The Risks of Ryder

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

**Maddie’s POV**

            My arms were tightly wrapped around Ryder’s waist and I could feel his muscles tensing under my touch. Yep, definitely a six-pack.

            I smiled into his shoulder with my eyes peeking over the top watching the asphalt and trees whip past us. He was going way above the speed limit, but I didn’t mind. I loved the rush. Georgia didn’t look so bad at this speed.

            Eventually Ryder slowed and pulled into my driveway. He gazed up at my white colonial house that verged on being a mansion and pointedly ignored his father’s similar house next door. I swung my leg off the bike and worked on the helmet’s strap under my chin. “Are your parents home?” he asked casually, not making eye contact with me.

            I handed him the helmet and smiled. “No, they’re in D.C. for the month. You want to come in?” It was times like these where my parents’ job actually came in handy. If I hadn’t already put in so much time and effort into resenting them, I might actually be grateful.

Nahh.

            The tension drained from Ryder and a relieved smile crossed his face. I bit my lip to hold back my own goofy smile that was trying to break free. God, he’s too beautiful for his own good.

He stowed our helmets and followed me inside. I led us to the kitchen and he hopped up and sat on the island counter like he owned the place. I shot him a dirty look, but secretly I loved it. “You hungry?”

            “Please, I’m always hungry.” Ryder smirked. I shook my head at him, but started to gather ingredients to make a couple chicken quesadillas while he watched. “Is it just me or are you having some serious déjà vu too?”

            I laughed. “Yeah, it does kind of feel that way.”

A few minutes later, I set the finished product in front of him and watched as he ripped into it like he hadn’t seen food in years. He groaned loudly after the first bite, and I actually had to battle with a blush for a few moments. “Mads, your cooking has gotten even better.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, out of necessity.” I motioned to the empty house. I watched him eat for a moment before I opened my big mouth and blurted, “Why are you back here really, Ryder?”

He swallowed loudly and stared down at his plate for a full minute before turning to look at me. I was wincing, preparing to see angry eyes or at the very least annoyance, but it was so much worse. He looked sad, defeated even. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging on it like he wanted to rip it out by the roots. “I want to tell you, really I do. You’re my best friend still, even after not seeing you for so long, it feels like nothings changed. But I can’t talk about it right now.” He didn’t offer any more explanation than that and I finally found the good sense to keep my mouth shut about it.

“So what was New York like?” I asked curiously.

He scratched his jaw and considered his answer. “It was… different. Nothing like it is here.”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean everything. The size of the city, the weather, the people, it’s all the opposite of how it is here.” Ryder looked nearly as unhappy with this topic as he had been with the last. I had to wonder what had happened in New York that had made him this way. The way he was reacting, it must have been pretty bad. I didn’t want to push him any more today so I quieted. “What about you? Why did you start dating Joseph?”