She nodded, though there was something about it that didn’t sit right, and she seemed to force a smile. “Yeah. Of course. I’ll be ready.”
Cinnamon eyes flashed to Ryder as he backed away.
He suddenly had to get the hell out of there.
The air clotted, too thick for him to breathe.
Dakota looked like she wanted to stop him, and he turned and pushed open the door before she could say anything, though he paused long enough to mutter, “Happy birthday, Cookie,” before he strode out and disappeared up the street.
“It’s really good to see you this way.”
Cody took a swig from his beer, eyeing Ryder over the top where he sat across from him in a booth at Time & Tap Tavern. The place gave off a pub vibe, and it sat on the farthest end of town, away from the tourist shops and restaurants that had popped up over the years.
It was still packed. People occupied every stool around the big horse-shoe shaped bar that took up the middle of the cramped space. The two walls on either side were lined with elevated booths that you had to take a single step onto, and a few small round tables sat by the front at the entrance.
Country music played from the jukebox and a rumble of inaudible voices mixed with the din.
When Cody had texted and suggested they meet up for a beer, they’d decided to come here.
Ryder wasn’t in the mood to hit a spot like Mack’s, the bar people flocked to for dancing and live music.
Less chance of running into anyone he knew.
“It’s good to see you, too, man,” Ryder told him, taking a sip from his tumbler of whiskey.
They’d been reminiscing about all the dumb shit they used to do for the last two hours, and it was the first time Ryder thought he felt fully comfortable in Cody’s space, though in that easiness, there was no question Cody had a bunch of shit he wanted to say.
Cody’s giant body was rested back in the booth, angled a bit to the side. “Thought I’d lost you, if I’m being honest.”
Discomfort shook Ryder’s head, and he kept his cool as he slouched back in the booth. “Was worried I’d lost myself, too.”
He still was.
But things had started to feel different.
Like he was coming up for a breath after drowning in the darkest waters.
“But here you are.” Cody leaned over to tap the neck of his bottle against Ryder’s glass.
“Here I am.”
A girl Ryder recognized from high school sauntered up, her eye on Cody.
A smirk took to his face when he saw her coming.
“Hey, Cody.”
“What’s up, Luce?”
“Just saw my favorite cowboy over here and thought I’d better say hi.”
She all but crawled onto his lap, and he gave her ass a squeeze when she leaned in to hug him. He muttered something in her ear that Ryder couldn’t hear, and he was laughing under his breath as he nursed at his whiskey, doing his best to act like he wasn’t there.
“Only if you’ll call me back tomorrow,” she answered to whatever proposition Cody had made, her mouth puckered in a flirty pout as she pulled away, hands pushing against his chest.
“No promises, darlin’。” Cody’s grin was easy, dude charming the panties off the girl without even touching her.
“Well, I might make an exception. I’m hanging out with my friends in that booth over there.” She pointed to the other side of the bar. “You know where to find me.”
She waltzed off and Cody watched her go.
Ryder chuckled, a grin taking hold. “Some things never change.”
“Why would you change them when they’re so damned good?”
“Cocky asshole.” Amusement pulled around Ryder’s mouth. “That’s going to catch up to you one day.”
“Me, cocky? Nah. I just love giving the ladies what they need, and what they usually need is a little bit of me.”
His smirk spread as he sat back farther in the booth, and he lifted his beer and gestured with it out into the crowd. “And don’t tell me you haven’t been balls deep in half the women here. Rumor has it, you have a different chick stumbling out of your apartment every morning. Sometimes two.”
Cody’s brow lifted, daring him to deny it.
Ryder laughed an uneasy sound.
The guy wasn’t off-base, but that shit was getting old.
Guilt climbed his throat when Dakota’s face flashed through his mind. The thought of her out with that little prick tonight had him in a stranglehold.
Still, he hiked an indifferent shoulder. “What can I say, I’m a man who likes to indulge.”