Page 33 of Gatling
“I’m bad at that, too, in case you haven’t noticed,” Ryker protested.
“Well, you won’t get any better at it by hiding out in the woods."
“I’ll think about it.”
“In Ryker language, that means no,” Noah said. “I’ve been running this gala for years, and you always sayI’ll think about it. But you never show.”
I watched Noah and Ryker banter back and forth. This is what it looked like—returning to normal as if nothing had ever happened. My stalker was gone. And Ryker was just my brother’s best friend. Not the guy I slept with.
After another minute or two, Ryker set his coffee mug on the counter.
“I’d better get out of your hair,” he said. “It’s good to have you back in town, Noah. Glad to hear your trip went well.”
He held my gaze as he passed me. But he didn’t say anything. My fingers itched to reach out and touch him. To slide my hands under his shirt and trace his skin the way I did that night.
Licking my lips, I forced myself to look away, swallowing the hot coal of my desire.
Then Ryker was gone. An emptiness settled in my chest, making it hard to breathe. I should have known it would be painful to see him again, burdened by the understanding that I could never have him. But I wasn’t prepared for the excruciating torture it would be.
The Veteran’s Day Gala was a whirlwind of activity. The town hall had been transformed with streamers, fairy lights, balloons, and a buffet table.
My stomach had been roiling all morning with anxiety and I could barely eat a bite. Noah, clad in his dress uniform, milled around the room, giving directions to catering as the food wasbrought in, getting the live band set up, and greeting guests as they began to arrive.
I helped out where I could, sipping a ginger ale in the hopes it would soothe my stomach. I recognized a few of the soldiers Noah worked with at the clinic for physical therapy and I stopped to say hello.
As the Gala gathered momentum, I found myself searching the crowd for Ryker. I mentally scolded myself for being ridiculous. He would never come to something like this. The noise, the socializing, the endless small talk—it was his personal hell.
But he deserved to be here, honored for his service in the military alongside the other soldiers.
Noah slid into the vacant seat next to me at a corner table, carrying two plates of cake with an American flag iced on top. He placed one of the plates in front of me.
“Grabbed some cake for you while I was at the buffet,” he said.
The smell was sickeningly sweet. A lump formed in my throat but I smiled at him anyway, grateful that he’d been thinking of me.
“I’m surprised you didn’t eat it on your way over here,” I said.
“Come on. I have more self-control than that.”
“Says the man who raids my fridge and eats all my Jell-O,” I countered.
Noah chuckled. As he took a breath to reply, his gaze shifted past my shoulder and his eyebrows shot up.
“No fucking way. The bastard actually came, just to prove me wrong.”
I twisted around in my seat. My mouth went dry. Ryker stood at the door, tugging at the collar of his dress uniform. I’d never seen him in anything other than biker boots and jeans.
Noah pushed his chair back, striding across the room. He gripped Ryker’s hand and clapped him on the back as they exchanged a few words. Ryker’s gaze strayed over to me. I managed a little wave.
My stomach flip-flopped wildly like a fish out of water.
I expected him to turn away and pretend I didn’t exist for the rest of the night.
Instead, Ryker locked onto me like a homing missile, making his way through the crowded room.
“Hi,” I said, bewildered. I still couldn’t believe he showed up.
“Hey,” he replied, low, quiet.
