Malia’s POV
Soon after Ronan left my room, I stripped and intentionally left my clothing right there on the floor.
If anyone should come inside when I was in the bathroom, they’d know and leave to return later.
The key to the door still remained mysteriously missing.
I took my time in the shower, not leaving the bathroom until my stomach growled in hunger.
I wrapped my towel around me and moved to my closet where I briskly dried my hair with the hair dryer and slid into a comfortable pair of shorts and a tank top.
I went to pick up the clothes that littered the floor when I saw the dress on the bed.
I first went to dump the clothes in my laundry basket before coming to properly inspect the dress.
I sat on my bed and noticed the note beside the dress.
Of course, it was from Ryder, saying he wanted to take me out for a late lunch.
There was no way he wanted me to wear this just for lunch.
Why did he have to be so extra? I wondered.
The door swung open and Ryder walked in looking impressed with himself and not even a little bit apologetic that he had entered without knocking.
I rolled my eyes at him.
“It’s a beauty, right?” he asked.
“Yes. And too extravagant for lunch,” I replied, fingering the delicate lace that adorned the bodice of the pastel green satin fabric.
“I don’t want you looking like a bum beside me. It’s going to ruin my image.”
I scoffed. “Can I just refuse to go out with you?” I asked.
“Yes you can,” he answered softly.
I blinked in surprise and looked up at him.
He was smiling but I could see the slight hurt in his beautiful green eyes.
“Malia, I’m not going to force you to do something you do not want to do. And besides, what’s the fun in lunching with someone who doesn’t want to be with you?”
My lips parted slightly in surprise. This wasn’t Ryder. Someone had definitely stolen his body.
“I’ll be on my way then. Maybe you’d agree to go out with me some other time,” he said and started to make his way towards the door.
“Stop,” I called out.
He paused and slowly turned around to face me.
“It might take a while for me to slip into this beautifully complex dress so you’d have to be patient.”
His lips slowly curved into a smile. “I don’t mind.”
I offered him a small smile before gathering up the dress and making my way to the closet, hoping I had just the right shoes to pair with it.
As I got dressed I wondered why Ryder was acting so polite. Not that I didn’t like this side of him but I knew if he kept up with this behaviour I’d not be able to say no when or if he asked me to be his Luna.
Something suddenly occurred to me and I paused.
Hope he wasn’t going to ask me to be his Luna today?
I shook my head.
There was no way he was going to do that. He still hadn’t dealt with Lila.
I settled on a pair of nude stilettos and walked out of the closet after applying light makeup on my face.
His mouth fell open when he saw me and I couldn’t help but give a nervous giggle.
The giggling stopped and the nervousness intensified when his eyes darkened.
As his gaze ran along my length, his expression became positively feral.
I gave an involuntary shiver as the heat of his gaze seeped in through the fabric of my dress to caress my skin.
“Ryder.” It came out as a whisper.
His eyes went to my cherry-red lips and I resisted the urge to lick them.
His eyes then met mine. Our gazes collided and stayed there. The only sound I was capable of was a tiny gasp as I felt the flames of his desire lick at my skin.
He got up and slowly walked towards me.
I didn’t protest when he got too close. Not even when his hands went around my waist to pull me even closer to him.
Even if I had wanted to protest, there was no way I could have. My voice box had suddenly lost its ability and my brain had turned to mush.
The smell of his cologne was suddenly so irresistible. Without thinking I pressed my nose against his neck.
Naturally, I just had to give it a tiny bite.
A low growl slipped from his lips and his hands tightened against my waist.
My mouth moved on its own accord until it reached the corner of his mouth.
“Malia, you…,”
The voice snapped me out of the trance and I quickly put some space between Ryder and me.
Penelope blinked in surprise.
I gave her a pointed look and she snapped out of it.
“I’m so sorry, I guess I’ll just come back later.”
She gave a quick bow to Ryder who looked murderous and hurried off.
“Aren’t you taking me out anymore?” I asked.
His expression softened and he smirked.
“I am,” he replied, offering me his arm.
We made our way downstairs and I became uncomfortable when the servants who saw us did a double take.
I noticed that some of the members of the pack looked at us with disapproving eyes and for the first time I realized that this was a bad idea.
Ryder led me to a white limousine, and tell me why I wasn’t surprised.
He opened the passenger door and assisted me as I got in. He slid in beside me and shut the door.
“Hope the car is to your liking?” He asked as the limousine glided out of the driveway.
I rolled my eyes and accepted the glass of wine he offered.
“I’m more concerned about the fact that people were staring daggers at me. If looks could kill I’d be dead by now,” I stated.
He chuckled. “Stop exaggerating. They were merely curious.”
“Some were curious but some were outrightly disgusted.”
“It’s all in your head, Malia.”
“I wish,” I replied, leaning back into the seat.
The limo came to a stop.
“We’re here,” he announced unnecessarily and got out of the car.
I took his proffered hand and carefully slid out.
It was the same restaurant that Ronan had brought me to the other day.
I couldn’t wait to see Clara’s face when she saw me with the other Hawkins brother.
We walked arm in arm into the restaurant and he pulled out a chair for me once we got to a table at the other end.
I couldn’t help the smirk on my face as Clara hurried towards us.
She bowed deeply to Ryder. Her surprise was so evident in her features.
She didn’t dare flirt with the Alpha like she had done with Ronan. In fact, she was even sweet to me this time, smiling as she took my order.
While we waited for the food to arrive, I teased him about how responsible he looked in a suit.
He replied by commenting on how queenly I looked in a dress and I refrained from teasing him further. I didn’t like the intensity in his eyes.
Another waiter brought our orders and I wondered if Clara had suddenly gotten sick with envy.
My stomach growled at the delicious smell of the food and I dug in with no hesitation.
It was after a few spoonfuls of my meal, I noticed that Ryder was staring at me.
I arched my eyebrow questioningly as I wiped the corners of my mouth with a napkin.
He smiled mischievously as he grabbed his silverware and started to eat.
I rolled my eyes and resumed eating.
We finished and he asked if I wanted dessert.
Who was I to say no to decadence?
A little moan slipped from my lips just at the sight of the chocolate-strawberry crumble ball.
“I would kill for you to look at me like that,” Ryder murmured.
I probably did look at him like that sometimes but I was definitely not going to point that out.
“Nothing can be more appealing to the eyes than this,” I said.
“You can say that because you’ve not seen me naked.”
Thank the Goddess the dessert hadn’t entered my mouth yet. I certainly would have choked on it.
I ignored him and focused on my dessert, savouring every bite.
Just like you would want to be savoured by him. A wicked voice said.
I gave a tiny shake of my head.
“I’d give my right hand to know what’s going on in that little head of yours.”
I couldn’t resist. “We could ask for a knife. Trust me I wouldn’t stop you.”
“If you’d tell me what’s on your mind, I wouldn’t mind doing it at all,” he replied.
I looked up from my dessert. His expression was pretty serious.
“Has anyone ever told you how crazy you are?” I asked.
“Someone just did.”