Roaring Waves (Bayside Tigers #5) (2 page)

God, why does Ryder have to have such a powerful body and those achingly intense golden eyes?
Penny bit her lip. Of course, she had crushes before. But it’s like Ryder had this power over her that made weak in the knees. She pursed her lips, knowing she was exactly the thing to get him to change his cranky ways.

"T
here's plenty of room to sleep on the ship," Ryder roared.

Penny frowned at the thought of having to sleep in a creeky old ship all night. Ryder’s boat was not at all like she imagined. In her head, she saw Jack and Kate falling in love on the Titanic. In reality, everything was cramped. Small. And
nothing
about Penny was small.

Sure, it saved her on having to book a hotel, but the yacht reeked of oils and harsh chemicals that made her twitch her nose.

"You sleep on this thing
too
?" Penny asked.

Ryder veered around, some of his dark blonde curls fell in his face. "Yeah, I love the water. Land just doesn't feel the same to me."

"It’s just that in the movies, you see all of these fancy people on boats sipping champagne..." Penny started to say.

"That’s your problem right there. Sailing isn’t some cute romance movie, Penny. It’s a challenging sport. Either you're cut out for it or not, " Ryder darkly finished her sentence.

Penny felt a little miffed with how Ryder always corrected her.
Maybe choosing to stay in Bayside was akin to flirting with disaster?
Penny thought. Ryder Strong made a point to always make her feel like an idiot for no reason at all.

She flipped her hand. "
Fine
. Just point me to where I'm supposed to squeeze in at night."

Ryder grabbed onto an old silver railing. His body stood so close to Penny, he breathed hot on her neck.

"You sleep over there. And I'll be over here," Ryder growled.

Penny's scrunched her face at the slight of the rinky dink pull out bed. Sure, she wasn't a diva—but
this
. Uh,
not acceptable
...

"I'm not sure this is for me..." She muttered.

Ryder didn't mince any words. "Then just leave... Sailing a boat is hard work."

His massive body slipped underneath the covers. He then turned off the light. Penny knew a lovely man was somewhere buried deep inside Ryder Strong. Yes, he was bossy. But given that he was going through a tough spell with the loss of his daughter, Penny would just have to take some of his brashness on the chin. She’d have to hunker down and get over her fear of small creepy looking spaces.

She sat astride on her small bunk and snuck something out of her purse. Penny took another anxious bite out of her Twizzlers before stuffing them underneath her pillow.

*

S
PLISH!

The noise of sloshing jerked Penny out of her slumber. She groggily turned her head over to see if Ryder still snored in his bunk. No one was there.

OH MY GOD! He's fallen over!
Penny jumped up out of her bunk.

"Ow!" she cried when she clunked her head on the low ceiling and rubbed it as she hurried to the deck. Frantically, she looked over the railing to see any splashes in the water. Then suddenly she saw some giant splashes in the waves and tossed a blow-up lifesaver.

"Don't worry, Ryder!" she hollered. "I'll get you out of there."

What do I do? What do I do?
Penny turned over and over in her head.

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a thick coat of striped orange fur fight against the current.

"Wait? A TIGER!?" Penny screeched.

She backed away from the railing, clutching on to her heaving chest.

Why is there a tiger swimming on the side of the ship?

She looked up, and the moonlight draped over a dark silhouette that crawled up on the other side of the boat.

"Ryder...?" Penny guessed unable to see through the black shadow. The man moved powerfully in her direction with an enthralling speed.

Penny gasped when the menacing—and
very
naked—Ryder Strong stepped up to her dripping with sea water. Her heart went into a throbbing flux.

"But
how
did you?" she breathed.

"I'm the beast you saw swimming in the water." Ryder grunted his damp hair slicked back behind his ears.

Penny didn't know if the tingles she felt all through her body was fear or lust.
Is this man drunk? Is he on drugs?
She seriously thought. Am
I
on drugs?

Ryder grabbed a nearby robe that he'd left folded near the railing. He tugged it on and tied it tight in the center.

"You seem so shocked. Have you never seen a naked man before?" Ryder raised a brow.

Penny rolled her eyes.
Well, of course I've seen a man naked.
She fumed. But the truth was, it has been
quite
awhile since she last had a hot and sweaty "romp."

"So, you're a tiger? Like a
tiger
tiger?" she asked.

"Uh, yes. Unless you know of some other kind... Maybe if you lived a little and stopped watching so many rom-coms... you’d realize there’s a big wide world outside..." Ryder teased.

Penny slowly nodded. "I'm sorry that I don't exactly find that to be totally normal."

"That's it. I'm going back to bed. When I get up the next morning, I want you off of my boat," Ryder declared.

Wise ass
... Penny thought folding her arms.

R
yder hauled off Penny's Pink and frilly suitcases with both hands.

"Can we just talk about this, please?" Penny said stomping her foot and rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to tell anyone about your little secret."

Ryder Chuckled, dropping her stuff on the dock.

"You think I care that you know I'm a weretiger.
Everyone knows
, Penny. You're getting kicked off because I need laser focus if I want any hope of winning this race. Right now, you're no better than dead weight..."

Ouch.

Penny cast a glance further up the docks and saw a short, but nicely dressed man holding an envelope. She tilted her head to the side wondering who it was.

"Mr. Strong. Mr. Strong," the dapper looking man called out.

Ryder stopped and spotted the man. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Hi, I'm Casey Katz. A messenger on the behalf of the Bayside Regatta committee. You are cordially invited to the annual Regatta Gala where all participants, especially alphas, are required to attend."

"Shit!" Ryder mouthed. "I'm not going this year."

"But sir, you must. Your eligibility for the race depends on it. Plus, Estella will be there..."

Penny fell silent not understanding why some fancy dance had Ryder so flustered.

"Estella's going to be there, huh?" Ryder asked.

"Yes, sir. Speaking of dates, do you have a plus one or are you going to be attending...miserably and utterly alone," Casey sassed.

Ryder gulped hard, and turned his eye on Penny. He went over the options in his mind.
Anyone one but her!
But he had few choices.

"Yes, Ms. Lane. My darling, Penny is my date," he grumbled.

Penny shifted around.
What?

"Good, then it's settled. Please be there tonight wearing your absolute best," Casey nodded one last time and trekked his way back to his fancy car. Penny only had one question on her mind. Well, several—actually. But only one that stood out above the rest.

"Who's Estella?" she asked.

Ryder scratched the dark stubble on his chin. "She's my ex-mate."

Penny shook her head. "Your what?"

"She's my ex-wife," Ryder admitted.

R
yder knew just by looking at Penny's frumpy and dowdy taste in clothes that she'd need a total make over. He leered at Penny as she took a bite of her Twizzlers. Penny flinched.

"
Heeeey,
I wasn't finished eating that?!"

Ryder wrested the delicious strings of candy from her grasp.

"You're not going to the party like this?" he demanded.

Penny eyed him confused, pushing up her glasses at the end of her nose and twirling in her paisley dress. "Like what?"

Ryder threw down his hands. "With red candy stuck in your teeth. And a dress so homely it makes you look like a Librarian in desperate need of a good plow."

Penny upturned her lip.
How did he expect me to dress?
She thought. Penny always worn knee
length
dresses with heavy cardigan sweaters. Sure, a few of them were moth eaten—
but hey
, what do expect off a teacher's salary?

"Don't try to change me..." she said.

Ryder groped her hips, forcing Penny to swallow hard.

"I'm not trying to change you. I want you to see yourself for what you are. There's a sexy woman, with mouthwatering curves, dying to jump out of you—but, only if you let her..."

They looked upon one another. And Ryder felt a flush of urgent desire. He had a burning hunger to taste her lips and take her fully into his mouth. Penny's heart pounded in her chest.

Most of the guys Penny dated in the past—not that her and Ryder were
really
dating—just told her that she was stocky and fat. She rarely felt at home in her own skin, and liked to hide everything under her kooky dresses.

Penny pursed her lips. "Fine, maybe my adorkable style is a little old fashioned..."

"You look like a grandma..." Ryder grunted.

Penny Lane rocked back and punched Ryder in his grumpy cat arm.

She followed behind Ryder to his gleaming slate blue sports car.

"Get inside," he growled.

They only had a couple of hours before the Gala and had to find Penny a ball gown. Penny worried that she'd look like a big Twizzler eating cow in front of all the fancy rich people of Bayside. Even so, it still felt nice to hear Ryder say something kind about her.

For once!

*

P
enny wobbled out of the car locked in arm and arm with the handsome Ryder Strong.

"Just be quiet and let me do most of the talking," Ryder lowly rumbled.

The Gala looked even more beautiful than Penny ever imagined. Crystals hung from the ceiling on enormous chandeliers. Dressing up and going out was completely new for Penny. She never even attended her homecoming dance...not even prom!

She stopped as the two of them were just about to stroll into the ballroom.

"Just stop...I don’t want to go in there," Penny cried out.

Ryder pulled her to the side. "Penny you're making a scene!"

"
No
, I can't go in there. I'm not like you," She glanced at the other finely dressed women with perfect bodies. "And, I'm not like them. I'm just an ugly small town girl. Who likes home cooked food and watching old rom-coms on netflix."

Ryder spoke forcefully. "Penny, the only ugly thing about you is the fact that you can't love yourself."

Penny's lip started to quiver, and Ryder knew if he wanted to get her ass out there, he'd have to pull out the big guns.

He shook her, and Penny jerked up.

"The day I met you, I wanted to bend you over the railing on my boat, snatch up your dress and spread your legs for my hungry mouth..."

Penny had a bewildered look in her eyes.

"If you only knew what those fucking hips of yours do to me, whenever you strayed into my room...Now, get your ass in there—and let's dance."

Penny moved ahead shocked, not quite knowing what to say.
Did wealthy billionaire weretiger Ryder Strong just admit he's thirsty for me?
Penny gulped.

Just as she took his hand and started to waltz. Someone tapped on Ryder's shoulder.

Ryder swiveled around and faced another tall and gorgeous man with a grinning jaw.

"Stratton Claw," Ryder grimaced.

"None other," Stratton replied in a British accent. "Looking forward to beating you—
again
, Ryder."

"You don't know the waters of Bayside like me. I grew up here. You'll never beat me on my own turf..." Ryder roared.

Stratton chuckled sipping from a champagne glass. "Seems like I already did..."

Stratton shouldered out of the way so Ryder could see Estella, his ex-wife and mate, laughing with some other guests. Penny observed the bitter sadness in Ryder's eyes. It's obvious that he still had a love for his ex-mate and mother to his dead daughter. Penny flung her wine in the middle of Stratton's tuxedo pants.

"
Whoops
, I'm all thumbs," she shrugged and said with an innocent twinkle in her eyes. Stratton grumbled, marching off to the bathroom.

Ryder arched a brow while stifling his deep laugh. He led her out again in center of the ballroom amazed at her beautiful transformation from the Twizzler eating freak she once was. Penny gasped when Ryder pulled her in close.

"Open your mouth so I can taste you," he growled.

Penny parted her lips and Ryder gripped her ass and took her into his hot mouth.

T
his is happening!
This is really happening!

Penny's thoughts raced through her head. Ryder pulled Penny's hair taut in the front seat of his convertible when they arrived at his boat house. She exhaled hard while Ryder sucked eagerly along her neck. Penny straddled his hips and Ryder groped her luscious curvy thighs.

"
God
, I so badly want to taste your pussy I can't stand it," Ryder growled.

It stunned Penny that a man so desperately wanted to rip off her clothes.

"
Woah
!" she cried when Ryder abruptly reclined the passenger's seat and forced himself between Penny's soft warm thighs. Her heart nearly exploded as Ryder's gorging erection grazed her panties. Ryder relentlessly crushed Penny underneath his weight before taking her in his mouth again.

Ryder squinted his eyes at the taste of Twizzlers, but ignored it because his desire to fuck the life out her pushed him much more. Penny wanted it so bad she squeezed her arm down to his crotch and started to undo the buckle on Ryder's belt.