Page 36 of Wicked Obsession

Ryder smiled. He couldn’t help it. Langley rarely said things likeratted me out.

Griff smiled, too, and said, “Sorry, ma’am. Now that I’ve been vindicated of sandwich theft, I’m going to take my turn in the control room. Later.”

“I’m sorry I ate your food,” Langley apologized with a sheepish smile as Griff disappeared.

“Liar,” he said and returned her smile. “Eat slower; you don’t want to throw up.”

“Are there any chips around here?” But she did slow down.

“Don’t you mean carrot sticks? I thought you didn’t eat crap like chips.”

“Carrots aren’t going to cut it. I haven’t eaten since the morning of the wedding.”

Ryder’s good humor slipped away. He hadn’t thought about her eating nothing since Saturday. No, instead he’d hoisted her on the counter and—

Turning abruptly, he stalked into the pantry. Damn it, he should have put her needs before his own.

He didn’t see any chips, but he did spot a coffee cake that looked calorie-laden. He grabbed the box and returned to the kitchen.

Langley’s eyes lit up. “Ooh!”

Her obvious excitement made him grin despite himself. Putting the entire box down in front of her, he said, “I’ll get you a fork, knife, and a plate. Or should I just get you a fork so you can eat it out of the box?”

“I only need a fork, thanks.” She gave him a sweet smile that sucked the air from his lungs. “And another cup of coffee. Please?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ignoring the face she made over thema’am, he gave her the fork she’d asked for, grabbed her mug, and refilled it. While Langley attacked the coffee cake, he cleared the plates and made himself another sandwich before dropping into the seat across from her. She was about a quarter ofthe way through the cake, but she’d slowed down considerably. There might be a piece left for him yet.

When she glanced up at him, he took a big bite of sandwich to hide his laughter. Only Langley could send him through so many emotions in such a short period.

About the time he finished his sandwich, Langley groaned and pushed the box to the center of the table. “Why’d you let me eat half a coffee cake?” She reached for her mug and sipped.

Ryder arched his brows. “Hellcat, it might have taken my entire team to come between you and your food and there would have been casualties during the mission. A wise man knows which battles to fight and which to walk away from.”

“Smart aleck,” she muttered, but she sounded amused, not angry.

He picked up her abandoned fork and pulled the coffee cake to his side of the table. “I’m glad you left me some. I like the cheese kind the best.”

Langley nodded. “This one has a lot of filling, too.” She reached over the edge of the box. “As fresh as it was, it must have been baked locally.” She broke off a hunk of cake.

“Are you still hungry?” Ryder asked as she brought the piece to her mouth.

“No, I can’t eat another bite.” Langley stopped short and stared with surprise at thechunk of cake she held. “Well, hell.” Her cheeks went red, but she ate it anyway.

Their eyes met. She used a hand to smother a giggle, but he didn’t bother to hide his amusement and she quickly gave up to chuckle with him. She’d always been able to make him laugh, and better than that, she’d always been able to laugh at herself. A lot of people couldn’t do that. “Damn, I missed this. Laughing with you,” he explained at her quizzical look.

“It’s been less than a week since you drove me to the airport.”

“It seemed a lot longer.” Almost a week that he thought everything was over between them, that he’d never share moments like this with her again. Ryder paused, taking extra time to savor the experience, and reached out to cover her hand with his. “I’m glad we can go back to the way things were with us before I drove you to the airport.”

Langley froze. “When you sayback the way things were before, do you mean exactly as they were before Tuesday morning, no changes whatsoever?”

Cautiously, he said, “I did promise I’d listen when you talk about things that are important to you like the Paladin League or whatever, but it was good between us. Why would we want to make any changes?”

She pulled her hand out from under his and straightened. “When you said I scared you because I meant too much, I made a few assumptions. My mistake.”

Without another word, Langley stood and brought her mug to the sink.

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