Page 9 of Devoted Love: A BWWM Romance

“Without my black attire…”

“No.” He stares into my eyes. “With your beautiful hair covered up. How did you do it?”

My heart skips.

“It’s…” I take a deep breath to keep from stuttering over my words. “It’s…magic.”

“Magic?” I nod as he twists the pink hair between his fingers.

“Ryker!”

His smile takes on an unpleasant twist before glancing over his shoulder. A woman with auburn hair and possessive brown eyes waits for his response. I move to release his hold on me. His eyes sweep back to me.

“I didn’t…” I exhale in frustration. He’s with a date. “You’re not alone.”

“She’s my assistant.” A twinge of impatience lingers in his voice.

"That's a new one." I wipe black lipstick from his tan skin before peeling his arms from around my waist. I turn, trying to remember the tune to make it back across the room.

Toe-heel… I stumble, and Ryker catches me before I hit the floor. He's trying to fix my skirt, and his hand brushes my bare skin, causing me to tumble the rest of the way to the ground.

“Don’t touch me.” I smack his hand away.

“Where are your panties?”

"Where is your girlfriend? I mean, …assistant.” I yank off the damn heels and look for a way of escape.

“Jordan.”

I roll over, ignoring him and pop to my feet, careful not to flash the people around me. I trip forward, stumbling farther into the crowd.

“Jordan.”

I glance over my shoulder, and he's moving faster, causing people to clear a path. The guy from earlier is in view, and he notices me heading in his direction.

“Ready?” I grab his arm.

“What about your man?” He points to the tower of a man two steps away.

Ryker stops. His face is red, and his piercing gaze is deadly. My substitute dance partner takes a single glance at Ryker and leaves me alone, sort of, with Ryker.

The people around us magically disappear. He takes several steps forward, and I take several steps back. His arms grip the edge of the bar on either side of my body.

I can’t look at him as his chest rises and falls rapidly.

"Jordan, honey, are you okay?” It’s Harper. I can’t see her around this towering presence.

His mouth drops to my ear. “There’s no reason to run from me.”

"Yes…" I swallow. "I'm fine, Harper."

“Liam and I are here.”

I smile, turning toward her voice only to find Ryker's lips.

“I’ll be back to get you in twenty minutes.”

Goosebumps cover my skin. The possessive tone in his voice challenges my will to fight.

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