Page 10 of Ryder

She narrows her eyes. “Why?” she asks. “I mean, look at him.” And to my horror, she points at him.

I slap her hand back down to her side. “Why are you pointing,” I cry, glaring at her like she’s lost her mind. “He’s going to think I made you invite them here. He’ll think I’m some kind of stalker.”

“Jeez, relax would yah,” she says. “If you’re not interested, just stay away from him.”

I give a slight nod. “Yeah, you’re right. I can just avoid him.”

“Besides, Liss has you covered,” she adds and I follow her line of sight back to the table where Liss is laughing hard at something Ryder is saying to her. There’s a small lift of his lip too which annoys me. He never smiles at me. Liss leans closers and whispers in his ear. I roll my eyes in irritation. She never changes.

Ryder

Liss tucks her hair behind her ear in a polished move. She laughs at my comment, despite it not being funny. I smirk. She’s like a female version of myself and I’m okay with that, it means a night of fun. Her hair is a dark brown and piled into some kind of messy bun on her head, it suits her. Her makeup’s heavy, which makes her brown eyes look almost black. And she’s sexy and sultry, the sort of girl I go for. She also knows what she’s doing. Her tactics for reeling in the opposite sex are polished and refined. She asks all the right questions to make her seem like she’s interested in me, without prying too much.

I’ve had years of practise at assessing people in prison, and I notice the way she keeps flicking her eyes over to Neve. Liss is jealous of her. Without a shadow of a doubt, she wants what Neve has. “Maybe you could take me for a ride sometime, I’ve never been on a motorbike before,” she gushes with enthusiasm, bringing me back to the conversation.

“Sorry darlin’ I don’t put a lady on the back of my bike unless she belongs to me,” I reply. I glance at Neve, she’s staring down at her drink looking lost in thought. I can’t deny my attraction to her is strong. She’s not the sort I’d ever go for, although she’s naturally beautiful, she’s not full of lip filler or plastered in makeup and I like it. I like her.

“So, what would a girl need to do to belong to you?” asks Liss, flirtatiously.

“That’s top secret, I’d have to have known you a lot longer than five minutes to disclose that,” I reply with a wink.

Neve stands abruptly, “I need to dance,” she announces to the table, even though everyone is in separate conversations and no one acknowledges her.

I smirk and as she goes to leave, I reach for her, taking her wrist gently and halting her. “Have I done somethin’ to upset you?”

“I’m just trying not to offend you with my lack of respect again,” she says, coldly.

I can’t help but smile at her constant attitude. “You keep baiting me, you shouldn’t.” It’s a veiled warning cos’ I pray to the good Lord above she keeps up with her sassy mouth and bad attitude, fuck it turns me on.

“Whatever you say, Ryder,” she mutters, pulling free and walking away.

Liss leans closer, placing her hand on my chest and smiling. “So where were we,” she asks, and when I open my mouth to reply, she presses her red lips onto mine, flicking her tongue into my mouth in a bold move. Yep, she’s definitely jealous of Neve.

Chapter Six

Neve

I glance over from my spot on the dancefloor to where Liss and Ryder are locked in a hungry kiss. I push down the feelings of jealousy, I have no right. And yeah, maybe sleeping with him twice should count for something in the girl code, but I doubt Liss gives a shit.

“Wow she didn’t waste any time,” Mya says as she joins me.

I shrug like I don’t care. “She loves a bad boy.”

“It’s like school all over again. What was the guy you really liked and she just jumped right in there?” she asks, tapping her chin in thought.

“Dean,” I reply, laughing, “And she didn’t steal him, I let him go. Besides, Ryder’s a free agent, it was just sex between us.”

“At least he helped to break your dry spell,” Mya adds.

I nod. “Always a Brightside.”

A slow song comes on and Griff appears behind Mya, pulling her to him so she turns in his arms and hooks them around his neck. I notice some of the other bikers also joining the dancefloor with my friends so I head back to the table, feeling like a spare part. My step falters when I see Ryder is now alone. I consider passing him and heading for the bathroom but I don’t want him to think I’m avoiding him because of his face-eating with Liss, so I take my seat and stare out at the dancefloor.

“No one to dance with?” he asks with a smirk.

“Not following Liss to the toilet for a quickie?” I retaliate, instantly regretting it because now he knows I’m bothered.

“We both know that I don’t do quickies,” he says, swirling his ice around in his tumbler of whiskey. “Where’s your kid tonight?”

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