"So. Are we going to talk about that?"
Ryker tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I'm taking us somewhere we can talk."
"Is it a drive-through?"
A huff of laughter escaped him. This woman. She had the strangest way of making him smile even when he didn't feel like it. Reaching out, he held his hand open, and she slipped her long, delicate fingers into his. He ran his thumb across the back of her hand.
"I'll get you some food," he promised. "Since I don't want you to get angry."
"It's called hangry," Jo said, "I think we already covered the non-hungry angry."
Yeah, that was...an understatement. Having Duncan almost reveal everything to Jo in the middle of a public space had sent him into a spiraling rage that she had barely been able to pull him out of.
He doubted that he would've fully been able to control himself if Jo hadn't stepped in and punched Duncan like she had. That had been enough to wake him up and remind him that she was there and that it was a dangerous situation. Also, people were staring.
Jo squeezed his hand. "You okay? Or is that a stupid question?"
"I'm all right," he said, tightening his fingers around hers carefully. He was still tense, still feeling like his wolf side might make an appearance if he wasn't cautious. "But you're right. We should get breakfast." Maybe fast food.
"Mickey D's?" Jo asked, as if reading his mind. She must have noticed the look he gave her because a half-smile flitted across her face for a brief moment. "It's the only fast food I know of around here, and, you know..."
"Hangriness is real," Ryker said, nodding. He could be a fast learner when needed.
Jo laughed. Ryker felt some more of the tension seep out of him--her being happy made him happier. That was how the bond worked, he knew that, but...the bond only did so much. He'd seen miserable mates before, and it amazed him every day that Jo was the one the universe had matched him with.
Okay, the whole human thing was a bit troublesome at times.
But...
It was hard to mind that when Jo was sitting here, a teasing smile on her face, her mere presence bringing a lightness to his world that he didn't even know he'd been missing.
Even Lexi had commented the other day on how "weird" he was, smiling all the time now. His family was just going to have to get used to it. 'Cause he planned on sticking with Jo, if she'd have him. He sure hoped she would once he told her everything.
"Are you okay?" he asked more seriously, swiping his thumb across her knuckles again. "And is your hand okay?" he added, remembering just how hard she'd punched Duncan. Ryker hadn't been sure if the blood on her hand was hers or Duncan's, though it mostly smelled like Duncan. Which, come on. Duncan smelled terrible. No one wanted that lingering on the same hands they would use to eat breakfast. That was just disgusting.
"No, it's totally falling off. It might have to be amputated."
Ryker rolled his eyes and frowned at the windshield. "I'm asking for real."
"It's fine." Her hand shifted and then caught his thumb. "I'm pretty sure my knuckles are going to bruise, but really, it'll be okay." Smug enjoyment drenched her voice. "It was worth it. Do you think I gave him a black eye?"
"Yeah, definitely."
"Good."
They settled into companionable silence as they rode to McDonald's and picked up breakfast and coffee. Ryker flipped on the radio, and they devoured sausage and egg biscuits to a backdrop of Led Zeppelin and ACDC on a classic rock station. He headed west, going further into the mountains, taking the curving roads easier than he normally would for Jo's sake and for the sake of their breakfast. He didn't want iced coffee flying out of the cupholders.
"So, where are we going?" Jo said, peering out at the view as they rounded another curve. Ryker almost smiled in amusement--it'd only taken her fifteen minutes to realize they were definitely not going back into town. But she seemed relaxed, not alarmed, so at least she didn't think he was trying to kidnap her or something.
Ryker's stomach tightened though at the thought of what he was planning to do.
"I want to show you something," he said, squeezing her hand lightly. He'd picked it back up again a few minutes ago when they'd finished devouring their late breakfast-brunch-whatever thing.
Jo apparently interpreted it as somewhere.
"Is it going to be some gorgeous hidden location straight out of a romance movie that I'm going to absolutely fall in love with?" she teased him.
"Nope, not giving any hints," Ryker said, smirking back. That was his excuse not to give anything away just yet. He didn't know how she'd take it. He was scared of how she'd take it. But...she deserved to know. Before anything for further, before anything else happened...she deserved to understand why. And what it would mean to date Ryker. Even though the idea of her getting scared, of backing out...well, that scared the shit out of him.
"I think you're trying to distract me from our talk." She was still teasing, but there was a more serious edge to what she said.
"I promise, we'll talk." Ryker glanced at her, catching the small frown on her face and before he could stop himself, squeezed her hand again. Damnit, why was he reassuring her? The hand that was on the steering wheel tightened for a moment. Jo would probably leave, horrified, before any talking could happen.
Jo looked down at her lap, then bit her lip as she glanced back out the window on her side. "I really didn't intend to date anyone," she said softly. Her gaze was distracted, almost as if she didn't realize she was talking aloud. "Are we going too fast?"
Ryker snorted, and her gaze flew to his, eyes wide. Yep, she definitely didn't realize she'd said that aloud. But he was glad she did, so he could put that worry right to rest. If she wasn't going to stay with him, it wasn't going to be because of some silly notion that what they felt for each other was too much, too fast.
"We're going just right for us," he said confidently. Then he shrugged, not wanting her to feel too pressured. "But if it worries you, then no problem. We'll just hang out...with romantic intentions on my part and friendship with future benefits on yours."
Jo broke into outright, full-bodied laughter, and Ryker found himself grinning in response, his muscles relaxing some of their tension. It was crazy how good he felt just being able to make her laugh like that. And she seemed to relax too, which was even better.
A few minutes later he pulled off the main road onto the gravel drive that quickly turned into more of a dirt trail, going deeper into the woods. When they finally parked, it was in a small clearing that was half-grass, half-dirt, and that had a few smaller trails, almost deer paths, disappearing into the woods. He was glad Jo had worn boots with her outfit instead of some pair of little heels--damn, but it had taken his breath away this morning. She'd stepped out of the house looking sweet, sexy, and rugged all at once. How she'd pulled that kind of perfect combo off was beyond him, but he was already well aware that his mate was going to continue to surprise him. And then the way the fog had curled around her this morning, softening everything to where it made it feel like it was just the two of them and no one else in the world...
It had made it very hard for him to want to take her to a place full of other people. But he wanted to do this right, the right human way at least.
See how that had turned out for him.
"You're not actually a serial killer, right?" Jo asked as she shut the truck door, eyes twinkling at him as her voice broke into his thoughts.
"As far as I know, no psychopathic tendencies yet," Ryker said, winking at her as he took her hand under the pretense of leading her to one of the barely visible trails.
"I don't think that sounds very reassuring at all." But she was laughing, so he knew she wasn't actually scared. That might change in a little bit. "Don't forget, if you accuse me of being a hiker again, that you brought me here," Jo said, reminding him of the first day they met.
"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Ryker asked.
"Nope," she said cheerfully, popping the 'p' slightly. God, she was cute.
"Well then, I guess there's no point in me stopping my grumbling."
Jo huffed a breath of air that had a hint of a laugh to it. "Well, you are right about that. You are a very grumbly man."
Ryker stopped and turned, catching Jo's shoulders as she collided into his chest--apparently she'd been watching the ground instead of him. Not that he could fuss about that, seeing as she'd just started walking without crutches after her last fall on a trail. Huh. Maybe he should have carried her in.
"Why'd you stop," she muttered, peering up at him with flashing eyes. So dark and beautiful...
Ryker leaned down, his lips a hair's breadth from her ear. "I was just going to say...you must bring out the best in me," he said, deliberately letting a growl color the end of his sentence in a way that she'd probably interpret as grumbly.
His enhanced werewolf senses didn't miss the way her breath hitched, or the sound of her heart rate picking up. Satisfied, he leaned back and grinned down at her before releasing her and turning back around.
"Almost there," he called back to her cheerfully, moving forward again. A second later her steps started up again, and he had to hide a chuckle at her quiet mutterings under her breath, which she clearly thought he couldn't hear.
"Arrogant man-child. Totally did that on purpose."
Well, yeah, he had. She was a smart one, his girl.
"Okay, " Ryker said, stopping at the end of the small pool of water he'd found in the woods a few years back. "This is it," he said simply, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked back at Jo for her reaction. The area around the creek-fed pool was mostly flattened dirt and shrubbery, but then a little farther back tree roots curled out of the ground around large gray-brown rocks, creating perfect places to sit. Perfect places to talk. Perfect for...well, nowhere was perfect to show her what he had to. But might as well be here.
As Ryker watched Jo blink, her gaze taking in the scenery with a small, soft smile on her face, he couldn't help the twist in his gut, the unfamiliar feeling of anxiety and uncertainty trying to take hold.
He really, really didn't want to do this right now. He didn't want to lose her when he'd just found her.
But keeping her in the dark?
Yeah, unfortunately that wasn't much of an option anymore either.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Make sure to add this story to your library if you want to be notified when it updates! :D Next update will be next Sunday, March 7th.