Chapter 72
Xena’s POV
Ryder grabbed my hand. “We are okay. Please excuse us.” The girls stared at us in shock as
we walked away.
As soon as we reached the kitchen, an older kitchen worker approached us. “Alpha Ryder, Ms. Harris! Would you like me to prepare something for you to eat?”
“Yes, thank you,” I answered after sitting down.
“What would you like?” she asked.
Ryder looked at me. I shrugged. “Anything simple would be fine. I’m just hungry.”
“Of course, dear.” The worker smiled and headed to the refrigerator to gather ingredients.
We watched as she prepared cold cut sandwiches for us. She also put together a bowl of fruit and a side of pasta for each of us.
“Thank you,” we both said as we took our food and plastic forks and left.
“This way,” Ryder said, heading toward the front door.
“Oh?” I was surprised, having assumed we’d eat inside.
“The sunshine will do you good.”
We walked a short distance to a picnic area. It was like a small park, with children too young for school running around playing.
“This feels nice,” I said, taking a deep breath and feeling the warmth of the sunlight instantly brightening my mood.
“I like to come out here to eat when the weather’s good,” he said.
I looked at his profile, suddenly wanting to know more about this man. “What else do you
like?” I asked sincerely.
“Well, I don’t know. I like watching you work.”
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Chapter 72
Here we go again with the deflection. He always turns the conversation back to me, I’m the only one worth discussing.
“Come on, I’ve told you plenty about myself,” I pressed.
“Fine. I like reading, stargazing, Sunday drives, hanging out with friends.”
“Those are all basic things,” I frowned.
Ryder paused for a moment, seeming to genuinely think about it.
“I’m a movie buff.”
“What type of movies?”
“All types. From black and white classics to modern Disney.”
“Disney? Not a Rambo kind of guy?”
“Zootopia’s pretty good too.”
That made me laugh out loud. “I just can’t picture it.”
“I also collect books.”
like
“That I know. I’ll have to see what you’ve got. I have a few at home I think you’d like.”
“You can put your books in the free section of the library when you move in on Saturday.”
“You’re awfully confident, aren’t you?” I raised an eyebrow, my heart quickening despite
myself.
“Yes, 99.9% sure.”
“Why’s that?”
“Logan said my wolf calms yours very quickly. Faster than he can. Plus your body’s
reaction to my touch.”
“Logan told you about our wolves?” For some reason, this irritated me.
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That’s my personal business. How could he just discuss this with someone else? Even if it is Ryder.
“Yes. I think he wanted to see if I’d run.”.
“And would you?”
“Not a chance. If I thought you’d agree, I’d tell the whole pack you’re my girl today.”
I frowned at this. “Does my stuff scare you?”
“I’m not sure ‘scared‘ is the right word. Maybe nervous or anxious, but the answer is still
- no. You fascinate me. I find you intriguing, sexy, warm.”
Once again, he sees beyond my surface. Most people just see my brain or my body, never
the rest.
“Not smart?”
“Obviously you’re smart, but that’s not your only quality. Your heart is incredibly big.”
His words caught me off guard, and I blinked several times. “Thank you.” I needed a moment to process what he’d said, so I took another bite of my food.
“No one’s told you that before?” Ryder asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“No one important,” I answered softly.
“Hmm-” Ryder suddenly stiffened, and I guessed he was receiving a message through the pack link.
“Are you finished eating?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“They just brought my car back.”
Well shit. Time to put on my big girl panties and get this going. “Alright, let’s go.”
Ryder took our containers and tossed them in the trash. We started walking toward the garage. The sunshine felt amazing on my skin, almost like I’d been lacking the essential
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vitamin D it provided.
“Logan’s here.”
“Just in time.”
As we rounded the corner, everyone was outside, and the tow truck driver was lowering the car. He unhooked it and drove away.
“Hey, X. How are you feeling today?” Logan came over and gave me a hug. Ryder continued walking toward his father.
“Much better. The bath and sleep helped a lot.”
“Should be back to normal by Friday,” Logan nodded.
“Hopefully,” I smiled.
We walked toward the car.
“Hey, kiddo. You okay?” Dad asked, but didn’t move closer to me.
“Yeah, Dad. I’m good.”
Everyone just stared at the car, but I started walking around it. The vehicle was riddled with bullet holes, but what surprised me was the one that had hit Ryder. From the blood on the car when we’d ducked down, I could tell it was a bullet that had gone through the
car. The hole was bigger.
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