Her heart was an impassible barrier, and yet somehow, he'd managed to breech it. Or more like, he'd tossed a grenade at her, then waited until it exploded so that he could crawl through and invade the safe space she'd tried so hard to create.
Now, Emmie was left with dust and debris and a big hole where once a towering wall had stood. It would take time to repair, but as she lay in the silky cool sheets of Ryker's bed, attempting and failing to find sleep, she couldn't begin to contemplate what the repair process would be like. Overwhelmed, she let the hole exist, let the mess be a mess –let herself be a mess.
The moon had set over the stormy sea before she managed to close her eyes and keep them closed. Only a few hours later, she woke to a knock on the door.
Confused for a moment as to why she wasn't in her own bed, the events of the past night quickly caught up to her.
"Emmie, we should go." Gruffly spoken, words cracking every other syllable. It didn't sound like Ryker had gotten any more sleep than she had. If she'd been a more vindictive person, she might have taken a modicum of pleasure in that fact. Instead, all she could muster up was a dull sort of despair. She'd known that a negative reaction to her revelation was a good possibility. It was her own fault that she'd hoped for something more from him. She could own up to her own wrongdoings, but she refused to take the fall for every crappy relationship he'd ever had. It wasn't fair of him to pin the sins of others onto her. She wouldn't stand for that. After escaping a life-threatening situation in Chicago at the hands of men who wished to use her for their own purposes, she wasn't about to let a man use her ever again.
"Emmie? Are you awake?" The doorknob rattled.
"I'm up. Go away." She swung her legs off the bed and steadied herself as she sat up. Her fight with Ryker and the lack of sleep had left her woozy. She squeezed the soft cotton quilt, letting it ground her while breathing in and out as deeply as she could.
"Are you all right?" The doorknob stilled as the human knob holding it waited for her to respond.
"Just give me a moment. I'll meet you downstairs."
Five minutes later, she was dressed, her hair swept back into a functional ponytail. She'd rinsed her face off in Ryker's master bathroom and had done her best to cover the puffiness around her eyes with makeup. It wouldn't fool anyone, though, especially Trisha. She was already dreading that conversation.
Grabbing her purse and steeling her resolve, she stepped out into the hallway beyond Ryker's bedroom. The staircase loomed in front of her, and beyond it, the two-story windows revealed an ocean hushed in darkness, the sun having yet to rise in the East behind the house's perch on the continent's western edge.
Taking a few unsteady steps down the stairs, Emmie sought the railing for support and made her way down to the ground floor. Ryker waited for her in the adjacent hallway, keys in hand. He was unshaved, but otherwise appeared as he normally did, casual dress and disposition hiding what she knew now was a mountain of emotion.
He nodded to her and wordlessly opened a door leading to his garage. Ryker owned two cars (both electric) and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle (definitely not electric). He had told her a few weeks ago that he'd be testing a self-driving vehicle for a a friend's company sometime within the year, but for now, his car choice was far from what you'd expect a man like Ryker James to drive. The Harley was characteristically gorgeous, but the cars weren't at all showy. He could have been driving a Lamborghini worth a quarter of a million, but instead he'd gone with eco cars, each worth less than fifty grand.
In Emmie's cynical, sleep-deprived state, however, she imagined his motivations were ones of status – to present himself as a forward-thinking environmentalist, rather than because he really was one. That wasn't a very fair accusation, but given the kind of night she'd endured, she couldn't help but entertain dark thoughts.
Ryker slid into the nearest vehicle, a midnight blue Nissan Leaf and Emmie rounded the back of it to get in the passenger side. Soon they were cruising over the winding coastal road back towards town, early morning light casting the terrain into a gentle pink glow. The storm had past. Today looked to be clear and calm. At least as far as the weather went.
Several times, Emmie thought about starting a conversation. There wasn't much to say, though. They were at an impasse. She had withheld a vital truth from him and he had reacted poorly, though not unexpectedly, when the truth came out. Now, whatever was between them –sex, the potential for something more -- it was all over.
We should have stuck to my damned clause. She had wanted to avoid entanglement for this very reason. She had known what might happen and yet she'd let it happen anyways. She didn't deserve Ryker's accusation that she was a wannabe trophy wife, but she did deserve the blame for not taking her own advice. In that, though, it seemed they were equally at fault.
It didn't take long for them to reach the outskirts of the tiny town of Moon Beach. Its hushed streets were littered with debris from the storm. In another half hour, school children would emerge from their homes to await their busses. For now, though, there was only the occasional delivery truck and a few steadfast dog walkers making their way through the lanes and sidewalks of town.
Emmie checked the time on her phone. Five minutes to seven. At least she wouldn't be late for her shift, even if she did feel like crawling back into bed (her own preferably) and sleeping for another four hours. They turned onto Richmond Avenue and then into Iola's parking lot. As Ryker brought the car to a halt, he cursed under his breath.
Surprised, Emmie turned towards him, but his attention wasn't focused on her. He nodded towards the diner's entryway where a dark figure stood. Realization dawned as the figure took a step towards them.
"Sam?" What perfectly horrible timing.
Ryker grunted. "Nothing between you too, huh?"
A/N: Okay, so Sam wasn't waiting for Emmie while shirtless, eating pizza, and cuddling a cat, but still, I felt there was no better GIF to end the chapter with. Speaking of Sam, though... why is he there? Is his interest in Emmie merely professional, or is there something more to it?
I have exciting news! This story was featured in COSMO!!! I can hardly believe it! I'll put a link to the feature in the comments. :) If you found this story because of the Cosmopolitan Online article, I'd love to hear from you. Thank you for diving into the story!
Votes for this update will allow Emmie and Ryker to skip through the day and proceed right to bed (separate beds, that is) where they will be able to sleep for eight solid hours. They'll undoubtedly be more clear-headed after that. Maybe they'll be able to think a bit more kindly towards the other. Or not. But it's worth a try!
This bonus Monday update is dedicated to sweety121686 who asked for it. I just couldn't say no this time. :)