Ryder’s eyebrows rose with surprise. “Usually I’d call bullshit, but I think I believe you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing. This decision prompted him to lean even closer to me which had my heart slam into my chest. “What is your name?” he asked me, his eyes scanning my face with an intensity that caused me to suck in another very large breath. “I didn’t hear your friend very well when she introduced you both.”
His. Voice.
I could hear it very clearly now that he was so close. A man’s voice had never caused an ache to rapidly pulse between my thighs, but Ryder’s voice was doing exactly that. It was a little unsettling because my body was reacting to him in such a way that scared me.
“Branna,” I whispered.
He dipped his head even closer to mine and said, “One more time, beautiful, I didn’t catch that.”
Sweet Jesus, my mind gushed. Did he really mean that?
Aideen and my sister had told me enough times that I was beautiful, and some boys I dated over the years mentioned it here and there; but never a man, and that was exactly what Ryder was. A knicker dropping, fuck me hard as you can, man.
I cleared my throat and tried my best to ignore the sinful thoughts that had invaded my mind, but Ryder’s closeness allowed his delicious scent to surround me, and I had trouble concentrating because of it.
“Branna,” I said louder, licking my dry lips. “Me name is Branna.”
Ryder’s heated eyes returned to mine, and a smirk curved his mouth. “Branna,” his voice was low and husky when he spoke.
Shit. Fuck.
“Yeah,” I rasped, refraining from throwing myself at him and begging him to take away the aching pain between my thighs that he so brutally, and unknowingly, caused.
“I’m Ryder,” he said and held his hand out to me.
I swallowed, and with a trembling limb, I lifted my arm and placed my tiny palm in his very large one. “It’s nice to meet you, Ryder.”
He gripped my hand and tugged me closer to him until our chests touch. He gazed down at me, a grin playing on his plump lips as he said, “The pleasure is all mine, Branna.”
If he said my name in that low, husky seductive tone one more time, I was going to jump him in front of all of these people. Fuck my pride and dignity.
“Feel free to jump me at any given time, Branna,” he said and licked his plump lips. “I’m more than ready.”
I widened my eyes. “I beg your pardon?” I asked as my stomach churned a little.
He grinned at me. “You said you would jump me if I said your—”
“Omigod.” I gasped and pulled my hand free from his so I could cover my face with it.
I said that out loud? I cringed. How bloody mortifying.
“I’m so sorry,” I began, “I didn’t mean to... not out loud... this is awful.”
I was blowing this; I was single handedly fucking up speaking to someone. I was grateful for the loud music because I didn’t want to hear Ryder laughing at me. I jumped and dropped my hands from my face when I felt a hand on my bare thigh. I looked up and found Ryder was grinning down at me.
“Hi,” he said, smiling wide. “Branna was it?”
He knew good and bloody well what my name was, he was teasing now.
I cleared my throat. “Hi back... Ryder was it?”
“Yeah,” he smirked. “I’m Ryder.”
Yes. He. Was.
“Ryder,” I repeated.
He lowered his head back to mine and said, “You’re beautiful.”
I blinked, dumbly. “You’re beautifuler.”
I cringed the second the words left my mouth.
He snorted and asked, “Who’s sweet talking who here?”
Not me, I knew that much, I was talking out of my arse.
I shuddered. “You can sweet talk me, I’ll be quiet.”
There was less chance of me making a complete arse of myself if I kept my big mouth shut.
“I don’t know,” he mused. “I like this. You saying what you want to say then getting embarrassed over it. It’s very cute.”
I flinched.
Ryder blinked at my reaction. “Did I say something wrong?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s just, I call me sister cute all the time and because we look similar it just weirded me out for a second.”
“How old is your sister?” he asked, the corners of his eyes creasing.
“She turns eighteen next month,” I said, and then found myself frowning. “She’s growin’ up very fast on me.”
Ryder raised a brow. “On you?”
I nodded. “Yeah, our parents died when she was nine. I was nineteen at the time and refused to let anyone raise ‘er but me, so I put everythin’ on hold and brought ‘er up. She’s a good kid, too. I think I’ve done a good job with ‘er.”
Ryder was staring at me with his mouth agape, and what we were just conversing about hit me like a cold shower.
Fuck.
I think we had been flirting and I somehow managed to fit in the fact that I was a mother figure to my kid sister and that I’ve spent most of my life raising her. What I should have spoken about was sex related things, not baggage related things. I was really fucking this up. I felt my cheeks heat up.
Talk about a mood killer.
“I’m so-sorry,” I stuttered. “I didn’t mean to take a huge turn in the conversation.”