Chapter 25
KESLEY
Istretch my stiff, sore muscles as I pull the covers off me and sit up in bed.
I wince at the sting of pain in my ass. After we got back yesterday, Ryder was livid.
He was already irritated with me over my attitude, so Lilith’s unexpected call definitely didn’t help matters.
Ryder fucked me hard. He had me in so many positions.
At one point, I was tangled up like a pretzel and could barely breathe.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy every second of it and begged for more even though I was trembling and dizzy.
I check the time on my phone. Shit! I slept most of the day. I see I have a text from Jessie and open it.
Jessie:
Wanna go out tonight?
Sure, whatcha thinking?
I throw one of Ryder’s T-shirts on, and it comes down just above my knees.
I yawn, stretching my arms over my head.
Catching a whiff of my morning breath, I grimace and make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth before heading downstairs.
I get the bristles wet and squeeze some toothpaste on the brush, bringing it to my mouth, and I immediately gag.
My stomach’s been uneasy from the stress with my parents and Lilith the past two weeks.
I try again and successfully manage to brush my teeth without puking.
After Lilith was flagged and she had my parents murdered, Ryder started sleeping in his room with me.
He tried sleeping in the armchair by the window, but I wasn’t having that.
Hell, we’ve been fucking each other, so what’s the big deal about sharing the bed?
I woke up to find Ryder wasn’t on his side, where he normally is, and the bed was cold.
He refuses to leave me by myself, so I imagine he’s in the house somewhere.
Heading down the stairs, I’m met with silence.
I grab an orange juice from the fridge and check down in the gym.
The stairs are dark and steep, but not creepy like the cellar’s stairs at the office.
I don’t feel the incessant need to carry Holy water with me down these steps.
I hear heavy metal busting through the speakers, so I know at least one of the boys is down here.
The gym smells of sweat and rubber mats.
The walls are lined with dumbbells and free weights.
The wall they sit in front of is a floor-to-ceiling mirror that stretches the full length of the wall.
I catch Hayden’s reflection in the mirror.
He’s lying on his back on the bench press.
He’s shirtless, so his six-pack and fully tatted torso are on full display.
To his right, Ryder straddles a bench with his elbows resting on his knees.
He, too, is shirtless, and the sight has my mouth drying.
He’s typing away on his phone, so he hasn’t noticed my presence yet.
I strut over to him, expecting him to put his phone down and notice me any second. When he doesn’t, I drape one arm over his shoulder, and he looks up at me, eyes wide, finally setting his phone down on the bench behind him. He wraps a tatted arm around my waist and pulls me to sit in his lap.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
A grin pulls at the corners of my lips, “More like afternoon. I didn’t mean to sleep so late.”
He shakes his head while his free hand strokes my arm, causing goosebumps to erupt. His green eyes are hooded and heavy, while he looks at me like he…loves me? No. He’s only obsessed with me. Once all this blows over with Lilith, he’ll forget about me, because I won’t be his problem anymore.
“What?” I ask, feeling my skin heat under the heaviness of his gaze.
He shakes his head again, breaking eye contact and glancing over to Hayden. “Nothing,” he takes a deep breath, “don’t apologize for resting. You need it.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, “Jessie texted and wants to go out tonight.”
“Are you going?”
“Yeah, probably. She hasn’t texted back where she wants to go yet.” I run my fingers through his soft black hair, finding a piece and twirling it around my finger. It’s slightly damp with post-workout sweat.
“You hungry?”
I purse my lips in thought. My stomach isn’t as upset as earlier, but I also don’t really have an appetite. I know if I tell him “no,” he’ll worry that I’m starving myself again. “I could eat,” I lie.
He lifts me off his lap, setting me down on my feet, and we make our way towards the stairs.
“See ya, man!” Ryder shouts to Hayden, who’s still lifting on the bench press.
He rests the bar on the hooks and sits up, and a glimmer of surprise flashes over his handsome face when he sees me, “See ya.” He rubs the stubble on his chin, “When did you get down here?” He asks me.
“Umm, a couple of minutes ago.”
His lips tilt down in a slight frown, “Oh,”
“Yeah, see ya later!”
“See ya.” He lies back down, and we turn to head back upstairs.
Once in the kitchen, Ryder immediately gets to work prepping our meal. He grabs the ingredients to make salads from the fridge and tosses the chicken breasts into a pan. I click the “messages” app on my phone after I see I have a missed notification.
Jessie:
There’s this really cool club in Charlotte I’ve been wanting to try out.
I look up at Ryder, who has his muscular back turned to me. He’s definitely not going to like the thought of me going clubbing, given the risks, but if he’s with me, it shouldn’t be a concern. “Jess,” I clear my throat, feeling a bit nervous. “Jess wants to go to some club in Charlotte.”
“Absolutely not,” He shoots it down without even glancing my way.
“Why?”
“Do I have to explain? That’s the perfect place for Lilith to hire somebody to come for you.” He sets the fork on the counter and turns to face me now. He’s not angry or upset, but he is understandably concerned.
“What if you went with us?”
He thinks that over for a minute and steps over to the island where I’m sitting. He rests his forearms on the sparkly stone counter. “I have a team meeting this afternoon.”
I grumble, “You can’t reschedule it or hire me a bodyguard?”
“Kelsey,” He gives me a daring look, “I don’t trust anyone but myself to keep you safe.” He slides my salad to me, and my mouth immediately salivates. I decide to let this go, and I’ll ask Jessie later about changing the time and location. I’m sure she won’t mind as long as we get to hangout.
I finished my salad, which surprised me since I didn’t feel all that hungry, and stepped on the porch to smoke. It feels like forever since I’ve had a good smoke sesh. I text Hayden, offering to join me and give me some company.
The large oak front door swings open, and a sweaty, shirtless Hayden steps out.
I suck my bottom lip between my teeth and avert my eyes to the open yard ahead of me.
The landscapers keep the yard pristine, even in these chillier months.
I’m not sure what type of grass they have, but it’s always so lusciously green and fluffy.
Hayden plucks the joint from between my fingers and takes a long drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke. My lungs would explode if I tried inhaling that much at once. He takes another hit before passing it back, then plops down in the chair beside me.
I take a hit, “Can I ask you something?” My words come out wheezy as I hold the goodness in my lungs for the full effects before exhaling.
“It depends,” He raises a brow.
“It’s nothing crazy, but would you go to a club in Charlotte with me and Jessie tonight as my bodyguard?” He starts to speak, but I cut him off. “Ryder said he has a meeting and can’t go.”
“I don’t like the thought of you at a club, and I have to go to the meeting too. Sorry,” His mouth tilts in an apologetic half smile.
Damn it. It was worth a shot. I pull my phone out to shoot off a text to Jessie asking about changing plans. She immediately reads it, and the three bubbles pop up as she types.
Jessie:
Fuck no! We’re going, screw them!
“They would be so pissed at us, and what if we get taken or murdered? You know I have a target on my back.”
Jessie:
Bitch, nobody is going to be looking for you there. We’ll be fine. Besides, we’re both highly trained badasses.
She has a point there. Between the two of us, we’ll be fine. Plus, we’ll be Ubering there and back, so not like we’ll be walking far and vulnerable. I pocket my phone and look up to find Hayden eyeing me skeptically.
“What?”
“Don’t do anything stupid.” He says before standing up. He stands over me for a moment before turning to head inside, shutting the door behind him. What the fuck? He couldn’t have possibly seen my texts, unless he’s just that good at reading me.
I’m standing in front of the mirror, fighting this last hoop earring to go in my ear. I hate when the hole closes a little, and I have to basically re-pierce my ear with the jewelry. “Son of a bitch!! Just go in already!” I push a little harder, and finally it pops through, “Ouch!”
“If that hurts, then you definitely won’t tolerate a sleeve tat like you’ve been talking about.”
Oh shit, I forgot I had Jessie on speaker the whole time. “That’s different,” I argue.
“You’re right. It’s a lot more painful.”
Good thing she can’t see me roll my eyes.
I take one last look at my outfit in the mirror.
Daaamn, I look sexy!! I chose a two piece champaigne lace set.
It’s a mini skirt with a low cut top, and I paired it with a white and gray fur jacket.
I have my Miss Z Sandal Du Desert heels and Graff diamond hoop earrings on, too.
Ryder has been spoiling me with all these luxury pieces.
He never accepts “no” for an answer. I’ll wake up to a new random gift at the end of the bed.
It’s like waking up on Christmas morning.
I have never been a luxury dress-up kind of girl, but maybe that was because we could never afford it. Now that I have all of these options, I love finding an excuse to put them on.