CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Noah

After spending the rest of the day at Coney Island, we had dinner at L'Industrie Pizzeria in Brooklyn on our way home. I drove us back to the apartment building with our bellies full of pizza and gelato.

As we walk inside, it's late, and Sadie is the first to speak. She lets out a huge yawn when I close the door behind us, saying, "I don't know about you guys, but after the long flight this morning, then our adventures this afternoon, I am wiped. I'm gonna hit the hay."

Maverick takes her hand in his. "Yeah, I second that. See you in the morning. Have a good night, you two." He grins at me before he urges Sadie, who giggles, off toward their bedroom at one end of the apartment, leaving me alone with Rhyan.

She hesitantly turns to meet me, and I gesture toward our room at the opposite end of the hall. Rhyan smiles, clear nerves flowing through her as we make our way to our bedroom. We've had plenty of alone time together, but we've never been truly alone without the threat of one of her parents or Alpha interrupting or needing us.

Tonight, we can be together and not have to worry about any outside noise.

Rhyan walks into the bedroom, eyeing her luggage, then she moves over to it and pulls out her pajamas. I turn, giving her the privacy she needs while I begin to undress, pulling off my shirt and jeans. The silence between us is killing me, so I talk, needing to fill the space. "I had a great time today, but I particularly wanna thank you again for everything you did for me."

I hear her slip into the bed behind me, so I slowly turn to glance over my shoulder, now wearing only my boxer briefs. Her eyes drop to my abs, clearly biting her bottom lip before she inhales sharply. "It was my pleasure."

I pull back the covers and slide into the bed next to her, getting comfortable. She moves in, cuddling into my side, her head resting in the nook of my arm and shoulder. "My mom is really gonna adore you."

Rhyan chuckles, shifting her weight so she looks down at me, her chestnut hair falling around her face, tickling my chest. "I can't wait to meet her."

Lifting my hand, I gently caress her cheek. "When we get back to LA, I'll take you. I've never taken a girl to meet my mom before."

She grins widely, her eyes dropping away from mine. "Saying stuff like that makes a girl think she's important."

I grip her face with both my hands, forcing her to look at me. "You are more than important, dragonfly. I'd do any-fuckin-thing for you. Don't underestimate yourself like that. You hear me?"

Her eyes slowly shift up to meet mine before she replies, "I hear you."

I let one hand slide back into her hair and pull her closer, just a hair's breadth from my lips. "I need you to believe it, Rhyan… that you're important. How can I make you believe it?"

Her eyes well, and her bottom lip trembles. "Hold me. All night. I want to wake up on my birthday in your arms knowing that no matter how much I have screwed up in the past, you're not going anywhere."

My heart races upon hearing the insecurity in her tone. This all stems back to when Poppy was taken. She doesn't trust herself, so she doesn't trust others. She doesn't trust that I'm going to stay. But I am. I'm not going anywhere. And even though this is our first night alone, I'm not pushing for more. I want Rhyan to feel like I'm here for her in whatever way she needs me.

I slide my arms around her, holding her tight as my fingers gently caress the back of her hair. "I promise you, baby, I'll be here in the morning. I will be here every damn morning if you want me. I'm yours, Rhy. I don't care about the past or the future. We have no control over either of those things. All I care about is right now . And right now, I am with you, and I don't want that to change."

Rhyan sniffles back her tears as she glances up at me again. "Did you call me dragonfly?" she whispers, a small smile crossing her lips.

"Yeah, it's fitting, seeing all the little visitors you seem to have."

Rhyan lets out a small exhale. "Dragonflies represent change, transformation, and adaptability. Maybe this is all a sign telling me I need to let go."

I lean in to kiss her temple. "You've held onto your guilt over Poppy for too long, Rhy. It's your twenty-first tomorrow. That means you're legally an adult. It is a transformation period for you, so take the opportunity and seize it, Rhy. Let go of everything that came before. It serves you no purpose. Sprout your wings and fly like you were always born to do."

Her hand comes to rest on my chest just above my heart. "You know, Noah, you're pretty fucking sweet for a biker."

Snorting out a laugh, I turn up my lip into a smirk. "The fuck I am! Get your lips over here and kiss me," I demand.

She chuckles. "I see right through you, Noah Drake. You're as kindhearted as they come."

"Lips, on mine, now !" My voice comes out husky and needy.

Rhyan leans over and forcefully presses her lips to mine. Everything falls into place the second she kisses me, and my reason for being here is clear. Any uncertainties fade away, leaving only the intense connection. My hand slides into her hair, holding her to me while our tongues collide, kissing passionately.

I could easily be consumed by her, and Lord knows my hardening cock is aching with a need only she can fulfill. It takes everything I have to keep myself in check, knowing that isn't where this is going tonight.

Don't fuck this up, Noah. Dutch will have you by the balls. It's like a damn mantra on repeat.

Rhyan whimpers against my lips, the sounds so fucking carnal it takes everything I have not to take her right here, right now. She slowly pulls back, licking her lips. We pant for breath as she shakes her head, staring into my eyes. "Damn, you're a good kisser."

Laughing, I pull her to my side. "Oh, dragonfly, just you wait."

I hear the audible gulp, and I can't help but smirk, knowing I have her thinking of all the ways I will make her orgasm.

Our time will come.

I have to be patient.

Suddenly, a bang sounds from the other end of the apartment. My head lifts at the same time as Rhyan's, and we both glance at our door.

"What was that?" Rhyan asks.

"I'm not sur—"

"Ohhh fuuuck!" Sadie groans. It's muffled, but the sound clearly comes from down the hall.

I laugh as Rhyan drops her head back to my chest. "Never mind," she mumbles under her breath.

Another bang, clear panting, then obvious groaning.

I grimace, letting out a heavy exhale. "Do you want me to put on some music or something," I ask.

"Just like that. Shit, Sadie. Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! " Maverick wails.

Rhyan suddenly bursts out laughing, surprising me.

I turn to her, the sex still clearly going on down the other end of the apartment, and I watch Rhyan as she continues to giggle. It's almost unstoppable at this point. Seeing her laughing makes me laugh, and we both move to sit up in the bed because there's no way we're going to be able to sleep through that racket. "You wanna play a card game or something till they're done."

Rhyan cackles with laughter, nodding, and bends down, grabbing the deck of UNO cards. "I'm gonna kick your ass. You'll be the one moaning by the end of this, Prospect."

I chuckle. "Oh yeah? Bring it on, princess."

The Next Day

Rhyan and I were finally able to get some sleep after a long-as-fuck night. First thing in the morning, I made sure to get Rhyan out of bed and make her a huge breakfast, and then Maverick and I dropped her and Sadie off at Aman Spa for their girl time early this morning.

I wanted Rhyan to finally get her spa day with Sadie. Only this time, they're getting the works— nails, massage, facials, and whatever the hell else they want while they're there. They have a half day booked to be pampered the shit out of, so I expect them to be totally relaxed when they get back.

Maverick and I have bummed around the apartment, watching our team lose a game. Multiple fouls later, not to mention letting the opposing players catch the rebounds, and I won't even talk about how the other team keeps making it to half-court before the Lakers fucking catch up to them.

"C'mon, how could you miss both free damn throws, man," Maverick growls out, hurling some peanuts at the screen.

Groaning, I shake my head. "I sure hope the girls are having a better time than we are."

Maverick picks up the television remote, flicks it off, effectively ending the shitshow, and stands. "I need a drink. The information packet on this apartment said there's a bar downstairs, right?"

Grinning from ear to ear, I stand. "Yeah, it fucking did. Let's go."

We grab our cells, wallets, and apartment key card and head for the door, then hop in the elevator and go to the ground floor to find the bar. I take in the polished woodgrain and red velvet accent chairs as we step inside. The old-world-style bar and the dimmed lighting give this place a vintage speakeasy vibe. I smirk at Maverick when we walk past a couple of guys wearing all-black suits, sitting at the bar.

Leaning in, I whisper. "You think we just walked into a mafia bar?"

He grins as the suits watch every move we make approaching the end of the bar and taking a seat on stools. "Lucky we're not wearing our cuts. Don't need attention on Defiance while we're here."

"Amen to that," I mumble under my breath and turn to the bartender. "Two beers. In a glass, not a bottle."

The bartender shifts his eyes from us to the men in suits. They nod, and then he goes to pour our beers.

Maverick spins to look at me. "Whoever they are, they run this place."

"Then let's not get on their bad side," I reply.

Maverick agrees with a dip of his head and slides a wad of cash across the bar to the bartender when he delivers our drinks. "Cheers," he says.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot one of the suits headed our way. My eyes widen before I whisper, "Mav, incoming."

He turns in time to see the burly guy step up to us. Not saying anything, he stands there while we both look at him. The black and gray tattoos covering his hands are a clear distinction between his suit's meticulous elegance and the sins beneath the fa?ade.

My eyes shift to Maverick. Technically, he still holds superiority over me, even over here in New York. So, I will let him handle this… situation we find ourselves in. He clears his throat, looking up at the massive guy. "Something we can help you with?"

The guy tilts his chin higher to look down at us as if it's supposed to be some kind of threatening gesture. I almost laugh, but I know that's not wise. The guy obviously doesn't realize we're not the type of men who are intimidated easily. Neither of us move, flinch, or even so much as blink, making the guy finally crack a smile. The move surprises me when he nods, slapping Maverick on the back. Clearly hard as Maverick's entire torso jerks with the movement.

"You boys look like you're from out of town, and you don't scare easy," his deep tenor voice croons.

"We are from out of town. And you're right. We don't scare. At. All ," Maverick replies, accentuating the words.

The guy bursts out laughing and turns to face the other two suits he was sitting with, and he nods. "This one has balls." He turns back, facing me this time. "What about you, red? You got balls?"

"What I'm more concerned about right now is why some random is talking about balls so damn much. I mean, if that's your thing, I have no problem, but we're not into that. Sorry, man."

Maverick smirks as the suit tilts his head again, the smile still on his face. "I like you, Red. I think we've found our next contenders."

Maverick and I look at the guy as his friends stand and walk toward us.

"Ah… contenders for what, exactly?" Maverick asks.

"We have a poker game running out back. Purely invite only. You're the kind of brass knuckle players we want in there. Men who aren't afraid to live a little."

I let out a laugh. "You're talking high-stakes poker, right?" I reply.

The suit shrugs. "Wanna place a bet and find out?"

Maverick glances at me, and I can't help but feel the pull. Normally, I would be jumping at the chance. This kind of shit is what I thrive on. But it's Rhyan's birthday, and this rebellious crap is begging for trouble, making me hesitate.

Maverick frowns. "We shouldn't."

I shake my head. "Nah, it's only a couple of hours, and the girls will be back."

Maverick nods. "Yeah, we can find another way to waste our time."

The suit laughs, shaking his head. "And here I was thinking you were the real deal."

Rolling my shoulders, I think of all the shit I could buy Rhyan for her birthday if we won a round. Maverick glares at me, and I tilt my head. "What if we play just one round? Win a game, earn some cash to spend on the girls, then fold."

"Your stubborn streak is gonna get us both killed." Maverick rubs the back of his neck, but I just smirk. "Fuck, fine! For the girls."

We extend our hands to the suit. "You got yourselves two new players."

"Excellent," he replies.

The suit smirks, and a glint in his eye tells me he's already planning his next move.