Page 32 of Ryder

Swinging my leg over so I was kneeling next to her, I whipped off my towel before hastily taking off her clothes.

“No foreplay?” she asked, smiling as she asked the question.

“Not today. Now spread your legs for me. Let me see you.”

She inhaled a ragged breath, desire filling her eyes as she did as she was told. Her arousal was staring me in the face, and I thought she’d never looked so damn delicious. I restrained myself, albeit briefly.

I raked my eyes over her, from her gorgeous face to her toned legs. The woman was perfection, and yet she had no idea. When I couldn’t take one more second of not being inside her, I moved closer and positioned her legs so they draped over my shoulders. And for the next hour, I made her scream my name, over and over again, until her voice finally fell silent.

Lounging flat on my back with my arms tucked behind my head, I turned my head toward her, the hesitancy on her face telling me that she wanted to talk about something. So I did something I would’ve never done before—I encouraged her. “Go ahead. Ask me what you want to.”

She didn’t refute or deny, instead parting her lips and saying, “Tell me about your daughter.” Without thinking, I groaned. I hadn’t meant to, really I didn’t. It was just a reflex. “Ryder, you have to tell me eventually.”

“I know, and I’m fine answering anything you want. Old habits, ya know?” I flashed her a smile before starting. “Zoe is gonna be eleven in a few months.”

“Zoe? That’s a pretty name.”

“It fits her. I didn’t pick it, though. Her mother did.”

“What’s the story there? With the two of you?” Braylen flipped onto her side, and I did the same, running my fingers up and down her arm, then resting my hand on her side, pulling her closer so I could kiss her.

What the hell is happening to me?

“Rose and I met in high school, believe it or not. We weren’t high school sweethearts or anything like that, but we did date on and off. Well, when I say date, I mean. . . .”

“Yeah, I get it.” She shook her head and smiled, placing her hand on my chest and drawing circles. I didn’t even think she knew she was doing it, but the motion soothed me. And I certainly needed it after what I’d recently dealt with.

“Anyway, we hooked up again a few years later and decided to give it a go. Thing was, she got pregnant a month into the relationship, and even though I didn’t see it working out in the long run, I stuck with her. You know, for Zoe. But it crumbled, just like I thought it would. She left and moved to Illinois. She had family there still.”

Braylen rose up on her forearm. “She took Zoe with her? Didn’t you have a problem with that?”

“Yes and no. While I missed my daughter, I knew it was for the best. Our club wasn’t the safest then, so I was okay with them both being away from me. After they moved, I went to see Zoe twice a year or so, calling her often.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.” There was a brief silence before she spoke again. “Do you get along with Rose?”

“Yeah, for the most part.” I rolled her on her back and pinned her to the mattress. “Are you done with your questions?”

“For now.” She laughed, wriggling beneath me to try and escape, but the only thing she was doing was sealing her fate.

For the next half hour, at least.

Ryder

Braylen looked so peaceful while she slept, her hair fanned out on the pillow, lips slightly parted. She’d been staying at my place, taking the bed while I slept on the couch. We’d argued about the separation, but I couldn’t take the risk of attacking her again while I slept.

Sure, I’d let her in, more than I ever had for anyone else, but I still had walls thrown up. And for them to start to crumble, I had to put the final piece of my past to rest before I could move forward.

Clutching a piece of paper in my hand, I quietly exited my bedroom, gently closing the door behind me so as not to wake her. I’d left her a note telling her I had club business to take care of and that I wouldn’t be back until the following day. I’d also told her that Hawke would be stopping by to follow her to and from work, and for her to not try and ditch him because I’d be royally pissed off. I could picture her rolling her eyes and mumbling to herself after she’d read it, and the image made me smile.

I knew damn well if I’d told Braylen in person that I had to leave, she would’ve seen the look of indecision on my face and known I was lying. She would’ve questioned me until I’d either revealed the truth, something I wanted to shield her from, or we would’ve started to argue. And that was the last thing I needed to deal with, especially since we were in a pretty good place. We’d finally turned a corner.

It’d taken me a while to get there, of course. I’d been a dick and had made her believe that she meant nothing more to me than someone to just hang out with, a chick I hooked up with when the mood struck me. She had every right to pull away, and at the time I even welcomed the distance; it meant she was less likely to be pulled into my club’s shit. But then I’d been proved wrong.

When that fuckin’ bastard paid her a visit, I knew the only way she would be safe would be if she was by my side. Once and for all. But in order for her to forgive me, I knew I needed to finally let her in. Tell her things about my past I’d kept secret from even my brothers. It was difficult but necessary. In my gut, I knew Braylen was the woman for me; I just had to get out of my own goddamn way and see her for the blessing she was.

Straddling my bike, I kicked over the engine and took off down the long and narrow dirt road, heading toward the highway. I welcomed the solace of the early California breeze, allowing my thoughts to drift from the woman I’d left sleeping in my bed, to the threat against my club, to what I was about to do. My mind fired off in all three directions, flitting back and forth and driving me crazy.

Being on the open road was normally therapeutic. The freedom it provided usually helped to sooth my anxiousness—put everything back into perspective. But this trip wasn’t like any other.

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