Chapter Seven

Ryder

I smirk as her face reddens in that way it always does when she blurts something out without thinking it through and instantly regrets it. "I'd prefer a whiskey," I reply, tucking myself away and fastening my belt.

"I don't have alcohol in the house," she says, "Long story," she adds as an afterthought and I assume it's because she doesn't want me to probe further. And usually, I wouldn't. Why should I care what goes on in a chick's life? Once I get what I need, I walk away and never look back. Only with Neve, things are different. There's some kind of pull between us that can't keep me away. She isn't even my type, although lately, I don't even know what that is.

I follow her through to the kitchen and sit on a stool as she fills a glass with water and takes a few big gulps. I could have gone home with her friend, fucked her anyway I needed to, and been home in my own bed by now. But I had to feed the addiction for Neve. I craved her from the second Griff told me her friend had text him.

"We going to bed or are you planning to kick me out?" I ask and she almost chokes on the water. I've never stopped at a woman's house after any kind of sexual encounter. I'm a hit ‘em and run kind of guy. Or at least I used to be, before I went inside. That shithole changed me, obviously.

"Erm, sure," she mutters, placing the glass in the sink.

I follow her upstairs, noting how clean her place is. Even the pictures of her little girl hang straight on the walls. I step inside her bedroom and raise my brows. It's the girliest room I've ever seen. Ever. And I've been in a lot of women's bedrooms. She watches me nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her top. "It's very . . . pink," I say.

She smiles, also looking around at the soft pink walls adorned with butterflies and fairy lights. "I let Harlee choose the wallpaper," she admits. "And I hate to sleep in the dark." The last part almost slipped out and she bites her lower lip again. Occasionally, when she drops a secret like that, I want to push for more, but that would mean I feel something and so I push the urge to know down and shrug out of my leather kutte.

Neve watches as I place it carefully on a pink chair in the corner of her room. Next, I slip out of my heavy boots and place them equally as neatly beside the chair. When she still makes no move, I smirk. "Are you just gonna watch me undress?"

"You look so out of place in this pink room," she says, unable to stop her smile. "With your shaved head and all the . . ." her eyes run over my arms. "Tattoos. Maybe Liss would have been more your type. She's got a gothic theme running through her bedroom, all silk sheets and black . . ."

I don't let her finish that sentence, instead, I pull her to me, causing her to crash against me. She yelps. "I didn't want Liss. I wanted you. Again." I kiss her, running my hand into her hair and gripping it, gently tugging it while I let her tongue wrestle against mine. When I pull back, her eyes are darker, she's hungry for more. "In case you didn't notice, Siren, my body seems to only want you right now. And for the record, I don't ever go to bars that I don't own. I don't need to venture out to drink overpriced watered-down whiskey in dirty glasses; but when Griff told me about your friends little text, my mind couldn't stop thinking about you and what you'd be wearing," I pull back some more and look down at her outfit, "Which turned out to be very little. You keep pulling me back, Siren, and I don't know why I can't keep away, but I can't. So forget Liss, right now, all I want, is you."

The shrill of her mobile phone makes her freeze. The lust she had in her eyes seconds ago turns to something else, fear maybe? And she steps away, pulling her phone from the back pocket of her skirt. She stares at the screen before bringing her eyes back to me. "You're not going to understand this, Ryder, but I have to take the call from my ex and he can't know that you're here." There's a pleading tone to her voice and instead of questioning it, I nod my head once and move over to the bed.

Neve suddenly removes her top and replaces it with a pink pyjama one. The phone rings off. She then grabs a few wipes from a packet on her dressing table and makes quick work of removing her makeup. All the while, I don't ask questions and when the phone shrills again, she dives into bed and tussles her hair before answering.

"What?" she asks in a fake sleepy voice. I roll my eyes and turn my back to her, resting my elbows on my knees and staring down at the pink carpet.

"You're home then?" I hear Finn bark down the phone.

"Yes.""Show me," he demands. I glance back over my shoulder to her, wondering what he's asking her to show, and realise when she sweeps the phone to the empty space beside her, that he's checking she's alone.

"Explain what the fuck earlier was about?" he snaps.

"Sorry. I'd had a couple of drinks with my friends, I wasn't thinking."

"When are you going to realise that that gaggle of witches are not friends. You were so much better when you cut them from your life."

"I didn't cut them Finn, you stopped me seeing them," she mutters.

"And you were a much nicer person for it. I thought you'd want to know your daughter was a bitch tonight." Neve sits up straighter. "What do you mean?"

"She threw a tantrum for an hour straight at bedtime because she wanted you, have you poisoned my daughter against me?" he asks.

"No of course not. Is she okay? Why didn't you call me so I could speak to her?"

"Well you were too busy for calls weren't you, Neve," he tells her. "I gave her a good, slapped arse, like my father used to give me. She soon stopped playing up. You should try it, you're way too soft on her."

I bristle at his words. He's not a small guy and Harlee looks tiny. I squeeze my hands into fists, the urge to go find this piece of shit and hurt him is overwhelming.

"Jesus, Finn, you hit her?" Neve cries. "She's five years old."

"We're too soft on kids these days. We all had a slap or two when we were kids, it never hurt us."

"Times have changed. You should have called me, Finn. I can't believe you hit her. I think I should come and get her," says Neve, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Don't even think about it, Neve. You turn up here making a fuss and you'll get the same treatment. I seem to remember it working well on you." He disconnects the call and Neve throws the phone into the middle of the bed and buries her face in her hands.

This is a sign for me to walk away. Neve's obviously got issues and her ties to this wanker are going to cause me a headache I don't need, I have my own plans to mess with Finn Lawerence and she's not a part of that, but seeing her sobbing into her hands, does something to me inside and I find myself moving closer to her and wrapping her in my arms.

I wait for her to calm before turning her in my arms and forcing her to look at me. I place a finger under her chin, tipping her head back slightly. "What the fuck was that?" I ask, gently.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so embarrassed. I don't usually break down on hook ups," she sniffles.

Her words feel like a slap in the face and for some reason, they bother me way more than they should. "Hook up?" I repeat, "This is the third time we've ended up ‘hooking up'" I say, using air quotes. "Don't you think it's a little more than that now?"

She eyes me warily, and then shrugs her shoulders. "I thought we were having fun."

I scoff, "Fun? I'm in your bedroom, Neve. I'm looking to stay the night, that's a huge deal for me."

Her expression softens and she rises onto her knees and places her arms loosely around my neck. "This doesn't feel fun at all right now, does it?" she whispers, trailing wet kisses over my neck. I tilt my head slightly, liking the feel of her against me again. "I need you, Ryder," she adds, bringing her lips to mine.

I allow it for a few seconds, my cock instantly hardens, but before she can distract me with her skilful mouth, I pull away and she falls back onto her arse. "Don't do that," I say, firmly. "Don't try and distract me. I want to know what the fuck that was."

Neve sighs heavily and crosses her legs. "You heard what that was, what do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me why the hell you even do any of that shit for him when you're not together." It crosses my mind that maybe there's more to them so I add, "Unless you and he are still fucking?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she snaps and I'm shocked at how relieved I feel to hear her say those words. "Look, I have a child with him and whether I like it or not, I have to keep the peace between us for her sake."

"And what about you, Neve? How often does he call to make you check in?"

She stares down at her hands and shame washes over her features. "Most nights . . . every night."

My fists ball at my sides in anger. "That can't go on. How the fuck will you ever move on?"

She looks me in the eye, "That's the whole point, isn't it. I can't."

I lay awake beside Neve's sleeping form. She's curled up in a tight ball with her back to me and I itch to wake her. She'd refused to talk about Finn anymore and instead turned on her distraction technique which led to her riding me until we both came hard. So I let her sleep, she needs the rest.

I go over my plan again, hating myself the more I think about it. When Griff first told me about her connection to Finn, I knew right away she was my key to ruining him. I want him to know how it feels to lose everything. And now that I know he's still hooked on her, it makes things all the sweeter. It would be so easy to go ahead. I have the recording of us fucking in my office, which I could easily send Finn's way . . . I groan, rubbing my hands over my tired face. How can I make her life worse? She's already living in hell because of Finn Matthews. The last thing she needs is me making shit worse. And besides, I like her. Way more than I ever meant to.

Neve stirs beside me, a small moan escaping her lips. She flinches and I wonder if she's dreaming about Finn. I turn, pressing myself against her and wrapping my arm around her. She settles, and I place a kiss into her neck. My erection strains against her backside, itching for another taste of her. I groan, wondering if I'll ever get enough of her as I inhale the scent of her shampoo. I ease into her, nuzzling into her neck and cupping her breast. A sleepy moan escapes her and she reaches her arm back, raking her fingers over my head.

"I'm gonna make things better for you, Siren. For you and Harlee," I promise, knowing that I mean every word. Neve turns her head slightly, pressing her lips against mine. I continue to move, slow and gentle, dragging out the warm feeling building between us. This doesn't feel like all the other times. We're not fucking. We're making love. And for me, that's a first.