Ryan (Members From Money Book 16)

by Katie Dowe

  Amanda was aware of the restaurant going quiet. It was busy but Lucy’s voice managed to get above the noise. Now everyone was staring at them. Lucy didn’t seem to notice or care.

  “Are you insane?” She demanded.

  “Evidently, yes.” Danny was still looking annoyed but he didn’t seem flustered at the fact they were now the dinner entertainment. “Now, go. Amanda and I were having a nice time until you showed up.”

  Lucy flushed angrily. She swung around on Amanda and jabbed a finger in her face.

  “You know you can never have him.” She hissed. “Georgina wouldn’t allow it.”

  Amanda raised her eyebrows. She stood, not allowing her sister to tower over her. She saw Lucy’s friends tense as if ready for a fight, but Amanda figured they wouldn’t be stupid enough to start a fight in such a public place.

  She kept her voice low and level.

  “First, I didn’t realize a thirty-three-year-old man needed his mother’s permission for anything. Second, it’s not that sort of date.”

  Lucy snorted.

  “You can lie all you want. But I know what it is.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, placing a hand on her hip and smirking. “And once I get Danny back in, he won’t give you a second look. He doesn’t do ugly.”

  That was the insult she always went with if she wanted a low blow. Amanda gritted her teeth. She saw Danny starting to stand, his body tensed up. He looked like he was about to lay into Lucy himself.

  “You know it’s true, don’t you?” Lucy seemed to be enjoying herself. She raised her voice so the whole restaurant could hear her. “I’ve always been the successful one. Besides, Georgina approves of me. There will be a ring on my finger and you will be a blip.”

  Amanda glanced at Danny and shook her head. Danny looked like he wasn’t going to heed her warning but he sat back down. Then Amanda looked back at Lucy and maintained her level tone.

  “I have let you get away with too much, Lucy. And I’m not about to stand here and listen to you spout off like a spoiled high-schooler. You leave me and Danny alone.” She sat back down and reached for her glass. “Get out of here.”

  Lucy snatched up her glass before Amanda could grasp it and threw its contents into Amanda’s face. There wasn’t much left but it still caught Amanda full in the face. A collective gasp went around the restaurant while Lucy stood over her, a smirk on her face.

  Chapter 7

  Amanda lowered her hands and sighed. Then she kicked out, leaning back as she kicked. Her foot caught Lucy in the chest and knocked her off her feet. Lucy landed hard on the floor, too stunned to react. Then she burst into tears and flailed around like a toddler having a tantrum.

  There were a couple of titters and someone laughed but nobody stood up and declared war. A lot of people turned away and went back to their dinner.

  “Danny, she kicked me!” Lucy shrieked. “She hurt me!”

  “And she looks like she’s going to do a lot more if you do that again.” Danny beckoned over the head waiter. “Marcus, could you call the police, please?”

  That had Lucy’s tears drying up immediately. She sat up and stared at him.

  “You’d seriously call the police?” She gasped.

  Danny shrugged.

  “You’re causing a disturbance and you’ve assaulted my date. That will look good in our social circle.”

  Lucy was still staring at him in shock as Marcus picked her off the floor and sent her towards her friends, who had wisely not intervened. Amanda watched as they left. Someone in the restaurant laughed and Amanda heard someone mutter about tramps being allowed on the premises. She couldn’t be sure if they were talking about her or Lucy or both.

  “You okay?”

  Amanda turned around. Danny was watching her, concern marring his face. She nodded. Her face was still dripping from the wine and she was getting cold.

  “I think so.” She picked up her napkin and wiped her face. “This is so embarrassing. I can’t believe I did that.”

  “You’ve never hit Lucy before?”

  “I’ve never stood up to her before.”

  Danny smiled. He reached across and took her hand.

  “We all have our breaking points. You just reached yours.” He squeezed her hand. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  Amanda was feeling embarrassed. Now it wasn’t because she had just made a spectacle of herself; it was because Danny’s touch was doing crazy things to her insides. Her pussy was throbbing enough to make her shift in her seat and she could feel the blood rushing to between her thighs.

  Yikes. She was in trouble.

  *****

  “Thanks for dinner.”

  Danny grinned.

  “No problem.” He tugged Amanda gently towards him and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  Amanda sighed and leaned into him. She even put her arms around his waist. Danny felt his cock twitching. It liked this very much.

  “I always enjoy a good meal with good company.”

  At least she seemed to have calmed down now. The interruption by her sister seemed to have shaken her a little. It had certainly shaken Danny. He had hoped nobody would bother them but he had mostly been expecting his mother to come charging in, not Lucy. And the way she kissed him like she was entitled…his mouth was burning.

  Danny hoped he would never have to go through that again.

  Amanda had taken a while to get back to her usual chatty self. A quick phone call to her mother had been needed. Apparently Helen had been trying to get hold of Amanda to warn her of Lucy’s plan but Amanda had stuck her phone in her bag on silent. Amanda’s frustration at how she had missed the call was clear but she covered it up as best she could. After speaking to her mother for a moment, Amanda hung up and got on with the rest of dinner.

  Danny admired her for doing that. She didn’t let something like her big sister ruin her evening.

  They reached Amanda’s car. Danny had been insistent that he walked Amanda to her car, which she protested at for a moment before relenting. She tried to make it sound like it was too much trouble but Danny was firm about it. Amanda reached into her bag for her keys and Danny turned her around, pressing her back against the car as his hands settled on her hips.

  “There’s also another reason why I wanted to walk you to your car.”

  “Oh?”

  Amanda smiled. Her hands trailed up his chest to his shoulders. Danny muscles tensed under her touch. She seemed to know exactly what he was up to.

  She was standing up on her toes as Danny lowered his head. He brushed his lips over hers, giving her small kisses that had Amanda sighing into his mouth. Danny pulled back and stared at her. For a moment he had forgotten who Amanda was and just saw a gorgeous woman he wanted.

  She may be enjoying it now but would she come to her senses? She was, essentially, his employee.

  “I’m not crossing the line anywhere, am I?”

  Amanda opened her eyes and blinked. She shook her head.

  “No. You’re not.” She slipped her arms around his neck and tugged him down. “Just don’t stop doing that.”

  Danny was more than happy to oblige. He kissed her harder, urging her mouth open. Amanda’s tongue tangled with his as she gripped his hand between her fingers, digging her nails in for a little bite. Danny growled and pressed Amanda against the side of her car, grabbing her bottom and lifting her enough for him to thrust his cock against her. Amanda moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist, rubbing her pelvis against him.

  Danny knew he needed to back off. Otherwise he was going to take Amanda right there in the parking lot.

  Just a few more minutes.

  There was a loud bang and something ricocheted off the top of Amanda’s car. Danny reacted and dropped to the ground, taking Amanda with him. Another shot shattered her window, missing Danny’s head by inches.

  Danny rolled Amanda underneath him and covered her with his body. Two more shots
went high over their heads and then there came the sound of screeching tires. Danny looked up to see a dark Saloon car tear out of the parking lot.

  Shouts could be heard through the ringing in his ears. People were coming out of the restaurant, looking around in confusion.

  Danny looked down at Amanda, who was clutching on to his shirt, her face buried into his chest. It was then Danny realized she was trembling. He touched her cheek.

  “You okay?”

  “I think so.” Amanda raised her head. She looked at her car and closed her eyes with a groan. “Not my car again.”

  Danny looked around. The back window was shattered with a neat bullet hole in the center.

  “At least it wasn’t you.” He grunted.

  Sitting up slowly, he eased himself back against the wheel, taking Amanda with him. Amanda whimpered and clutched on to him. Danny held her, rubbing her back and gently rocking her.

  “It’s okay, Amanda.” He whispered. He pressed a kiss to her head. “Don’t worry. You’re okay.”

  Amanda might be okay but Danny knew it was going to be a while before his heart rate slowed down.

  *****

  “No, I’m not going to the hospital.” Amanda shrugged off the paramedic’s probing fingers as they neared her head. “I don’t need it.”

  “You’re still shaken.” Danny pointed out. “You need to be checked over.”

  Amanda glared at him. Her back was killing her from landing on the tarmac and she had grazed her cheek on the ground. It stung but it wasn’t as bad as earlier. Now it was just an incessant throbbing.

  The shooter had got away in another car and no one had seen anything. Hopefully they would get something with security footage but Amanda didn’t hold much hope on that.

  The police had already spoken to them and they were taking it more seriously than Amanda expected them to. They were in an area where there had been a drive-by the week before and it wasn’t known to be completely safe from crime. Amanda had chalked it up to a random attack but Danny believed she was the target and the police were thinking along the same lines. This had Amanda thinking everyone was being melodramatic.

  Even so, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind wondered if it wasn’t as random as she thought.

  “All that was really damaged was my car. Again.” Barely a week out of the shop and it was showering glass everywhere again. Amanda looked at the paramedic. “Please, just let me go.”

  The guy sighed and settled back.

  “If you don’t want to go that’s fine. You’ll need to sign a consent form before you can go.”

  “Fine, I’ll do that. Just give me the form.”

  Amanda almost snatched the clipboard out of the paramedic’s hand, scribbling her name down with a shaky hand.

  “I wouldn’t recommend you be alone for a while.” She was warned. “You did take a knock to the head.”

  Amanda was about to protest that it was only her cheek and her head didn’t bounce like a basketball when she fell but then Danny spoke up.

  “She can stay the night with me.”

  What? Amanda stared at him, wondering what he was playing at. But Danny’s expression said he wasn’t taking no for answer. She shook her head.

  “I can’t do that.” She said weakly.

  “Yes, you can.” Danny took her hand and tugged her to standing. “It’ll make me feel better.”

  Amanda was about to object again when she let Danny’s words sink in. Then she saw his face in the flashing lights. He was just as pale as she felt. This had shaken him up more than he cared to openly admit.

  Amanda couldn’t turn him away after hearing that. She nodded and allowed Danny to lead her away. Danny didn’t let go of her hand as they walked over to his car, which was parked at the edge of the parking lot. He shook his head.

  “I’m still unsure about you turning them away.”

  “The police have already taken my statement and I’ve been checked over.” Amanda leaned into him with a heavy sigh. “I just want to go home and sleep.”

  “We’ll grab a bag for you and then you can sleep.” Danny slipped his arm over her shoulders and hugged her to him as they walked. “And we won’t be alone, if you’re worried about that. Abi will be there.”

  That wasn’t what Amanda was worried about. She was more concerned about if the gunman, if he really was after her, coming after her again and making Abi a target as well. But then her mind took a different turn and she had an image of Danny lying in bed, naked and reaching out for her. She shivered as she remembered his cock pressing against her earlier. The thought of having him inside her was making her hot and feverish.

  From the way Danny had been when he kissed her, she was in no doubt what he wanted from her.

  And Amanda was not surprised to realize she would happily let him do it as well.

  They were at Danny’s car and he was opening the door for her when they heard someone shout Danny’s name. Amanda looked up and saw Georgina hurrying across the parking lot towards them. A few officers tried to stop her but then Georgina declared loudly that she was going to her son and they backed off. What was she doing there?

  “Is she following us?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised.” Danny urged Amanda inside. “Get inside now. I’ll deal with her.”

  Amanda did as she was told. She was too tired to argue. But she managed to open the window a crack so she could listen in. Being protected by Danny’s car didn’t mean she wasn’t going to block them out. She was curious as to what Georgina would say.

  Danny shut the door and had barely turned around before Georgina barreled into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as she hugged him.

  “Danny, honey!” She wailed. “I can’t believe this happened.” She pulled back and made a big scene of checking him over. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

  “I’m fine.” Danny managed to put his mother away from him, not even batting an eyelid at her actions. “Neither of us were hurt.”

  “Neither of us?”

  Then Georgina looked towards the car. Amanda knew she could see her even with the windows tinted. Georgina’s eyes narrowed and her mouth curled in a snarl.

  “You were with her?”

  “Who else would I be with?” Danny retorted. “Lucy? You were the one who told her where I was, weren’t you? And how did you know where I was? I didn’t know myself until three hours ago.”

  “I talked your secretary into telling me when I called your office.”

  “You might have just got my personal assistant fired. She wasn’t supposed to tell you.”

  Amanda thought that was a bit harsh. She had met Danny’s PA and she was as loyal as they came. Georgina had probably blindsided her with a fake emergency; Amanda wouldn’t put it passed the lady. Crazy she was, but she did have some smarts, even if they were sneaky.

  “Why did you tell Lucy where I was?” Danny demanded.

  Georgina pouted angrily, jabbing a finger at her son.

  “Lucy’s meant to be your girl. Not her slutty sister.”

  “That’s cheap considering Lucy’s the one who dropped into my lap and kissed me like she owns me. In the middle of a date with someone else.” Danny stepped towards Georgina. Amanda couldn’t see his face but it was enough to make Georgina step back. “And don’t you dare talk like that about Amanda again. Lucy is not my girl anymore and she will not claim that title again. I’m an adult. You had no control over me when I was a teenager and even less on me now. Stop trying to force choices on me.”

  “Danny…”

  Georgina reached out towards her son but Danny slapped her hands away. Amanda jumped at the sudden sound.

  “Back the fuck off Amanda and back the fuck off me and Abi. I’m sick of it, Mom. Once Abi graduates I’ll move wherever she wants to go for university and then you won’t have us close by.” Amanda saw the smirk this time. “We won’t even tell you where we’re going.”

  If this had been any other person, Amanda
would have thought this was incredibly harsh. But after experiencing Georgina’s crazy first-hand, she thought this was the most sensible thing Danny could do. If it hadn’t been for Abi he would have left a long time ago.

  Georgina’s face had gone white. Her mouth fell open and she started to panic.

  “What? No! You won’t!”

  Danny smirked.

  “Try me.”

  He turned and went around to the driver’s side. Georgina began screaming something that hurt Amanda’s ears so she put the window up. As Danny buckled in and started up the car, Georgina began slapping her fists on Amanda’s window, her face contorted with rage. Amanda had no idea what she was saying but she was sure her ears would be burning if she could hear.

  She looked at Danny as he pulled the car out of the parking lot.

  “Will you really move as soon as Abi graduates?” She asked quietly.

  “Absolutely.” Danny said grimly. “I stayed because of her. Now she’s eighteen, there’s no need to stay.”

  That stung more than Amanda cared to admit. If Danny was planning on leaving, where did that leave them. She didn’t want to become attached only for him to leave and Amanda didn’t think she’d be able to cope with a long-distance relationship. And she couldn’t exactly follow them; they weren’t in a relationship and what she would do could be classified as stalking.

  It sounded like whatever was happening between her and Danny was to be over before it even started.

  *****

  The next month passed by slowly. Amanda was still tutoring Abi, who was coming along in leaps and bounds, but she made sure they were at neutral places or at her apartment. After Danny’s admission, she felt uncomfortable going to Danny’s condo and tutoring Abi there. Having Danny around was making her hormones go wild and demanding that she went to bed with him.

  But Amanda couldn’t bring herself to do it. She knew she was halfway in love with Danny already. It wouldn’t take much to fall the rest of the way. Amanda didn’t want to go through all that only for Danny to leave once Abi graduated.

  And that date was rapidly approaching. Another two months and Danny would be gone. Abi had talked about going to a university on the east coast, which would put her on the other side of the country. Amanda didn’t think she could handle a long-distance relationship like that.