by Nicola Jane
“Griff is everything okay? It’s just I haven’t heard from Ryder since Tuesday and now it’s the weekend and he’s not answering my calls.”
Griff opened his door wider and indicated for her to go inside. She went through to the kitchen where a blond guy sat topless drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Neve didn’t think he was a biker because he didn’t have one tattoo and he was quite slim, not very muscly or rough looking. He looked up at her and smiled.
“Corey this is my neighbour, Neve.” Corey smiled again as Neve sat down at the breakfast bar. “I don’t think Ryder is mad at you Neve,” carried on Griff.
“We argued when we last spoke,” she said.
“He found out something that he wasn’t expecting. He left in a bit of a state.”
“He’s left, to go where?” she asked.
Griff shrugged, knowing his brother could be anywhere by now. “I don’t know exactly. He won’t answer my calls, but he did text me to say he was okay.”
“Oh right, well at least he’s alive. Sorry I bothered you.” Neve felt silly. Clearly her and Ryder were done. He hadn’t responded to her messages or calls, not even to say he was okay.
“Why did you argue?” asked Griff.
Neve shook her head, “Silly really but he wouldn’t tell me about his ex,” she sighed.
“Sassy?” asked Griff.
Neve nodded. “Yeah he came to see her at the school for a meeting about Harlee. I felt blindsided and I kicked off. I shouldn’t have but I was embarrassed.”
“I’m not surprised. That dragon is cold,” said Griff with a small laugh.
“What shocked him?” asked Neve, she’d told her story the least he could do was share. Griff glanced at Corey who smirked.
“He caught me balls deep in Corey,” he muttered, and Neve gasped, looking back and forth between the two.
“Oh my god, Mya will be so happy. She thought it was her,” said Neve and Griff laughed aloud.
“Well you can tell her it wasn’t anything to do with that. I’d kept it quite which was easy while Ryder was inside, but it got harder once he was released. The other guys in the Crazy Aces know and most of them are fine with it but I knew Ryder would take it hard.”
“I don’t understand why, he seems like a relaxed kind of guy,” said Neve sarcastically. Corey laughed this time.
“Look I’ll text him and tell him to get in touch with you. It isn’t fair to just ignore you like that,” said Griff.
“God no, please don’t do that. I don’t want the pity text. Look Harlee is at her father’s tonight. Why don’t we all get together and have a few drinks. There’s no reason we can’t get along just because your brother is an ass,” suggested Neve.
Griff nodded enthusiastically, “We’d love to.”
CHAPTER SIX
Ryder watched from the road side across from the busy bar. He’d put a tracker on Neves phone once he knew he really liked her. She wasn’t aware, but he felt better knowing where she was and that she was safe. It had taken everything in him not to storm back into her life as he watched her hand a crying Harlee over to Finnegan. He’d promised himself that he wouldn’t let that little girl go to her fathers unsupervised and there he was just watching him take her.
Ryder had spent a week riding around, it felt good. He’d been to the coast and settled there for a night before riding around Yorkshire. He loved the countryside and the Dales was relaxing for his mind. But while riding he’d decided that he needed Neve whether she knew it or not and he needed to claim her. That meant confessing everything and so here he was, trying to catch a glimpse of the beautiful woman he’d missed so much.
Finally, he spotted her, Neve was dancing near the window, her arms thrown around Mya as they sung loud to some terrible chart song that Ryder had never heard before. They laughed loudly, it was loud enough for him to hear from his spot across the way. His brother lifted Neve onto the table. Ryder loved Griff, it didn’t matter that he was gay, but he couldn’t deny that it had knocked him off his feet. He’d never noticed any signs. Griff had always chatted about women like the rest of the guys but thinking about it, Ryder had only saw him once with a woman intimately and that was Cassandra Bingham, his first, the school girl that everyone went to when they wanted to lose their V card. Griff had been twelve at the time so Ryder wasn’t sure they could even count that as anything.
The girls went out of view again, the song had finished, and they’d probably gone to the bar again. Ryder lit up a cigarette and inhaled, closing his eyes as he slowly let out a breath of smoke. He kicked the stand down on his bike and got off, crossing the road. As he neared the alley next to the bar, he made out Neve’s frame and heard her giggle. Peering down he noticed a male leaning against the wall with Neve pressed against him. Ryder raised his eyebrows and clenched his free fist. He watched as the guy ran his hand through Neves hair, tucking it gently behind her ear and whispering something that Ryder couldn’t quite make out. She giggled again and Ryder scowled. He moved closer to the couple and once he was a few feet away he leant against the opposite wall and took a last drag of his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and crushing it under his heavy boot. “It’s not even been a week darlin’” he drawled, delighting in the fact that Neve froze, her mouth inches from the guys. “Now I’m just guessing here but this poor guy didn’t come back here to die which is why he’s gonna get his hands off my woman’s ass and she’s gonna retract those puckered up lips quick smart,” he added.
The guy wisely dropped his hands and Neve turned towards the shadow of Ryder, her hands still firmly holding onto the guys shoulders. “Wow, you disappear like that and then turn up at the most inconvenient moment,” she snapped.
“Surprise honey, I’m home,” said Ryder in a sing song voice.
“Well as you can see Ethan, I’m a little busy back here,” she hissed angrily. Of course, she felt a thrill at the sound of his voice, but she wasn’t going to show him that. She was mad that he hadn’t been in contact with her and mad that he wasn’t around when Finn turned up earlier. The guy in her grip went to walk away but she gripped his jacket and yanked him back. “No, don’t let him ruin our fun,” she snapped.
“Wise choice Sir, I’d get outta here before things turn ugly,” encouraged Ryder.
“He isn’t leaving, you are,” she said firmly.
“You sure you want that Siren, you want me to walk outta here and not come back?” he asked, playing her dangerous game and hoping it didn’t backfire.
“Are you going to tell me about Sass,” she asked sarcastically.
“Yes,” he sighed, “After I’ve fucked that tight little pussy,” he added. Ryder saw Neve bite her lip and he knew he was winning. “I’ve got a lot of making up to do, I don’t think I’ll be outta that pussy until the morning,” he said. The guy went to move, and this time Neve let him. He scuttled past Ryder who gave him his best stare down before turning it on Neve.
She laughed, “That will not work on me Mr President. Go inside and see your brother, he’s hurt that you left like that,” she ordered.
“I was hurt he kept that from me,” muttered Ryder.
“Boo fuckin’ hoo, get in there.”
Ryder grinned to himself, this girl he could handle, he lived for her sassy mouth.
***
Neve cried out for a third time. Ryder wasn’t kidding when he said he’d be buried in her all night. It was now the early hours and he’d woken again, hardening inside of her and fucking her. She felt tired and weak but having him like this felt amazing.
Ryder bit down on her nipple and sucked it into his mouth, his beard causing a friction that had her shuddering underneath him. He couldn’t get enough of her.
Neve curled into his side, a sheet wrapped around her exhausted body. “I missed you,” she yawned.
“I missed you, I’m sorry I left like that. I won’t do that again I just needed to clear my head.”
“It wasn’t that you left so abruptly that
upset me, but you didn’t even text or call me. I thought we were over,” she sighed.
He wrapped his arm around her, “We won’t ever be over Neve. You belong to me now and I belong to you,” he said firmly. Neve wasn’t sure what he meant by that, it sounded controlling but knowing this biker how she did she thought that it was just his way with words.
“Tell me about her, about Sassy.”
“I loved her, there’s no point in me lying to you or sugar coating it, I was mad about her from the second I met her. I had her on the back of my bike before she even knew I’d claimed her and that was that. She belonged to me. I was twenty-seven when I met her, she was twenty-six I think.”
“That reminds me, how old are you?” asked Neve with a small laugh. She’d wanted to ask him, but it never felt the right time.
“I’m thirty-eight,” he said, expecting her to freak out. He was ten years older than her even though he could probably get away with saying he was early thirties. Neve moved her head so that she was looking up at him.
“That’s ten years older than me, can I call you grandad?” she said with a giggle.
Ryder scowled, “If that turns you on,” he said, adding a wink and she swatted at his bare chest. “We were good together and then I fucked it up,” he sighed and then sucked in a deep breath, “I had an affair, for no other reason than I was an idiot that thought with his dick.”
“Oh, and she found out?” she asked.
Ryder nodded, “Yep, she caught me in our bed with Alice, her sister.” Neve shot up into sitting position. Ryder expected her to be shocked, it wasn’t what people did, not to someone they claimed to love.
“Her sister?” she repeated.
Ryder nodded, his expression one of shame. “I was trying to have my cake and eat it. I can’t give you a real reason because I don’t have one. I could say she came on to me, that she practically stalked me, but it wouldn’t make it any better, I was in charge of my own actions and I fucked up.”
“How, what happened?” asked Neve, enthralled by this real-life soap opera.
“Well it turns out Alice was seeing someone too. She ran to him, upset about everything and blurted it all out. Only this guy, he wasn’t a good guy. He lost his temper. He hit her and then pushed her, she hit her head on the stone ground. She died in my arms.”
“In your arms, how did you end up there?” she asked confused.
“I ran after her, followed her. Watched the whole thing unfold but didn’t jump in until it was too late. He ran of course, and I was caught with her dead body in my arms. I was arrested. The cops already hated me for the other crimes they suspected I’d done but they couldn’t pin on me. With the help of your bent lawyer, they got me on assault. It would have been murder if they’d have gotten their way but because she’d died from the impact to her head, the jury agreed that it had happened as part of a struggle and so grievous bodily harm was all they could pin on me.”
Ryder watched Neve’s face as she processed everything he’d said. He hadn’t told any woman that story apart from Sassy. She knew he didn’t kill her sister, she believed him, but she couldn’t forgive him, and he didn’t blame her. When they couldn’t find the man that Alice was supposedly seeing the cops found it easier to pin it all on Ryder.
“That’s not all,” he added looking at Neve cautiously. “I have a kid, about the same age as Harlee,” he muttered. Neve sucked in a breath, she was surprised, he hadn’t even hinted at having a kid and that meant Griff was an uncle, yet she’d never seen him with a child even though he was great with Harlee. “Sass was pregnant, I got sent down and she didn’t want to bring the baby to a prison, I get it, I didn’t want my kid seeing me in that place.” Neve watched his huge shoulders hunch as he sat up, he looked sad and she knew that it had hurt him not seeing his baby. “Anyway, that was in the past.”
“So, do you see your kid now?” asked Neve and Ryder shook his head.
“Sass thinks it would be better if I don’t, Alfie is settled and happy according to her. I guess she doesn’t want him to know about his biker trash Daddy,” he muttered. Neve moved to him, wrapping her arms and legs around him and holding him.
“That’s pretty tough, maybe with time she’ll reconsider?” she suggested. She could imagine a blue eyed, dark haired boy in this man’s arms and the vision was hot. Despite not knowing him that long she thought without doubt that Ryder would make an amazing father.
“I don’t want to push her, she knows the kid better than anyone and it’s her choice, she had to bring him up alone thanks to me and from what I hear she’s doing an amazing job. He’s in a private school and top of his class. He’s gonna go places,” said Ryder with a small smile.
“He can still go places with you in his life Ryder, all kids need their daddy even when they behave like Finn. All kids deserve that chance to get to know the reason they are here.”
“Speaking of Finn,” sighed Ryder, “You let him take Harlee today?”
“I didn’t have a choice. You don’t understand. He will cause all kinds of problems for me, I don’t need that fight.”
Ryder knew it would, but Finn needed to see that Neve wasn’t alone anymore and that he couldn’t bully his woman for a second longer.
***
Neve couldn’t stop pacing. She didn’t answer Finns calls last night because she’d been so busy enjoying her night out with Mya and Griff and then Ryder had turned up. It was nearing mid-day and Finn hadn’t returned with Harlee.
Ryder watched from the kitchen. Neve had put a joint of meat to roast and it had been ready for the last twenty minutes. He knew the moment Finn had returned because she sighed in relief and rushed to the door. He waited for ten seconds, counting each one, before rising to his feet and heading to the door. He leant casually against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest, while he watched Finn get out of the large black SUV. He placed a kiss on Neves forehead despite having a blond in his passenger seat, and then he opened the back door and reached inside to get Harlee. Neve glanced at Ryder and he gave her a reassuring smile before taking a few steps closer. The blond noticed and stepped from the car, smiling from ear to ear and twirling her long curls around her finger in a flirtatious manner. Ryder zoned back into the conversation between Neve and Finn, “She looks very pale,” commented Neve taking Harlee from Finns arms. Harlee lay her floppy head on Neve’s shoulder and closed her eyes.
“She complained all night of feeling sick. In the end I shut her in her room,” sighed Finn and Neve gasped, hugging Harlee closer to her.
“She was sick, and you locked her in her room alone?” she hissed.
“She needed sleep, it was no good her telling me every five god damn minutes, I’m not a doctor,” he snapped.
“This isn’t working Finn, I don’t want you to have her for so long if you can’t look after her properly,” said Neve with tears in her eyes.
Finn’s expression changed from slightly annoyed to pissed off within a second. He dashed a hand towards Neve and gripped her chin between his thumb and finger, “I’m getting tired of your fucking mouth,” he seethed.
Neve’s eyes darted towards Ryder and Finn’s followed, wondering what she was looking for. When he saw Ryder moving towards them, he dropped his hand from her face and Neve stumbled back.
“Go inside baby,” growled Ryder.
“My god, this better be a fucking joke Neve,” Finn yelled after her retreating back.
“It’s about to get real funny,” snarled Ryder rearing his fist back and ramming it into Finns smug face. Finn fell back against his car, gripping his nose. Blood began to seep through his fingers, and he groaned.
“You dumb fuck, I’ll have you back inside for this,” snapped Finn.
“It’ll be worth it, I’d better make it good,” said Ryder with a smirk. He pulled his hand back and felt someone grip it, holding it so that he couldn’t hit Finn again. He looked into the eyes of his brother.
“Don’t give this smug bastard t
he satisfaction brother. Who will keep Neve warm at night if you go back inside,” said Griff, releasing his brothers curled up fist.
“Does Neve know about Alice?” sneered Finn.
“Neve knows everything apart from the one little thing that is so important,” hissed Ryder gripping a hold on Finns blood soaked shirt, “When I get the evidence I need, you’re going down for so long that your daughter will forget your face and she’ll be calling me Daddy,” he snarled, shoving him away and towards the driver’s door.
Neve was inside stroking Harlee’s sweaty pale forehead as she slept on the couch. “I gave her some paracetamol. I need to go to the store and get some more, I’m almost out. Can you watch her for me, or should I ask Mya to come over?” she asked. It meant a lot to Ryder that she trusted him to stay with her daughter, but he shook his head.
“I’ll go to the store, give me a list of what you need.”
***
Ryder kicked off his large boots and sat back on the couch. They’d finally gotten Harlee’s high temperature down and she was slightly happier now cuddled up next to Ryder and forcing him to watch Peppa Pig. Neve handed him a mug of hot coffee and smiled down at the pair. “I’m sorry, shall I move her?” she asked.
Ryder placed his large hand on Harlee’s small back, “Don’t even think about it, I love this show.” Neve smiled and took a seat the other side of Harlee. Even though she’d felt worried all afternoon about her daughter it had been nice, just the three of them. Ryder had gone to the store and brought back all manner of supplies to keep them hauled up here for days. Once Harlee had picked up slightly she’d taken straight to hanging off Ryder at every spare second, at one point she even cried for him when he went to the bathroom.
“What happened with Finn?” she finally asked.
“He got a small reminder of who he’s messing with,” muttered Ryder.
