Mated in Mist (Talon Pack #3)(28)

She smiled up at him, feeling lighter than she’d ever felt before. “Sounds like a plan.” And if she dropped the ball, she could always keep running.

Since they’d sort of made up the rules and amount of players on the field, as soon as Gideon caught the ball from Mitchell, Ryder took off. Leah ran behind him, chest heaving because, damn, the man could run. Ryder turned at the last moment and caught the ball perfectly.

Leah sucked in a breath as Finn and Quinn came barreling toward Ryder, then squealed as Ryder tossed the ball back to her.

“Run!”

She held the ball to her chest and ran as fast as she could. Give her a soccer ball or even a baseball bat, and she could kick ass. Give her a football, and, apparently, she wanted to fumble and giggle.

Cheers and shouts sounded behind her, but she tried to ignore them as she ran. As soon as she hit the end zone she slowed down and turned on her heel.

“I did it!” She laughed as Ryder picked her up by the hips and twirled her around.

“Knew you could, little witch.” She held the ball in one hand over her head and wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Well, you did the catching,” she said on a laugh.

Ryder grinned, then put his hand on the back of her neck and brought her head down to his. She let out a surprised gasp as he kissed her full-out in front of his family and friends.

She hadn’t known he’d want to do that, and frankly, didn’t know what it meant, but for now, she kissed him back and fell into the feel of his lips.

“And on that note, I think we’re done,” Mitchell said dryly from the side. “I’m going to go kick some of the youth’s butts in soccer.”

Ryder let her slide down his body and set her feet on the ground once Mitchell started to walk away. “You ready to head home? Or do you want to play another game?”

She met his gaze and studied his face. His wolf wasn’t at the surface, which surprised her. This was Ryder asking, not his wolf.

“Let’s go to your place.”

It wasn’t lost on her that he’d said home while she’d said his place. She was staying there while they made decisions and plans. She didn’t live there. She didn’t live anywhere. And thinking about that just annoyed her because she didn’t normally feel so bad about her life. She lived it. She didn’t dwell on it.

They said their goodbyes to the others as they either continued a new game or headed home to their places. It wasn’t lost on her that couples were the ones that left together and the singles more than likely stayed to play. Charlotte walked away with Bram, but they kept a distance between them. While Leah wanted to know more so she could help her friend, she knew Charlotte would tell her when she was ready.

Ryder took her hand in his as he led her to his place. It wasn’t until they were in his foyer that she realized she still held the football.

“Crap. I didn’t mean to steal it.”

Ryder took it from her and set it on the front table in the center. “We have others, and you deserve this one. You scored the winning touchdown, after all.” He reached out and helped her with her coat, and she couldn’t help the shiver as his fingers brushed her skin.

She licked her lips, then reached up and kissed his jaw. “Well, I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for letting me play.”

Ryder slid his hand through her hair and cupped the back of her head. “Thank you for wanting to.” He let out a breath. “What am I going to do with you, little witch?”

“What do you want to do with me?”

He leaned down and rested his forehead on hers. “So f*cking much, Leah. Too much.”

Her heart hurt, the aching beat that should have been silent after what she’d promised herself. Her arms went numb at the thought of what would happen when she left him. Because he wouldn’t be the one to leave her, as he’d never fully been there to begin with. He pushed her away even as he held her close, but she knew he had a reason. The fact that he didn’t trust her with that reason broke her a bit each time her magic called to him, but she tried to not let it hurt her. She’d learned long ago that if she held herself back, if she hid part of herself, it didn’t ache as badly.

He didn’t trust her with the reason he couldn’t mate with her, but he also couldn’t keep his hands off of her. She couldn’t fall for him because when it was time to go, it would only hurt that much more. So she would take what she could and give just as much. And then she’d walk away when it was time. This was just sex, just a…friend. And that was it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

And if she kept lying to herself, maybe she would believe it.

Her magic called to him. Her soul called to him.

And yet, he wouldn’t have her.

So she would take him as he was and he would have to do the same. Because she wasn’t ready for a mate, wasn’t ready for that kind of sharing. The closer she got to another, the sharper the pain when someone betrayed her…or when she lost that someone.

“Leah,” Ryder whispered. “Come back to me.”

She blinked away her thoughts and tried to live in the moment. It was all she had, and she needed to relish it.

“Make love to me, Ryder,” she said finally. “No promises. Just you and me.”

He licked his lips, his eyes glowing gold. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”