The Beginning—A Duet: Ryder & Two Worlds Colliding (2 page)

“Uncle Eric,” she whined, her striking blue eyes wide, “You can't be serious. That house is part owned by Daddy and he won't like it if you don’t go through the right procedures. How many times has he said he doesn’t have time for dirty business? There’s more than enough good business around for everyone to make an honest living.”

“Why, girlie. My money ain’t good enough? Last time I checked a dollar was worth something.” I sneered. This was becoming tedious and I just wanted to get the keys to the house and get out of here. I
hated
spoiled brats who thought they were daddy’s little fucking princess. Self-righteous bitches, like
her
, annoyed the shit out of me and this one was getting first prize for her efforts.

She wrinkled her pretty little nose as if she smelled shit. “It's how you earn the money. Yours is most likely dirty money. Blood money. Daddy would never agree to that.”

“So, daddy’s little princess. What the hell do you, or your daddy, know about where this money comes from? You always judge someone without knowing the full story? This cash is legit. Take my word for it.”

“Your word? I don’t know the first thing about you. How can I take
your
word?”

Smart. She had a point. But screw that—I wasn’t filling in those fucking forms.

“Because I said so. Innocent till proven guilty. Even the law gives me more credit than you do.”

“Yeah, I'm beginning to think you can't read or write, that’s why you refuse to fill in the forms. If the money is legitimate, you shouldn’t have a problem with a bit of paperwork.”

That stung. But she couldn’t even begin to understand why I had such a strong aversion to paperwork. She would never understand
my world
.

Uncle Eric had picked up a wad of cash and was running it through his fingers. The expression on his face was close to that of someone about to come in his pants. He grinned like an idiot. “Well, I own the other half, Jade. And I'm saying yes. Cash is king.”

I lifted a brow and smirked. “Listen to Uncle Eric.”

She didn’t.
My head was hurting from her whining.

“How do you know if the money isn’t counterfeit or laundered? Nobody walks around with that amount of cash in a backpack. Uncle Eric, don’t let him blind you with money.”

The old man pondered her words for a moment and nodded. “OK. Point taken. Subject to checking out that the money is real—and I have counted every one of these Franklins—we have a deal. Step into my office so we can do that.”

With a wide sweep, I shoved the money back into the bag and turned to follow the old man.

Jade rolled her eyes and pouted her full lips. “God, men are stupid. No wonder the world is in such a damn mess.” She followed us into her uncle’s office. “Uncle Eric, if you insist on doing this crazy deal, then I am going to insist on bi-weekly inspections. To protect daddy’s interests. Who knows what the hell is going to happen in that house? It will probably be trashed by wild parties and—.”

“There you go shooting off that pretty mouth of yours again. Judging me. I told you that you don’t know the story.” She was acting like a spoiled brat. There was only one remedy for that—I was itching to pull her over my knee and spank the shit out of her.

My eyes narrowed as I studied her. Her arms folded across her tits. Did she realise she was squeezing them together and that her cleavage was making my cock jerk? Was she doing it on fucking purpose? I bet she was.

She cocked her head. “Well, enlighten me then. Tell me it's not going to be a nest for crack whores and orgies. For drugs, drinking and...other unsavory pastimes.”

Uncle Eric was so busy counting the cash, he hardly took notice of our standoff.

“None of the above.” I sneered. “Quit jumping to incorrect conclusions. You have the fucking cash. Triple the normal security deposit. What’s it to you what happens at the house?”

She poked a well-manicured finger into my chest, prodding a few times. “Well just so you understand—I will be the one making those inspections. If there is any damage to the property, I will kick your sorry ass out of there so fast, it will make your head spin.”

I held my hands up in mock surrender. “Jesus, Princess. The looks of an angel and the tongue of the devil.” I glanced at her ring finger and saw it was without a ring. “No wonder no man wants you. You would probably bite his head off before he—”

She slapped me. Hard. I grabbed her wrist and glared into those big fucking eyes. My cheek stung, but it was nothing like the anger burning in my chest. No bitch had ever slapped me and gotten away with it.

“Who’s judging now?” She spat out. “You know nothing about my life.”

Uncle Eric butted in. “Hey kids, play nice.” His grin was splitting his face. “I think we have a deal here, Mr.—” He held out a sweaty hand, which I ignored.

“Ryder. Ryder Knox. Tell your niece to fucking back off... or the deal is off. I can find another house where I'm not policed by an uptight bitch.” I was lying, but they didn’t need to know just how fucking desperate I was for this particular house. If they did, I wouldn’t have any leverage at all.

“Big bad man is scared of little ole me.” She laughed in my face. My head jerked up and I drew in a breath when I looked into her eyes. She was turned on. Only she probably didn’t even know it. I saw the challenge in her eyes.

An inner battle raged inside me. Right now I didn’t have time for this shit. I had more pressing matters to take care of.

Life and death matters
.

But I was distracted. Jade smelled good and her skin was soft and smooth. I’d love to make her squirm under me. Make her swallow her words—and my cum. Spank the living shit out of her to teach her a lesson.

I shook my head. What the fuck was wrong with me? I was here to do business. Not think of screwing the blond with the big tits and even bigger mouth and attitude. Not good.

Focus. Think with the big head.

T
he rumble of the Harley sounded completely out of place in the quiet neighborhood. I stood in front of the door, tapping my foot, my impatience at getting this over with, making me on edge.

Renting this house to a biker was a mistake. I knew Uncle Eric would admit to it later, and regret his decision, when the lovely garden was destroyed and the house trashed. Yet, I was only an employee, doing my job to the best of my ability.

Unease settled in my gut as I watched Ryder take the helmet off his head and hang it over the handlebars, running his fingers through his thick, dark hair. I took the moment to stare at him openly. Biceps bulged under his T-shirt and he appeared more relaxed than the day before.

I had to admit, reluctantly and against my better judgement, that he cut a fine figure sitting on his bike, as if he melded into it, completely in tune with the metal beast.

Man and machine were hot as hell.

But... definitely not my style. Still, I was mature enough to admit when something was beautiful, even if not to my tastes.
Each to their own.

Yet I kept staring, my mind a whirl. I moved in all the right social circles, met plenty of new people—and men—all the time. It was just a matter of time till I met Mr. Right. The man who ticked all my boxes and would provide my happily ever after. I narrowed my eyes against the sharp afternoon sun, a faint unfamiliar flutter in my stomach. There was something about this man that challenged all my senses. But why?
Why him?
I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

His raw edginess was sensual on a level I wasn’t accustomed to. He definitely had the whole bad boy thing going on. He was gruff and stern, his stubbled jaw permanently clenched, his dark brows knitted ominously into a frown. Sexual power rolled off him in waves, causing my mouth to go dry as I sensed his primal animal magnetism.

No doubt women flocked to him, some even believing they’d be the one to finally tame the badass biker and make him their man. Luckily I had no intentions of ever going there. I’d leave him to the rest of the female population to tame.
Good luck to them
. This one wasn’t going to be easy.

He looked up, his unfathomable eyes locking on mine. A lazy smile spread across his face and he slowly and very deliberately raked his gaze up and down my body. I tugged at my skirt, then rested my arms across my chest in a protective fashion against those eyes that were practically undressing me.

He swung a long muscled leg over the bike and made his way up the path, his eyes trained on mine, apparently oblivious to the roses lining the path and the freshly mowed lawn. I fidgeted with the clipboard that I clasped tightly to my chest, distressed that my heart was beating so furiously at the sight of him striding toward me, with a cocky grin plastered on his face.

Yes, Ryder Knox was sex on legs.

“Hello, Princess,” he drawled, his eyes piercing mine, “we meet again.”

“Ugh,” I replied. Very eloquent, considering I’d just written my final exams and was practically a qualified lawyer; I’d soon be making my living out of my gift to articulate at daddy’s firm. Go figure.

Pull yourself together Jade, don’t let him get to you.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“Listen, Ryder. Since you won’t fill out any forms, I’m going through every room with you, one by one. We’ll agree on the condition of everything on my checklist, which I’ll require you to sign. That way we have an undisputable record in case anything goes wrong. That along with photographs I’ve already taken, so that there’s no arguing or any bullshit afterwards. Your deposit will be used to fix any damages to the property and the appliances and fixtures. Understood?” My voice was curt and what I hoped he would perceive as
don’t-mess-with-me
.

His nostrils flared and his brow knitted. Good. He understood my message. I flashed him my tight lipped professional smile.

His lips curled into a snarl. “Stop being so uptight. I’m not going to trash the goddamn place. Just so we are clear, I want every cent of my deposit back when I leave.”

“Hmmpf,” I snorted, quite unladylike. “That will be a miracle.”

His eyebrow raised in warning. “You don’t know me. Are you always so fucking quick to judge other people?”

“I’m a pretty good judge of character. I haven’t been wrong before,” I smirked, my heels clacking on the polished hardwood floors as I made my way to the newly installed chef’s kitchen. I stood by the stainless steel oven and turned to him.

Angry eyes glared at me, creasing at the corners as he narrowed them. “You’re a kid. What do you know about life? Real life ain’t no fucking picnic, Princess. Not everyone lives a goddamn fairy tale. It’s time you grew the fuck up.” He gripped my shoulders and squeezed, his thumbs pressing hard into my skin—I was sure I’d have bruises the next day.

My gaze burned into him. “F.Y.I., I’m twenty-three next month. That makes me an adult.” I poked a finger into his chest. “Just because you’re acting as if you’re over the hill, doesn’t make me a damn kid.”

He threw his head back and let out a deep guttural laugh from within his belly. “I’m not even ten years older than you, sweetheart. I guess compared to your life experience I
am
an old man. But I still have a fucking lot of living left in me.” His thumbs caressed my shoulders in large circular motions, relieving the pain he’d inflicted just moments ago. A shiver ran down my spine. Abruptly, I shrugged out of his grip and stepped backward so he was no longer touching me. I needed the distance between us to think clearly.

I turned to the state of the art kitchen units and mustered my most professional voice. “These units and appliances are newly installed. Pity you will be eating mostly take-away food.”

“Fuck, there’s that smart mouth of yours again. I’m going to have to find a way to fucking shut it up. It’s really pissing me off.” His gaze lingered on my mouth as he rubbed over his own lips with his index finger, deep in contemplation.

Bristling, I pulled my shoulders back and straightened up so that I stood taller. Even in my heels, I was at least a foot shorter than him.

I stormed off into the rest of the house. Right now I wanted to be anywhere but here. We went through each room, one by one. Mostly we agreed on the condition of each room and I could just tick the boxes on my list. Thank God, it was nearly over and I could get out of here.

Why the hell had I insisted on doing these freaking inspections? And what’s more, why had I insisted on conducting them myself?

Smart, Jade, real smart.

Angry at myself and lost in my thoughts, I marched into the main bedroom.

“Ah, the best room in the house,” he chuckled behind me.

Annoyed by his comment, I spun around on my heels and came up against a hard chest. I drew in a sharp breath; his manly smell filled my nostrils. I hadn’t expected him to follow
that
closely. Amusement lightened his eyes as he grinned down at me.

He sauntered over to the king sized bed that dominated the room and tested the mattress. “Hmm, feels nice and firm. Not that I’ll be sleeping in it much,” he said cryptically.

He lay down on the bed, his head leaning up against the headboard, and patted the space beside him. “Want to join me so that we can see if we agree on the condition of the bed? The springs and responsiveness of the mattress?”

Turning on my heels, I smirked and marched out.

“Not in a million years,” I replied over my shoulder.

Cocky asshole.

T
his was the twenty first century. I wasn’t having some pigheaded alpha male—especially cavemen, like Ryder Knox—ordering me around. To be at his beck and call. To serve him as my master.
Hell no.
I was a modern woman. I had equal rights—same as any goddamn man.

Submission was
not
for me.

I was smart and I knew it. Not only because I’d finished school in the top one percent of the national scores. Not because I’d earned my law degree cum laude. No. Simply because my mom told me so—every day, since I’d been a little girl.