Challenging Ryker (Kringle Security #2)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

It was obvious Ryker had something going on that he didn't want her to know about. And she didn’t make a habit of staying places where things had the potential to be awkward.

Been there. Done that. Could write a book about it.

"Amelia, wait."

She didn't wait, nor did she stop herself from sliding off the stool and gathering her plate. Last night was great and all, but today was a new day. She needed to get to work, to earn her paycheck so that she could find a new place to live since the last one was no longer an option.

Fortunately, the money she’d saved on rent allowed her to build her bank account back up. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to put a deposit down on a slightly better place.

"Amelia, stop. Please." Ryker grabbed her wrist but quickly dropped his hand when she flinched, like her skin had burned him.

"I'm so sorry," he quickly apologized. "I should never have grabbed your wrist without your permission."

"No, you shouldn't have." She was proud that her voice sounded strong at the declaration.

Amelia had to stop herself from feeling bad; her need to ask for forgiveness was as drilled into her just as recoiling from a man's touch was.

It was important that she reminded herself it was okay to speak up. She was allowed to express her thoughts without the fear of how a person would respond. If Amelia had any hope of healing, this was the first in many steps. It didn't matter that she trusted Ryker, and knew he would never hurt her, it was the principle of the matter. Clear boundaries to protect herself.

"Can you please text Monica and let her know I plan on coming into work today?" Amelia phrased it as a question, but the strength in which she asked left no room for argument.

Or so she thought.

"You can't seriously be considering going to work today, or this week for that matter."

If this were a movie, this would be the scene where her head turned a hundred and eighty degrees like a woman possessed.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was deathly calm but Ryker didn't appear to notice. Either that, or he really didn't give a shit.

"You just got out of the hospital last night. You can afford to take a day or two off."

Ryker might be good at giving her orgasms with his tongue, but it would be a cold day in hell before he would control her work life. He was about to learn just how big of a mistake he made.

"You don't have the first clue what I can and can't afford. Who the hell do you think you are telling me how to live my life? I'm well aware I just got out of the hospital. I was the one lying in the fucking bed while the doctor and nurse conducted their exams." She was on a roll and had no intention of stopping. Six months of pent-up frustration was itching to explode out of her and Ryker was the unlucky recipient. "If I want to go back to work today, then that's what I'm going to do, and there isn't a damn thing you or anyone else is going to do to stop me."

By the time she was at the end of her rant, Amelia's voice was a few octaves too high. She couldn't remember the last time she let the anger out and just yelled. It felt surprisingly good.

"Are you done?"

She prickled at the question and was ready to tell Ryker where he could shove it. Unfortunately, he cut her off.

"Nope, I listened to you hand me my ass, so now it's my turn to explain."

A little of the fight left her. He wanted to explain, and the least she could do was listen. If she didn't like what he had to say, then she could march her ass outside and find someone to give her a ride. If she knew anything about his teammates, there was probably one of them around.

"I didn't mean the words how they came out. I'm worried about you. Yesterday was a tragic experience and no one would judge you for taking an extra day to get yourself together before you went back. Monica sure as hell wouldn't mind. Plus, there's the technical aspect of things. You don't have clothes here and I doubt you want to show up to work in my shirt. I mean, it looks great on you, but it doesn't exactly scream professional, which I know matters to you."

The rest of the fight left her. Of course, she hadn't thought about any of that. All she had thought about was getting back to work so she wasn't forced to waste days that were a precious commodity. Especially when she was living paycheck to paycheck. It was one thing when she had a cushion in life, but that all left with Gavin. Now, for the first time, she was stuck and experiencing what it meant to be broke. The truth was it sucked.

"I know what you're saying, but I don't have the luxury to skip work. Not anymore. I know Monica would understand, but this isn't about her. It's about me and what I need to do to survive."

"What if I said I would be willing to help you?"

Amelia could see Ryker regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. Whether it was the look she gave him or he just understood the mistake he made, Ryker was quick to backpedal.

"Think of it as a loan."

Yeah, that wasn’t any better. "I don't want or need your help. What I need is to go to work. To make my own money and to never be dependent on another person a day in my life. Do you think you can understand that?"

Her chilly tone was back and she didn't give a crap what it said about her.

"Amelia . . ."

She held her hand up and stopped whatever else he was about to say. "Please don’t Amelia me. Can you understand that or not?"

Ryker deflated right in front of her. "Yeah, I can understand that." She hated the dejection in his tone but this was what she needed and she refused to budge.

"Please text Monica and let her know I'll be in. If she wants to bring clothes for me to wear, that’s fine, or we can go back to my place and grab some things. I need to get stuff from there anyway."

She never wanted to step foot back in that shitty place but she couldn't afford to replace everything. It might not be much but it was still hers and she worked hard for it. Leaving it behind wasn't an option.

"I'll send one of the guys to get some clothes for you and we’ll get the rest of it packed up later today."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

Amelia left the kitchen and headed back upstairs. She needed another shower if she had any hope of making it through this day with a semblance of sanity. It was all well and good to put on a brave face in front of Ryker, and anyone else she might encounter, but it was all an act. She would've loved to spend the day with her head buried under the blankets. That wasn't an option though.

Taking a deep breath, she stripped out of Ryker's shirt and the soft shorts Monica had brought for her. She was minus panties because ew, gross. She would never be desperate enough to borrow those from a friend, no matter what her situation was. With any luck, whoever Ryker sent to her apartment would be smart enough to pack a few clean pairs. If not, it would only be one day going commando. It wasn't like she hadn't done it before.

What college student didn't go commando at least once or twice because they forgot to do laundry?

Okay, maybe it was just her but college was an adjustment, being on her own for the first time and away from her overbearing parents. No wonder Gavin had an easy time isolating her. She had given him a great head start when she pushed her parents away after moving out. She thought independence was what she needed, but really, a good slap upside the head was more accurate. She had parents who loved her, and instead of embracing that, she had acted like a spoiled brat.

Just one of the many regrets she had accumulated over the years.

The hot water felt great against her sore muscles. She wished it was because Ryker had spent the night using her body over and over again but that wasn't the case. It hadn't been Ryker who used her. No, that unfortunate title belonged to Gavin. Amelia shook the thoughts away.

So much for hoping Ryker could erase all her bad memories. Her first reaction was that she needed to get him to work harder at it, but based on the conversation they had downstairs, that probably wasn't the best idea. Something was going on with him and she wasn't sure she had it in her to take on another person's problems. She had enough of her own. It just meant she would need to work on it all on her own. Probably something she should be doing anyway. It was dangerous to rely on a man.

Amelia turned off the hot water and wrapped herself in the fluffy navy towel. The damn thing was so warm and snuggly she wanted to curl up into it. Whoever said men didn't give a shit about the little things clearly never met Ryker. His sheets were comfy. His blankets were soft. Everything about his house was a complete contradiction to who he presented to the world. It made her wonder what else he was hiding under all the layers.

But that wasn’t going to happen. Men were off-limits. Especially ones with complications.

Amelia sighed.

It was too damn bad. Something told her Ryker would be a fun mystery to solve.

Maybe in another lifetime.