Chapter Four

Ryder

I'm tired, since getting home yesterday afternoon, I've been on the go and I'm regretting it. And now my brothers have decided to throw me a welcome home party. I pop a couple of caffeine tablets and swallow those down with a can of energy drink. After five years inside I have a lot of partying to do and a lot of debts to settle, I can't do that if I'm sleeping.

I shower quickly and pull on a fresh white t-shirt and some clean jeans. I'm grateful that Griff had sent one of the old ladies to get me some new clothes. None of my old stuff fits. When I first went inside, I didn't bother with weights or the gym, but being in prison changed me. With nothing better to pass the time, I worked on myself. I sorted out my diet and hit the gym hard. Five years on, I look more like the hulk and I'm proud of my hard work.

I head straight for the club bar, if there's one thing I missed, it's a good whiskey. The guys inside had alcohol brought in, but it wasn't the same as sitting with my brother's and drinking it from a glass instead of a mug. Bear grins at me from behind the bar. He places my favourite bottle and glass at my usual spot on the bar. I take it, thanking him with a fist bump, and then I head outside to where Griff has set up inflatables for the kids and seating areas for the adults. Smokey is on the grill cooking steaks and laughing with my brother. As I approach, Griff grins, "Brother, we were just talking about Mya," he smirks. The short haired beauty had been hanging around my brother all night and trying her best to get in his bed. But it wasn't Mya currently taking up space in my head. It was her gorgeous friend. The brunette with the long hair and a bright smile. Her green eyes and her perfect figure had my blood racing. And when I think about the way she tasted, I shudder.

"Oh yeah, what about her?" I ask, sipping my whisky.

"I invited her, but Bear reckons she won't turn up," says Griff.

"Why'd you invite her?" I ask, wondering if she'll bring her friend. They both look past me, leaving my question unanswered and when I turn to see what's caught their attention, I'm faced with the hot woman I've been thinking about since being inside of her less than twelve hours ago. My heart beats a little faster and I laugh at myself getting giddy like a fucking schoolboy. I put it down to the fact she was my first since going inside.

As she marches over, with her friend in tow, she fixes me with a glare and puts her hands on her hips. "Did you use me last night?" she demands to know.

I'm taken back and I hear my brothers sniggering, enjoying the fact I'm being called out by a woman in my own club. I frown. "That's the point of a one-night stand, darlin'."

"I mean, did you fucking use me to get back at Finn?" she says, her voice slightly raised. I only know one Finn and I'm pretty sure we're not talking about the same guy. "Because Griff said you wanted pay back, was I the payback?"

"Are we talking about Finnegan Lawrence?" I ask, praying to god she isn't.

"Yes," she snaps impatiently, "Did you fuck me to get at my husband?"

My world tilts for a second, her words hitting me hard. I've unknowingly fucked Finnegan's wife. A smile forms on my lips, and before I can explain anything, she slaps me hard across the face. All kinds of emotions run through me as the pain stings my cheek. It's been a while since I've been hit in the face by a woman, I'd forgotten what that burn felt like, and an even longer while since I've killed someone for disrespecting me, mainly because people don't disrespect me, ever.

Griff comes between us. "Fuck Siren, what the hell was that?"

I move Griff out of the way and step closer, using my size to intimidate her. I force her to back up until she hits the wall. "Do you know what I normally do to people that disrespect me in front of my brothers?" I growl, close to her ear.

She shakes her head and I see fear in her eyes. I get the sudden urge to fuck her against this wall and be damned if everyone can see, but a little voice catches my attention.

"Mummy are you okay?" I look down at a small girl with long brown hair, a slight curl in the ends, her green eyes looking between Neve and me.

I step back and Neve swoops the little girl up into her arms and carries her away, without a backwards glance. Griff approaches me smirking, "Jesus what was that?" he asks, "You fucked her last night?"

"She had something to prove, and I had some time to make up for," muttered Ryder, "She thinks you're an arse by the way," I add.

"Well I am, you're the bigger arse though, but she'll find that out herself," says Griff, patting me on the back. "I was gonna tell you about Finn by the way, looks like she beat me to it."

"Yeah, thanks for the heads up."

He laughs. "I was giving you a few days to settle in before we talked about that piece of shit."

He's right, even the name brings dark thoughts to my head.

I sit on a large boulder staring hard into the flickering orange flames of the fire pit. Neve is across from me talking to Griff. Her daughter is in her arms, draped around her like a baby monkey, and Mya is by her side.

It annoys the hell out of me that Neve was married to that arse. How can someone like her have fallen for an evil, twisted shit bag like him?

I stand, making my way over to the group. Griff smiles, fist bumping me. "Things good Pres?" he asks, I nod then turn to Neve.

"Follow me," I say. I need to be alone with her.

She scowls stubbornly. "Really, does that work on women?" she snaps, and I stare at her blankly. "You just order women around, and they do it because your what..." she pauses, "The boss around here?"

"No, they do it because I've killed for less. Now move it." I love her fire and the way she challenges me, it sends a thrill through me.

Neve hands her daughter to Mya, and for a second, I think she's actually going to follow me without giving me anymore grief. But she folds her arms over her chest. "No. I'm talking and you didn't say please."

"Did you just tell me no?" I ask, feeling mildly irritated. Usually women fall at my feet, they don't refuse me, ever.

"Respect my right to say no to you, you're not the boss of me and I'm not scared of you."

I roll my eyes. "Fucking new age women. I just want to talk and you've got to make it a big deal with your women's rights bullshit." Then I surprise her by lifting her up and throwing her over my shoulder. She cries out in shock and Mya tries to object but with the kid sleeping in her arms, she gives up the second I begin striding away towards the clubhouse. I don't stop until I have her safely in my office where I plant her feet back on the ground as I lock the door.

"How the hell dare you…" she begins, her face full of rage. I grip her chin between my finger and thumb roughly, and I kiss her. It stops her ranting instantly, and I pull back giving a satisfied smile.

"I can't get you off my fucking mind," I whisper against her lips. "I need to be inside you." I slam my mouth over hers again, and this time, she wraps her arms around my neck.

I release myself from my jeans, that're practically choking my erection. I take a condom from my pocket without breaking our kiss, rip it open and pull it down over my cock. I inch up her flowing cotton dress and move her underwear to one side, lining myself at her entrance. I don't have the patience to wait, the second her wetness touches me, I push into her, taking her by surprise. She grips my biceps, holding on tight as I thrust hard, each time trying to get deeper. I groan, pushing my face into her neck. She feels like heaven and I can't control the urge to come. "I gotta change position," I whisper. "Or we ain't both gonna reach the end here." She smirks as I withdraw my cock and bend her over my desk.

"Why did you marry that dick head?" I ask, slamming back into her with urgency.

"You want to discuss my bad choices right now?" she asks, looking back at me over her shoulder. Fuck she's sexy with that flustered look on her face.

"Is there anything between you?"

"No," she pants, pressing her forehead against the desk and shuddering with pleasure. "I'm not a cheat." She cries out, orgasming right before I follow her over the edge.

The only sound in the room, as I pull out of her and dispose of the condom, is our heavy breaths. She adjusts her clothes and I tuck myself away. That just fucked look suits her, making me want to bury myself in her all over again. I sit at my desk. "So," I say. "Tell me about you and Finn."

Neve

"There's nothing to tell. We married and then we split up." Finn's the last person I want to talk about right after we just did what we did.

"You ain't leaving here until we've talked, Neve, so drop the attitude."

He makes me feel like I'm a teenager in trouble. I sigh heavily. "I married him, he was an arse. I had his child and then he disposed of me, preferring to fuck about than deal with me." I notice the way Ryder lifts his brow, like he understands why Finn would do that. "I'm a nice person," I snap defensively. "But since him, I don't like being bossed around. You want to talk to me, just ask."

"Noted." He sighs, rubbing at his forehead and looking stressed.

"You really should get some sleep, Ryder, you look exhausted." I bite my lower lip, contemplating whether to ask my next question. I can't keep having sex with this man when I have no idea who he really is or how dangerous he is. "What did you go to prison for?"

He's not going to tell me. I see by the way his expression changes. "Get out."

I roll my eyes. "Wow, nice manners. Yah know, a little courtesy wouldn't hurt after we just hooked up . . . again."

"If you keep disrespecting me like you do, we're gonna have a real problem," he mutters, coldly.

I laugh, "Oh really?" I ask, "I was always taught that to get respect, you have to show respect, and seeing as so far, you haven't shown me an ounce, then you can expect the same!" I stomp from his office, slamming the door behind me for good measure.

Mya stands as I approach. "Are you ready to go now?" she asks. I nod, taking Harlee from her and heading to the car without a word.

Mya decides to sleep at mine, something she often does seeing as her roommate is always bringing home random one-night stands. So when we get home, I put Harlee straight to bed and make up the spare room for Mya.

"Are you going to tell me about you and Ryder?" she asks, leaning against the door frame as I lay the final blanket on her bed.

I shake my head. I'm exhausted. "Do you mind if we leave it for tonight?"

She nods, giving me a kiss on the cheek as I pass her to go, "Sure, but we do need to discuss it. You shouldn't look this stressed after great sex with a hot man." She sniggers and I roll my eyes.

"Goodnight."

I get into bed and video call Finn. He answers straight away, and I catch sight of Jenifer moving from the camera view as the call connects.

"Home alone," I say with a bored sigh. I move my phone around for Finn to see my room.

"Good," he replies, but before he could disconnect the call, I blurt out the one question I've never asked before, mainly because I don't actually care, but for once, I want to piss him off.

"Are you?"

Finn pauses, his brow furrowing. He's not used to being questioned, and he hates it, but I am sick to death of him holding all the cards. Maybe if I start being difficult, he'll back off.

"I don't have my daughter here, so it doesn't matter," he replies carefully. It's the reason he makes me do this fucked up call every night. He seems to think my duty as her mother, is to not have any life outside of parenthood.

"I didn't have her at the weekend yet I still had to call. So going by your own rules, means I can stop calling you at a weekend when I don't have Harlee here." I'm feeling smug and my expression must show it because he pushes to sit up, looking annoyed as he scowls at me through the screen.

"No, you're the mother of my child and so you should behave accordingly, with respect," he snaps.

"I've heard that word a lot tonight," I muse, thoughtfully. "How do you know Ryder?" This will definitely piss him off further but I'm feeling daring.

Finn's face goes a dark shade of red, the sort of colour he usually goes right before he loses his shit. I almost smile. "How do you know that name?"

"You saw that his brother moved in next door, right? He mentioned that you knew them both."

"Well ignore him and stay away, they're bad news. The last woman Ryder fucked, ended up dead."

Finn disconnects the call, leaving me staring at the blank screen. Ryder killed someone? I snuggle into my bed with that last sentence playing on my mind. It should terrify me into staying away, but actually, I don't think it does. He's a complete arse, but that seems to be my type. And the sex . . . fuck the sex is good. I smile to myself. I should completely avoid him. Of course I should. But as I close my eyes, I know our paths will cross again.