Braylen
Angrily throwing clothes into my suitcase, I stomped around the bedroom like a child having a tantrum. But I couldn’t help it. I was pissed off. Ryder showed up at my job and told me I had to stay with their charter in Texas. He’d given me no warning whatsoever, spewing some bullshit about the decision being last minute. Maybe if he’d fully explained just what the problem was, I would find myself more on board with the sudden plans, but all he would tell me was that it was club business. Oh wait, he did tell me I was in danger. That was more than he usually gave me.
“We gotta leave soon,” he announced, popping into the bedroom and leaning against the doorframe. He watched me for a few minutes before speaking again. “You can be as mad at me as you want, but this is happening.”
“You see me packing, don’t you?” He smirked, which only served to infuriate me even more. “You can go back to waiting in the living room.”
He threw up his hands in mock surrender, turned around and left without another word.
The entire ride to the clubhouse was in silence. I wasn’t happy about my life being uprooted over something Ryder wouldn’t even fill me in on; I sure as hell wasn’t about to make idle chitchat just to pass the time.
There was more than one reason why I was so upset, though. Not only was he shipping me off to Texas, but I knew in my gut that Ryder was putting himself in harm’s way, only he wouldn’t tell me why. Club business. If I heard those two words one more time, I was gonna scream bloody murder.
We eventually pulled into the clubhouse lot and parked. I saw a group of women gathered together and a separate group of men off to the side, reminding me of recess during elementary school. Only this wasn’t a break from school—it was more like a break from our everyday lives. And not the good kind.
Slamming the truck’s door behind me, I headed toward my sister and the other women she was speaking with. “Hi,” I greeted, hugging Kena before smiling at Adelaide, Sully, and Reece. If I thought I’d been upset about having to leave, I could only imagine how Adelaide and Reece felt. Both of them were pregnant, and Adelaide had an infant on her hip as well. Kaden, the baby Sully and Marek had been caring for, was in Sully’s arms, tugging on a strand of her long black hair. Knowing these women had more to worry about than I did, I calmed my anger to a simmering boil.
“Don’t be too worried,” Reece comforted me, placing her hand on my forearm. Seeing my obvious displeasure, she said, “I know I’m pretty new to all this, but I have every faith the men are doing this as a last resort. I know Tripp’s torn up about it.” She flashed me a sympathetic smile, making me realize everyone standing around me was affected. I needed to get on board and lose the crappy attitude.
We chatted for close to twenty minutes, trying to keep the topics off the next few days and on lighter subjects like children.
Eventually, Ryder came to stand behind me, cautiously putting his hand on the small of my back. My white tank top was split in the back, just above my skirt’s waistband, so when he touched me, he stroked his thumb over my bare skin. When I didn’t yell at him or pull away, he leaned down and kissed my temple.
“You ladies ready to go?” Jagger asked, pulling Kena in for a kiss. She seemed to be handling the situation much better than I was, and I had no idea why.
On our brief walk toward one of the two black SUVs that were taking us to Texas, I stopped her. “Aren’t you upset?”
I’m more scared than upset. Not for us, but for the guys. But my emotions will do nothing except distract Jagger, and I need him focused. For whatever they have to do.
Damnit! I hadn’t even thought of it like that, thinking that my mood might inadvertently be a distraction for Ryder. And if he was worried about dealing with my surly ass, then maybe he might get hurt. I couldn’t have that on my conscience.
“Thanks, sis.” I hugged her again before taking off to search for Ryder. It didn’t take me long to find him, seeing as how he was helping to load the suitcases into the back of one of the vehicles.
“I don’t wanna argue,” he said as I approached. “I can’t deal with that right now.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I should have been more sensitive to what you’re going through. Sorry for acting like such a brat.”
He stopped midthrow and turned to look at me.
“Is this some sort of trick?” He was serious, which made me feel even worse.
“No, it’s not.” I moved toward him until I could wrap my arms around his neck. Pulling him down, I covered his mouth with mine. When I tried to break away, he grabbed the back of my head and deepened the kiss, swirling his tongue with mine until I completely lost myself to him.
“Get a room,” Tripp teased, moving in front of Ryder to help finish the job he’d started. We finally parted and Ryder ushered me toward the side of the truck, where we had some privacy from everyone else standing around.
“I’m sorry we have to do this, but it’s necessary. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
“But what if something happens to you? What will I do?” The question rattled me because I knew there was a possibility Ryder could be harmed. In what way and by whom I had no clue, but it didn’t matter. The simple fact that he could be scared me.
“Nothin’ is gonna happen to me.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and stroked the exposed skin on my lower back once more. “But somethin’ is gonna happen to someone if they even look at you the wrong way.”
I smiled because it was his way of telling me we were all good. And that was the thing with Ryder. He didn’t hold grudges.
I could certainly learn a thing or two from him.
Laredo was approximately a twenty-five-hour trip, and because we couldn’t afford to waste any time, the guys took turns driving. We stopped every six hours so we could stretch our legs, grab something to eat, use the restroom and top off the gas tanks.
Both SUVs made the same stops. Ryder, Jagger, and Tripp were “in charge,” as they called it, of our vehicle, while Marek, Stone, Sully, Kaden, Addy and Riley rode in the other one. Thank goodness both trucks had third-row seating or we’d all be sitting on each other’s laps.
When we weren’t talking to our men, Kena, Reece and I chatted about the latest Hollywood gossip, doing our best to pass the long stints on the road. A few times I’d drifted off to sleep, then woke up only to find out that a measly twenty minutes had passed.
“Why didn’t we fly?” I asked fifteen hours into the drive, growing more agitated with each passing mile.
Jagger was driving, taking his turn at the wheel while Kena sat beside him in the passenger seat. Every time we got back in the vehicle after stopping, we were sitting next to someone new. Right then Ryder sat next to me, stroking my bare knee with his middle finger.
“Because we don’t want anyone knowing,” Tripp answered from behind me. He sat next to a sleeping Reece in the third row. I had no idea what he meant and I knew if I asked, one of them would only give me a vaguer answer. It simply wasn’t worth getting aggravated over. I was annoyed enough as it was. Tired and miserable, to be more precise.
“You know,” Ryder said, leaning close to whisper in my ear, “I would love to fingerfuck you right now.” His comment completely came out of left field, but I should’ve expected something, especially this long into the trip. Besides, he’d been rubbing my knee for the past fifteen minutes. “What do ya think?”
“Are you serious?” I whispered back, keeping my eyes forward so as not to draw attention from any of the other passengers.
“Why not?” His gripped my knee and tried to pull my legs apart. “I’ll make you come. Take your mind off being miserable.”
“I’m not—”
“Yeah you are, and I don’t blame ya.” He kissed my neck. “Let me do this for you,” he tempted, his fingers moving up the inside of my thigh. I clamped my legs closed before he reached the edge of my panties.
“Remove. Your. Hand.” I turned to face him and gave him a tight smile. “You’re not shoving your fingers inside me with Tripp and Jagger right next to us. Never mind that my sister is right there,” I said, pointing toward the passenger seat.
“Are you sure?” He smirked, but when my expression didn’t change, he removed his hand. “Fine, but I’m gonna fuck you so hard when we get to the club.” He didn’t say the last part quietly, both of his friends laughing out loud when they heard it, Kena turning around and smiling.
“Oh my God, Ryder!” I exclaimed. “How embarrassing.”
“Don’t worry about it, Braylen. I plan on putting one on your sister as well.”
“Ewwww.”
Kena at least had the decency to slap his arm, even though she kept the smile on her face.
“Yeah, Reece isn’t gonna be able to walk for a few days after I get done with her.” Tripp laughed, clasping Ryder’s shoulder in amusement. Good thing his woman was asleep; otherwise, she would’ve joined me in being mortified.
“Oh, please stop talking. All of you. Especially you, Jagger. Just . . . no.”
All three of them laughed harder. At least my humiliation helped to ease the rest of the trip for them.