Ryder (Knights Corruption MC Series Book 5)

by S. Nelson

  “I’ve heard about it.” She rolled her eyes, and I thought I was gonna lose it for sure. Every muscle in my body locked up tight, but thankfully Braylen stepped in before I gave myself a heart attack.

  “I’ll talk to her, find out what she really knows,” Braylen said quietly. “Sometimes kids say things but have no idea what they mean.” I relaxed, if only slightly. “Now why don’t you go wait for us in the living room?

  “But. . . .” I swore I pouted like a little bitch. “I thought . . . you know.” I waved my index finger back and forth between us.

  She leaned up on her tippy toes and pressed her lips to mine. “I’m not letting you ruin my hair.” She playfully slapped my chest. “Now go get ready, and I’ll do the same.” Braylen tapped her foot while she pointed toward the doorway. Unfortunately, I knew I’d have to wait to ravage my woman, but I hoped she knew she was in for it once the opportunity presented itself.

  As she shut the door behind me, I saw her say something to Zoe, and they both laughed, the sound making me extremely happy. She might just be more receptive to the idea of having my kid after all.

  Brutus came barreling toward me as I entered the living room, hopping up on me as soon as I sat down. It wouldn’t take me long to get dressed, so I decided to spend some time with my buddy. I loved that damn dog, more than I thought I’d love any animal.

  “She knows what she’s missin’,” I mumbled, patting Brutus’s head as if he had any clue what I was talkin’ about. He wagged his tail and gave me a sloppy kiss, licking the side of my face when I made a move to roughhouse with him. Jumping off the couch, Brutus ran toward the door, letting me know that while he wanted to play, he needed to go to the bathroom.

  It was rather kismet if I did say so myself. Watching after my three-legged friend as he circled the same patch of grass before taking care of business, I realized that we had both been discarded during the early years of our life. Sure, no one had thrown me out of a moving vehicle, but I’d been tossed around from foster home to foster home until I aged out at eighteen, finding my real family when I became a member of the Knights Corruption years later. I’d been working at a garage when Marek had swung by to pick up a part for a bike he’d been working on. We got to talking and within an hour he’d offered me a job at the club’s garage. The rest was history.

  Both Brutus and I had reaped a sliver of justice for the wrongs done in our lives as well. About a month prior, I’d been out for a drive when I’d spotted a familiar lookin’ piece-of-shit car: an Oldsmobile Cutlass with faded blue paint peeling everywhere on the body and a bumper held on by duct tape.

  The vehicle was parked outside a liquor store, and when a man emerged and walked toward the Oldsmobile, I made my move. With his hand resting on the handle of the driver side, I walked up behind him and spun him around. When I’d asked if he was the fucker who tossed a puppy from the car, wanting to make sure I had the right person, he smirked and asked me what business it was of mine. In other words, he was the offender. Breaking his nose didn’t satisfy my need for revenge, so I shattered his arm, the one used to discard Brutus like he meant nothing at all.

  Much like the payback I’d sought for my dog, fate had done the same with Richard. Although I wanted to put that chapter of my life behind me and remember my mother as she was before her death, wonderful and loving, I still chose to keep tabs on her murderer. It was close to four months after I’d gone to his house that I learned he’d had too much to drink one night and ended up crashing his car into a tree, killing only himself in the accident.

  His death brought the final closure to a life of misery, Braylen helping to heal the rest of me with her unconditional love and support. I was one lucky bastard, something she was sure to remind me of whenever she found the opportunity.

  Braylen

  On the ride over, I couldn’t stop staring at the man who’d flipped my world upside down, in more ways than one. Everything from his occasional arrogance to his infuriating protectiveness, to the sweet words he whispered while he buried himself inside me. Ryder was the man of my dreams. It’d been a bumpy road, and there were still some potholes in our future, I was sure, but I knew we could get through anything as long as we loved each other.

  And we did.

  Fiercely.

  For the occasion, he’d chosen to dress up. Not in a complete suit, because that just wasn’t him, but a crisp white button-up, sans tie, and a pair of dark blue dress pants, brown shoes completing his dressy yet casual look.

  As we sat at a stoplight, Zoe in the back seat with her earbuds in, singing along to whatever pop song was on, Ryder unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them repeatedly until his entire forearms were exposed, the muscles jumping with each movement he made. He caught me looking and said, “I have another muscle you can stare at. Taste, even.”

  My eyes widened as I glanced back at his daughter, but she hadn’t heard a thing he’d said. The rest of the trip was done so in silence, other than the radio, for fear that I’d lose control and jump over the console and into his lap. Which would be highly inappropriate with a child present. So instead, I chose to keep my eyes away from all things Ryder and stare out the window as the world passed us by.

  After we arrived and took our seats under the tent that had been erected on the lawn behind the clubhouse, Ryder on my right and Zoe on my left, I couldn’t help but be extremely grateful for all the gifts I’d been given. My thankful thoughts were interrupted, however, when my sex-on-a-stick of a man leaned closer and started saying things in my ear that got me all hot and bothered, all sorts of sordid images flashing through my brain and causing me to twitch in my seat.

  “Since you wouldn’t let me do it at home, I’m gonna get my way we leave here. I’m gonna hike up your dress and bury my face between your legs. You know I’m addicted to that pussy, baby,” Ryder professed, kissing my cheek like he hadn’t just threatened me with a good fucking. I kept my eyes straight ahead and smiled, not wanting Zoe to think her father was whispering about sex again.

  After Ryder had left the bedroom, allowing me to have a talk with Zoe, I’d discovered that she had indeed learned about sex, although some of it was still confusing. I told her it only got worse, to which she gave me the funniest look. After answering a few basic questions, I told her that if she had any more, she should really talk to her mother about them. I’d also warned her not to ask her father, not until she was much older, like around thirty. We both laughed at that one, although she thought I was joking. I wasn’t.

  Ryder’s daughter had been staying at our house for the past week, scheduled to leave the next morning, and while our time together had been short, we’d bonded rather quickly. She thought I had a cool job, and I thought she was a pretty amazing kid. I definitely looked forward to her next visit, which was only a few months away.

  As we waited for everyone to arrive, my thoughts drifted to the people who’d become like family, the tragedy bringing us all closer together. When I wasn’t working, or hanging out with Kena or Sia, I was shopping with Adelaide, Sully or Reece, or hitting the town for a girls’ night out, although one of the guys always attended. They said it was for our safety, but since there was no more viable threat to their club, I’d chalked up their hovering as just being overprotective.

  I shifted in my seat, trying to see who’d just pulled into the lot, when Ryder’s fingertips trailed up my leg, my blue dress riding up my thigh when I’d turned around. Zoe’s head was turned the other way so she hadn’t noticed, but I needed to nip his advance in the bud before he became really brave. Under normal circumstances, I knew he had no qualms about throwing me over his shoulder and disappearing somewhere more private. And while he might be more reserved because of why we were there that day, I still didn’t completely trust him not to act . . . like himself.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered, turning my head more toward him so as not to draw the attention of his daughter. His fingers were still ghosting over the top of my leg, the heat from
his touch driving me insane.

  Keep it together.

  “Just touching you.” He smirked, knowing he was playing a dirty game.

  “Well, stop it,” I gritted. When his hand trailed farther up my leg, my body shifted completely toward him so only I knew what he was doing.

  He gripped my thigh and leaned in. “Meet me inside the clubhouse. I’m gonna fuck you quick before they get started.” He hurriedly rose from his seat, then cursed when he saw Kena and Jagger walking toward us. No way in hell we were going anywhere now, and we both knew it. A few more expletives fell from his mouth, but he’d been sure to keep his voice low so as not to have Zoe hear everything. He’d learned to curb his language whenever she was around, although right then he was certainly struggling.

  I laughed as I rose to my feet, hugging my sister and then Jagger before engaging them in small talk.

  “It’s not funny,” Ryder growled in my ear, briefly interrupting my conversation.

  “It kind of is,” I retorted, reaching for his hand which he readily accepted, squeezing a little too hard before I slapped his arm to loosen his grip. A smug grin spread across his face as he continued to hold onto me.

  “Can you believe this is finally happening?” Jagger asked, looking first at Ryder and then shooting a glance at Kena, and not his usual smitten expression either. The silent communication was something more, but I didn’t have time to dissect it because Zoe was unexpectedly behind us.

  “Dad, I have to go to the bathroom,” she announced, tugging on his free hand while hopping from one foot to the next.

  “I’ll take her,” I offered, yanking my hand from Ryder’s. Or should I say tried to? “You have to let me go.”

  He leaned down and nipped my bottom lip before swiping his tongue through my mouth. The kiss was quick yet it made my heart race.

  “Never,” he whispered before pulling back.

  “Gross, Dad.” Zoe made a face but smiled when I did. Then her expression was back to one of annoyance. “I have to pee. Hello?” She walked off toward the clubhouse and Ryder finally released my hand.

  “Should I come with you?” He took a step forward and I stopped him with a hand on his chest. His very muscular, chiseled, hard chest. I lost myself in the moment until I felt his heart thumping harder against my fingertips. Breaking the brief spell of lust, I gave him a quick kiss before taking a step back.

  “Later.”

  He caught on to my meaning and laughed, shaking his head before turning his attentions back to Jagger. The two of them chatted as I caught up with Zoe. Once I stood beside her, we walked in perfect rhythm, her hand reaching out to connect with mine. I looked down at her and she smiled as she wrapped her fingers around my hand, the gesture signifying she’d accepted me, telling me I was welcome in her world without words.

  The way her pale green eyes smiled at me made my womb hurt with longing, something I hadn’t experienced until right then. She was a part of the man I loved, and I wanted nothing more than to give him back a piece of myself.

  A little one that was half of me and half of Ryder.

  A baby.

  The only thing to do now was decide when to let him in on my plans.

  Marek

  “I can’t find it,” I shouted, searching under the couch, then all over the living room. “Where did you say it was?” My frustration level increased as I continued to look for the goddamn stuffed animal Kaden had apparently thrown somewhere and was now causing a fit over because he didn’t have it.

  Silence greeted me. Either my wife was ignoring me or she hadn’t heard me. My bet was the first option, so I flipped over cushions until I found the bunny wedged in the back of the couch. “Ha!” I yelled, shaking the toy back and forth in the air as if I’d just found lost treasure. But anyone who had small children knew what a win the find was for me.

  Reflecting back on where I’d been a couple years before and where I found myself right then, my life couldn’t have been more different. Yes, I was still the president of my club, my vote the deciding one on most topics, although I always took the men’s concerns and comments into deep consideration. We weren’t only a club—we were family. A unit that had seen the worst in life, but a group that had also reveled in the gifts life had to offer.

  I’d been staring off into space when Sully appeared in the doorway. “Did you find it?” she asked, cradling a very sleepy Kaden in her arms. Apparently his freak-out had worn him out.

  The boy was attached to my wife, and normally I found it sweet. Then there were other times when he was a little cock-blocker. Plain and simple. I called it like I saw it. But I loved the little guy, more than I thought I ever would any child. Don’t get me wrong, I had a special place in my heart for my goddaughter, Riley, and would protect her until my last breath, but it was small in comparison to the way my heart swelled watching Kaden smile when he saw me.

  I’d finally come to understand why Stone turned into a pile of mush when he held his baby girl, ignoring the razzing from his brothers and focusing on the little one who’d turned him from a hotheaded pain in the ass to a doting father. Wait, never mind. He was still a hotheaded pain in the ass, only now there was another, softer side to him we were able to witness.

  Much like I’d become whenever Kaden was around.

  “Yeah.” I passed her the stuffed animal, and in exchange she handed me the little boy, his hand resting on the side of my face as his blue eyes fluttered open for a moment before closing them and essentially passing out. “Did he go to sleep late? Why is he so tired?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered, shrugging before walking out of the room. Sully was frustrated, and I didn’t have a clue as to why. I followed her, careful not to wake Kaden because I had a feeling whatever was bothering her wasn’t gonna be a quick fix.

  After putting him down in his own room, I continued to our bedroom, finding my wife rifling through the closet. I didn’t say a word as I wrapped my arms around her and unknotted the silk belt of her robe, parting the material before my hands roamed over her naked body. Her long, jet-black hair was fixed in a fancy updo of sorts, so I made sure not to mess up the style because I knew she’d be pissed at me if I made her redo it.

  Spinning her around to face me, I kissed her as I backed her against the wall, my teeth latching on to her bottom lip before she opened for me. Sully wasn’t gonna tell me what was wrong, but if I fucked her senseless, maybe that would help relieve some of the tension and uncertainty trapping her.

  It wasn’t that long ago when the thought of touching Sully killed me because there was a possibility that she was my half-sister. A parting gift from her evil father, Psych, right before I destroyed what was left of him, stealing his last breath as I sent him to hell. It felt like the longest span of time before I found out the truth, but in the meantime, I’d also done my share of damage by pushing my wife away.

  Ignoring her.

  Choosing to stay at the clubhouse instead of at home.

  Keeping her in the dark as to why I’d detached myself.

  Treating her badly just so I could gain the emotional distance I needed in case the results proved to be true.

  But they weren’t true. I’d allowed Psych to fuck with me one last time, and instead of letting Sully know what was going on I chose a different path, one that hurt her immensely. Thankfully, she’d forgiven me, but it had taken some time. There was a part of me that still believed she was guarded when it came to me, but I had no problem proving to her just how much I loved her, and promising her I would never hurt her like that ever again.

  “Lie on the bed,” I ordered, pushing the robe off her shoulders until it puddled at her feet.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m going to mess up my hair.” She laughed when I gave her an annoyed look, then stopped smiling as soon as I pinched her nipple, parting her lips and moaning as she threw her head back.

  “Fine. Then you’re gonna ride me.” I walked b
ackward, pulling her with me until I sat in the chair in the corner, positioning her legs on either side of mine so she was straddling me. I’d showered earlier but hadn’t gotten dressed yet, so the only thing between me and my wife was the thin material of my boxer briefs. Tugging down the waistband, I pulled out my cock and rubbed it between her folds. Always so wet and ready for me. She arched her back, and as her tits pushed forward, I latched on, my teeth grazing the puckered bud while my thumb pressed against her clit, rubbing slow circles and driving her insane.

  “Please, Cole,” she pleaded, running her fingers through my still-damp hair and clutching me to her breast. While holding me close, she rose onto her tippy toes, replaced my fingers with hers and circled my thickness. “I need you to make love to me now.” Sully positioned me at her entrance then slowly took me inside her.

  Fuck! The feeling was still out of this world, her warmth and tightness clenching around me and pushing me toward the edge. As my mouth found hers once more, I poured every bit of myself into her.

  What had begun as a ‘fuck you’ to the Reapers, kidnapping the president’s daughter, had turned out to be my greatest gift.

  My wife was the bravest person I knew, and although she always wanted to remind me that I was the one who saved her, I believed the opposite was true.

  She’d saved me.

  She’d given me purpose.

  She’d wrapped me in love and bathed me in light when all I’d ever known was darkness.

  Sully

  After my husband made love to me, gentle and slow, a change of pace from the sometimes-aggressive sex we both rather enjoyed, we sat together in silence. He jerked inside me a few times before softening, but I didn’t break the connection of our bodies.

  I knew he was mine, forever and ever, but there was always a small piece of me that believed he’d be ripped from my life. So whenever I could, I stayed as close to him as possible.