Ryder (5 page)

Daddy gr
inned widely as he led Mom and me into the selective member’s only club. Marcus was the youngest ever in the history of the firm to be made junior partner, one of only two per year, and tonight we were celebrating the occasion with him.

“A beauty on each
arm,” Daddy said proudly, as he guided “his girls” up the stairs. He nodded politely as we swept passed acquaintances and were shown to our table. 

Smiling
widely, Marcus rose to his feet as we approached the table, trying his best not to stare at my cleavage in front of my father. Smart man. He held out a hand and shook Daddy’s before kissing my mother’s hand. The epitome of a gentleman, he complimented my father on his good fortune of having two beautiful women accompany him. Warmth rose to my cheeks as he held my hand in his, a lot longer than was necessary.

I’
d dressed with extra care tonight. A combination of vamp and sophistication never missed its mark. My emerald dress hugged my hourglass figure in all the right places, and I’d purposely selected a dress with a low neckline to showcase my best feature: ample C-cup boobs, one hundred percent natural and all mine.

Might as well make the best of my assets while I
can and catch me a good man.

I derived great pleasure from watching
Marcus’s reaction—the way a thin layer of sweat covered his brow, how he stuck his hands into his pockets to prevent him from reaching out and touching the girls, to his appreciative gaze stealing a glimpse when he thought I wasn’t looking.

Yes,
Marcus Masterton liked what he saw.

The exquisite taste of
Dom Pérignon bubbles on my tongue primed me for a wonderful evening. I glanced at Marcus from under my lashes.

He was perfect
.

Dressed
elegantly, confidence oozed from him in the way it did off people who only expected the very best in life. Nothing was too good for him, or out of his reach; he’d worked hard and knew that the rewards were coming his way.

N
aturally he needed an equally well-bred and flawlessly groomed wife by his side. I fitted the bill perfectly. We’d be a power couple, taking the business world by storm.

Marcus and I were a match made in lawyer heaven.

We ate our five course meal amidst chatter and laughter. It was clear my parents thought the world of Marcus. My dad wasn’t one to applaud anyone easily, and by the praise he bestowed on his protégé, I knew Marcus had to be extra special, and had his approval.

This pleased me no end, I wasn’t the type of girl to have a relationship
—let alone marry—a man my parents didn’t accept one hundred percent. We were a tight knit family; it would crush me if they hated my choice of life partner.

Even Harrison would approve of my choice. After he
’d done a police clearance check on Mr. Masterton, of course. I smiled; my big brother was definitely over-protective, but I adored him, so I appreciated that he cared as much as he did.

I’m on safe grou
nd here. Marcus is the perfect man for me, ticking every one of my boxes. So far, he’s faultless.

“Dance with me?”
Marcus held out his hand and reminded me of Leo diCaprio as the elegant Jay Gatsby—the bright smile, the light in his eyes, oozing with charm.

All eyes were on us. I was the envy of every woman in this room, married or not.
Marcus Masterton was the catch of the century, and right now he wanted me. I smiled as I placed my hand in his, fluttering my eyelashes coyly.

He led me onto the dance floor and held me in his arms, smiling down at me. We glided along as if we had done this a thousand times before, our bodies completely in tune with one another. His
hand pressed possessively at the small of my back and I leaned my forehead on his shoulder and let the man and the music sweep me away.

This was exactly what fairy tales were made of.

Pure perfection.

My dreams come true.

I sighed in contentment, and he pressed a kiss onto my naked shoulder. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

“You’
re so beautiful. I’d love to see you again. Very soon. Just the two of us?” he rasped.

Mesmerised, I nodded. “I’d like that. Very much,” I whispered into his neck.

His hand slipped to my ass and pressed me tighter to his body. Holy shit. His erection was certainly that of an Adonis. Hard and thick, it pulsed against my stomach twice before he groaned and pulled away. This was a dance of seduction, toned down for the benefit of spectators and propriety.

“God, see what you do to me. I’ve been waiti
ng for this chance forever,” he breathed, his voice husky and low.

I looked up into his eyes, stunned by his admission. “Why haven’t you asked me on a date before?”

“It wouldn’t be proper. Your dad is my boss, I had to wait till I’d finished my internship and reached this goal. So that I had something to offer when I pursued you. And pursue you, I will. I’m a patient man. I know what I want. And I want
you
, Jade.” Full lips curved into a smile and his eyes gleamed as if he had just won first prize.

Hi
s words pleased me, it was exactly what I wanted to hear. “You sound very sure of yourself.” I cocked an eyebrow at him.

“You have no idea, little darling.
No idea
. You are part of my master plan.”

“I am?”
My breath hitched.

“Yes. I think we’d make beautiful babies
together. I’m going to buy you the biggest mansion I can afford, now that I’ve made junior partner. It’s all coming together.”

I pulled back a fraction. “
Hold on a minute. Don’t I have a say in this master plan of yours? What if I said no?”

“
Haha. You can wipe that frown off your pretty little face. I’ve already spoken to your dad about us. He practically gave me his blessing to sweep you off your feet and to marry you. Your mom is already picking the venue.”

My eyes widened. This was a bit too fast for me. “Wow, you don’t waste time
, do you, Mr. Junior-Partner?”

“Jade Masterton. It has a nice ring to it.”
I had to admit he was right. I liked the way he said my name as if I was already his. Confident men were my weakness. Especially if he went after it with as much tenacity as what Mr. Masterton was doing. It turned me on. I could never respect a man who didn’t know clearly what he wanted.

But I wasn’t going to make it that easy for him. If any man wanted me
, really wanted me
, he had to work for it. That was the only way to truly appreciate anything in life. If things were given too freely, they diminished in value.

“
Marcus, we hardly know one another. Why the rush?” I genuinely wanted to know, so I held my breath while waiting for his answer.

“Y
our Mom is salivating at the thought of being a grandmother. Your father sees the logic of his firm being passed on to his son-in-law. They practically want me to marry you and get you pregnant immediately.” He chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Right,” I said with a shaky breath, remembering the conversation in the kitchen and how eager my parents were. My head was spi
nning. Yes, I wanted to catch a good man, but this was ridiculous. “What about
your
parents?” I ventured. I didn’t trust events that ran too smoothly.

“They couldn’t be happier. You’
re practically royalty in this city. We both come from a long line of old money. You are well bred. We couldn’t be more perfect for one another. We have their blessing too. At least they know you aren’t a gold-digger.” He laughed, amused by his own joke.

“Sweet L
ord. I sound like a pawn in a business deal. I don’t know, Marcus—”

“
Don’t overthink it. Just go with the flow. It’s your destiny to be with me. As my wife. I’ll take good care of you. Give you everything you want.”

I sighed.
“But what about
love
? We don’t love each other.”

He took my hand and guided it between us, bringing it to rest on his hard length. “We
will
love one another, darling. Trust me. I can’t wait to have you all to myself. I’m going to make love to that beautiful body of yours. You will be mine, those breasts that have been teasing me all night, that luscious mouth… I want to get you pregnant as soon as we’re married. What do you say, should we start practicing immediately?”

I gasped. “
Marcus, I need to think this through. It’s too much, too soon.”

“Look around the room
, darling. See all the other girls? They wish they were
you
right now. They want your fairy tale life. They would say
yes
in a heartbeat. Why not you?”

I narrowed
my eyes as I appraised his cocky smile. “Maybe because I’m a smart woman? And maybe because I’d like you to court me first and fall in love, before we talk about sex, marriage and kids.”

He took my hand and led me
outside onto the balcony. I glanced toward my parents and couldn’t help noticing the pleased grins on their faces. My Mom gave me a slight nod of encouragement.

Jeez, was I up for auction, or what?

Marcus
leaned against the rail and scooped me into his arms, pulling me tightly to his chest. He smiled down at me.

“Your Mom warned me that you read too many romance novels. She said you had your head in the clouds sometimes. I will show you romance, if that’s what you want. Anything for you, darling. Just say
yes
.”

I pushed both my palms against his chest so that I didn’t have to squint to look up into his gorgeous blue eyes.
“I don’t think you understand. Romance is not something you do. It’s something you feel. You do it because you can’t help yourself. Not because it’s on somebody’s wish list.”

He chuckled, his steely arms pulling me tighter. “Jade, relax. Just give me a chance to show you I can be as romantic as you need me to be. I’m going to kiss you now. I’ve wanted to since you walked
through the door.”

His beautiful bowed lips came down on mine and brushed my lips gently
until I relaxed in his arms. After a few moments he deepened the kiss, sighing into my mouth. I felt his erection still raging against my belly. His tongue glided along my lower lip, asking permission to enter.

I closed my eyes and let go. I’d always believed one should be in the moment. I
parted my lips and kissed him back, our tongues stroking one another’s. His hands on my ass caressed the orbs and I pushed my breasts into him.

And I waited.

For butterflies.

For something to stir inside me.

Nothing.

No butterflies. No fire.

Just nothing.

Good God, was I frigid?

Alarm swept through me. What the hell was wrong with me?

Fuck, it felt good to have the Harley rumble between my legs. Since I’d moved into the house, I didn’t have as much opportunity to ride as I’d liked to. I let the wind sweep through my hair and just breathed in deeply.

This was heaven—my bike and me—out on the open road. It took me away from everything—all my worries and fears faded to nothing. Lost in th
e moment, nobody could hurt me when I rode my bike.

Things at the club had gone from bad to even worse. A raid by our rival club, the LA Demon Skulls, had gotten Cobra, our
Prez, shot at and the poor bastard had been in intensive care for a week now. It was still touch and go whether he would survive. A bullet had lodged in his lung and one narrowly missed his heart, so he was in deep shit.

Cobra was my best friend. In fact, he was probably my only real friend. After the brothers rescued me that fateful day, we formed a bond stronger than any I’d ever experienced with someone that wasn’t blood family. Cobra and I had mixed our blood when we made a pact to always have one another’s backs. Yeah, we may not have been born brothers, but life threw us together and made us family.

Forced to leave my cut at the club, I felt half dressed when I wasn’t wearing it. Strange. I tried to shake the feeling of unease.
The things we get attached to.

I couldn’t risk being identified as a member of the Scorpions MC on the occasions I had to take care of business away from the house. My identity was attached to the club—it was part of who I had become. Fuck, I couldn’t wait for this shit to be over.

Since the shooting, I didn’t like being away from the house for long periods of time. I was afraid that our enemies would find us and harm the only other family I had—Mia and the kids.

I'd taken the long road from Beverley Hills to
Longbeach, stretching out my ride for as long as I could. Finally, I'd reached the Scorpions MC compound, just ten miles out from Longbeach.

Everything lo
oked exactly as I remembered it. Yet I knew nothing was quite the same after the shooting. On the outside it looked like any other building around the area—slightly run down and in need of a coat of paint. Barbed wire around the perimeter, and bikes out the front, was what differentiated the MC compound from the others.

I squinted my eyes and took note of the bullet holes in the plaster of the familiar signage “Home of The Scorpions MC. Enter at your own risk.”
Our emblem—a gavel, a scorpion and a pair of wings was painted beneath it. My heart swelled with pride.

I'd missed this place that’d been my home since the age of thirteen. As I punched in the code and entered the gates, a few of the crew came out to greet me. I felt like the fucking prodigal son, even old man Malone had come outside. He limped on his crutch, his smile reaching from ear to ear.

Chopper Malone was the father I’d never had. Tough, mean, but also fair. He treated me as if I was one of his own, bred from his loins. He never favored either Cobra or Razor above me—they respected that. At least that was how it appeared. He’d stepped down two years ago when he’d had a heart attack and major surgery, passing his patch on to Cobra.

It was the proudest moment of my life when
Cobra chose me as his VP. Even Razor was OK with it, saying he always knew I’d be the one.

“Fuckers! You must’
ve missed me,” I grinned.

“Nah, who’d miss an ugly prick like you?” Razor laughed, patting my back after giving me the routine greeting.

“Place has been heaven since you left. Peace and fucking quiet,” Ox piped up, hugging me tightly with his huge arms, nearly lifting me off the ground. His pure gold tooth glistened in the sunlight.

Ratbag’s
lanky frame shook with laughter. “Get a fucking room, you two.”

“Time for a beer boys, let’s go to the clubroom. Ox, get all the hangers-on out of there. Only patched brothers.”

Ox nodded, running a hand over his shaved head. He loved getting rid of the people who hung around the bar. He worked as a bouncer for a few nightclubs when he was in the mood to be badass—which was always.

Bigger and taller than any of the boys,
Ox was the meanest motherfucker I'd ever met—covered in tattoos from his toes to his neck. He didn’t suffer fools gladly and had killed as many men as had stood in his way, or had done the club an injustice. The man was ruthless—I was glad Ox was on my team.

Y
et Ox fed and saved stray cats. It was people he couldn't stand. He always said that people weren’t to be trusted and that he slept with one eye open—his dagger under his pillow.

By the time I'd had a piss and walked into the club room, only brothers were at the bar.
The new bar girl was pouring beer as fast as she could. Watching her for a minute or two, I had the strangest feeling that I'd met her before. Something about her was familiar. I nodded a thanks as she slid an ice cold beer across the bar to me.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“It’s Lexi. I already know yours is Ryder.”

Lexi flashed me a smile, fluttering her eyelashes. She was a pretty bitch with her pitch black hair a
nd striking blue eyes. The full-sleeved, coloured tattoo on her left arm depicted cartoons and I was tempted to take a step closer to read them.

Max and I had always read cartoons till late into the night, pretending we didn’t hear the noises Marianne
was making with her man of the night.

A typic
al biker-slash-rocker chick, Lexi wore a multitude of chains, and a black mini skirt, exposing long muscled legs that looked as if they would be strong enough to ride a cock for hours in the reverse cowboy position.

But I
wasn’t here to think about screwing the new bar chick. There was urgent business to discuss. And lately a blond woman’s face kept flashing in my mind—usually at the most inappropriate times—annoying the fuck out of me.

Cobra expected me to run the show in his absence, and I wanted to show him that his trust was well earned.

I rolled my eyes at Ox, indicating that he should get rid of the hot little bitch as soon as everyone had a beer. I didn't need any of the guys to be distracted while we chatted. He nodded his understanding, taking his role as bouncer very seriously.

Ox leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened for a second, then snapped to mine. She licked her lips slowly, seductively, and tilted her head, inviting me to visit her when the meeting was over.

My gaze raked her body, taking in the piercings and tattoos, and her perky tits that were unhampered by a bra. She leaned over, wiping the beer that had spilled on the counter. Either she was fucking good at her job, or she purposely wanted me to look down her top, to see her tits wobble as she wiped up the mess. Her brown nipples were hard. I bet she wasn’t wearing any panties and that her pussy was soaked.

Jesus. This bitch was begging me to fuck her, giving it to me on a silver platter. I'd deal with her later. Now it was time for club business.

I cleared my throat and Ox took her by the arm and led her to the door.

Lexi turned back to look at me. “Hope to see you soon,” she mouthed and blew me a kiss. Fuck, she was hot as hell. I stared at her, still perplexed by where I’d seen her before. Surely if I'd fucked that pussy, I'd remember her?

“Bitch has the hots for you, Ryder,” Ox said after he’d locked the door and came to stand beside me. “She’s primed and ready, waiting to be fucked hard.” He wiggled his eyebrows. I looked down to Ox’s crotch. Sure as hell, he had a boner. Ox really liked that piece of ass. I'd never seen him so taken with a girl before.

Razor slapped me on the back. “Better make this
meeting quick. The bitch is waiting to get fucked, brother. Wouldn’t mind a piece of that ass myself. Let me know if you want help?”

Ox growled at Razor. He didn't like that Razor was interested. Maybe Ox wanted her for himself? Just a few weeks away from the club and already I wasn’t sure what the dynamics were between the boys.

“Brothers,” I said, taking a seat and a long sip of my beer—it hit just the right spot.

A
ll eyes were on me as I informed them that I was going to visit Cobra soon, and explained that it would be a while before he was back at the helm; assuring them that the next time I visited, Cobra and I would’ve worked a plan to get out of the mess the club was currently in. I warned them to be vigilant and to cover one another’s backs. I closed by asking them to support Razor as the leader in our absence.

“Razor, you and I need to talk, then I ne
ed to get back to LA.”