The Beginning—A Duet: Ryder & Two Worlds Colliding (5 page)

I snorted. “You’re going to wait a while before I’m ready. If you want grandkids, speak to Harrison about that.”

“We’ll wait forever if we have to rely on your brother. You know he’s married to his career. He doesn’t believe that a special-ops anti-terrorist cop should have a family. They’d be an unnecessary distraction, according to him.” Mom’s voice was soft and a little sad at the thought.

Harrison had chosen a dangerous career, one that could place his family at risk if things went wrong. He wasn’t one to take those kinds of risks. Not after
The Incident
and what’d happened to him when he was only seventeen.

I grabbed an apple from the kitchen counter and went to my room to change and finish my novel.

Yeah. I wanted what they had. I was determined to have it.

And I would.

Some day.

D
addy grinned widely as he led Mom and me into the selective member’s only club. Marcus was the youngest ever in the history of the firm to be made junior partner, one of only two per year, and tonight we were celebrating the occasion with him.

“A beauty on each arm,” Daddy said proudly, as he guided “his girls” up the stairs. He nodded politely as we swept passed acquaintances and were shown to our table.

Smiling widely, Marcus rose to his feet as we approached the table, trying his best not to stare at my cleavage in front of my father. Smart man. He held out a hand and shook Daddy’s before kissing my mother’s hand. The epitome of a gentleman, he complimented my father on his good fortune of having two beautiful women accompany him. Warmth rose to my cheeks as he held my hand in his, a lot longer than was necessary.

I’d dressed with extra care tonight. A combination of vamp and sophistication never missed its mark. My emerald dress hugged my hourglass figure in all the right places, and I’d purposely selected a dress with a low neckline to showcase my best feature: ample C-cup boobs, one hundred percent natural and all mine.

Might as well make the best of my assets while I can and catch me a good man.

I derived great pleasure from watching Marcus’s reaction—the way a thin layer of sweat covered his brow, how he stuck his hands into his pockets to prevent him from reaching out and touching the girls, to his appreciative gaze stealing a glimpse when he thought I wasn’t looking.

Yes, Marcus Masterton liked what he saw.

The exquisite taste of Dom Pérignon bubbles on my tongue primed me for a wonderful evening. I glanced at Marcus from under my lashes.

He was perfect
.

Dressed elegantly, confidence oozed from him in the way it did off people who only expected the very best in life. Nothing was too good for him, or out of his reach; he’d worked hard and knew that the rewards were coming his way.

Naturally he needed an equally well-bred and flawlessly groomed wife by his side. I fitted the bill perfectly. We’d be a power couple, taking the business world by storm.

Marcus and I were a match made in lawyer heaven.

We ate our five course meal amidst chatter and laughter. It was clear my parents thought the world of Marcus. My dad wasn’t one to applaud anyone easily, and by the praise he bestowed on his protégé, I knew Marcus had to be extra special, and had his approval.

This pleased me no end, I wasn’t the type of girl to have a relationship—let alone marry—a man my parents didn’t accept one hundred percent. We were a tight knit family; it would crush me if they hated my choice of life partner.

Even Harrison would approve of my choice. After he’d done a police clearance check on Mr. Masterton, of course. I smiled; my big brother was definitely over-protective, but I adored him, so I appreciated that he cared as much as he did.

I’m on safe ground here. Marcus is the perfect man for me, ticking every one of my boxes. So far, he’s faultless.

“Dance with me?” Marcus held out his hand and reminded me of Leo diCaprio as the elegant Jay Gatsby—the bright smile, the light in his eyes, oozing with charm.

All eyes were on us. I was the envy of every woman in this room, married or not. Marcus Masterton was the catch of the century, and right now he wanted me. I smiled as I placed my hand in his, fluttering my eyelashes coyly.

He led me onto the dance floor and held me in his arms, smiling down at me. We glided along as if we had done this a thousand times before, our bodies completely in tune with one another. His hand pressed possessively at the small of my back and I leaned my forehead on his shoulder and let the man and the music sweep me away.

This was exactly what fairy tales were made of.

Pure perfection.

My dreams come true.

I sighed in contentment, and he pressed a kiss onto my naked shoulder. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

“You’re so beautiful. I’d love to see you again. Very soon. Just the two of us?” he rasped.

Mesmerized, I nodded. “I’d like that. Very much,” I whispered into his neck.

His hand slipped to my ass and pressed me tighter to his body. Holy shit. His erection was certainly that of an Adonis. Hard and thick, it pulsed against my stomach twice before he groaned and pulled away. This was a dance of seduction, toned down for the benefit of spectators and propriety.

“God, see what you do to me. I’ve been waiting for this chance forever,” he breathed, his voice husky and low.

I looked up into his eyes, stunned by his admission. “Why haven’t you asked me on a date before?”

“It wouldn’t be proper. Your dad is my boss, I had to wait till I’d finished my internship and reached this goal. So that I had something to offer when I pursued you. And pursue you, I will. I’m a patient man. I know what I want. And I want
you
, Jade.” Full lips curved into a smile and his eyes gleamed as if he had just won first prize.

His words pleased me, it was exactly what I wanted to hear. “You sound very sure of yourself.” I cocked an eyebrow at him.

“You have no idea, little darling.
No idea
. You are part of my master plan.”

“I am?” My breath hitched.

“Yes. I think we’d make beautiful babies together. I’m going to buy you the biggest mansion I can afford, now that I’ve made junior partner. It’s all coming together.”

I pulled back a fraction. “Hold on a minute. Don’t I have a say in this master plan of yours? What if I said no?”

“Haha. You can wipe that frown off your pretty little face. I’ve already spoken to your dad about us. He practically gave me his blessing to sweep you off your feet and to marry you. Your mom is already picking the venue.”

My eyes widened. This was a bit too fast for me. “Wow, you don’t waste time, do you, Mr. Junior-Partner?”

“Jade Masterton. It has a nice ring to it.” I had to admit he was right. I liked the way he said my name as if I was already his. Confident men were my weakness. Especially if he went after it with as much tenacity as what Mr. Masterton was doing. It turned me on. I could never respect a man who didn’t know clearly what he wanted.

But I wasn’t going to make it that easy for him. If any man wanted me
, really wanted me
, he had to work for it. That was the only way to truly appreciate anything in life. If things were given too freely, they diminished in value.

“Marcus, we hardly know one another. Why the rush?” I genuinely wanted to know, so I held my breath while waiting for his answer.

“Your Mom is salivating at the thought of being a grandmother. Your father sees the logic of his firm being passed on to his son-in-law. They practically want me to marry you and get you pregnant immediately.” He chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Right,” I said with a shaky breath, remembering the conversation in the kitchen and how eager my parents were. My head was spinning. Yes, I wanted to catch a good man, but this was ridiculous. “What about
your
parents?” I ventured. I didn’t trust events that ran too smoothly.

“They couldn’t be happier. You’re practically royalty in this city. We both come from a long line of old money. You are well bred. We couldn’t be more perfect for one another. We have their blessing too. At least they know you aren’t a gold-digger.” He laughed, amused by his own joke.

“Sweet Lord. I sound like a pawn in a business deal. I don’t know, Marcus—”

“Don’t overthink it. Just go with the flow. It’s your destiny to be with me. As my wife. I’ll take good care of you. Give you everything you want.”

I sighed. “But what about
love
? We don’t love each other.”

He took my hand and guided it between us, bringing it to rest on his hard length. “We
will
love one another, darling. Trust me. I can’t wait to have you all to myself. I’m going to make love to that beautiful body of yours. You will be mine, those breasts that have been teasing me all night, that luscious mouth... I want to get you pregnant as soon as we’re married. What do you say, should we start practicing immediately?”

I gasped. “Marcus, I need to think this through. It’s too much, too soon.”

“Look around the room, darling. See all the other girls? They wish they were
you
right now. They want your fairy tale life. They would say
yes
in a heartbeat. Why not you?”

I narrowed my eyes as I appraised his cocky smile. “Maybe because I’m a smart woman? And maybe because I’d like you to court me first and fall in love, before we talk about sex, marriage and kids.”

He took my hand and led me outside onto the balcony. I glanced toward my parents and couldn’t help noticing the pleased grins on their faces. My Mom gave me a slight nod of encouragement.

Jeez, was I up for auction, or what?

Marcus leaned against the rail and scooped me into his arms, pulling me tightly to his chest. He smiled down at me.

“Your Mom warned me that you read too many romance novels. She said you had your head in the clouds sometimes. I will show you romance, if that’s what you want. Anything for you, darling. Just say
yes
.”

I pushed both my palms against his chest so that I didn’t have to squint to look up into his gorgeous blue eyes. “I don’t think you understand. Romance is not something you do. It’s something you feel. You do it because you can’t help yourself. Not because it’s on somebody’s wish list.”

He chuckled, his steely arms pulling me tighter. “Jade, relax. Just give me a chance to show you I can be as romantic as you need me to be. I’m going to kiss you now. I’ve wanted to since you walked through the door.”

His beautiful bowed lips came down on mine and brushed my lips gently until I relaxed in his arms. After a few moments he deepened the kiss, sighing into my mouth. I felt his erection still raging against my belly. His tongue glided along my lower lip, asking permission to enter.

I closed my eyes and let go. I’d always believed one should be in the moment. I parted my lips and kissed him back, our tongues stroking one another’s. His hands on my ass caressed the orbs and I pushed my breasts into him.

And I waited.

For butterflies.

For something to stir inside me.

Nothing.

No butterflies. No fire.

Just nothing.

Good God, was I frigid?

Alarm swept through me. What the hell was wrong with me?

F
uck, it felt good to have the Harley rumble between my legs. Since I’d moved into the house, I didn’t have as much opportunity to ride as I’d liked to. I let the wind sweep through my hair and just breathed in deeply.

This was heaven—my bike and me—out on the open road. It took me away from everything—all my worries and fears faded to nothing. Lost in the moment, nobody could hurt me when I rode my bike.

Things at the club had gone from bad to even worse. A raid by our rival club, the LA Demon Skulls, had gotten Cobra, our Prez, shot at and the poor bastard had been in intensive care for a week now. It was still touch and go whether he would survive. A bullet had lodged in his lung and one narrowly missed his heart, so he was in deep shit.

Cobra was my best friend. In fact, he was probably my only real friend. After the brothers rescued me that fateful day, we formed a bond stronger than any I’d ever experienced with someone that wasn’t blood family. Cobra and I had mixed our blood when we made a pact to always have one another’s backs. Yeah, we may not have been born brothers, but life threw us together and made us family.

Forced to leave my cut at the club, I felt half dressed when I wasn’t wearing it. Strange. I tried to shake the feeling of unease.
The things we get attached to.

I couldn’t risk being identified as a member of the Scorpio Stinger MC on the occasions I had to take care of business away from the house. My identity was attached to the club—it was part of who I had become. I couldn’t wait for this shit to be over.

Since the shooting, I didn’t like being away from the house for long periods of time. I was afraid that our enemies would find us and harm the only other family I had—Mia and the kids.

I'd taken the long road from Beverley Hills, stretching out my ride for as long as I could. Finally, I'd reached the Scorpio Stinger MC compound, just ten miles out from Longbeach.

Everything looked exactly as I remembered it. Yet I knew nothing was quite the same after the shooting. On the outside it looked like any other building around the area—slightly run down and in need of a coat of paint. Barbed wire around the perimeter, and bikes out the front, was what differentiated the MC compound from the others.

I squinted my eyes and took note of the bullet holes in the plaster of the familiar signage “Home of The Scorpio Stinger MC. Enter at your own risk.” Our emblem—a gavel, a scorpion and a pair of wings was painted beneath it. My heart swelled with pride.

I'd missed this place that’d been my home since the age of thirteen. As I punched in the code and entered the gates, a few of the crew came out to greet me. I felt like the fucking prodigal son, even old man Malone had come outside. He limped on his crutch, his smile reaching from ear to ear.