No Turning Back (Breaking the Rules #4) - A.M. Madden Page 0,16

about?”

“Damon likes you. He told us. Ricky and I were going to talk to you about it.”

“He’s sweet but—”

“Not to convince you to see him,” Cooper interrupted. “More so to make sure you don’t remain closed off to men because of what you’re about to do for us.” And there it was. He was so predictable, and I couldn’t help but laugh, to which he raised his brows. “I’m serious.”

“I know you are. That’s why this is funny. There isn’t a man on earth who would willingly walk into a relationship with a woman about to become pregnant… even if it’s just as a surrogate.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” he argued. “A lot can happen between two people in three or four months. By the time you need to tell him, you could be in love.”

“That time being when I begin to look like I swallowed a basketball? Things could get awkward at that point.” I squeezed his hand. “I’ll be fine. People put their love lives on hold for a hell of a lot less important things. You need to stop worrying about that.”

“Okay, but promise me something.” He waited for me to meet his gaze. “Don’t close a door just because you think a man won’t understand. If he’s the right man, he’ll want to be with you regardless of your situation.”

I smiled through a nod. “I promise if a man comes along who I believe has potential to be a soul mate, I will keep an open mind.” And I sealed my promise with a kiss on his cheek.

I’d been blessed with the kind of men I dated. Both Ryder and Cooper had set the bar pretty freakin’ high, and it would be hard for anyone to meet those standards on a normal day. Throw in my situation, and he’d have to be a god.

Chapter Six

Ryder

My eyes cut to the elevator bank for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. With each ding announcing a car’s arrival, my heart flipped. I had no idea why I was nervous. At one time, I’d known that woman better than any person on earth. She could ease my stress with one smile, turn me on with one look.

So why the galloping happening behind my rib cage?

Well, because it was Riana.

Since running into her last week, I haven’t been able to get her off my mind. If all went well, tonight would open a new door for us. We were both in Florida, both single, and with luck, she still had the same deep-rooted feelings for me as I had for her.

That kind of love never died. For me, just seeing her again had caused it to rekindle. The same way poking the last embers of a smothered fire slowly brought it back to life. A lot had happened to me since we were together, as I was sure the same held true for her. And wanting to tell her everything and anything, wanting to hear details I’d missed in her life, consumed me as much as wanting to be in her presence.

“Ryder?” That sexy voice I knew so well flipped my attention behind me.

“Ree.” I glanced at the elevators I’d been watching for the last ten minutes. “Where did you come from?”

“Oh… the stairs,” she said with a shrug. Adorable. Her admission was only part of the reason I appreciated her fit figure. Memories of what hid beneath the fabric of her dress skidded through my thoughts. That led to remembering that cute birthmark she had on her hip and how she’d giggle whenever I kissed it. So caught up in the visual, it took a few seconds before my gaze came back to hers. Thankfully, she hadn’t noticed my leer or wasn’t bothered by it. “You know I like to get a workout in whenever I can,” she went on to say.

“I’m impressed you managed that in those heels.”

Thick lashes obstructed the view to her big brown eyes as she looked down at her feet. But when they reconnected to mine, déjà vu hit hard. It was that look. The one that never failed to tug on my libido… figuratively.

“Is this okay?” she asked, breaking the myriad of memories that kept flipping through my mind. “I didn’t know where we were going.”

“It’s perfect.” I bobbed my head in a slow nod. “You look beautiful, Ree.”

That was an understatement. Fuck, she looked stunning. The black dress was nothing fancy. It was the way it fit her like a