He tucked himself into her doorway, fading light in what had never been more than a gloomy day to begin with helping him blend into the shadows. Rain still fell, but it had dwindled to a gentle flow over the past hour; the wind's howl died with the light. Still, Ryker shivered as he stood sentinel, awaiting Emmie's return. Water dripped onto the back of his jacket, pooling in his collar and depositing itself in a stream running down his back. No matter where he shifted to, he couldn't seem to escape it.

Just like Emmie, he thought with an uncomfortable dose of melancholy. He couldn't escape her either, however much he tried. He thought about her when he was at work, when he woke in the morning, before he went to sleep at night. He fantasized about the curve of her breast, the tantalizing way she twisted herself around him in bed, the taut heat of her legs gripping his thighs. But there was more to it than just the sex and that was what had him lingering in her doorway, shirt wicking icy water from the overhang in front of Emmie's home.

She hadn't said anything today about the necklace he'd left for her. He took that as a good sign. If she'd still been upset about it, she certainly would have told him so. Emmie wasn't one to hold back. Perhaps she'd accepted the fact that there could be something more between them. Her initial rejection of his gift had made him realize that he had already accept it; that he wanted it, in fact.

Emmie was so careful about adhering to her entanglement clause -- that may have been why he was willing to forego the clause altogether. He deserved to have a real relationship again, especially after what he'd gone through with his ex. How he hadn't seen that earlier was beyond him. Carin be damned. He knew Emmie well enough by now; she was no Carin. There was no sense in letting the past rule his heart.

Blinding headlights flashing past him as a car turned onto the street brought his attention back to the present. The vehicle slowed in front of Emmie's building. Ryker pressed himself against the brick wall to the side of her door. He'd parked his car in the alley behind her building so that Trish wouldn't spot it and put two and two together, but if his sister saw him standing there, it would be game over. Emmie would be pissed beyond measure.

A door opened and then slammed shut. The car pulled away as footsteps approached him. His hands began to sweat as he realized he was unintentionally about to frighten Emmie. This wasn't what he wanted. She was going to think he was a stalker hiding in the dark waiting for her to come home.

The footsteps stopped about five feet away. "Sam?"

Cringing at the mention of his rival's name, Ryker stepped out of the shadows into the slightly less shadowy doorway. "No it's me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you—holy crap! Don't shoot, it's just me!"

"And this is just pepper spray." She lowered the canister and slipped it into her purse, her hand shaking. "This is the second time I've almost dosed you with cayenne oil. For crying out loud, Ryker, what were you thinking?

"I thought I'd catch you when you got home. I didn't mean to freak you out."

She shook her head and stepped towards him, then around him, unlocking her front door. "You're going to have to give me time for my blood pressure to return to normal." She leaned against the doorframe just inside the stairwell. "You know, for a genius you are unbelievably clueless sometimes."

"I'm sorry, okay, I really am! And I know how to make it up to you."

He took a step in her direction, but she stopped him with her hand to his chest. "Maybe not tonight, Ryker. I've had a long day. I just want to go to bed, and not in the way you're thinking. I'm tired."

"That's not why I'm here. I'm not..." He couldn't exactly say that he wanted to prove he wasn't here for sex when their agreement specified that that was the only reason he was supposed to be interested in her. He'd have to work this out carefully. "You don't have any power, you know."

For the first time, Emmie took note of the darkened state of her building. She flipped on the light in the stairwell. Nothing happened. "Dammit. We saw that the streetlights were all out on the way over here. I guess I was hoping my apartment wouldn't be affected. This means I won't have any heat."

"It's been out about a half hour or so. The whole neighborhood is affected. Maybe the whole town."

"The medical center had power."

"They may have been running on a generator."

"Well, this is even more reason for you not to come up. It's dark and cold. I can't cook anything and I don't see you hiding any pizza boxes, so... I'm just going to get under the covers and hope the power's back on in the morning so I can take a hot shower."

"Come to my place."

"What?" She laughed. "You've never suggested that before."

"Well, I am now. My house will still have power. You can take a shower there. I'll cook you dinner. And you won't freeze."

"Well..."

"Don't overthink this, Emmie. It's only fair after all the time I've spent here that you get to spend a night at my place. And I'm not asking for anything in exchange."

She lowered her hand from his chest. "I don't know."

"What if I told you I have an UMA prototype there. You can ask it questions, see how it operates."

"Really?" That had her. A bit troubling that she appeared to be more interested in his robots than she was in him, but...

"I've got several lying around, actually. All one of a kind."
Her eyes lit up. "I'd love to see them."

"Does that mean you'll come?"

"Well... okay. I suppose talking to a robot is better than going to bed hungry in a cold, dark house. I'll go... but only on one condition."

Red flag, red flag, red flag. "What's that?"

"That open mind you're currently entertaining? Keep it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but if it means you'll be my house guest tonight, then I accept your terms." He lowered that red flag of his, the one that told him he may regret agreeing to this as much as he regretted trying to adhere to her entanglement clause. Grabbing her hand, he pulled gently until they'd both taken a step away from her door. "Ready to get out of this rain?"

A/N: Ryker has confirmed what many of you suspected--he's got major feels for Emmie. He's ready to open his calloused heart for her. And she's indicated that he should keep an open mind about... something. We all know what that something is going to be, but Ryker doesn't have a clue. Eek! 

Thank you for reading/voting/commenting. YOU ARE AWESOME! Votes for this update go to buy Ryker some heart duct tape (Ha--see what I did there?). I hope he doesn't need it, but we should have some on hand, just in case.

Today's dedication is for the wonderful talkingflowers. You guys, have you read her work? No? Then DO IT! Her fantasy story, THE GROVE, was featured, and for good reason. It's seriously one of the most original works I've read on Wattpad. Go give her some love. She deserves it!