to have time to eat.”
“Nonsense.” More than anything, I want to reach for my girl and pull her into my arms. “I’ll have dinner brought up to you. Go work. I don’t want to keep you any longer.”
Chloe looks between Jaxon and me.
For a minute, I think she might say something.
But then, with a sad shake of her head, she says, “Right. That’s what I should do. Thanks.” And she’s gone.
I wait until she’s completely out of view, before I turn.
“Not one word.” I hold my finger up to Jaxon but don’t meet his gaze as I push past him and head into the kitchen to put a feast together for my girl.