The Beginning—A Duet: Ryder & Two Worlds Colliding (32 page)

“Cocky, arrogant, demanding . . . hmmm . . . Let me count the ways I love thee . . .”

He laughed, a goodhearted laugh from deep within his belly. Planting a kiss on my forehead, he sighed. “Shakespeare had nothing on us. But since I’m not a dumbass biker, and you’re quoting him . . . let me tell you something.” He paused for dramatic effect, smiling at me in such a way it had my insides a-flutter. He stared directly into my eyes. “You’re my fucking Juliet. I’ll die for you, baby.”

It wasn’t exactly how I'd ever imagined having a classic quoted to me, but from Ryder’s mouth it was perfect—the most romantic thing a man had ever said to me.

Just fucking perfect.

I
'd never said those three words Jade needed to hear to a woman; and fuck me, they just wouldn’t come to my lips. My heart exploded with love, with joy and happiness. Yet saying those simple three words was torture. It was the biggest fucking deal in my whole life.

Finally, I did have a name for the way I felt about Jade.
Love.
It was that simple, and that complex. It completely consumed me. Overwhelmed me. Brought me to my fucking knees.

There was a better way to let her know just how much I loved her. Instead of telling her, I wanted to show her. Yeah.

Cupping her face with my hand, I dipped my head and kissed her—gently, slowly, deeply—putting every ounce of my love into that one single kiss. She softened against me, kissing me back with everything she had. Yeah, we were on the same page, alright.

It’d been so long since I'd felt her skin against mine that I was yearning to make love to her. Yeah, not just fuck her, but really make love. There was a difference; before I’d only ever fucked, but tonight I wanted to show her my love.

I kissed along her jaw, nibbling and tasting her skin till I got to her ear. I sucked a lobe into my mouth, and tugged gently. Although I was burning to get inside her, I was going to take this really slow, enjoying and worshiping everything that was Jade. She moaned softly, and I knew that the skin beneath her ear was super sensitive, so I kissed and licked that area too.

Pushing her dress down her shoulders, I growled as I took in the missing buttons on the top. Damn cowboy. How fucking dare he?

I rid her of her dress and sucked in a breath when I saw her lying there in her underwear only. God, she was so beautiful, her soft skin begging for my touch. And I would touch her—worship every inch of her skin—all night long.

Scooting off the bed, I sauntered into the bathroom. Yeah, just as I’d thought: a bath the size of a mini swimming-pool, with jets and sprays, dominated the spacious room. I ran the bath while lighting all of the fifty candles surrounding the bath. My princess deserved the best. I was going to make sure she got it.

Peering into the refrigerator, I grinned. Cowboy had stocked up on enough champagne to fill the fucking bath. Luckily we’d prefer to drink it, so I grabbed two iced flutes and the ice bucket and took it to the bathroom, filling the glasses to the brim. I slipped out of my clothing and went to get my girl.

“Hello, Big Boy.” She laughed softly as she took in my cock, hard and ready for her. She lifted her hips as I pulled down her panties, and then reached back to unclip her bra, slipping it off her arms and baring her breasts to me. I stared with a salacious grin. My cock jerked in appreciation, making her laugh.

She twisted her long blond hair and knotted it on top of her head. She looked sexy as fuck with tendrils floating around her face—so feminine and beautiful it made my heart ache with love.

I lifted her off the bed and carried her to the bathroom. Her lips were dewy in the soft candlelight, inviting me to suck on them. She pressed her tits into my chest, her hard nipples grazing my skin as she did so. I set her down in the bath and followed eagerly. Sitting behind her, I pulled her to my chest as I fondled both breasts, kissing her neck.
Ahh, heaven.

“A toast,” she said as she handed me a glass. Fuck, my boys would laugh their heads off if they could see me now, in a fancy king-sized bath, candles fucking everywhere, drinking none other than girly bubbly liquid
and enjoying every fucking moment
. I was beginning to understand why Max took so much pleasure in the high life, and was trying to lure me to join him. It was addictive.

Or was it because of Jade that it was so pleasurable?

Jade turned in the bath to face me. We clinked our glasses, both smiling as we gazed into one another’s eyes.

“To happiness,” I said, meaning every word. She echoed my words, smiling.

Watching Jade take a sip, my heart squeezed in my chest at how adorable she was when she wrinkled her nose as the bubbles tickled her nostrils. Fuck. I'd never get enough of just
looking
at her. My cock was dying to get inside her, but it wasn’t time yet.

“So,” she drawled, raising a perfect eyebrow at me. “How are we going to handle this? Because I’ve racked my brain, and haven’t found a solution yet on how to convince Harrison that you’re OK for me to be with. And Cobra; how will he take it if you hook up with me?”

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t fucking know, baby. But all that matters is that we are together, yeah? I don’t want to go another day without you. I’ll talk to Cobra about making you my old lady.”

The way her eyes widened and she nearly choked on her champagne, would’ve had me laughing if it wasn’t such a serious matter. For more than a thousand miles on my bike, I’d thought of nothing else other than how we’d handle this. I’d mulled over every idea that came up around and around in my head. I might be able to convince Cobra; I'd known him for the best part of my life. He was my brother, for fuck’s sake. Surely he wanted me to be happy, didn't he? He’d always told me how the love of a woman was the best thing any man could experience. Would he really deny me that? Even if the woman was Jade? Fuck, I’d have my work cut out, Cobra was determined to put the club first. I'd have to play on our brotherhood and hope it didn't backfire on me.

As for the angry, aggressive fucking cop? I had no fucking idea how to handle him. Yet I couldn’t let him be the reason Jade and I split apart. Not now, not after all the fucking shit we’d been through. There simply had to be a way around this. I’d keep on looking for a solution, no matter how hard it was, or how long it took. Because I wanted a life with Jade. No holds barred. Without restrictions or rules.

“W . . . what?” she stammered. “Y . . . your o . . . old lady?”

“You heard me, Princess. I want your sexy ass on the back of my bike. I want to marry you. Have a shitload of babies with you.” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You have a problem with that?”

She shook her head, biting her bottom lip as she peered at me from under her lashes. I lifted her face to mine and saw that her chin was quivering, tears rimming her big blue eyes. Fuck, I wanted to make her happy, not make her cry.

“Baby,” I breathed, upset that she was sad “what’s wrong?” My heart was squeezing so much it felt like it would collapse in my chest. Was what I’d said so wrong that I made her cry? Fuck.

She shook her head. “No. No problem,” she said, smiling through her tears.
What the fuck did that mean?
I’d never seen a woman behave like this. It was messing with my head.

“So why the tears, baby?” I rubbed my thumb over her trembling lips.

“Because you’ve just made me the happiest woman in the world.” She blinked through the tears, her smile nearly arresting my heart.

“You’re
happy
?” I was fucking gob smacked.
Women
.

“Uh-huh,” she nodded, “never been happier.”

I kissed the tears on her cheeks, sucking them up.

“Oh yeah?” I grinned, fucking overjoyed by her response. We were finally getting somewhere.

She refilled our glasses, and I watched as she sipped her champagne. One glass was enough for me; I’d rather have a beer or scotch. Old habits die hard. But I could see that she was enjoying it, and that was enough for me. Instead, I took hold of her foot and massaged the soles, first the one, then the other. It seemed to work like magic, because she moaned softly, and her eyes went all soft and dewy.

“Listen, I think I know how to handle this. I know you have an apartment because Mia told me. No doubt Harrison will be on the lookout, so I won't be able to come there.” I watched her face to see if she was following my train of thought. “I have access to this place in Malibu. It belongs to Max’s company, and he asked me to move in years ago, but I had no need for a place then. Now I do. I’ll speak to Max, and find out if his offer still stands.”

“Assuming it does, what then?” she asked softly.

“If it does, I’ll arrange to move in. Then you can come there in the evenings after work and over weekends.” The way she bit into her lip meant she wasn’t sure this would work. It was risky, but fuck, I needed to see her every day.

“Ryder, I'm not sure it’s practical. What if Harrison follows me? And Cobra will be mad too because you’ll put yourself at risk.”

Shit. My girl was smart. Still I needed to convince her, otherwise I was fucked. “It will be tricky, I know, but we’ll have to take our chances until we can work out how to handle our families. For now, it’s the best solution. At least we can be together, and the place Max has ain't too shabby; you’ll like it. Even has its own beach access, which makes it really private. Max installed extra security, so it’s the best place for us to be together right now.”

“It sounds so cloak and dagger. So dangerous. Why can't this just be simple?” She sounded exasperated. I understood exactly how she was feeling.

“Because nothing worth having ever comes cheaply. Or without fighting for. And make no mistake—I’m going to fight for this. I’m a tenacious bastard.” I chuckled.

Princess had no idea what lengths I’d go to for her.

I
really wanted to believe that everything Ryder was saying was true. It would be my dream come true—to see him every day, and just be together, getting to know one another even better. But there was so much more than just the two of us involved in this.

“Do you really think that we’re meant to be together? The Princess and the Biker? Or is it just a passing fantasy? Do we attract one another because we are so different, and seem exciting to one another? What if the magic wears off when the struggle becomes too hard, and you want to give up the fight? What then, Ryder?”

He sighed. “Baby, don’t you understand. Now that we’ve come this far, there’s no turning back. I know what I want.
You
. That’s never going to change. Get that into your pretty little head.”

I drank more champagne. I could see that Ryder was perfectly serious. He’d thought this through, and made up his mind.

My heart knew what it wanted: Ryder. But my head was way too practical to think that this would go smoothly, without a hitch. The odds against us were practically insurmountable.

Would our love be strong enough to take us through hell just so we could be together? Only time would tell. If Ryder was willing to fight for us, then so was I. It was time to stand together as a couple, and face our challenges head on.

“I get it. Really, I do. Because I feel the same way.”

The smile that split his face was reward enough. Yes. I'd made the right choice.

“I’ve wanted you from the first day I met you. But I’ll admit that at first, it was pure lust. Your perky tits, your round ass, and your smart mouth. . . Fuck, I wanted it all.” He kissed down my neck until he reached my breasts. He cupped both in his large callous hands, and sucked a nipple into his mouth. It sent a shockwave straight to my core. I pushed forward, unashamedly, wanting him to take more of me between his lips. His stubble scraped over my flesh as he moved his mouth from one breast to the other, rolling the nipple between his thumbs until I squealed in delight.

Both hands gripping my ass, he pulled me closer, so that his erection was sandwiched between us. “See what you do to me, my beautiful baby?” he asked, his pupils already dilated.

I fisted his length, stroking up and down while I squeezed his balls. His eyes rolled back in his head. “Jesus, Princess. Be gentle. My balls want to explode.”

I chuckled softly as I raised my hips from the water and sank down again, taking him inside me. I’d been dying to have him there and now I knew how much he wanted me, I also knew we would be OK. It wouldn’t be easy, but hell, we had one another. That was enough for me. We’d work the rest out as we went. Now, I wanted Ryder to possess me. I wanted him to show me just how much he loved me.

He reached between us and rubbed my clit whist I rode his cock, sending the water splashing in waves around us as I rose and fell on his cock. The sensation was pure bliss, the friction driving me crazy, till I was seconds from spiraling out of control. I bit into his neck, moaning loudly as I came apart on his cock, milking him for all I was worth.

“Jesus, baby. You feel so good. My cock loves you,” he croaked, swallowing hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. His fingers dug into my ass as he pumped into me, calling my name.

Well, at least his cock admitted to loving me. I could live with that.

Our chests heaved as we came down from our high, knowing that this was just the start. We had the rest of our lives to look forward to—together.

Once our breathing settled, Ryder soaped my body, gently and with reverence, caressing every inch of my skin. I let him pamper me, lying back and just enjoying the pleasure of being cared for by my man.

When it was my turn, I soaped up my hands, and sitting on my heels, massaged the soap into his skin, too. He closed his eyes, humming with pleasure as I stroked his cock, cuddled his balls, and caressed his back and torso, tracing my fingers along the outline of each tattoo.

I’d noticed the new earring in his left earlobe when he’d walked into the security room hours ago, but never had the chance to comment or acknowledge it. Now I went to town; I simply couldn’t resist sucking on it.