Page 71 of The Moment He Saw Her

She arched into him, her hands going to his shoulders. One sifted through his hair, her nails scraping his scalp.Control, Ryder.His hand moved upward, fingers brushing the underside of a breast. He wanted to feel the full weight of it cupped in his hand.

“Yes.” She arched into him, and his hand moved higher as her tongue stroked his.

Fuck, she felt good. Blood pounded through Ryder’s body as he caressed her breast, his palm skimming the peak of her nipple. The small whimper she made had his other hand sliding into the waistband at the back of her pj’s and down, over the swell of her ass. Cupping one cheek, he pulled her closer.

“Bed,” he rasped against her lips.

“Oh my God, what am I doing?” She leaped back and away from him. “I-I walked out of my wedding a few weeks ago, and now I’m kissing another man.”

“Libby.” He reached for her. But she turned and ran to her room, leaving him hard, aching, and wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now.

Shit.She walked out on her wedding a few weeks ago and had kissed him today like he mattered. What the hell was he supposed to make of that?

Ryder headed for his room. After a shower where he’d thought about her and stroked the tension out of his cock, he fell on his bed. Tomorrow he’d have to do something about Libby Gulliver, but not now. Now he needed to sleep.

Chapter21

Libby woke with scratchy eyes after a restless night of tossing and turning. In the end, she’d given up and spent a few hours going through the Rollaway’s books. It didn’t take long before she felt a great deal of sympathy for Delores and Red’s accountant.

Doing what she knew how to had helped calm the turmoil inside her for a while. Libby had then snatched a few hours’ sleep and woke to her alarm when it shrieked at her.

She showered, dressed, and repacked her bag. This would be her last night in this house. She couldn’t stay here now after what had happened between her and Ryder.

Only a few weeks ago, she’d been ready to marry a man she’d known for years. A man Libby believed she loved and who loved her. She’d been wrong.

Last night Ryder had shown her what could be between two people. His hands and mouth had made her lose reason. If she hadn’t put a stop to what they were doing when she had, they would have ended up in his bed, and Libby would have welcomed it. Welcomed his body taking hers to places she’d never been before.

Pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes, Libby tried to make sense of everything and failed. In a handful of weeks, the life she’d believed she wanted had derailed spectacularly, and it only continued to do so.

Looking at her watch, she saw it was 6:00 a.m. Ryder would need to leave soon. Libby wasn’t looking forward to facing him, but as staying in this room was the only other option, she had to.

You’re a mess, Libby. Get it together. You’re strong enough to handle this and come out the other side.

Taking several deep breaths, she released each one slowly before she opened the door, clutching her bag and the Rollaway’s books. Ryder was nowhere to be seen. She found a note in the kitchen.

I have a catering job today, so I needed an early start. See you when you get in. R.

She studied the words again, trying to read what he hadn’t said and failing. Feeling relieved she wouldn’t have to face Ryder yet, Libby pulled on her coat and wrapped the second scarf she’d been given—this one by Robyn Duke—around her neck. Last night had been another first for her. Sitting down to a meal with a family who genuinely wanted to spend time with one another had been special, even if she wasn’t part of it.

Ryder was lucky to have his family around him, and she thought maybe he was lucky to live here too. She also knew that this life of his had shaped him into the man he was today. Good and kind, but so much more than that.

Pulling on her hat, she let herself out the front door and began the walk to the Swing Through Cafe. It was dark, the sun only just rising over the hills beyond the lake.

Looking around, she saw no one else. It was just her walking along the street in total solitude. No horns beeping or people talking. Utter peace, and something she’d never thought she needed or wanted. It really was a lovely place, Libby thought. And her life may have been full of turmoil right then, but she could appreciate the beauty of what lay around her.

She saw the lights from the cafe and knew Ryder would be inside the building with his apron on, looking hot and sexy and way too disturbing for a woman who should know better.

Why did she want Ryder more than any man she’d met before him, even Andrew?

“Because he makes you feel protected and special.” The words came out as a whisper, and she knew them for the truth.

Never, not once in her life, had a man put her first, put her needs before his. Never had a man wanted her to be safe and warm. Yet Ryder Duke had done that, even though she was virtually a stranger to him. He was a protector, and that was disarming to a woman who’d never experienced that.

She knew her family loved her in their own way, but she’d never believed they’d put her safety and happiness before themselves. Libby knew Ryder Duke would be that and more for any woman in his life, and especially one he loved.

But not you.

Looking at the glow of light coming from the Swing Through Cafe, Libby knew that one day a woman was going to be very lucky to end up with Ryder, and that thought made her chest hurt because it would not be her.

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