“No.”
He took a step inside, shut the door, and faced her. “I know you think I hate you. I did, and I got my reasons, but I don’t anymore.”
She didn’t know exactly what to say to that, so she said nothing.
“You gotta understand, you left, and he was…” He shook his head. “I got my reasons to hate you, to continue to hate you, but I’m not gonna ’cause I’m not gonna give you another excuse to ride outta here on a whim and take Bree with you.”
“I wouldn’t. I thought—”
His face hardened. “It doesn’t make a difference ’cause it doesn’t change what happened after you left.”
Right. Well, she knew this. He blamed her even though he wasn’t close to Bryce anymore. She guessed he blamed her for whatever happened between him and Bryce, too. Bud wasn’t the type of man who wasted time on trivialities. With knowing this, she figured somehow, she was the reason Bud and Bryce were no longer friends.
Her stomach turned. She’d not only made herself, Bryce, and Bree suffer, she’d come between two friends. It meant when Bryce needed a friend the most, he hadn’t had one.
“I’m sorry.”
Bud’s eyes widened then narrowed.
“I am sorry,” she repeated.
He stared at her for several moments before he said, “Thought it wasn’t your fault ’cause you thought—”
“I thought what I thought, and it turns out, I was wrong. Even thinking what I did, when I saw Bryce with Bree, I knew I’d made a huge mistake. So even if I had been right, which I wasn’t, I shouldn’t have left because I hurt people. One of those people is you, so I’m sorry.”
Gaze hardening, he shook his head. “It doesn’t change anything, but appreciate it the same.” He turned and opened the door. Before he stepped out, he said over his shoulder, “Glad you didn’t get killed and… Congrats.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
****
Later that night
Coming hard and fast, just before she did, he stopped. His tongue tormenting her, gone, fingers at her core, gone.
“Bryce! No! Don’t stop! Please…” He had to keep going. She needed him to.
His body covered her a moment later, kissing her in a way that made her melt. She rubbed against the length of him trying to get herself there.
His hands went to her waist, pulling her away. He then sat up. Kneeling between her legs, his fingers tightened around her hips. He lifted her bottom half off the bed and slammed into her. He did it so hard, her overly sensitive clit buzzed. She spasmed, and the most powerful, mind-blowing orgasm of her life hit her, leaving her breathless.
Aftershocks hummed, she watched him pound into her, face a mask of desire, abs tightening with each thrust, chest covered in a wet sheen of perspiration. Beautiful, so stunning, she wanted him closer.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and met his thrusts, adding to the pleasure.
“That’s right, Em. Just like that, babe.”
Before she knew it, she was breathing in that funny way she did right before she climaxed. Building and building… It hit, so powerful, so much more than the first. She shuddered.
He came a millisecond later. “Fuck,” he groaned and collapsed on top of her.
She hooked her arms around his neck immediately, keeping him close.
He trailed his hand up her side and whispered, “I love you, Em.”
Chills skidded over her body making her shiver.
“Tell me.” He moved, shifting to her side, lying on his. Then he circled his arm around her shoulders and turned her so she faced him.
“What?”
“Haven’t heard you say it today.”
She smiled. “I love you, Bryce.”
****
“What happened between you and Bud?”
The wrong time to ask, probably, but honestly, there wasn’t a good time to ask, and there was no better time than right after she’d gone down on him.
He cupped her face and pulled her away from his chest. Sprawled on top of him, she went willingly. Lifting herself onto her hands, she met his eyes.
“You trying to ruin the best blowjob I ever got, babe?”
She smirked. “No.”
He released her cheeks. Not losing sight of his stare, she rested her chin on his chest, her hands went around the back of his shoulders.
“It’s complicated.”
“Is it?”
He cupped her cheek then slid his hand until he rested it on the back of her neck. “When you left…”
She lifted a brow. “Go on.”
“You left, and I…changed… Like night and day. He didn’t get it. He still doesn’t.”
“I’m sorry.”
As he squeezed her neck, his brows drew together. “We’ve been through this. It isn’t your fault.”
She nodded. “Yeah, we have, and you said it isn’t anyone’s fault but Lilliam’s. We’ve moved on, haven’t we?”
He grinned. “Fuck, yeah.”
“Both of you should too.”
He shook his head. “He doesn’t get me.”
She glided one hand around his shoulder to his chest then his chin. There, she trailed her fingers along his stubble. “No, Bryce. He gets you. He just doesn’t get me.”
“Same thing—”
“No, it isn’t. And it’s okay.”
His gaze flew behind her, seeming to mull over what she said. She shifted to his side and fell asleep. She woke the same way she had for the past several days: facing him, her arm around his waist, her face planted against his chest, his arms wrapped around her.
****
Two weeks, and four days later
“Surprise!”
Em jumped and gasped loudly. Automatically, she turned to peer at Bryce. Standing behind her, he looked down at her, a wide grin on his face. Her gaze slid from him to Bree at her left. One look and she knew her baby girl had been in on the surprise.
The surprise, the club—all the brothers, old ladies, and kids—at their home, the home they planned to move into that day. Even Tiff, at thirty-six weeks pregnant, showed with her old man, Cuss. It was humbling and overwhelming at the same time.
“I… Wow. I…don’t know.”
Bryce came to stand beside her, slung his arm around her shoulders, and squeezed. He brought her close, moving her until her chest pressed to his. Then he leaned down. His mouth above her ear, he whispered, “Late wedding bash, babe.”
Again, wow.
He drew away. “Everyone chipped in, bought us some patio furniture and a barbeque. We’re gonna grill up some steaks. Ladies brought sides. Gonna be a fun day.”
“Thank you…”
Over the past two weeks, Bryce had installed a surveillance system. They’d painted, bought furniture for Bree’s room, and decorated it. They’d also purchased a large sectional for the den and four stools for the kitchen counter. It’d take some time to fill out their home since it was spacious. She had some money saved from before and from working at the garage but couldn’t spend all of it. She needed to start looking into buying a car. Last week, she snuck out during lunch with Mia and bought Bryce a seventy-two-inch flat screen television, which she surprised him with last night.
“Before we start, I got something for my girls.”
Bree grinned.
Bud stepped forward and handed Bryce two bags.
“Thanks for picking it up, bro.”
That, alone, would’ve made Em’s day. Bryce and Bud had been friendly as of late. The fact Bryce asked Bud for a favor was another move in the right direction. She hoped in time they’d be like before.
Bryce handed one bag to Bree and another to her. She looked to Bree and waited for Bree to open hers first. Bree excitedly pulled out a leather cut. On the back, the club’s insignia, and it read, “Daughter of Ripper, Hell Ryders MC.”
Bree smiled at her father and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you, Daddy.”
Bryce rested his arm
s around Bree and grinned down at her. “Love you, baby.”
“Love you more,” Bree said after drawing away.
He turned to Em. “Your turn.”
She smiled, dug her hand into the bag, and grabbed a jewelry box. Inside was a necklace, a simple white gold chain with a pendant of his name written in cursive. She grinned, looked up at him, and whispered, “Always loved you. Always will.”
Then he kissed her.
She barely heard the hollering and hooting.
She did hear him whisper, “Love you, babe.”
About the Author
J.L. Sheppard was born and raised in South Florida where she still lives with her husband and son.
As a child, her greatest aspiration was to become a writer. She read often, kept a journal, and wrote countless poems. In 2008, she graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelors in Communications. During her senior year, she interned at NBC Miami, WTVJ. Following the internship, she was hired and worked in the News Department for three years.
It wasn’t until 2011 that she set her heart and mind to writing her first completed novel, Demon King’s Desire, which was published in January 2013.
~*~
Note from the Author:
Thank you for reading Riding Blind, Hell Ryders #3. I hope you enjoyed it. To find out more about my releases, including the Hell Ryders Series, visit my site.
Honest reviews are welcome and very much appreciated.
~*~
Visit J.L. at
www.JLSheppard.com
~*~
To chat with J.L. Sheppard and other Wild Rose Press authors of erotic romance, join us at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thewilderroses.
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Tiffany Hamilton has never gotten over the bad boy with the sapphire eyes and midnight hair, the boy who once saved her. She wants him—a touch, a taste— but he’s never wanted anything to do with her. It’s past time to move on. When the sexy biker barges back into her life, saving her yet again and making demands, he makes it impossible to say no to his raw magnetism. She’ll finally have everything she’s dreamed of...but will it be enough?
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Real estate mogul Tom Wright caters to the rich and famous. He lives the life of the perfect bachelor, partying hard and dating the most beautiful women in Manhattan. But he has one golden rule—no commitments. Ever. Then he meets sexy Sara Hart, and something about her makes him want to throw the damn rule book out the window. Every time she’s near, the blood in his veins pulses with a raging fire he can’t contain. But Tom’s shadowed history is resurfacing, unearthing ghosts he’d rather remain buried.
Will this wicked dance be their last?
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Riding Blind Page 29