Page 79 of Cross the Line
The voice.
The eyes.
My pulse punches into my ribs at the thin-lipped smile.
Ryker.
I pull away when he tries to coax me through the door and slip through the narrow gap, avoiding any physical touch.
The only thought in my head isget to the studio. Fast. I don’t know why he’s here—why he’s following me—but I only want to get away.
My heart hammers in my throat as I fumble with my phone, trying to pull up Summer’s number so she can open the studio door for me. I find every damn number except hers in my panicked scroll.
Shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot… SHOOT!
Putting one foot in front of the other, I focus on jogging down the steps to the sidewalk without dropping the coffees.
“Finley,” Ryker calls after me. “Finley, wait!”
No way.
“I just want to talk to you.”
No.
“Let me explain,” he barks, grabbing my elbow.
“Leave me alone,” I snap, jerking out of his hold.
My heart stutters, surprised he actually lets me go. But he stays in step with me, talking and talking—even though his voice muffles under the thundering in my ears. My breath comes in gasps as I race up the steps toward the small sidewalk where the studio is located.
“It was a long time ago, and we were kids. You know? So it’s normal to… to… to like… experiment. You know what that’s like? Experimenting,” he adds with a chuckle that makes my skin crawl.
I spin to look at him. It doesn’t matter what he says—I know it’s a lie. That same icky feeling he gave me at the bar when he pretended not to know who I was creeps down my spine now.
With his brow cocked, Ryker takes another step closer. His mouth hooks to one side as his gaze drags down to my feet.
“That’s what you’re doing with the two of them, isn’t it?”
The two of them.
He swipes through his phone, scrolling for a beat before pausing and smirking at the screen—right before he turns it toward me.
What? How? Shoot.
“People think LA is this huge city. That you can hide away and sneak around…”
“Wha—what do you want?” I grind out, staring at the photo of Elijah, Jayden, and me at the market.
I’m wrapped up in Jayden while Elijah watches us. Raptly. Like we’re everything he’s ever wanted. Like we’re lovers—me and him. Me and Jayden.
Ryker zooms in further—to the edge of the table where their handsare. Their fingers touch. Not accidental. Not innocent. The tips of Elijah’s fingers rest over Jayden’s. Lingering.
“It’s actually quite a small place…” My gaze darts to his. “LA, I mean. It’s not as big as people think.”
“Whe—where did you—” I stop. He didn’tgetthis photo. Rykertookit. “Why are you following me? Us?”
“Listening really isn’t your strong suit,” he muses. “Didn’t we just discuss how small LA is?”
