Her every cowboy fantasy, which, if it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have at all.

For the first time she wondered if the real reason she had gone for men who were so opposite to Ryder was that anyone who wasn’t Ryder would have only ever been a poor substitute.

In reality, that was what they had been. Poor substitutes for the kind of man she had never let herself want. No. Not the kind of man. The man. Because... Oh, she had never wanted to want him. Even now, looking at him standing there like this, she felt so stripped bare. So vulnerable. Like he would be able to see all the soft, needy places inside her. Places that she had vowed she would never show anyone ever again.

“You made it,” he said.

She nodded wordlessly. She was unable to find a way to get speech through her tightened throat.

“Well, you left a pretty clear trail.”

“I tried,” he said.

“What is this?”

The light was continuing to ebb, and that made the glow around the structure that Ryder stood beneath all the brighter.

“Did you make this?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I had a little bit of help.”

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“Come here,” he said.

She found herself hesitant to do so. But then he reached out his hand, his eyes intense as they stared into hers. She reached out slowly, and she took his hand.

He pulled her beneath the lights, against his chest, and then he did something she didn’t expect. He started to sway, like they were dancing. His hold on her possessive and expert. Then he twirled her, her skirt and hair flying around her in a circle, before he brought her back to his chest. She laughed breathlessly, and he continued to move with her, to no music at all. But she could feel the rhythm between them. The one established by her heartbeat, moving in time with his. Yes, she could feel it.

Could feel it coursing through her like a current. This was something else.

It wasn’t friendship. It wasn’t sexuality, attraction. It wasn’t logical. It wasn’t built around doing the right thing, or looking the right kind of way.

He was simply holding her, dancing with her. Like he wanted nothing more than to exist in that moment. In that space. She didn’t know when they stopped spinning, because her head still was. Because her heart was still beating out of control, and it wasn’t because she was out of breath. Not from the dancing anyway.

She whispered his name, and he kissed it off her lips, pulling her in and taking it deeper. She felt wrapped in him completely. Those strong arms all around her, big hands pressed firm between her shoulder blades. She loved this. Being utterly and completely surrounded by him. He had always made her feel safe, but now she felt invincible. With her guardian, her rock, wrapped around her like this it felt like there was nothing that could hurt her.