“You want me to come back?” I asked, taking the charms gratefully. It had hurt to lose even one. They were all I had of her. I was otherwise in silent shock, watching a distinguished, naturally imperious man eat crow.
“I’d come to Ryder’s home to invite you personally. Fate deigned that I arrive as Ryder was preparing to depart, ready to battle for you.”
Fate. Wasn’t that an interesting way to view the events?
“Thank you for helping to free me.”
“It was only a small way I could offer my gratitude for your service to us, and we were able to apprehend villains who would have used the ore for harm against your people.”
“The terrorists? Had they arrived?”
His nod confirmed that.
He turned to Ryder. “Please bring me your report on this incident. It appears, once again, we were close to capturing Ranik, but he slipped through our fingers.”
“Of course.” Ryder gave a slight bow of his head. I could sense a lessening of his animosity toward his father. “I’ll see if I can return within the week.”
“That would be fine. I’d better get back to your mother. She’ll want to know why I’ve been gone so long.”
“Please give her my love.”
“Certainly.”
“And...thank you...for your help,” Ryder offered with all humility and sincerity. “Taylor means the world to me.”
“I understand.” Talon offered his hand, which Ryder readily shook. “You’re my son. I’ll always help you.”
Before long, Talon departed in a flash of blue light, presumably to the transfer unit in the Malibu canyon, where he would then be able to transfer home.
Insisting that I eat something, Ryder made us a light snack. Briefly, I told him about the information I’d learned about my mother and father. I wanted to find my mother and see if she could find refuge on Te’re for a while. Ryder insisted that I go back to bed when we finished our snack, which had me eye-rolling, as I’d just had a four-hour nap. My bruises were freaking him out. I only agreed when he said he would join me there. That arrangement had more appeal for me.
“Where’s Sy?” I asked, shrugging out of my robe and climbing back under the covers.
“Looking for Jory.” He yanked off his T-shirt, which allowed me to appreciate his fine, muscular chest. Remembering the trail I’d blazed with my lips on his chest the other night, I felt the beginning of some tingles. The stirrings continued as he dropped his pants and slid into bed wearing boxers only. Yum. Very distracting.
“She was your girlfriend, right?”
“She was.” He got comfortable on his pillow, facing me. “And before you ask, I have no idea why she would be helping Ranik.”
That answered my next question, but I had a few others.
“How did you know something was wrong so fast?”
“Sy was out checking the waves and saw you and Jory pull up to the condo. You weren’t here when he came back to get his trunks, and then I couldn’t get you on your phone.”
“I know! I paid the bill, I swear it.”
“Jory was using a signal jammer on your phone.”
“That bitch!” I scowled. “She totally played me.”
A flash of anger touched his eyes. “I was afraid I would be too late. Will you listen from now on? Do as you’re told? This wouldn’t have happened, had you followed my directions.”
“Yeah, but then Paul would have been killed along with his father, and you guys wouldn’t have been able to find out about the stash of mylunate he hid. At least now he’ll have medical care, and you have your ore back.”
“I care about you.”
“I know, but maybe it’s like your father said. Maybe fate is the master puppeteer, and one way or another, your father was going to be here to provide support to you because I was going to be abducted in order to help prevent Paul’s death and the spread of terrorism on this and your planet.” He was looking so serious, I just couldn’t help myself. “Ohhh, see? The butterfly effect, but with fate. We’re all interconnected. We could be out on a hike, and you could, like, sneeze, and that could scare a bunch of birds out of the brush, right? Then that causes a breeze that lends itself to a windstorm, which would then be strong enough to travel thousands of miles and maybe wipe out a whole village, see? But it would be like fate gave you that cold because it was time for that village to rebuild itself and join the new age of technology.”
Ryder wasn’t amused.
“Yeah, well, maybe you could have just as easily been killed.” He gave me a good scowl, not ready to concede any point, probably because I still had bruises on my face.
“Even if it doesn’t all make sense to you, it’s making sense to me. I can feel it. We’re all...interconnected.”
“Dammit, Taylor.” He sat up against the headrest with a scowl. “I just care about you. Stop putting yourself in life-threatening situations.”
I sat up against the headboard to face him. “I’m just saying that maybe when it’s our time, it’s our time. Control is an illusion.”
“Whatever. Just be more careful. At least say it. Put my goddamn mind to rest.”
“I will, I will. I will be more careful. Does that help?”
“Yes.”
Unable to help myself, I ran fingers through his midnight-black hair. Brushing it off his forehead, I said, “Don’t be mad.”
“But you...”
I settled a finger against his firm lips, effectively stopping his words. “There are so many more interesting things we could do. Don’t you think?”
“You aren’t going to sleep, are you?” His grin was slow in developing.
“I don’t think so.” I gave him a gamine smile and let the spaghetti strap of my camisole slip off my shoulder, exposing part of the curve of my breast. “You a boob man?”
“I can’t decide with you.” His large hand swept over my breast, thumbing my nipple, and I sighed into the familiar warmth that heated me from the inside. Then he slid down to cup my ass. “I like all of you.”
“Who says you need to decide?”
His cock was stirring against my belly, and my fingers were gentle when they grasped his hot, silky length beneath the waistband of his boxers. His groan of pleasure was encouraging and arousing, and our lips met with gentle passion, sweetly, with teasing nibbles. Heat built on heat as we moved together, removed clothing, kissing skin with passionate reverence as it became exposed. We exchanged soft gasps and throaty moans, gentle caresses and soft cries of pleasure. When he did ease into me, our eyes held, and I was overcome with the beauty of our completeness. His elbow was braced by my head, and he was looking down at me, his eyes burning with love and need while he slowly moved in long, steady strokes against me. I was caught by his green eyes and the veins of gold running through them, just the way I had been the first day I saw him in the courtyard of my apartment complex. I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t hide. It was raw and intimate, and with our minds open, we were totally exposed.
The storm grew, and our breaths mingled as we climbed higher, heat building, muscles quivering, tightening, our intermingled cries becoming more insistent, more desperate.
“Ryder...” I could feel myself teetering on the edge.
“Are you close?”
“Yes!”
“Come with me,” he whispered, his tone rough with need.
“Yes,” I cried.
And like magic, we both cried out as wave after wave of powerful, white-hot heat enveloped us. I was left feeling hoarse and shaky. Ryder collapsed with his head on my breast, and my hand shook as I lifted it to run through his hair. I wanted him there. Over my heart.