Lucky Strike by M Andrews Read Free Book Online

imagination playing tricks on me, but I hear his voice again. I pull back the sheets, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, and resting my feet on the thick carpet. Trying to will myself to get up and walk over to the door, my feet feel like they’re made of cement. My mind wondering how Ryder even found me. I take a deep breath then force myself up, taking slow, quiet steps toward the door. Bracing my hands against the door, I lean in to look out the peephole. I have to fight back the tears as I take him in. He still looks the same. His hair slightly longer and a little messier. His strong jaw flecked with stubble and his eyes, his deep piercing gray eyes that look like the ocean after a storm, his eyes that were full of sadness the last time I gazed upon them are now full of hope. Hope that I will open this door.
    “Please, open the door,” he pleads.
    My hand hovers over the gold chain. Time standing still as I slide the chain across. The sound of the deadbolt clicking open echoes through the quiet room. My nervous hand shaking as I reach for the door knob. Heart beating wildly in my chest. I don’t even know what I’m going to say when I open this door, or if I’ll even be able to look him in the eye.
    The door opens with a creak. The moment Ryder comes into full view I collapse into his arms.
     

     
    My eyes flutter open. I can feel the heat of Ryder’s body behind me and the weight of his arm draped over me. The first thing my blurry eyes focus on is the four leaf clover tattoo on his forearm. I trace the pad of my finger lightly over the L etched onto the fourth petal. I can’t believe after everything he never got it covered up.
    The last thing I remember before passing out was sobbing into Ryder’s chest telling him sorry over and over again while he just held me in his arms not saying a single word. Just letting me get all the emotions I’d locked away for so long come flowing out. Now, I feel utterly exhausted and emotionally drained.
    Ryder begins to stir, his arm wrapping around me, pulling me tighter against him. Like he was trying to make sure I can’t escape again. I’m not going anywhere. At least not until we talk. As hard as it is for me to deal with my feelings and my emotions, I owe him a reason why I left.
    “Good morning,” he softly whispers.
    I turn in his arms meeting his sleepy gaze. His crooked smile on full display and he’s acting as if nothing’s happened between us.
    “Ryder, what are you doing here? How did you even find me?”
    “What? No good morning. No thanks for holding me while I drenched your shirt in tears.”
    I push his smartass away from me. “For fuck’s sake, Ryder, just tell me how the hell you found me?” I snarl back.
    “After you called me, and yes I knew it was you, Brian was able to work his charm and his new detective skills on the cell company to get them to use the GPS on your phone to track you. I wasn’t about to let you slip through my fingers again, so I got on a plane and here I am. I came to bring you home, Lucky.”
    Here come the tears again. I wish there were a shut-off valve for these damn things. I’ve cried more in the last twenty-four hours than I’ve done in my entire life.
    I can’t believe he dropped everything to come here for me. “Ryder, why would you do that?”
    “Because I love you, Lucky. I wish I could say I regret what happened that night in the club. Or that I would take back everything I said to you. But I don’t regret any of it. The only regret I have is that I let you go. I love you Lucky, and I want you to come back home.” He cups my cheek, gently wiping my tears with his thumb.
    “How can you still love me after I walked out on you after I basically threw you away?” Out of all the possible scenarios I’d run through my mind of how this conversation would go, I never imagined it would go like this. That Ryder would still want me after the way I treated him.
    “I will never stop loving you, Lucky.