Page 49 of Between the Flames

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Pulling into the parking lot of Andromeda, I looked around at the obscene amount of motorcycles that lined the front rows of the lot, mouth agape as I mentally guesstimated more than fifty total.

“Um, Rosie failed to mention that this was a biker bar…” I trailed off, glancing over at Ryder.

“I don’t think this is a biker bar, but it looks like they’re scouting it, for sure.”

“Scouting it for what?” I questioned, feeling suddenly nervous. Ryder reached over and pulled my hand into his, searching my face.

“Just as a place to hang out, Elle. It’s okay. Do you not want to go in?”

I shook my head. “No, no, it’s fine. I just get nervous in new situations. I can tell this place is going to be a lot different from Reggie’s and the pub, that’s all.” A lump formed in my throat as anxiety threatened to take over. Closing my eyes, I focused on my breathing while I unlatched my seat belt and opened the truck’s door. Meeting Ryder at the back of his truck, he lifted my hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss.

Two bouncers waited outside of the bar; one checking IDs while the other held a clipboard and pen. I fumbled through my purse looking for my ID, an embarrassed smile coating my lips as I mumbled to myself and silently promised to invest in smaller purses in the future. Finding it, my arm jutted out to show the guy that I am, in fact, over the legal drinking age. He said nothing as he stepped aside, allowing us to move toward clipboard guy. Using one burly arm, he pushed the door inward and left just enough room for us to cross the threshold.

Andromedawas absolutely gorgeous. It had a dark and modern vibe, and everything was black with hints of silver playing into the little details. Music played at the perfect decibel: loud enough for the vibe to hit just right, but not so loud that you can’t hear the people you came with. The most impressive thing, however, was the ceiling. No matter where in the building you looked, glittering stars were looking back down at you, twinkling and tempting you with their secrets.

Mesmerized, I could feel my feet moving as Ryder guided me through the building to the bar. He kissed my temple before sliding onto his barstool and waiting for me to do the same.

“What do you want to drink, treasure?” he asked, lifting a hand to wave the bartender over, a smirk pulling at his lips as he used my new nickname. I rolled my eyes at him but couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at the corner of my lips as well.

“Rum and Coke please,” I told the bartender, before returning my attention back to Ryder. My eyes traced his strong jawline, admiring the way the stubble lined his jaw. I reached out to touch it, my thumb caressing over his lips as I did.

He caught my hand and pressed a light kiss into my palm. A soft moan escaped me as a jolt of electricity ran from his lips straight to my center. “If you don’t stop tempting me Elle, I will make good on my suggestion of taking you to my truck to fuck you senseless.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” I teased. “A white knight is always a gentleman.”

“Careful — you never truly got to know me when we were young. I may come off as the white knight, but when it comes to you, I most certainly feel like the villain. You make me wild. Possessive.”

He caught me in a searing kiss, showing me just how possessive I made him feel. When he pulled away, Ryder’s eyes were dark. The effect I had on him made my desire pool, and I knew I was soaked for him. Again. His hand was on my thigh, the contact of his skin on mine making me heady. He leaned his body toward me, whispering in my ear.

“Are you wet for me again, Elle?” He slipped his free hand under my skirt and toyed with the edge of my panties. A shiver ran through my body.

I nodded my head a little too enthusiastically. “Yes.”

“How wet?”

“Soaked,” I said quietly, biting down on my bottom lip. Without warning, he was moving my panties aside and plunging two fingers inside of me, curling upward to hit that delicious spot that no other man had found before. I gasped at the same time as he whispered, “Shhhh.”

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I bit my lower lip to keep myself from moaning.

“Right now, my body is shielding you from everyone in this bar, Elle; no one can see you except for the bartender. How good is your poker face?”

My eyes moved around the bar, the worry creeping in. I couldn’t just let him finger me in the middle of the goddamn bar—but as his thumb began its delicious torture on my clit, I could feel my resolve crumbling. I kept an eye on the bartender while he distributed drinks to customers, praying he would stay at the other end of the bar. I bit down harder on my lip to keep quiet as Ryder continued working me hard and fast beneath my skirt.

“That’s a good girl, Elle. No one has the faintest idea that I’m fucking you with my hand right now, do they?”

I whimpered in response, my body instantly feeling like a flamethrower had doused it, and I could feel the orgasm building quickly within me. My walls clenched around his fingers. My release was near. Ryder curled his fingers once more at the same time as he circled my clit with his thumb, and suddenly my body vibrated with tingles as I teetered on the edge.

“Come for me Elle, do it now,” he whispered, warm breath tickling my ear in the most sensual way. I was pushed over the edge, free falling into the darkness, and I bit down on his shoulder to stop the scream that threatened to tear from my lungs. A chuckle shook from Ryder’s body as he turned to kiss my temple, removing his fingers from inside of me. My legs snapped shut, the reality of what we had just done sinking in.

“You came before our drinks did, my love.” He smirked, licking his fingers clean. I stayed silent, overwhelmed by the array of emotions that currently plagued my body.

A few moments later, the bartender placed our drinks in front of us, and I drank mine down in three big gulps.

* * *

Settingmy empty glass on the damp napkin in front of me, I stifled a yawn, sitting back in my chair, my eyes growing heavy. Ryder’s arm was lazily draped across the back of my barstool as he downed the rest of his bourbon in one go.

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