The corner of Ryder’s mouth lifted. He ran a thumb along my lower lip. It came away with a speck of blood even though there was no pain.
“I have a mate,” he growled, his hand tightening on my thigh.
My heart clenched unexpectedly. I shoved his hand off my thigh with chilly fury. “Well, if you have a mate, then why are you teasing me like this?”
I reached for the door handle with every intention of getting out of the car. Ryder’s chuckle made me fumble and struggle. Flustered, I shot a glare back at him.
“What is your problem?” I snapped.
“Okay, let me rephrase this. Would a mated dragon kiss someone who wasn’t his mate?”
I narrowed my eyes. The gears in my brain were stuck fast. They wouldn’t turn. What kind of riddle was this? He’d clearly kissed me, so I didn’t…
Before the ritual had broken it, there’d been a bond between Ryder and me. The ritual had severed it, though. There was no way that Ryder and I were…
It couldn’t be.
“What? Angry that you can’t rush headlong into the correct answer? You’re being stubbornly quiet.” Ryder grinned.
He leaned back in his seat and pulled the gearshift into drive again. We coasted back onto the road. Meanwhile, my mind churned.
“I’m going to give you time to think this over and come to the right conclusion.” His bright gaze slid over to me, making my heart leap unexpectedly.
The way his gaze dragged over my body before rising back to look me in the eye filled me with more heat than I knew what to do with.
Ryder adjusted his position in his seat as he tugged at the inseam of his jeans. “I’ll be ready for you when you figure it out.”
Did he really mean it? Could it be possible? There was no bond between us anymore! If the ritual could break it that easily, then it couldn’t possibly be a mate bond. Yet, the way Ryder kept looking in my direction made my heart warm.
Shit.
I turned my attention out the window. The ice in my chest threatened to melt like my brain had. I pressed my knuckles to my breastbone and tried to calm my warm emotions. The heat of my desire licked at the ice.
If the ice disappeared, then we were screwed. Alvin would have complete control of me again. But if it disappeared, my arcana would be stronger. I knew that the barrier inside me was what made my command weak. What had once kept Ryder from touching Harvey at all, now struggled to keep Jackson and Marcus out of town.
Mate. Holy shit. I had a mate.
I clenched my fists. The ice in my chest shrank little by little, assaulted by the heat of my excitement. Though I wanted to touch Ryder, I had to keep my hands to myself. Alvin’s curse reached into every part of my life and left its stain on everything. Even though I had the bond I’d wanted for so long, I couldn’t enjoy it.
It was a good thing that Ryder was driving. Had we been back at the apartment, I doubted I could have kept my hands to myself. Already, the ache of my yearning pierced my heart. It hurt more than Connor’s betrayal. It hurt more than the time I’d died. It didn’t hurt quite as bad as the lightning strike, but damn it was close.
Ryder took his hand off the gearshift and placed it on my thigh. I nearly whimpered but managed to keep the pained sound inside my chest. Unable to hold back any longer, I placed my hand over his. He gave a squeeze before he slid his hand higher up my thigh.
Warmth blossomed in my core. I shoved it down, but that only made it burn hotter between my legs. My breath hitched when his pinky grazed my groin.
My mind churned with demands. I needed him to pull over onto the side of the road and lean his seat back so I could crawl into his lap. But I somehow managed to keep my desires to myself as the scenery outside bled from green wildlife into the winding streets of the city.
When we got back to the rental, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. I knew that I was going to cave. Desire fluttered low in my stomach like butterflies with wings made of fire. They singed my insides with a kind of heat I’d never known before.
Even Ryder seemed affected by the mounting temperatures inside the car. His eyes burned with the light of his beast. I could feel it watching me in hungry anticipation. What was going through his mind? What was he eagerly awaiting? I needed to know.
I needed to experience it.
Stop, Ness. Control yourself. You could lose everything.
If the ice melted, and the ritual arcana took ahold of my command while Ryder was unguarded, then today could end badly. I had to find a way to keep my pants on today, even if that sucked.
Maybe I should go home and spend the night with my parents. Or, I could call Cerri. Connor might be my best bet, actually. I didn’t like the idea of losing control in the night and hurting Mom or Cerri. Connor was a survivor. He would know what to do.