He tried to warn her as best he could with motions of his finger across his neck, and to her credit, she insisted she would drive her own car, no doubt to keep her girlfriends safe.
Ryker hurried to his bike and in no time, he was outside of Terri’s apartment. He leaned into the doorbell, buzzing it long and loud. What was he going to tell Terri?
You’re in danger. My brothers want to kill you.
Right, she’d write him off as a lunatic.
His mind scrambled for a plan, but as soon as Terri opened the door, his brain turned into mush. She was the vision of a bountiful angel, and he ached to belong to her, to be the one she came home to.
“How dare you come and bother me again?” Terri jutted her chin at him. “You made it plain you didn’t want to be seen with me in front of your brothers.”
“No, I didn’t.” He forced his way into the apartment and shut the door firmly. “My brothers are dangerous. They’re still in that club. I’m sure you saw their 1% patch.”
“That’s why I got out of there as fast as I could,” Terri admitted. “Are my friends okay?”
“Probably. They seem to be playing tourist. Last I heard, they were going for a ride with them.”
Terri’s face blanched, and she rubbed her palms down over her cheeks. “Oh, no! I shouldn’t have bailed. Do you think they might be in real trouble?”
“No. You would have been in more danger, not them.”
“Me?” Terri stepped back and blinked hard. “Why me?”
“Do you remember the Metal Wolves and the Storm Demons?”
If her face was pale before, it was now positively bloodless. Her eyes widened and fear edged into them. “Your brothers are Wolves?”
“Yes.”
“And you? Are you one of them, too?”
“No, not anymore.” He stared at her, watching for any sign of recognition, not knowing how much her parents had told her.
“Who are you then? A supporter? Or a probe?”
“I’m a Marine. I’ll never go back to that life again. The problem is, there are still old scores to settle, and the Metal Wolves haven’t forgotten.”
Terri bit her lip and turned quickly so he couldn’t see her face. “I know how these clubs operate. It’s much more than a group of guys riding together for fun. It’s all for one and one for all, and hell be damned who has to pay or go to jail.”
“Then you’ve heard of my dad, Ernie Slade?”
Her eyes popped wide as she covered her mouth and recognition slowly dawned on her. “You’re that boy? The one my mother beat up?”
“Yes, all grown now. Do you think she recognized me?” Ryker caught Terri as she swayed and slumped against the entry wall.
Her breath came in pants, and she shook her head back and forth like a terrier torturing a chew toy. “No, it can’t be. Can’t be. You’re that sweet little boy.”
“I’m not so sweet and not so little.” He brought her up close, holding her steady. “Not anymore.”
She trembled against him, and then reached for his face, her fingers tentative. “I’m so sorry. So sorry for what I did.”
“You’re sorry? Why?” He stared into her watery blue eyes. “We kissed, sure, but what happened later wasn’t your fault. It was the grownups, the hotheads. Your parents, my parents, their clubs. Don’t you see? None of it was our fault. We were kids.”
“Yes, but I teased you. You were so bashful and shy. So cute though, and I was a biker brat. My dad was president of our club. I could push my way everywhere and no one would lift a hand on me.”
“You were my first kiss, Terri. It didn’t feel like teasing to me,” Ryker said, holding her tightly. “You don’t know how much I thought about you all those years.”
“Probably because my mom beat you up,” she sniffed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Did you let all the boys touch you? Did you let my brothers?” Ryker’s body stiffened. He needed to know he was special, not some cute little kid she was teasing.
“No, I didn’t let them, but they grabbed and touched.” Her voice tightened. “Not the boys in my club. They wouldn’t dare.”
“So, you went to the rallies and men harassed you and your dad didn’t do anything?” Anger roiled in Ryker’s gut. “What the hell was he doing? Pissing up a tree?”
“He and my mom didn’t know. I used to sneak off from our club because everyone watches over me. No one let me get away with anything. I wanted to do normal things like kiss a boy, hold hands, go out on a date, so whenever we went to the big rallies, I’d get lost in the crowd and talk to the boys from the other clubs. I didn’t realize what they wanted.”
“Did anyone rape you?” Ryker couldn’t help the catch in his voice.
“No, nothing that bad. Just touching, groping, tongue in mouth, grinding. They knew who my father was.”
“Terror Terkel.”
His words hung like a hushed secret between them. All he could do was stroke her hair, her shoulders, the back of her neck, letting her know he wasn’t the enemy, even though her father was responsible for his brother’s death.
Terri swallowed hard and turned away from his unwavering gaze. “How much do they know? My father’s been out of the scene. He’s crippled.”
“So, it’s true. There are rumors he’s impersonating a handicapped war veteran. We came close to uncovering his identity, but I threw away the evidence and joined the Marines.”
“Shit, Ryker. You were the hitman?” Terri recoiled from him so hard, she hit her head against the wall. “Do you hate us so much?”
“No, not me, believe me, honey.” He swept her face into his palm and tilted her to look at him. “That’s why I left. I didn’t look back. I wasn’t ever coming back. I let my family down, let the Metal Wolves down. I betrayed the informant.”
“My dad had him killed.”
“He was my uncle—my father’s baby brother.”
“Shit. Oh, shit.” Terri swiped the back of her hand over her eyes. “What are we going to do now? The Wolves are after our blood, and the Demons are making a comeback. They keep asking my father to go back in, even though he can’t ride.”
“He can’t go back. Keep him out.” Ryker shook Terri hard. “My dad’s getting out of jail in three days. We have to get out of here. We have to pack our bags and go.”
“Where? I can’t just go with you.” Terri twisted out of his grasp. “I’ve got my shop, my friends, my parents. Just answer one question. One only. Do they know who I am? Who my parents are?”
“Not yet. But if they see you around more, it might trigger a memory.”
“I can’t just disappear with you.” Terri touched the base of her neck. “The Demons will come looking for me. My father will have a bounty on you. My mom’s seen your face already.”
“I need to keep you safe, Terr. I can’t do it here where everyone knows you. If we leave, we can change our names and start a new life. We can be free of this.”
“But we’ll always be running. There’s got to be another way. I can speak to my father. Tell him to call off the feud. Maybe he can talk to yours. He can visit yours in prison before he’s released. We have what, three days?”
“It won’t work.” Ryker’s heart weighed heavy over his chest. “Your dad will expose himself and you. He’ll be hit as soon as my dad calls in a favor. And you—they’ll come after you and it won’t be pretty.”
“What can we do?” Terri grabbed his shirt. “Why did you have to come here and blow my cover? Why did you step into my life and turn it upside down?”
“Would you rather I didn’t tell you? That I ran and disappeared? I couldn’t do that to you. You were already pissed off at me for leaving. You accused me of lying when I told you my feelings. I couldn’t leave you thinking that about me.”
“But my life. You’d risk my life for my feelings?”
“No. I’ll risk my life. I’ve a plan.” It was wild. It was crazy, suicidal, but it just might work. “Take me to your dad.”
>
“What? Oh, no, no, no. He’ll have you killed.”
“Why? I haven’t killed anyone, at least not outside of the war on terrorism. It’s the perfect solution. When my father gets out of prison, he’s going to have to make a deal for me. Call off the feud, in exchange for his son—his youngest son.”
“No, you must run. I won’t tell, and we’ll just let this go.” Terri pushed him toward the door. “Pretend none of this happened.”
Ryker pushed her back. “You have to warn your dad.”
“Warn him about what? Your brothers don’t know.”
“So you want me to leave? That’s it? After what happened between us? Just walk away?”
“Yes.” She bit her lip hard, wincing at the pain. “Yes. You’re too good to be dragged into an MC war.”
“Too good, or is that an excuse?” He hated the pain that lanced through his heart. During his darkest days while he lay wounded in the desert, he’d thought about the angel in the barn—the sweet lips he’d kissed and the soft breasts he’d rested his head on. She’d thought of him as a man, had asked him to kiss and touch her, and when he’d looked at her with worshipping eyes, her tears had dried and a shy smile had crept to her face.
At that moment, Ryker knew what it was like to touch a person and leave them better off than before. He’d done that for her, before it all went to hell.
“Not an excuse, Ryker.” She was definitely not that girl in the barn anymore. The years had hardened her, and she was now suspicious of his motives, unable to believe he would sacrifice himself for her. “It’s what I want.”
“Fine, I’ll leave.” His heart dropped to the ground. She didn’t want him as much as he wanted her. He would have done anything and everything to keep her safe, to take her away from the danger, but she didn’t want him.
She preferred to pretend none of this had happened. That he was but a ghost from her past—no one important.
“Bye, Ryker. Take care of yourself,” she said, opening the door.
“Take care of myself? Is that what you think I want? Just to take care of me?” He shut the door, trapping her between his arms. “I’ll leave because it’s what you want, but not yet. Not until I show you what you’ll be missing.”
Chapter Seventeen
Terri couldn’t breathe. Not with all the hormones and sparks jumping between her and Ryker. She might as well face it—she could no more get rid of Ryker than she could her own heart. This man who used to be the boy she’d flashed herself to—the sweet, pure, and innocent boy, who’d so tentatively and respectfully touched her—was now a wild and ferocious man, a trained killer, but one she was not afraid of.
Except she should be. He was raw and dangerous, and he wasn’t listening to her.
His rock hard body shoved her against the wall, and his mouth crashed into hers. He was angry and hungry, unyielding and demanding.
She couldn’t overpower him, couldn’t squirm away, didn’t want to. His lips harsh and firm, and his body unyielding and hot.
His raised her hands above her head, clamping her wrists with a vise grip while he devoured her lips, her tongue, claiming and imprinting her with the sound, the fury, and the musky scent of his arousal.
She’d barely had time to kiss him back, to take her taste, when he dragged her hands higher and buried his lips and teeth on the column of her neck. He sucked and nipped her, sending fire throughout her body. Incredibly, pain mingled with the pleasure of knowing that he was marking her.
He tore a moan from deep in her belly when he ripped her blouse, popping all the buttons, as if her clothes were an affront to his passion, to his burning need to feast off her flesh.
Gone was that tentative, shy boy who’d gingerly lifted a finger, hardly daring to touch the budding mounds of her breasts. Gone was the worshipful look, the wondering gleam in his eye, the amazement of the first kiss, the delighted tremble of first arousal.
This man knew what he wanted and went for it. The thick, roped muscles of his forearm hardened as he grabbed one of her breasts, massaging its fullness while his tongue curled around one long, erect nipple, drawing liquid fire through her veins.
She ached and she moaned, so hot and needy. She arched against him, trying to shove her breast deeper into his mouth. He let go of her wrists to fondle both breasts, and she took the opportunity to shove his jacket open.
Rip. Buttons popped from his dress shirt as her hands greedily pressed themselves against his heated chest. She stroked him possessively, wanting to memorize every texture, every ridge, every plane of his body.
He let her loose for a few seconds to remove his clothes, and it was all Terri could do to not press herself against him, smother him with her curves and chain him to her so he’d never leave.
Except he had to go. If her parents ever recognized him, and recognize him they would, now that he was back and resembled his brothers so much, they would take him out first. The troublemaker who’d started the feud. That was what her mother had always said about the boy.
They’d lost uncles and cousins when the meth barn went up in flames. Those deaths could not be avenged by a single death, but only if the entire Wolf clan were wiped out.
Why her father waited so long was not something he shared with Terri, but she could guess.
The troublemaking boy had gone to the Middle East. The father was in jail, and knowing Terror Terkel, he’d wait for the perfect time when he could take all of the Wolves out in one shot—which meant a family reunion which could only happen once Ryker was back from war and his father was released from prison.
Terri squealed, surprised, when Ryker grabbed her around the arms and legs, lifting her. He smashed his lips against hers before she could ask what he was doing, not that she wanted him to stop—to leave. No, never.
He carried her the few short steps to her bed and tumbled her back onto her pillows, his lips still sealed to hers.
Somehow she’d lost her yoga pants and her panties were being torn. Large hands kneaded her hips, her butt, and intruded between her fleshy thighs.
But instead of his fingers plunging into her wet heat, he palmed her hot mound, leaking with arousal. She gasped as he parted her lips, slickly, as if unfolding rose petals, and her body blossomed, hot and rippling to life with exquisite pleasure.
He wanted in, and she wanted him, knew through all these years that he, Ryker Slade, was the one man she’d been waiting for. Lifting her breasts as an offering to him, she opened her legs wide, swept over by the sensuality of his body—from his cruel and ravishing lips, to the eager fingers, the hard planes of his muscles, and most of all, the hot, hard rod between his legs.
With both hands he grabbed her breasts, and his mouth plunged onto a taut nipple, suckling ferociously. His knees sliced between her legs and his heavy shaft rested on her belly, a thick weight of meat throbbing and hot.
He laved at her breasts, sucking and biting, sending spirals of pleasure to her burning core. She arched and lifted, rubbing herself against his cock, aching for him to plunge into her, to pump himself deep, in and out, and in and out, driving her to the pinnacle of ecstasy.
Abruptly, he withdrew his heat from her, and when she opened her eyes, he was propped above her, glaring at her like a wild creature, a predator. His lips were pulled back in a wicked snarl and he growled, menacing, chilling her every nerve.
“You still want me to leave. Say it. Tell me to leave.”
Her mouth opened, but nothing squeaked past her vocal cords. She felt his absence like a harsh slap, and she grabbed him, pulling him toward her, desperately needing that skin to skin contact.
He pulled back, twisting himself to her side. “Tell me again to leave. Tell me to take care of myself. Go ahead.”
Her eyes widened as his large thick hand grasped the length of his cock. He stroked it hard, up and down, as beads of moisture glistened at the tip.
White hot jealousy ravaged her like a sudden thunderstorm.
“No, let me.” She co
vered the tip of his dick. “Let me.”
“Do you want me to leave?” He enunciated clearly as he trapped her hand against his throbbing meat. “Say it, Terri.”
“No, no. I can’t. I don’t want you to leave.”
“You sure?” He squeezed her hand around his cock, relinquishing it to her control. “Say it. Say you want me to stay. That we’ll be together in this. That we’ll face it together, and we’ll take care of each other.”
“I want you to stay.” She emphasized each word with a stroke up and down. “We’ll take care of each other.”
He groaned loudly, the sigh escaping his throat, raw and deep as he parted her sheath with the head of his swollen cock, opening her wider than she thought possible.
She heard the rip of the condom wrapper as he withdrew, but she swatted it from his mouth and claimed him with her thighs wrapping around his waist.
Gravity did the rest as he plummeted in to the hilt. Together they moaned as one at the sheer pleasure of joining, as one body, one soul, one existence.
He should have been tired out, spent from the steam they’d shared before her mother showed up, the sex that had been between strangers should have tired him to the bone.
But this was a new connection—and while he’d been wild before, now, he was consuming her, moving with deep thrusts, not rapid, but thick and heavy, each stroke dragging fire through her entire body.
Terri cried out, almost unable to withstand his assault. Tension and pleasure mounted hand in hand, with each long stroke pushing her higher and higher. The intensity scared her, pushed loud moans from her throat. His body was relentless, and his eyes—they shone with a feral glow—fiery and ferocious.
Heat and passion overwhelmed her, destroying her will to resist the impending orgasm, the big one that would destroy her and chain her to him—possibly leading to his doom. She pushed at him, clawed his chest, wanting him to stop, to go away. To run and hide. To leave and never look back. To live without her.
His hips slammed against her thighs, and his cock drilled the sensitive bundle of nerves deep in her channel, impaling all sense and reason from her brain. Each stroke threw her higher, higher, and yet higher than she thought possible.
Bad Boys for Hire: Ryker (Bad Boys for Hire #1) Page 7
