Rush Into You by Brianna Lee Page A

around, swallowing the huge lump suddenly stuck in my throat. I never saw this area near the beach before. He said we were going to a spot on the water, but it looked as if we were heading into a forest.
    Holy shit, he really was too good to be true. What the hell had I got myself into? My heart thundered in my chest, the excitement from earlier replaced with the need to fight or flight.
    I eyed Ryker as he cheerfully hopped off his bike and removed his helmet. He put his hat back on and looked at me with an excited smile, offering his hand. I stared at it warily while mentally plotting my escape.
    “You coming or what?” He was still smiling.
    I didn’t know if I should jump off the bike and start running and screaming in the opposite direction, or if I should play along and find a better option.
    Ryker slowly pulled his hand back. “You’re looking at me like I’m going to kill you or something. What’s the matter?”
    “Aren’t you?” My voice was shaky.
    “Aren’t I what?” He looked confused. “Going to kill you?” He stared at me for several seconds, then burst out laughing.
    He really did have a nice laugh. Too bad he might be a sociopath.
    “Ah shit, Gabby. You really had me there. You’re good. Come on, let’s go.”
    I still didn’t say anything. He caught me looking over my shoulder again, and stopped laughing completely.
    “Damn, Gabby. I’m sorry. I really didn’t think you were serious. I thought you were just fucking with me. I’m not going to kill you. There’s some water through there with a cliff and some rope…”
    He stopped talking when my eyes widened at the mention of the cliff and rope. “Wow, I’m really not helping my case, am I? People jump off the cliff into the water for fun, and there’s a rope to swing on. Obviously you don’t have to do that tonight, but it’s a really nice spot. I thought we could just chill and talk a bit, but we don’t have to go. We can go somewhere else.”
    I looked at Ryker, focusing on the tension in his face. His eyebrows were lowered, trouble written all over his features. Even though the location freaked me out, I really did think I could have a good time with him. He came back into my life for a reason, and I wasn’t ready for him to be out of it just yet. I needed to give this night a chance to see what happened.
    I nodded my head.
    The most beautiful smile stretched across Ryker’s face. “Yeah?”
    “Yeah.” I smiled.
    Still seated on the motorcycle, I planted my hand on my hip and arched my eyebrow. “So are you going to help me off this thing, or are you just going to leave me here?” I teased.
    “As you wish, my lady.” Ryker bowed.
    “Damn right,” I joked.
    Ryker narrowed his eyes at me, and a playful growl erupted from deep within his chest as he sprung forward and lifted me off the bike with his hands under my arms. He held me up high with his arms fully extended.
    “Not so tough now, eh?” He spun me around.
    “Put me down!” I shrieked, laughing hysterically as I kicked my legs around wildly, and my thrashing foot connected with his body—hard. Ryker crumbled to the floor, and I fell down with him. I landed straddled on his chest, which in any other situation, would have been considered intimate, but Ryker didn’t notice that right now. He whimpered, trying to reach around me to cup himself and somehow ease the pain as his groans echoed around us.
    I cringed in sympathy. I hadn’t meant to hurt him. I was embarrassed for kicking him, and looked away from his pained expression. I noticed his hat thrown off to the side, sitting in a nearby puddle—another victim of our fall. I leaned forward to get it for him, then froze.
    Ryker’s blue and gold eyes had starred in my dreams, but what I saw right now caught me off guard.
    “What color are your eyes?” I asked breathlessly.
    “They change sometimes.” Ryker’s voice was raspy. He cleared his throat. “They’re blue and yellow, but the blue gets really