“Why?” she pressed softly, clearly not knowing when to quit. “Does it scare you to know that I’m okay with what you like from women? Is that what bothers you about our age difference? You think I won’t understand?”
Completely ignoring her questions, he bit his words out. “Did you or did you not come to me claiming that Rado is trying to kill you?”
“It’s not a claim. It’s the truth.”
“Then maybe you should stop playing games you can’t finish and tell me what the fuck happened.”
He could tell from the look in her eyes that his attitude was getting to her. “I’ve already told you what happened.”
He slowly shook his head. “Not how you got away.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Nothing. Not really. Except that it was driving him out of his damn mind, wondering what those bastards had done to her.
Her lashes lowered, concealing something in her eyes that she didn’t want him to see. “I got away, Scott. That’s all that matters.”
Fuck it. He’d let her keep her silence. For the moment. “I’ll protect you,” he muttered, crossing his arms back over his chest, “but I won’t take any of your shit, Lily. You’ll have to follow my orders. Do you think you can do that?”
Her little chin went up again. “Why do you think I can’t?”
He gave a sarcastic snort. “I remember what you were like. Always defying every order you were given.”
A low, tight laugh slipped from her lips. “That was a long time ago. I didn’t like being treated like one of my dad’s soldiers and I acted out. It doesn’t mean I have a death wish.”
“You could have fooled me.” She might have been innocent when it came to sex back then, but she’d had more than enough backbone to defy her father in every other aspect of her life. “You were reckless as hell.”
Her head tilted a bit to the side again. “What are you talking about?”
“That skydiving instructor you let take you up had shit for brains.”
For a few seconds, she just stared at him in confusion. Then realization slowly dawned, her expression caught somewhere between fascination and shock. “Ohmygod. That was you? You’re the one who scared him off ever taking me up for another jump?”
He jerked his shoulder in a stiff roll. “All I did was talk to him.”
“And make him nearly piss his pants! He thought you were going to kill him.”
Choking back a satisfied laugh, he said, “That’s a little dramatic. I just told him I would kick his ass if he ever came within twenty miles of you again.”
She placed her fingers over her lips, still looking dazed. “He apparently thought that meant the same thing when coming from you.”
“Yeah, well, you know me better than that.”
“I thought I did. But then I also thought you weren’t coward enough to sneak off in the dead of night without a word.”
Jesus, she just wouldn’t let up. “Don’t start, Lily. Leave the past in the past, where it belongs.”
“So because I liked to skydive when I was younger, you think I’m . . . what? Reckless? Stupid?”
“It wasn’t just the skydiving. It was the rock-climbing, the whitewater kayaking, the fucking bungee jumping from bridges only an idiot would have jumped off of. You treated every school break like a chance to finally find a way to kill yourself!”
Color burned beneath her pale skin. “So I liked to push my limits. What’s the big deal? At least I wasn’t doing it with drugs and sex.”
A muscle started to pulse at the side of his jaw. “You were headed there.”
“That’s a lie and you know it,” she snapped. “But it’s good to know that you were worried enough to stick around and make sure I was okay.”
“Topic, Lily. For once let’s try to stay on fucking topic.”
She was breathing too hard to say anything for a moment, those green eyes flashing with anger. “Fine. Is there anyone local who can help us if we need it? Or are we on our own?”
Pushing his hands in his pockets, he said, “There’s Ben. But I don’t know if that would be a good idea.”
“Who’s Ben?”
“My boss.”
She studied his expression, no doubt seeing more than he wanted her to. But she simply said, “Dad told me you were working down here as a deputy. So Ben’s the sheriff?”
“Yeah.”
“You trust him?”
“I trust him,” he replied, then immediately frowned. “But it’s going to be complicated, seeing as how he’s . . .”
“He’s what?”
“In love.” He winced, feeling like a damn idiot. “He just got married and all that shit.”
“Oh.” She shook her head. “Um, I’m failing to see the point. Why does his being in love and married make this complicated?”
Taking a hand from his pocket, he shoved it back through his shaggy hair and grimaced. “Because the guy’s walking around with fucking stars in his eyes 24/7 these days. He’s going to take one look at you and start playing matchmaker.” Ben never had before, but something in Ryder’s gut told him this time it would be different. There was too much crackling tension in the air between him and Lily. The kind anyone could pick up on and mistake for something sexual.
With wide eyes, she asked, “Does he do that often? For you?”
“I’m not answering that,” he muttered, shoving his hand back in his pocket.
“Why not?”
“Because my personal life is off-limits. And it’s none of your damn business.”
Her laughter was quiet as she tightened her arms over her chest. “I’d tell you what a jerk you sound like, but I’m too tired.”
He studied her for a moment, taking in the dark circles under her eyes. Did she look a little paler than when they’d first started talking? When she yawned, he moved to her side. “Come on, you need sleep.”
“I know. Sorry,” she mumbled, turning back toward the table, where she’d left a sturdy backpack sitting in one of the chairs. She’d carried it in with her when they’d come inside, retrieving it from the shadows by the trellis.
“What’s in the bag?” he asked, telling himself he wasn’t disappointed that she’d been able to get the pack on her shoulder without losing her grip on her top, which she was still having to hold closed. But it was nothing but a big fat lie. He’d have probably given up a year of his life just for the chance to set eyes on her tits again. They might not be the biggest he’d ever seen, but they were definitely the most beautiful, not to mention the sweetest. There wasn’t even a close second.
“Just a few things,” she said, answering his question. “I left most of my stuff back at the motel I checked into this evening, before taking a taxi over here. Not that there’s much. But I didn’t want to be caught without anything if they found me.”
“You’ve got clothes with you?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a clean pair of shorts and a shirt. My toothbrush. Hairbrush. A little cash.”
He nodded, heading out of the kitchen, and she followed after him. “I’m sorry if I’ve been bitchy tonight,” she said to his back. “I haven’t slept much the past few days, and then that whole make-out session completely fried my brain. I can’t stand to be left hanging.”
Ryder flinched, hating the idea of her having sexual experience. Not that he had any claim on her. But he had no doubt that he’d go to his grave wanting to kill every bastard who was ever lucky enough to lay his hands on her.
When he started down the hallway toward the back of the house instead of the entrance, she said, “Uh, Scott? Aren’t you taking me back to my motel?”