Page 96 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

“Appreciate it, Prez.” Raptor inclined his head. “But at the risk of overstepping, I can’t trust the Dragons to keep the Yu brothers in line. No one wants to start a war, and we respect you doing your best to keep everyone safe—but I’m not the only one who’s been having issues.”

Adrian’s fingers gripped her waist. She leaned into him, her chest tightening at the thought of Jace.

Cortez narrowed his eyes. “What’re you saying? Who’s been having issues with who?”

“It’s not related to the club,” Adrian spoke up. “I had a run-in with Jace—”

“It’s my issue, actually,” Ivory interrupted. She didn’t know how Adrian planned to hide his real motivation, but the best cover-up would be the truth. “Jace hasn’t left me alone since last semester. He used blackmail and assaulted me last week on campus.” Adrian’s arm tensed, and he gave her a concerned glance. “After this, I’m worried he got his brother involved to deal with me.”

“So we got two fuckers that can’t respect women,” Cortez muttered, rubbing his forehead. “I see your issue, but what’s your solution?”

“We take care of this the old-fashioned way,” Raptor said. “Brother to brother, man to man. All we need are the clubs to supervise.”

What did that mean?

Cortez seemed to understand, nodding with a contemplative hum. “I can arrange that. If the Dragons agree.”

“We’ll handle it ourselves. Just want to do it on fair terms,” Adrian added. She gave him a questioning glance, and he pulled her close.

Cortez straightened and clapped his hands. “It’s settled then. Well, you boys seem to have a lot on your mind. Let’s have a drink.”

“Can’t pass up one round.” Raptor rolled his shoulders as if to shake off the tension.

Adrian squeezed her waist. “We can stick around if you want.” Then, in a lower tone, he whispered, “I insist you get something light. I have a promise I intend to keep.”

A shiver ran up her arms as his stubble brushed her jaw, breath warm on her neck. “Okay.” She shot a smile over at Riley, hoping her blush wasn’t visible. “Are you staying, too?”

“Course I am.” Riley returned the smile with a chuckle. “I still have a shift to work as soon as these old ladies quit yapping.”

“Thank the gods for that,” Raptor cut in, a loose smile on his lips that fit him much better than the forced ones from earlier. “Beer always tastes better when it’s poured by my old lady.”

Riley gave him a healthy shove, even though he didn’t budge an inch. Hearty laughter filled the room.

“Call me old again, and I’ll let Trick serve your beer,” Riley snapped.

“That’s if he hasn’t collapsed from managing a Saturday night all by himself,” Cortez replied. “Poor guy probably hates us all by now.”

“Even better,” Riley retorted. “He’ll be more creative that way.”

FORTY-SEVEN

Adrian kept her tucked close as the five moved out of the storage room and back into the throb of music and flashing lights. Perfume and sweat crowded the air, the club packed to the brim.

No one else appeared to know—or care—about what went down earlier, but numerous bikers in black vests lingered near the bar and around the room. She caught hints of the skeletal hand of Royal Flush stitched to their jackets. Several bore indicators of their lifestyle, inky tattoos mingled with scars and gruff, rasping voices.

A collective glance from Adrian, Raptor, and Cortez parted the masses, and they slipped in to stand along the counter. While Adrian leaned over to speak with Raptor, Riley jumped into work mode and helped tackle a line trailing the length of the bar. The other bartender was a thin, ragged man who handed out drinks as he conversed with the others. Their rowdy chatter competed with the music, bits and pieces making their way to her ears.

Ivory let it fade into the background and snuggled into Adrian’s chest, grateful he hadn’t made an effort to join the rest. As much as she wouldn’t mind getting to know them, they’d had enough introductions for one day. She curled into his protective wall of muscle and took shelter in the barricade of his arms.

He turned away from Raptor and pressed a light kiss on her head. Looking up, a wrinkle pushed between her eyebrows as the concern from earlier resurfaced. “Did that go better than you thought? I know what you said, but I’m not sure what it all meant.”

“It went the best it could’ve.” He held her tighter until the whole, hard length of him molded to each curve of her backside. She nuzzled her nose into his neck, and his hair tickled her cheek. “It means I’m going to take care of things,” he said. “So we can both be safe and happy. That’s all I care about now.”

His breath warmed the tip of her ear, and she yearned for another kiss but pulled away instead. In the flickering light, his eyes danced between gold and onyx, the same black knight she fell for months ago. As his gaze met hers, the emptiness he once carried became filled with an emotion so large it threatened to burst between them.

“It means I get a new future,” he whispered, barely audible above the music. Then he covered her mouth with his.

She savored the delicacy of his lips, gentle and slow yet commanding. He encompassed her world and consumed everything else. The tip of his fingers traced wide circles over her hips before sliding up the curve of her waist, smoothing over her ribs. He took the time to caress every one, noting the rise and dip of the individual bones and then appreciating how she melted in his arms.

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