Ryder's Surrender (Hell Yeah!)

by Sable Hunter

  Samson stared at Gideon as if he were speaking a language he didn’t understand. “Where the hell is this coming from? Why haven’t you ever said anything?”

  Gideon met his stare, cloaking the ache in his chest. “I don’t know.” He lied through his teeth. “I didn’t want to rock the boat. I like sharing with you, double the pleasure and all that fuck – but, to tell you the truth, I’ve always had reservations, I’m like Ryder in that respect. How would this work? We don’t live on Lani, surrounded by people who are used to our erotic peculiarities.”

  “Don’t be so off-hand with something we’ve respected our entire life, brother. Or at least I have. We are a product of that peculiarity. Our fathers are fine men, men who molded us into the people we are, laid the foundation so we felt the freedom to pursue our dreams,” Samson said all of this through gritted teeth, shaking his fist in his brother’s face. “They love our mother unequivocally and, as far as I know, they’ve never regretted that decision a day in their life.”

  More lies. “As far as we know, yes.”

  Samson stared at Gideon as if he didn’t know him. “What’s gotten into you? Ryder is what we need to complete our life and we lost her.”

  “She’s what you need, Samson.” Gideon managed to get the words out. “Nothing will change between us. I’m your brother, I’m your business partner. I will always have your back. I just don’t want to share Ryder with you. You and she belong together. I want you to go to her and make this right. Tell her I think she’s amazing and that I understand.”

  He could tell Samson was listening, trying very hard to process this new information. He was also probing; Gideon could feel Samson’s mind reaching out to him. Stoically, he shielded his thoughts, careful to emit the message that what he’d said was true. Samson needed to go to Ryder and Gideon needed to get the hell out of the way. The only pertinent fact he had to hide was how very much he wanted to stay.

  “What will you do? This is your home. We’re partners.”

  “We’ll always be partners. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon – not permanently. When it’s time, when Ryder moves in with you, I can find another home close by or build one. You’re never going to get rid of me.” Gideon just needed time – time to heal, time to build an emotional front to match the one in his head, and Ryder and Samson needed time together to lay the foundation for a future together. “We’ve been needing to go to the Ukraine and check out Oleg and what he’s might be up to. This is a good time to take care of that task and I’m just the man to do it.”

  Samson didn’t look convinced.

  Gideon gave his brother a smile. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay. Mother will fuss for a little while, but as soon as she sees how happy we all are, she’ll come to terms with our new way of doing things.”

  Samson laughed and the sound was bittersweet to Gideon. “Mother wants us to be happy, but she sure hates to be wrong.” Letting out a deep breath, like a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Samson clapped his brother on the shoulder. “I’ll go to Ryder; I can’t say for sure she’ll listen to me.”

  “Oh, she’ll listen. Didn’t she say she wished things were different, that she wished she was free to love you – just you?” Yea, he was pushing the envelope, but this was goddamn important. If he was going to sacrifice his chance at forever with Ryder, he at least wanted to know she and his brother had a shot.

  And their only chance hinged on him riding off into the sunset…at least until the darkness had passed and the night was over.

  One day, maybe not too long from now, they could all be together again. Samson and Ryder as a happy couple…and him as the happy-go-lucky third wheel, wearing a mask of indifference that they must never see him without.

  * * *

  “It’s time! It’s time!” Tennessee bellowed at the top of his voice and he ran out of his room, with one boot on and one boot off, his shirt unbuttoned and flapping in the breeze.

  Doors began to open and heads popped out of rooms. “Time for what?” Jaxson bellowed, half asleep.

  “The baby! The baby’s coming!” Tennessee started running down the stairs.

  Pepper and Ryder heard the commotion and grabbed their clothes, pulling on jeans and a T-shirt in record time. They met in the hall, along with Philip, Heath, and Cato. As they all started down the stairs, seeing Ten at the door with a small suitcase, Ryder had to smile. “Are you forgetting something papa-to-be?” The joy she felt at the impending birth of her niece or nephew was a relief from the heartache that had consumed her since she walked away from Samson and Gideon only hours before.

  For a moment Tennessee looked blank, then when the realization hit that he’d left his pregnant wife upstairs, he got a silly look on his face and headed back up the stairs, taking them two or three at a time. “I’m coming, Molly!”

  “The man has lost his ever-loving mind.” Jaxson chuckled as he and Philip started out the door to bring the SUVs around to the front.

  “Just wait till Cato gets pregnant, Heath will be the world’s worst.” Pepper smiled.

  “I will not, I resemble that remark,” he good-naturedly grumbled as he watched the stairs as Ten came down carrying Molly who was hanging onto his shoulders for dear life.

  “How close are the contractions?” Ryder asked as they fell in line behind Ten and they all hurried out to climb into the vehicles. This was their first family baby and nobody intended on missing out on any of the excitement.

  “Um…um…five or six minutes, maybe. My water broke.” She was panting and smiling. “This hurts, but I’m so excited I’m about to burst!”

  “Well, don’t burst until we get to the hospital.” Ten got to the car, then had trouble turning her sideways to get in. Philip jumped up to help him.

  Finally, they were loaded up and on their way. As they neared Falconhead, Ryder thought of the untouched satellite phone lying on her dresser. She’d finally turned it off when Samson persisted in calling her over and over again. When the SUV came even with the drive to Falconhead, she couldn’t look away, feeling as if she left part of her heart and soul with the two men she’d walked away from. Each time Samson called; she also wondered about Gideon. Ryder felt guilty because she hadn’t talked to him in person. Right now, her biggest battle was trying to tamp down the resentment she felt…resentment toward her circumstances, society – and God help her - her family.

  “Are you okay?” Pepper asked, her voice low. They’d huddled together over the last week, being there for one another the best they could.

  “Yea, I’m looking forward to seeing that baby, aren’t you?” Ryder didn’t see any use rehashing her decision again, but she knew Pepper wouldn’t give up, she would push the envelope, it was just her way.

  “Yes, I am. I still say you shouldn’t give up on Samson and Gideon. Daddy would understand. The things that upset him most were when we were in trouble. I think he’d be more worried that you were unhappy than he would be to know you were in love.

  “With two men, Pepper. Two.” She hugged herself tightly. “It doesn’t matter now, I told them I can’t do it.”

  “You’re making a mistake, that’s all I can say. Do you know what I got in the mail today? A restraining order. Can you believe it?”

  “You’re kidding me!” Ryder was truly horrified. “Why?”

  “I guess his new wife didn’t want me showing up backstage at one of his concerts again.” Pepper tried to keep the hurt out of her voice, but she wasn’t successful.

  “I’m so sorry,” Ryder sympathized with her sister. “We’re having a hard time. Aren’t we?”

  “What are you two talking about back there?” Molly asked from the front seat, huffing out the words as she made it through another contraction. “Make it good, I need a distraction.”

  “Boys. What else?” Tennessee remarked. “They’re talking about boys. They’ve been talking about boys for the last twenty years. I hope to God this baby is a boy. I don’t think I c
ould contend with a girl.”

  “Hush.” Molly punched Ten. “We’re going to be happy no matter what comes, boy or girl. Now hurry before I have him or her on the road!”

  The next few minutes, the McCoys drove with hazard lights flashing. Someone had called the highway patrol and when the small convoy hit the main road toward Austin, an escort pulled ahead to carry the group safely on in to the hospital.

  When they arrived, the family moved inside as a unit, holding doors, informing the nurse of their arrival. Someone came after Molly, sweeping her and Ten down the hall toward a birthing room. The rest of them had to stay in the waiting room. “Did anyone call Daddy?” Ryder asked. For some reason, she didn’t want to be the one who did it, so afraid he’d detect something in her voice that would make him ask questions – questions she had no answers for.

  “I did,” Jaxson said, from his corner of the waiting room. “I told him we’d send a ton of pictures, but I think he’s coming anyway. Olivia might be trying to stop him. I doubt she’ll be successful.”

  She wasn’t. In a few minutes, they were joined by a flustered Olivia pushing an excited Christian in his wheelchair. The big man might be an older, weaker version of his youthful self, but he was still a male McCoy who was used to getting his own way. “Is the baby here, yet?”

  All his children converged on their father to welcome him. “No, Daddy. It might be a while, first babies sometimes have their own agendas,” Pepper said, giving him a kiss, as Ryder hugged him from the side.

  They tried to relax, tried to wait patiently, sharing coffee and news about whatever they were working on, but it was hard. Every few seconds, one of them would walk to the hall and gaze down toward the room where Molly and Ten awaited the arrival of their first child.

  “Can you imagine how spoiled this baby is going to be with all of us giving her everything her little heart desires?” Philip mused with a grin on his face.

  “Don’t call it spoiled,” Ryder murmured. “Call it loved. We’re all going to have a good time taking care of her.”

  “I think it’s going to be a boy,” Heath stated as he sat in the chair closest to the door, one leg crossed with his big black boot resting across his knee. “We need more boys. Do you realize it’s tied right now?”

  “What’s tied?” Cato asked her husband as she sat by him, her hand resting on his thigh.

  “The count of males and females. It’s five to five, counting Olivia and Daddy. Four to four, if you leave out the old folks. That just won’t do. We need more boys.”

  “Hey, whose old?” Christian piped up from next to the coffeepot. “I’ll have you know Olivia is young. I robbed the cradle!”

  “Hush, Chris. You know I turned fifty last week.”

  “Fifty is the new forty, Olivia,” Pepper asserted.

  “Well, if fifty is the new forty and we’re all ten years younger than our birth certificate reads, that makes you too young to date, young lady.” Heath waggled a finger at Pepper. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re going out with Oliver Pinkerton. That man is a good ten years older than I am. What’s the deal? What happened to Music Boy?”

  Ryder held her breath, afraid Pepper would just fold up like a morning glory facing the harsh rays of the noon day sun. But she didn’t, Pepper stood up straight and glared at her brother. “Haven’t you heard? Music Boy married someone else, Heath. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

  Pepper cut Cato a glance, to see Heath’s wife shrug her shoulders. “Sorry.” She mouthed at Pepper. “I didn’t tell him.”

  Heath swelled up like a puffer fish. “Married? Do you want me to pay him a little visit? No man is going to lead my sister on, then marry somebody else!”

  Pepper blushed. “Everything is settled. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me. Oliver is taking me out to dinner. Don’t worry. I’m just moving on, this is a casual date, nothing else.”

  Cato shook Heath’s knee. “I didn’t know we were dividing up, boys against girls. I thought you and I were on the same team.”

  Heath’s eyebrows raised, realizing he’d worked himself into a corner. “I didn’t mean it that way baby.” He kissed his wife’s cheek. “Of course, we’re on the same team. I just didn’t want a gaggle…I mean, I’d like to see us have enough for touch football someday.”

  “Girls can play touch football.” Cato defended her point. “And when Ryder brings in her two…”

  “Cato!” Ryder jumped in front of her deaf sister-in-law. “Do you want to go to the cafeteria with me for coffee?”

  Cato wasn’t looking at Ryder, her gaze was focused over Ryder’s shoulder.

  “And one of them just walked through the door, Ryder.” She pointed, a big smile on her face.

  Ryder realized two things simultaneously – one, she needed to have a long talk with Cato and two, one of the Dukes had just crashed their party. Whirling around, she came face to face with Samson. “What are you doing here?” Just the sight of him stole her breath, made her knees weak, and sent her hopes sky high. She couldn’t help but glance behind him to see if Gideon were here. He wasn’t - but that didn’t do anything to discourage her foolish heart from pounding away.

  Samson stood with his hat his hand – big, powerful, and solemn. “I know this is a special family time and I don’t want to take you away from it, but I need to talk to you for a few moments. Please.”

  Knowing there were nine pairs of eyes watching them closely, she maintained her composure. “Of course.” Glancing around at her family, she included them all in her comment. “If you all will excuse us, we’ll be right back.”

  Samson let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Thank you, Ryder.” As he placed a guiding hand to her back, Samson tipped the hat he’d replaced on his head to their wide-eyed audience. “Let’s step outside where we can speak privately.”

  “I didn’t know we had anything else to talk about, Samson.”

  He chose not to respond, not until he could get her alone. She looked adorable, her face completely devoid of makeup. Samson found that he preferred her this way – natural and so sexy he couldn’t think straight.

  When they were standing outside on the concrete walkway, bathed in the illumination of a security lamp, Samson took Ryder by the shoulders. “I couldn’t stay away.”

  “Oh, my God,” Ryder exclaimed, as the truth dawned on her. “Are you still having me followed?”

  Security was a way of life in his world, he refused to feel guilty for protecting a woman he considered his. “I followed you myself tonight.”

  As he stepped closer to her, there was no mistaking the heat in his eyes.

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you came out of the ranch house to go to the hospital, I’d just arrived. I didn’t even have time to get out of the car before you all took off. So, I followed you.” He kept his voice low, his gaze on her face, his hand lifting to touch her cheek.

  “What were you doing coming to see me in the middle of the night?” Didn’t he know how much this hurt her? “I can’t change my mind, Samson.”

  “You wouldn’t take my calls. What else was I supposed to do?”

  “Just show up at my door? Wake up my whole family? Was that the plan?”

  Samson smirked, sometimes he amazed himself. “No, I was about to climb the tree outside your window and throw pebbles at the glass.”

  “No, you weren’t.” She had to fight a smile from blooming on her face. “You’re a billionaire…you’d have someone do that for you.”

  “Oh, no.” Samson took one step forward. “There are some things I want to do myself. Like this.” He framed her face, threading his fingers into her hair. “I can’t stay away from you, Ryder McCoy. I just can’t.” Nuzzling his lips at her temple, he rained kisses down her cheeks until he finally claimed her lips. Ryder was utterly motionless in his embrace, like she couldn’t quite believe what was happening. “Breathe, baby.” Samson kissed her mouth again, butterfly kisses, lapping
tenderly across the sexy, perfect bow of her lips that drove him insane.

  Ryder obeyed on the wisp of a sigh, a parting of her lips which gave him the access he’d been longing for. Samson didn’t waste the opportunity, he delved into her mouth, a growl of satisfaction rumbling in his chest at the sweetness of her taste, the delicate movements of her tongue against his. Even though he hadn’t made his case, her surrender gave him hope. She still wanted him. She still felt something for him.

  Samson deepened the kiss. God, he needed her more than he needed air. He consumed her, exploring every inch of her mouth as she melted in his arms. Gathering her close, he relished the way she leaned into him, as if he were her rock, the barrier between her and anything that could threaten. Her hands slid between them, but instead of trying to push him away, she clutched at his shirt, insuring he stayed right where he was. Samson had never known anything sweeter than her trust.

  “Am I enough, Ryder?” Samson whispered. “Could I be enough?”

  Ryder didn’t understand. “Enough?” She gazed into his amber eyes. “You’re everything to me.” This was one of the great mysteries to her, a mystery she no more understood than she did how the stars hung in the sky or how the waves found their way to the shore. Each of her men, God help her – they always would be – each of her men was everything. Enough. Yet…together…they were a miracle. “What are you saying? You know what I’m facing with my father’s health. I explained to you, I don’t think I can hide something so important to me from my family for very long.”

  “You don’t have to, sweetheart. We can be together.” He cradled her face, running his thumbs over the velvet beneath her eyes. Drowning in her gaze, he could stave off the pain of his brother cleaving himself away. “Gideon’s gone.”

  Ryder felt her heart lurch in her chest. “What do you mean, gone? Is he all right? What happened?”

  Gideon hugged her close, ready to absorb her shock. “When he returned, after you left, and I told him your decision, he confessed that he’d had reservations.” As her body jerked from the emotional blow, he tightened his grip around her. “Not with you, never with you.” Samson didn’t know if what he said made things better or worse. “He isn’t ready to commit himself to a relationship that includes me. He doesn’t know if he ever will be.” Tilting her head up, he kissed her lips again. “But I have no doubts, I know what I want, and what I want is you. Take my hand, baby, let’s see what the future can hold for us. Please?”