by Marie James
Ryan hasn’t even bothered to look twice at her, and for that, I’m grateful. I know I just shoved myself into his life, but if I trust what he’s told me more than once, he’s glad I’m here and doesn’t want me to go anywhere anytime soon.
“That’s not true,” Jinx argues. “I don’t have a problem with her being here. I just think that it complicates things.”
The guys have been discussing Rivet, the newest member of the Cerberus MC.
I don’t add my two cents. I’m not a member of this club, but the pretty woman on the other side of the room chatting with Grinch is fierce. She’s almost as tall as the other guys in the MC, but there’s no mistaking her for anything other than a strong woman. Her all-business short haircut is striking, perfect for her oval face, and more than me, she’s getting dirty looks from the visiting women.
If I didn’t know how dedicated Ryan was to me, I’d probably worry. He hasn’t given me any reason to doubt him, so I won’t bother with it. I have enough things to worry about.
“Think we should haze her the same way we would if it was a guy joining us?” Ryan asks with a grin as he brings his beer bottle to his lips.
“I’m not holding back,” Jinx says with a playful devious look in his eye. “She said she didn’t want us to act differently.”
“Can’t really give her a gallon of lube and a pocket pussy like we did when Tug came on board.”
With a huge smile on my face, I look up at Ryan. “Is that where Kingston got his name?”
Jinx snorts a laugh. “Tug got that name in bootcamp because he disappeared to jack off every chance he got.”
Ryan looks down at me, and I’m sure he’s checking to see if I’m okay with the direction the conversation has turned. I smile up at him, hoping that he understands that I’m fine.
“She’s been in the Marine Corps,” I interject. “I’m sure she’s seen and heard it all. Oh, who’s that?”
We all turn to watch a younger guy walk toward Rivet.
“This ought to be good,” Jinx says. “That’s Cannon, Shadow’s youngest son. He thinks he’s God’s gift. The boy doesn’t know when to quit.”
“Come on,” Ryan says as he presses his hand to my back, urging me to step closer so we can hear the conversation.
“Hey, baby,” Cannon purrs, disrespectfully interrupting the conversation Grinch and Rivet were having.
Rivet frowns at him, but rather than taking him down a notch, she repositions her body to not include Cannon and continues to speak with Grinch.
“Yeah,” she says. “Four years was enough for me. The bureaucracy was just too much to re-up.”
“Oh,” Cannon says as he invades her space. “You were in the military?”
A smile spreads across Grinch’s face, but he doesn’t say a word. Cannon proceeds to invade her personal space, and I’m finding it a little bit creepy, especially since no one is stepping up to put a stop to the young guy’s disrespect.
“Are you a general?” Cannon asks with innuendo lacing his tone.
“Oh, boy,” Ryan mutters, but a smile is teasing his lips.
“Cause you just made my private stand at attention.”
Rivet glares at him, unimpressed with his ridiculous pickup line.
Grinch coughs into his hand to cover a laugh.
“Wanna help me dishonorably discharge?” Cannon’s eyebrows waggle at a comically fast rate, and I find a smile of my own forming on my lips.
This kid is so far out his element with Rivet, but he seems too ignorant to realize she isn’t even the slightest bit impressed. It’s like a slow-motion train wreck, and as much as I was offended for her just a few moments ago, I still can’t take my eyes off of the two of them. Somehow, I just know that this woman can handle herself.
“He can’t be serious,” I mutter.
“You’d be surprised how many women fall for his shit,” Ryan whispers in my ear.
“Well, she’s not going to,” I assure him.
Cannon inches in closer. “I can stand at attention for hours. Wanna play formation?”
My eyes widen in shock when Rivet’s lip twitches. “Surely, she isn’t—”
Then Cannon lifts his hand, saying, “What do ya say? Are you delta tango foxtrot?” as he trails his finger down her arm.
All humor disappears from her eyes before she grabs his finger and twists it like it’s her primary instinct. Cannon squeals like a pig caught in a trap before turning ass over end and crashing to the floor.
Rivet looks down at him like he’s nothing more than a nuisance. She spares him the quickest glance before looking back up at Grinch. “So, yeah. Four years was enough, but I think Cerberus is going to be a good fit.”
“And you’re going to fit in here just fine,” Grinch says as he grins down at Cannon.
The young guy is blinking up at Rivet like he’s seeing her for the first time.
Good, I hope he learned his lesson.
“So, I guess now isn’t the time to ask if I can put my oorah in your who-ha?”
Both Ryan and Jinx groan at his stupidity, but Rivet just takes a few steps away from him. No one offers to help Cannon up off the floor, and he seems quite content just to watch the woman who put him flat on his back without so much as a grunt.
We back away as well, the entertainment for the evening having lost its shine.
Conversations continue as we mingle, but I never leave Ryan’s side. Not only do I love his warmth, but unease grows a little as the party continues, and people keep drinking.
When there’s a lull in the conversation, Ryan looks down at me, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
“I love you,” I blurt.
His eyes sparkle. “Just like that, huh? No fanfare or anything?”
“Just like that.” My cheeks heat because I know his friends standing near heard me, but I don’t regret telling him how I feel. I’ve wanted to tell him since I got back. I played it over and over in my head on the way back to New Mexico, but I lost my courage when I saw him standing on the front porch.
“I love you, too.”
My heart swells.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
His head lowers, and he’s all I can focus on. The sounds swirling around us, the people conversing, and the guys chatting over a game of pool all disappear. Ryan and I are the only two people in this room.
The kiss is chaste by most standards, but for me, it feels like the beginning of something wonderful.
Three months ago, I was wondering when I was going to die. Right now, I can’t wait to begin this new life.
I have a new series coming soon!
Check out One Eighty HERE!
Need more MC in your life?
Give the Ravens Ruin MC a chance!
These bad boys are all about pleasure, self-gratification, and living the good life!
They’re NOTHING like my Cerberus guys, and this series is a little rougher, a little darker, and filled with enough sexiness to set your kindle on fire!
Start the Ravens Ruin MC Series HERE!
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OTHER BOOKS FROM MARIE JAMES
Standalones
Crowd Pleaser
Macon
We Said Forever
More Than a Memory
Westover Prep
One Eighty
Cole Brothers SERIES
Love Me Like That
Teach Me Like That
Hale Series
Coming to Hale
Begging for Hale
Hot as Hale
To Hale and Back
Hale Series Box Set
Cerberus MC
Kincaid: Cerberus MC Book 1
Kid: Cerberus MC Book 2
Shadow: Cerberus MC Book 3
Dominic: Cerberus MC Book 4
Snatch: Cerberus MC Book 5
Lawson: Cerberus MC Book 6
Hound: Cerberus MC Book 7
Griffin: Cerberus MC Book 8
Samson: Cerberus MC Book 9
Tug: Cerberus MC Book 10
Scooter: Cerberus MC Book 11
Cerberus MC Box Set 1
Cerberus MC Box Set 2
Ravens Ruin MC
Desperate Beginnings: Prequel (Book 1)
(Not a romance, but gives all of the back history on the club)
Book 2: Sins of the Father
Book 3: Luck of the Devil
Book 4: Dancing with the Devil
MM Romance
Grinder
Taunting Tony