Twisted by Helen Hardt

Author:Helen Hardt
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781943893737
Publisher: Waterhouse Press

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ryan

I woke up, the sheet twisted around my body. “Ruby?”

Damn. My clock showed seven a.m. I had forgotten to set my alarm. I was late getting out to the fields. Where was Ruby?

Fear settled in my gut. Had she gone home? No, she wouldn’t have. She wouldn’t have put herself in danger. I sat up quickly and found my robe. I walked swiftly through the house. “Ruby?”

No answer.

When I got to the kitchen, I noticed Ricky sitting outside the door, on the deck. Then I saw Ruby sitting in the family room. I walked toward the sofa.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I figured I’d let you sleep. We were up pretty late last night.”

“I should’ve gotten up two hours ago,” I said.

“I only just got up about fifteen minutes ago. I fed Ricky and let him out, made a pot of coffee. I need to leave pretty soon to get to work on time.”

The thought of her leaving sent a spear through my stomach. Somehow, I had to convince her to move in with me. And that thought brought last night back to the forefront of my mind.

“Baby…”

“What?”

“I’m…sorry.”

“About what?”

“About trying to…fuck you into submission.”

She laughed. She fucking laughed!

“What’s so fucking funny?”

“You didn’t fuck me into anything, Ryan. I’ve told you many times before. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.”

“Oh. Good. I guess.”

“I was actually going to wake you up soon,” she said. “We need to talk.”

Yes, we did need to talk, and I had to figure out a really quick way to get her to move in with me.

She stood. “Want some coffee?”

I nodded, and we walked back into the kitchen. She poured two cups and set them on the table. Then she sat down. I followed suit.

“Ryan, last night was… There really aren’t any words.”

“Does that mean it was good or bad?”

She smiled. “It was good. Very good.”

“Thank God.”

“And I want to tell you…” She bit her lip, looking down. Then she met my gaze, her blue eyes burning. “I love you, Ryan. I really do love you.”

Happiness surged through me. And a giant weight floated off my shoulders. Though I had wanted to hear those words last night, I’d had no idea how much they truly meant to me until they left her lips.

“Do you? Really?”

“I do. I have for a while. I just never in a million years dreamed that you could love me.”

I took her hand, entwining her fingers with mine. “I do. What I feel for you is something I never imagined. It’s almost an ache.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. Since I have no frame of reference, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was feeling, but you just described it perfectly.”

“Then will you move in with me? Let me protect you?”

She closed her eyes and let out a breath of air. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I can’t move in with you.”

“Why? If we love each other—”

She held up her hand to stop me. “Because. Because I need to figure some things out about myself first.

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