Read Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5) Online

Authors: Kallypso Masters

Tags: #Bondage, #Rescue Me, #Sex, #Romance, #Erotic, #Adult, #BDSM

Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5) (9 page)

BOOK: Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5)
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The sunlight waned as they walked out of the second tunnel. The timber operation died in the first half of the last century. Now the road was popular with locals and adventurous tourists. Ryder avoided the area during July and August when the road became congested with too many people, but right now, it was just the two of them.

The wind picked up, and he heard the squawk of two or more Steller’s jays. He often hiked here during the winter months to just sit and listen to the birds and watch for other wildlife. Helped him some, especially when he’d had a rough night. Carlos’s Pueblo elders had taught both boys how to become one with the Universe.

“It’s so serene here.”

Megan felt it, too.

He smiled. “I still feel close to the Great Spirit here.”

“I can see why.”

Sherry had never wanted to spend time outside of Albuquerque. Megan was the first woman he’d brought out here. For some reason, that made him happy.

“Oh, look at these!”

Her eagle eye homed in on the rusty nails and bolts that had been pounded into posts at the side of the road to form representations of wildlife. The posts had been intended to keep cars from going over the embankment to the river below, but someone decided to decorate them with fanciful doodads.

Megan spent the next fifteen minutes photographing each one from every angle. Her excitement over the simplest things ignited a spark of life inside Ryder in places he thought long since dead. He hoped she’d show him the photos after she downloaded them off her camera. He wondered if she was any good at what she did, but if she had earned her master’s studying photography, then she must be.

“Do you ever put any of your pieces in galleries?”

She stood and smiled at him. “Not yet. I was thinking earlier this evening that I might have captured some that would make great gallery pieces.”

She scrutinized him a moment and lifted the camera to her face before snapping a couple photos of him.

“Careful. You don’t want to break your camera.”

She giggled. “You make a wonderful subject.”

“Not for a gallery, though.”

“Oh, no. Those are just for me.”

Without warning, she leaned toward him and pecked him on the cheek. His heart pounded hard before he convinced himself he wasn’t under attack. Not the kind that would warrant his fleeing anyway.

“Thanks for bringing me here, Ryder, and for sharing one of your special places with me.”

He cleared his throat after it tightened with emotion. “It’s nothing. You needed to get away as much as I did.”

The thought of returning to her place unsettled him and ruined the moment. “I guess we’d better head back. This isn’t a good road to be on after dark.”

She took his hand, and they started for the bike. He didn’t slow her down this time, because the sooner they re-entered her world, the better. He’d be able to keep up his defenses more easily there than out here. Maybe he’d adjust better tonight than he had over the last day.

They donned their helmets, and when she straddled the seat behind him, he leaned back into her body before catching himself and sitting up straighter. She wrapped her arms around him.

“Ready to ride when you are.”

Jesus, don’t think about riding her.

He rolled the throttle and sped off down the winding road heading back to hell on earth. Okay, he exaggerated. While he hated being in this or any over-populated city, the number of perils paled in comparison to the streets of Fallujah.

After he pulled into the garage and closed the door, he breathed a little easier. At least in here he only had one other person to worry about.

No doubt he would worry until he completed this mission.

“I’m going to try and get some more work done before I turn in. If you want anything in the kitchen, help yourself.”

“Don’t you want anything to eat?”

“Oh, I’ll grab something later.”

Well, at least now he knew what he needed to do. The woman didn’t know how to take care of herself. She’d sat at her computer for hours without even taking a bathroom break earlier today. She must love her work, but that couldn’t be healthy. Didn’t computer screens emit some kind of rays that could cause health problems over time?

Forty-five minutes later, he knocked on her office door.

“Yes?”

He cracked the door and peeked inside. “Time for a break. Dinner is about to be served.”

She turned to him with a puzzled expression on her face as if he’d just spoken Serbian to her, and then she gave him the sweetest smile.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. That’s why I enjoyed doing it.”

He crossed the room to pull her chair away from the desk and held out his hand to her.

“My. What service.” She stood and stared into his eyes, seemingly as lost in the moment as he was, before glancing down. Was she blushing?

Back off, Ryder.

He took a step back before he noticed the photo on her computer screen. Him. His eyes had lines he didn’t remember, but he didn’t spend a lot of time staring in the mirror. And where had all that gray come from?

“I didn’t realize I’d gotten so old.”

“Men age gracefully. I love that shot. Your guard was down. There was almost a twinkle in your eyes.”

He looked closer before backing off. Twinkle, hell. He was probably turned on by the woman standing in front of him at the time. Of all the photos she’d taken, he hadn’t expected her to be looking at that one. She snapped the candids before he’d known what she intended to do. Before he could glance away. The man staring back at him looked lost more than anything.

Fucking lost.

“After you.” He indicated with his hand for her to precede him from the room. When she would have gone to the kitchen, he took her elbow gently and steered her into the dining room. Shit. He had set the lights a little too low and, using the dimmer switch on the wall, bumped up the brightness some. This wasn’t a romantic dinner for two. Last thing he wanted was for her to read anything into this other than having a meal together.

He pulled out her chair and seated her. “I’ll be right back with dinner.”

He had already set the table and poured a glass of red wine for each of them, giving it time to breathe. She or her brother had good taste in wine. He and Sherry used to drink wine at dinner, back before he left the Marine Corps. “Feel free to enjoy your wine.”

“You make me feel like a princess or something.”

Okay, now that wouldn’t do.

“I’m a Marine whose big sister taught him manners.”

A light dimmed in her eyes, and the smile left her face.

Fuck.

He hated that he came across sounding as though he didn’t care about her. He just didn’t want her to think he cared in
that
way.

“I’ll be right back.”

Time to retreat to the kitchen and move past this awkward moment. As he plated their dinner, he heard soft music begin playing in the dining room. Shit. He could have done without mood-setting music. What did she expect to happen tonight?

This was fucking dinner!

He placed a piece of freshly made fry bread on the corner of each plate and carried them into the dining room. “Here we go. Time to chow down.” There. Maybe that would help convey the point of this meal. He took his seat on her right side.

“It smells delicious. When did you make a food run?”

“I haven’t left the place. You know I wouldn’t leave you alone. I made it from what you had on hand.”

“From what you found in my
brother’s
kitchen? I haven’t had time to stock the pantry as well as I’d like yet, but his cooking skills are minimal. Worse than mine even.”

“Yeah. I took inventory and found cans of tomatoes with green chiles, corn, and black beans, not to mention frozen chicken and other meats in the freezer. I remembered eating lots of dishes like this when I stayed with Carlos’s grandmother. It won’t be as delicious as hers, but I’m sure it’ll be edible.”

She picked up the piece of bread. “You even made bread?”

“Fry bread. A lot simpler than yeast breads in the oven. I’ve made fry bread lots of times, so I had that recipe in my head.”

“Oh, I always see stands at the side of the road where they are selling fry bread. I just never stopped to try any.” She took a bite and closed her eyes as she chewed and swallowed. “Oh, my gosh. That’s incredible! I could get spoiled if you keep cooking for me. I’ve been staying here for weeks, but as you might have guessed, we don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Patrick and I tend to eat on the run.”

“I do think a trip to the grocery store might be overdue.”

“Ugh. I hate that even worse than cooking.” She picked up her fork and smiled before stabbing a piece of chicken. “But I love to eat.”

He was anxious to see what she thought of his meal. True, the kitchen didn’t boast a lot, but he’d found plenty he could use to make a simple New Mexican dish like this one.

She took a bite, and he waited. Again she closed her eyes and chewed slowly. The sensual way she enjoyed food turned him on. Okay, anything she did had that effect on him.

She swallowed, opened her eyes, and smiled with approval. “That is the most incredible thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

Don’t you fucking dare think about what else you want to put in her mouth.

His dick didn’t get the message and strained against his jeans. His body responded to her like a teenager’s. Thank goodness the table hid his erection.

He speared a piece of chicken and agreed that it tasted pretty good. He enjoyed cooking. A solitary pursuit, but it allowed him to be creative with ingredients. He rarely cooked with a recipe. His sister had taught him as a kid how to be self-sufficient and make do with what they had in the cupboards. His mom was usually at work when they came home from school and often didn’t quit until well after dark.

“Oh, I forgot. A toast.” She lifted her glass and held it toward him. “Here’s to new friendships and many, many more delightful meals together.”

Jesus, get me through this dinner and evening unscathed.

Chapter Seven

M
egan wondered why Ryder had become so stiff with her again, but decided nothing would spoil her enjoyment of this dinner. She could quickly get used to having someone see to her needs like this.

Careful what you wish for, girl
.

Sure, she’d had a fabulous day with Ryder, but she had no business thinking about anything long-term. Friends, yes. She very much enjoyed being with Ryder, but they lived worlds apart.

He belonged out in the mountains of the high desert. Her photo had captured the way his face relaxed and he exuded a sense of belonging when they were at the tunnels that made it abundantly clear that the rigid man seated beside her now wasn’t comfortable in her world.

She needed to put an end to his misery and call Adam.

“I sent Adam a text and told him everything was fine here. You will probably hear from him soon, letting you off the hook. I know you probably want to get home.”

The expression on his face was anything but one of relief. Had she insulted him by calling an end to his mission, as he called it? While having him here to cook for her was wonderful, she didn’t intend for this occupation to go on endlessly. Perhaps they should talk about something else until she heard from Adam. Odd that he wouldn’t respond more quickly. She hoped everything was okay.

“Tell me what you do, Ryder.”

“Do about what?”

“How you make your living?”

He glanced down at his plate and scooped up a bite of tomatoes and beans, but didn’t eat it. His demeanor changed.

She reached out to place her hand over his. “Sorry. None of my business.”

He stared at her hand but didn’t say anything for the longest time. She pulled away. “I used to do maintenance at a local hospital.”

“I don’t guess there’s a hospital where your brother lives.”

“Yeah, well, when I came back from Fallujah, I couldn’t get my act together. Missed a lot of work.”

“I’m sorry. Were you able to transition to something else?”

“Not really. I…prefer spending time out in the mountains. Alone.” He grinned. “Not much call for mountain men these days.”

BOOK: Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5)
3.2Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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