Free Ryder: #4 (Allen Securities) by Madison Stevens Page A

thing that was weighing on Ryder’s mind.
    “Yes,” Ryder said without much thought.
    “Then you have your answer.” Havoc nodded and went back into the cave.
    When Ryder moved inside, he found Taylor lying next to Victoria. Havoc had moved to the back and made a bed on the floor.
    He sat with a view of the opening and stared into the darkness.
    “I, um…” Irene said. She held out his jacket to him, and he smiled.
    “You brought my coat?” He grinned.
    Even in the dim light, he could see the blush that crept up her face.
    “I know I should have given it back to you back at the bakery, but things got crazy and then you kissed me.” She trailed off and looked anywhere but at him.
    “Come sit with me,” he said. His voice was rough with emotion, but he didn’t care. It had been a hell of a day.
    Irene looked down at him and stared for a moment.
    He patted the ground between his legs.
    She looked over to the others and then back to him.
    “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he grunted and reached out to pull her down to him. He didn’t care what he had to do, he was going to hold her at all costs.
     
    Irene slipped down between his legs. It seemed so strange to rest herself there, but when he brought his knees up and wrapped his coat around them, it was very warm and cozy.
    “Better?” he mumbled in her ear.
    She nodded, the back of her head resting against his chest.
    “God, I love when you hair is down,” he said quietly.
    She laughed a little. In all the excitement, she hadn’t even thought about it. Normally, she kept it back in order to keep it out of the way.
    Irene sighed as he tenderly ran his fingers through her hair.
    “You did well today,” he said after a bit.
    Irene turned in his lap to look at him. Her heart hammered.
    “I was so scared,” she said quietly. “I just had to keep it together. I don’t think I could have done it if it weren’t for them.”
    Ryder shook his head. “I doubt that. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
    The tears that she had held on to all this time trickled out. “I’m not like you or Taylor though,” she whispered. “I don’t wear jeans. I like to wear girly clothes. I’m not tough, and I hate jumping in really cold water.”
    She buried her head against his chest and let the tears come as he gently soothed her. When she had cried herself dry, he pulled her face up.
    “It don’t want you to be like Taylor or me or anyone else but you.” He grinned. “I’m not interested in being with myself.”
    Irene laughed.
    “And I like whatever you want to wear or don’t want to wear.” He winked at her, and the heat came back to her face. “As for the water, I really have no idea why you’d jump into cold water, but if you don’t want to, I’m not going to make you.”
    She giggled at how crazy she must have sounded.
    “That’s what I like to hear,” he said.
    It struck her just how close they were. Just inches from one another.
    His eyes dropped to her lips, and without thought she licked them. Ryder’s thick arms tightened around her middle.
    “I was so worried about you,” he whispered and placed his forehead to hers. “Even without all this other shit.”
    “I tried to call you,” she said.
    His eyes popped open, and she could see the deep pools of brown.
    “Over and over.” She nibbled on the lower lip. “I just…” Irene didn’t really know where to go with it. “I kept hearing things, and I wanted you to know.”
    Ryder sat up and studied her face. For a minute, she wondered if she said something wrong.
    “Why?”
    She shrugged.
    He raised a brow.
    Irene sighed. “Because I was scared, and you make me feel safe.”
    He smiled at her.
    “That’s something,” he said.
    Irene shut her eyes. It was something. It actually meant far more than he could ever know. She gasped when his mouth moved to hers, soft and tender. Irene responded the only way there was to respond, by wrapping her arms around him.
    His tongue