Page 6 of Ryder

“Starting with me?” I ask, wondering if that was the reason Ryder slept with me last night. All the pieces begin slotting into place.

Griff gives me a blank stare, clearly not understanding me. “Look, we’re having a cookout at the clubhouse this evening. Kids welcome. Just a fun get together, why don’t you and Mya come, bring Harlee, she’ll love it.”

“Yeah we’ll be there,” I answer, without hesitation. I’ll get answers from the man himself because I need to make it clear he’s not using me in his game against my ex.

Chapter Four

Ryder

I’m tired, since getting home yesterday afternoon, I’ve been on the go and I’m regretting it. And now my brothers have decided to throw me a welcome home party. I pop a couple of caffeine tablets and swallow those down with a can of energy drink. After five years inside I have a lot of partying to do and a lot of debts to settle, I can’t do that if I’m sleeping.

I shower quickly and pull on a fresh white t-shirt and some clean jeans. I’m grateful that Griff had sent one of the old ladies to get me some new clothes. None of my old stuff fits. When I first went inside, I didn’t bother with weights or the gym, but being in prison changed me. With nothing better to pass the time, I worked on myself. I sorted out my diet and hit the gym hard. Five years on, I look more like the hulk and I’m proud of my hard work.

I head straight for the club bar, if there’s one thing I missed, it’s a good whiskey. The guys inside had alcohol brought in, but it wasn’t the same as sitting with my brother’s and drinking it from a glass instead of a mug. Bear grins at me from behind the bar. He places my favourite bottle and glass at my usual spot on the bar. I take it, thanking him with a fist bump, and then I head outside to where Griff has set up inflatables for the kids and seating areas for the adults. Smokey is on the grill cooking steaks and laughing with my brother. As I approach, Griff grins, “Brother, we were just talking about Mya,” he smirks. The short haired beauty had been hanging around my brother all night and trying her best to get in his bed. But it wasn’t Mya currently taking up space in my head. It was her gorgeous friend. The brunette with the long hair and a bright smile. Her green eyes and her perfect figure had my blood racing. And when I think about the way she tasted, I shudder.

“Oh yeah, what about her?” I ask, sipping my whisky.

“I invited her, but Bear reckons she won’t turn up,” says Griff.

“Why’d you invite her?” I ask, wondering if she’ll bring her friend. They both look past me, leaving my question unanswered and when I turn to see what’s caught their attention, I’m faced with the hot woman I’ve been thinking about since being inside of her less than twelve hours ago. My heart beats a little faster and I laugh at myself getting giddy like a fucking schoolboy. I put it down to the fact she was my first since going inside.

As she marches over, with her friend in tow, she fixes me with a glare and puts her hands on her hips. “Did you use me last night?” she demands to know.

I’m taken back and I hear my brothers sniggering, enjoying the fact I’m being called out by a woman in my own club. I frown. “That’s the point of a one-night stand, darlin’.”

“I mean, did you fucking use me to get back at Finn?” she says, her voice slightly raised. I only know one Finn and I’m pretty sure we’re not talking about the same guy. “Because Griff said you wanted pay back, was I the payback?”

“Are we talking about Finnegan Lawrence?” I ask, praying to god she isn’t.

“Yes,” she snaps impatiently, “Did you fuck me to get at my husband?”

My world tilts for a second, her words hitting me hard. I’ve unknowingly fucked Finnegan’s wife. A smile forms on my lips, and before I can explain anything, she slaps me hard across the face. All kinds of emotions run through me as the pain stings my cheek. It’s been a while since I’ve been hit in the face by a woman, I’d forgotten what that burn felt like, and an even longer while since I’ve killed someone for disrespecting me, mainly because people don’t disrespect me, ever.

Griff comes between us. “Fuck Siren, what the hell was that?”

I move Griff out of the way and step closer, using my size to intimidate her. I force her to back up until she hits the wall. “Do you know what I normally do to people that disrespect me in front of my brothers?” I growl, close to her ear.

She shakes her head and I see fear in her eyes. I get the sudden urge to fuck her against this wall and be damned if everyone can see, but a little voice catches my attention.

“Mummy are you okay?” I look down at a small girl with long brown hair, a slight curl in the ends, her green eyes looking between Neve and me.

I step back and Neve swoops the little girl up into her arms and carries her away, without a backwards glance. Griff approaches me smirking, “Jesus what was that?” he asks, “You fucked her last night?”

“She had something to prove, and I had some time to make up for,” muttered Ryder, “She thinks you’re an arse by the way,” I add.

“Well I am, you’re the bigger arse though, but she’ll find that out herself,” says Griff, patting me on the back. “I was gonna tell you about Finn by the way, looks like she beat me to it.”

“Yeah, thanks for the heads up.”

He laughs. “I was giving you a few days to settle in before we talked about that piece of shit.”

He’s right, even the name brings dark thoughts to my head.

I sit on a large boulder staring hard into the flickering orange flames of the fire pit. Neve is across from me talking to Griff. Her daughter is in her arms, draped around her like a baby monkey, and Mya is by her side.

It annoys the hell out of me that Neve was married to that arse. How can someone like her have fallen for an evil, twisted shit bag like him?

I stand, making my way over to the group. Griff smiles, fist bumping me. “Things good Pres?” he asks, I nod then turn to Neve.

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