Chapter Six #3
I pivoted my upper body toward the door. Ryatt stayed where he could see me, but he was chatting with Romeo and Blade. He laughed and smiled. I was sure the girls were grilling him. I wish I could hear what he said.
“I warned Cruz not to start shit,” Dozer said.
I turned back to Dozer. “Cruz is stupid when it comes to me.” Just like I was a stupid girl when it came to him. I had a great guy right here standing in the kitchen, and my heart was fluttering because I wasn’t ready to see Cruz. I wasn’t ready to test my loyalty to Ryatt.
Ryatt didn’t know the same girl Cruz did. Maybe I was relieved that Ryatt couldn’t see the warped parts of me, the stupid girl who secretly loved the filthy, obsessed side of Cruz.
“Blade and Romeo will be deterrents, and I threatened to kick his ass in the basement. He knows he fucked up. Maybe just don’t provoke him.”
“How? By not kissing Ryatt?” I might not be his girlfriend, but we’d been together all week. He met my family, helped my mom with her damn goats, and my dad was going to let him race his Ducati at our next track day.
Cece was trying hard not to like him because, like me, she gravitated toward danger. I glanced at Ryatt again, and he smiled. He wasn’t my boyfriend, but maybe I was his girlfriend. He was definitely feeling like more than a friend.
I wouldn’t hurt Ryatt to protect Cruz. But Cruz had been hurt enough. His insecurities were his worst enemy. “Maybe I shouldn’t go to Chrome. I’m not ready to see him, and he’s not going to be ready to see me with Ryatt.”
“You’re coming with us. I just didn’t want you to feel like you were set up because it’s not that.
You need to do what’s right for you. Just know, I’ve got Cruz.
I won’t let him do anything stupid. Not at Chrome, and not if you choose to move on with Ryatt.
You should be with the person who makes you happy. ”
Dozer had perfectly encapsulated my problem. For different reasons, I connected with both of them.
I followed him back into the house. Ryatt questioned with his eyes. I smiled and stepped closer. “I need to talk to you.”
“Okay.”
I slipped my hand into his, tugged him just out of the kitchen, and into the hall.
“Cruz is going to be at Chrome,” I whispered.
Ryatt combed his fingers through his tousled hair. Soft curls fell onto his forehead. “Do you still want to go?”
“I don’t know.”
He leaned against the wall and tugged me closer. “If you’re not ready to see him, then let’s just go for a ride.”
I bowed my head and traced the faded logo on his T-shirt. “He knows about us. I was going to talk to him tomorrow. I don’t know what to do.”
He pressed our palms together, then linked our fingers. “It’s only been a week.”
Only a week since I’d hurt to my core, and only a week for us, and yet Ryatt had become so much. “I don’t know how I’m going to feel.”
“And you won’t until you see him.” He let go of my hand and brushed his knuckles across my cheek.
“Don’t worry about my feelings, McKelle.
I’d rather you decide now if he’s who you want.
I can handle rejection. Not saying it won’t suck.
I’ll need more than track therapy. I know he wants you back, and I know you still care about him. ”
I was always going to care about Cruz. But what if I never stopped loving him? No matter what happened with Cruz, I wanted Ryatt in my life. “I decided I wanted more with you on the night you kissed me.”
“Oh, yeah?” He smiled. “So, what is it? Bike ride, home, or Chrome? Because I’m wherever you are.”
I stiffened my spine. I could do hard things.
I could face Cruz and not fall. “Chrome.” The girls would be there for me, at least Levi could be my reinforcement.
Ryatt would have Romeo. I wasn’t sure about Blade and Dozer, but it wasn’t like they’d let Cruz beat up Romeo’s future prospect.
“Just be patient with me. I know it’s still going to hurt to see him. ”
We rejoined the others in the kitchen.
“We good?” Romeo asked.
“Yeah. Let’s go dancing.” Ryatt grabbed my riding jacket from the back of the kitchen chair.
Once we were outside, the Harleys rumbled like a train in the night. I climbed on behind Ryatt and wrapped my arms around his waist.
Blade and Dozer rode out first with Hana and Pippa perched on the back of their motorcycles. Levi smiled at me as she climbed on behind Romeo. His palm went to her thigh, and she slid her hands into his cut, and under his T-shirt.
Ryatt started the engine. I gripped him tighter.
As soon as we were out of the neighborhood and on the main street, Romeo rode alongside us.
He revved his engine, nearly breaking the freaking sound barrier.
With the late hour, downtown traffic was nonexistent.
For a couple of city blocks, he and Ryatt played motorcycle games, controlling speed, weaving, and changing positions on who took lead.
Catching a red light, a bright yellow Civic pulled up beside us and gunned their engine. Ryatt lifted his face shield.
The guy draped his arm out the window. “How fast are you?”
Ryatt laughed. “Fast enough.”
“To the next light?”
I tapped Ryatt’s abs, nodded, and tightened my hold on him. Adrenaline slipped through my veins like liquid nitrogen.
Ryatt leaned toward the guy. “The lady likes to go fast.” He turned to Romeo. “We’ll meet you there.” He slapped his face shield down, dropped into first, released enough clutch to slide into the friction zone, and focused on the light. I aligned my body with his and tucked in.
The light flipped to green. The car slammed on the gas, smoked his tires, and roared through the intersection.
Ryatt rolled the throttle, the engine screamed, and we fired down the road.
Ryatt tucked in close to the tank, and I tucked in tighter to him.
In a second, we caught up to the Civic Type R.
Ryatt toyed with the throttle, giving just enough to stay in front of the Civic, proving the car was no competition for the bike.
The next light was green. Ryatt held up two fingers to the guy, then rolled the throttle and gave me what I wanted. A fast ride. Together, we ripped through the darkened streets.
Ryatt leaned into a turn. I matched my body to his, and a rush of energy surged through me. By the time we pulled into the parking lot of Chrome, we were both breathless and high on speed and adrenaline.
I climbed from the bike and ripped my helmet off. Ryatt did the same, and then his lips were on mine. This time there was nothing gentle or hesitant. He kissed me fast and filthy. And then we both laughed.
“Next time, I’ll ride on the back of your bike.” He took my helmet and locked both his and mine to the bike.
We turned at the rumble of Harleys. Ryatt held my hand again as we crossed the parking lot.
“You’re fucking crazy,” Romeo said.
Levi, Pippa, and Hana grabbed me, and we headed toward the door. Rather than join the line waiting to enter, Hana strode up to the bouncer and gave him a hug.
“Hammer, this is McKelle. She’s with us.”
I smiled and followed the girls inside the club. The music was loud, and the dance floor was packed.
“There aren’t any empty tables,” I said.
Levi smiled. “There will be once the guys come in. We usually sit in the back corner.”
Hana and Pippa swayed to the music as we waited for the guys. Once they arrived, we worked our way to the back of the club.
Blade approached two guys sitting at the largest table in the corner. “Do you mind if we take your table?”
The biggest of the guys stood, towering over Blade by a couple inches and outweighing him by thirty pounds.
His friend launched to his feet and grabbed his friend’s shoulder. “No problem. We were heading out anyway.” They grabbed their beers and walked away.
Levi leaned over to me. “Hammer is a hang-around at the MC. Chrome is a Heller hangout.”
I guess there were some perks to the patch.
I slid onto a stool and scanned the room.
Cruz would stand out in his cut. He’d stand out in the room because he had that kind of magnetism.
He didn’t just cut with a sharp edge of sexual arousal, but he had the kind of personality people gravitated toward.
He was fun to be around. For all the times he made stupid decisions, and I hoped to god tonight wasn’t one of those, he also was a good friend.
He'd earned the patch for a reason. He stood by his friends. He just didn’t know how to be a good boyfriend.
Ryatt stood behind me. His breath was warm against my ear. I tilted my head to see his face. This man oozed so much rizz. His smile flirted, he laughed, and when I was with him, I didn’t worry if he was on the hunt for someone else.
“Drink or dance?” he asked.
“Dance.”
He kept his hand on my hip as we weaved into the crowd. Ryatt moved his hips and rolled his pelvis to the hard beat. Holy fuck. The guy had moves like a male stripper. With his hand on my hip, his body gyrated in a slow seductive tease.
I turned and pressed my ass against his groin. His hands rested on my hips as his mouth and tongue did wicked things to my neck. He gently sucked, nipped, and tasted my flesh. His fingertips floated across my bare midriff.
One song led into the next. Bodies surrounded us. The music pulsed, matching the seductive rhythm of my heart. The potent cherry syrup I’d consumed at Levi’s had my brain floating in a delicious intoxication.
Ryatt had me high on lust. I spun back around and draped my arms over his shoulders. Sweat made his skin salty as I tasted along his jaw. Then his mouth was on mine. He kissed me, the tease and touch of his tongue keeping in sync with the pounding bass of the song.
And he mentally fucked me with the shift of his hips and roll of his groin. I could almost feel him inside me. I tingled everywhere. Heat unfurled in my chest, slipped low into my abdomen, and seeped into my pussy. I was hungry for this man.
Starving.
Gluttonous.