“You’re such a flatterer.” She giggled then turned her attention to Whitney. “Hello, miss?” She snapped her fingers twice.

Whitney’s head popped up, and a glare lit her lovely features when she zeroed in on Clara’s snapping fingers.

“You beckoned?” Whitney said, walking up and drying her hands on the rag that hung near her thighs. She was clearly upset with Clara’s behavior. Ryder couldn’t blame her. If anyone snapped at him like that, he might break their fingers.

“I’d like a chardonnay and a small salad,” Clara said. “Dressing on the side. Oh, and a fruit cup. No melon, though. If there’s melon, I’ll send it back.”

Whitney just nodded, spared Ryder a quick glance, then walked away and put Clara’s order in.

Ryder took another drink of his beer, hating this moment. Hating that he stood next to a woman that lacked any real warmth while another who was hotter than heaven and smiled all the time was just out of reach.

There was so much he wanted to say to Whitney. So much he wanted to do. But control was key. Keeping cool was key. It was how he dealt with everything.

If he went off doing whatever he damn well felt, he’d lose everything his family had built. He’d already put everything at risk once. Now he had to stick to a persona that was wholesome. Even his sister struggled with balancing her wholesome reputation with her sinful side, but she’d found her own brand of freedom in Sebastian. With Bass, Penny could let out her wild side, do all the things she’d fantasized about…

Ryder shuddered and pushed those disturbing thoughts away. Gross.

“Here’s your chardonnay,” Whitney said, placing it in front of Clara. “And for you, big guy,” she said with a saucy smile, and put a cup of coffee in front of him.

Smart-ass. A sexy as sin smart-ass, but a smart-ass all the same.

Clara frowned between the two of them. “You’re new,” she finally said to Whitney.

“Yep, just started yesterday.”

“And you know each other?” She motioned between Ryder and her.

“We met briefly,” Whitney said with a long sigh, then placed the heel of her hand on the edge of the bar and leaned in casually. “Very briefly, actually. In fact, I barely recall the details.”

“Is that right?” Ryder asked, tenacity lining his voice. Barely recalled the details? Oh, the little minx was playing with fire, and that fire had his blood boiling with the need to refresh her with all the details. “If memory serves, you were enjoying yourself. In fact, you were begging for another round.”

Her brows shot up.

Didn’t see that coming huh, city girl?

“I’m lost,” Clara said. “Another round?”

Whitney nodded but kept her eyes on Ryder. “Yeah. We were playing pool,” she said. “I beat him pretty badly. He’s afraid to play again. It was too devastating to his ego.”

Ryder laughed. “I don’t know what game you were watching, sweetness, but I walked away a winner. I think the final score was three to one.”

He tasted his bottom lip, recalling how sweet she’d tasted on his tongue, then took a long swallow of his beer. He didn’t miss the way she watched his throat work. Yeah, he got to her. The challenge, and the daring way she spoke, was fucking drugging. God help him, he wanted to play with her. All damn night.

“Maybe I let you win,” she said. And Ryder wasn’t buying it. Not for a second. He’d felt how hot she was. How wet she got for him.

Let me win, my ass.

Before he could say more, she lifted her chin at him. “Enjoy your coffee.”

Shit. So Whitney was not only sexy, she was smart. She also wasn’t one to be tied down. With coffee, dates, or politeness. She was raw and edgy, and she challenged his instincts.

Her words from earlier replayed in his mind.

Can that naughty Ryder come out to play?

His grand plan was losing steam quickly.

Whitney winked at him and went back to tending her tables. A few minutes later, he saw Penny talk with Whitney and heard the word “break,” and then he watched her ass, in those shorts he was becoming very fond of, walk toward the back exit and outside.

Ryder finished his beer and set it on the bar.

“Have a good evening, Clara,” he said quickly, then left out the front door. Any luck, he’d head Whitney off around the side of the diner. It was time he took back control.

Chapter Six

Whitney kicked the gravel and took a big bite of the apple she’d snagged on the way outside. The small rocks crunched beneath her feet as she walked from the back of the BBQ to the side of the building. The low glow of the light and muted music coming from the diner were both distant and muffled. She breathed deep of the crisp night air and the smell of wheat on the breeze.

There was a lone red truck parked in the shadows near the side of the building. It was somewhat secluded from the main parking lot around front. She leaned against the front bumper and took another bite of her apple, chewing with purpose.

That damn man inside was getting to her. He was hot, alpha, and made her skin prickle with anticipation. But maybe now she understood another side of his conflict, because he was also talking to the kind of woman that could be the right fit for him. The kind in summer dresses, with perfectly manicured nails. AKA, not Whitney.

Not that she was comparing herself to anyone. But it made more sense now why Ryder was the way he was. She thought back to the other night when they’d played their “I’ve Never” game. He’d given her only a few specifics, but they’d revealed insights about him. He wanted things he thought he couldn’t have, which left him wondering if he had to settle for the things he could.

Where did that leave Whitney? What did she want from Ryder?

Mostly just him.

She knew also what she didn’t want, and that was to be lumped into some kind of ladies club. If he wanted distance from her, she’d give it. If he wanted to another night? She’d give that, too. But life was too short to pretend to be or feel something she wasn’t interested in. And she wasn’t interested in being one of Ryder Diamond’s pals.

The way he looked at her alone made her chest spasm. He met every challenge she issued and then gave back some of his own. She was already having withdrawals from the way he’d touched her, and she’d only had him for a single night.

She took another bit of apple.

“Fuckin’ Ryder,” she muttered.

“Careful, sweetness. I can fill that request easily.”

Ryder approached from the shadows, crunching up gravel beneath his boots. With her ass pressed against the front of the truck, she stared him down as he closed in on her.

“Leaning on a man’s truck like that gives the wrong idea,” he said.

“Oh? What kind of idea?” She gently put her heel behind her and balanced it on the shiny bumper.

“The idea that you just may get your wish, right up against it.”

“What was my wish again?” she mused, bending her arm to hold the apple in front of her face. Ryder closed the last few feet between them.

“Fuckin’ Ryder,” he said, then took a bite of her apple and stood up straight. She watched his jaw work the crisp fruit, and lord, the man was built, and sexy as hell.

“Wouldn’t that go against your boundaries?” she asked, trying to keep the rising need out of her voice.

He glanced down the front of her. “I told you that my intentions were to interact with you while your clothes remained on.”

She nodded, but the sly way he looked at her had her heart pounding harder. He moved against her, parting her legs with his knees. She dropped the apple as the smooth chrome of the Chevy behind her pressed against her spine.

“You told me the other night you’ve never had sex in a man’s truck.” He shifted his hips, dragging the bulge of his thick, jean-clad erection across her lower stomach. She couldn’t hold back a soft moan. “What about up against it?”