No Turning Back (Breaking the Rules #4) - A.M. Madden Page 0,9

for sale in his building, which sounded perfect in location. Not to mention it was a great way to kick back and drink one last time before the process would start to get me pregnant.

I already had an appointment scheduled with the fertility specialist that coming week. Their sperm had been collected and frozen, and the egg donations had already been secured. Therefore, because I was just a gestational carrier, my uterus had to be primed and ideal to receive the embryo without ovulating an egg myself. That required close monitoring and injections, which would leave no time for indulgences such as kicking back with a bottle of wine.

Dr. White believed that my age and good health records made conceiving sooner than later a great possibility. If not, we’d repeat the process again next month, or the next, etcetera.

I still worried there could be complications. In vitro fertilization procedures were very expensive, and even though money wasn’t an issue for Cooper and Ricky, I didn’t want to drag the process out for months and months.

So, as I said, tonight was a great way to let loose one last time before things got real. Hours later, I felt no pain thanks to my friends, who repeatedly enabled me with my favorite cocktail. I danced, laughed, and had a great time until the effects of the alcohol and traveling earlier that day began to take their toll.

Wanting to hit the ladies’ room before we headed back to Fort Lauderdale, I strolled through the loud, crowded club, thankful our party wasn’t part of what clearly was a pickup joint for so many. Miami was most definitely the place to be, as was proved through the nightlife, and never had I seen so many beautiful people congregated in one place.

Just before I headed down the hallway that led to the bathrooms, a man called out, “Ree?”

Assuming it was Cooper, I turned with a smile that slid off my face when I saw who it was. Those deep-blue eyes that never failed to make me swoon stared at me while I fumbled through my surprise.

“Ryder?” I responded through a shaky huff while my heart pounded so frantically it competed with the heavy bass music echoing around us.

When his words died beneath the noise level, he took my hand and tugged me toward the exit and onto the sidewalk. “It’s so great to see you!” Instantly, he pulled me into his muscular frame. I hadn’t seen him in three years, yet my body pressed closer as if no time had passed at all. His familiar cologne engulfed my senses, making me miss him so much I could’ve cried.

He seemed different, although appearance-wise nothing really had changed, and he was even more handsome than I remembered. The same incredible body that clothes failed to camouflage. The same thick black hair I had run my hands through more times than I could count. The same dazzling smile that made a person feel as if they were the light of his life. I had been that to him at one time.

Ryder Carter was him. The one who got away, my first love, my most consuming love. And based on my reaction to seeing him, he clearly had remained in my heart even after all this time. Having him before me literally flipped a switch, and my love was right back where it had been the day he left.

“How long are you visiting?” he went on to ask.

“I… um… I live here now.”

Those gorgeous navy eyes widened. “Here… as in Miami?”

“Fort Lauderdale, actually. In fact, I just arrived today.” For whatever reason, my statement now caused the smile to fall off his face. Before I had the chance to ask why he was in Miami, a pretty blonde I hadn’t noticed approached and placed a hand on his arm.

“There you are.” Her pale eyes flicked between us. “I thought you were going to the men’s room, but then I saw you come out here.” Paranoid much?

“I was but ran into an old friend,” Ryder responded to her while staring at me. It was the same intense gaze he had pegged me with the day we’d met… the same look that could ignite me quicker than a flamethrower. I had to break eye contact; otherwise I didn’t trust myself not to assault him inappropriately… blonde be damned.

As Ryder remained focused on me, she did as well. The woman was stunning and the opposite of me, with a sheath of golden hair