Hunter (King’s Men MC #1)

18. Ryleigh

18

RYLEIGH

I looked down at the monster parked near the sidewalk, and suddenly, my excitement from before dissipated, and in its place was apprehension.

And lots of it.

“I changed my mind,” I said. “Do you want to take my car instead?”

He looked at me with amusement in his eyes. “Are you saying you don’t like the bike?”

“No, of course not,” I said, hoping I didn’t offend him.

It was a monster of a bike. A huge bike.

All right, so no bigger than a regular motorcycle I’d seen on the street, but then again, I had never had to get on one of them before.

“It’s a fine bike,” I added, nodding, so he knew I was serious.

He bit his bottom lip, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh at me.

“Then get on it, baby.”

I shook my head. It didn’t look stable.

He looked at me thoughtfully. “You’re scared. ”

“Well, duh.”

He laughed then. I didn’t let the sound affect me.

Much .

Coming up close to me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. I placed my arms around his shoulders, trying to keep from suggesting we skip this breakfast date and perhaps go back up to my apartment and do what I had been too cautious about doing before.

Have sex.

I didn’t think I was ready for it when we were back at my apartment, as he helped me fix my dress, but that sounded better than getting on this death trap.

I took him in, from those gorgeous brown eyes, long eyelashes, strong nose, and kissable lips, and down to his broad shoulders, muscular pec, and hard abs.

I swallowed.

Yeah, it sounded like a good idea.

He let his hand come down and pinch my butt cheek.

“Hey.” I glared up at him.

“My eyes are up here, sweetheart.”

“I know that.”

He laughed. “Stop checking me out and focus.”

“I’m focusing.”

His eyes danced with humor a bit before they turned serious, and he said, “Do you really think I would let anything happen to you?”

A funny thing to ask, considering how short of a time it had been, but after he saved me from the attack, I felt safe with him.

I shook my head. I didn’t think he would let anything bad happen to me. And that said something, considering the people that have been in my life since I was a child.

Untrustworthy vultures who were out for themselves and just wanted what my family could do for them .

“Don’t be scared,” he said softly, pulling away and grabbing my hand. I let him lead me to the bike, where a single black helmet rested on the leather seat.

“I’ll keep you safe.”

And there was something about his voice that told me there was more meaning to his words than simply getting on the motorcycle.

I nodded and watched as he grabbed the helmet and placed it on me.

“Where’s yours?” I asked.

“Don’t need one.”

“Do you think you’re invincible or something?”

“No,” he answered. “I just… never really cared. Although, I’m starting to find a reason for me to be more careful with my life for once.”

The look he shot me was full of meaning, and I felt my heart pitter platter inside my chest.

I looked down shyly.

He was talking about me, wasn’t he?

He climbed on the bike, and I felt my mouth go dry from watching.

I was right.

Watching him take control of the bike was hot, and I felt some wetness gush out of me.

He shot me a knowing look before holding out his hand for me.

Slowly, I placed mine in his, reveling in the dry, calloused feel of his warm palm, just as he helped me climb on the bike behind him.

I gingerly placed my hand on his waist and rested my feet where he instructed.

“You’re safe,” he said. “But baby, you’re going to have to get in closer to me and hold on tight. ”

He pulled me closer to him and wrapped my arms around his waist tightly.

I let out a small squeal when he turned on the ignition, never realizing how loud it was, and then we were off.

I was tense at first, especially when he made that first turn, and it felt like I might fall off from it, but after, that fear slowly turned into excitement, and I found myself really excited about the journey.

I loved the feel of the wind against me, the way my dress fluttered from the ride, making me feel… well, sexy, and I really, really loved the fact that I got to hold him so close to me.

It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, and I didn’t want it to end.

I was almost disappointed when he finally pulled up to a cute little diner somewhere away from the city, but admittedly, I was also hungry.

He turned off the bike and helped me off, but I might have misjudged the effect of straddling the bike for that long, and the distance from the ground because my legs turned into jelly as soon as I touched it, and I went down.

Xavier laughed as he quickly got off the bike and helped me stand up.

“Ah, fuck, baby. I should have warned you.”

“You should have,” I pouted.

He let out another chuckle, and I narrowed my eyes at him before pushing his arms away and walking slowly toward the front door.

It didn’t take him long to catch up to me, and I glowered at him when he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, though I didn’t push him away.

I could use the support.

“You’re so fucking cute,” was all he said, and… yeah, all of my annoyance just disappeared after that .

I was really in trouble.

I hit send on the laptop, feeling a small weight lifted from my shoulders.

I’d been working on this project for weeks, and it had been a lot of back and forth with the writer. Still, the final illustrations were submitted, and the writer seemed happy with the results.

And the art was something I had created with my hands, plus it paid the bills—something my parents were adamant wouldn’t be possible. For a moment, I believed them.

I stared blankly at the screen once the email was sent.

It had been weeks since I talked to any of them, and I was tempted to pick up the phone to call them.

Only the thought that I was always the one who made the first call stopped me.

She had called before, but she hadn’t since, and I wondered if she regretted putting in that first phone call now.

Did she think because she put in the bare minimum of work, I was now going to be reaching out to her?

I didn’t want to call her. I didn’t want to hear what she had to say when I already knew.

She would tell me I was wasting my life, and she would tell me she was only doing things that were best for me, only it never felt like it.

I wondered what they were saying to their friends about me because despite her trying to pretend she was strong enough not to let things like social standing affect her, it did.

She even married my dad to ensure she would continue to keep that high status among everyone else.

I blinked and looked away from the screen .

This should have been a happy moment for me, yet I was letting my parents ruin it. And there weren’t even here.

I got off the chair without thinking about it and walked to the apartment next door.

I hadn’t heard from Xavier since he dropped me off after our breakfast date yesterday, and he said he had something to do at work.

I knocked on the door three times, not letting myself think about what I was doing. The door opened to an unruly-looking Xavier, with his hair standing up on strands, in dark gray sweats and a black tee. My mouth went dry.

He looked hot.

He made unruly look good.

His mouth quirked up in a small smile the longer I stood there, staring at him.

“All right, baby girl?”

I nodded.

He laughed.

“Is there a reason you came knocking at seven in the morning?”

I winced a little.

I hadn’t realized how early it was. “Sorry. I’ll just come back at an appropriate time.”

I turned and tried to leave when a strong arm snaked around my waist and pulled me back to his warm body.

He moved us inside and closed the door behind him, his lips coming down to my ear.

“I didn’t mean for you to leave.”

I shivered.

“Why did you come?”

“Oh, yes, please.”

“What?” he asked with a laugh.

Wait .

He didn’t ask me if I wanted to come. He asked why I’d come.

I blinked, my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

“I finished my project,” I said, squirming and trying to get away.

His close proximity was really messing with my mind.

He tightened his arms around me.

“That’s awesome, baby. I’m proud of you.”

I smiled. No one had ever said they were proud of me before.

“Now stop trying to get away.”

I stilled.

“What would you like for a reward?”

My mind blanked for a moment. “Reward?”

“Yeah,” he said huskily. “How about we go out for ice cream later?”

Huh. That was the last thing I had in mind.

“I’m not three, you know. You can’t just reward me with ice cream.”

I was sure he could hear the sulkiness in my voice.

He laughed, his hand coming up and cupping my breast. He played with my nipple.

“Were you thinking about something else?” he asked, pulling on it roughly.

My breath started to come out in harsh pants.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, twirling the hardened nub around and around. “Definitely thinking about something else.”

He pulled away from me then, so suddenly, it took me a moment to realize he wasn’t touching me anymore.

I turned around and looked at him in confusion.

He tapped my nose affectionately. “Sorry, baby, but I have to get to work. No time for play, but if you’re good, I’ll make the wait worthwhile. ”

“Oh,” I said, sounding disappointed. I was disappointed. “Are you sure you can’t play hooky?”

He shot me a heated look. “Sounds tempting, but I can’t. I’m sorry, baby.”

He cupped my cheeks and leaned down, taking my lips in his and giving me a brutal kiss that left me breathless by the time he pulled away.

I could only stand there and watch him.

“Stay here, okay? While I go get ready, and you can walk me to the elevator.”

I nodded mutely.

He laughed and walked away, back to his room.

It took me two long seconds to get out of my stupor, and I finally looked around his place.

It had the exact same design as my place, only it was furnished with masculine furniture and dark colors. It also wasn’t filled with many things.

It seemed like Xavier was living a minimalist lifestyle.

It almost felt like he had purchased these things quickly, and without a care. It made me wonder what happened to all his old furniture and why he chose to move into this place when he didn’t seem to fit in much with it.

I jumped when I saw him come out from the corner of my eye. I turned to him fully and found him dressed in his signature style of dark jeans, black boots, and a dark t-shirt. This one was a navy blue that matched well with his tan skin.

I wondered if there would ever be a time when I wasn’t struck speechless looking at the man.

And not for the first time, I wondered what the hell he was doing with me.

He walked up to me without a word, and I tilted my head back to look him in the eyes. I should be frightened over his sheer size alone, yet the memory of how he defended me the other night came to mind, and I couldn’t find it in me to be scared.

I wasn’t scared, so I did something daring.

I leaned on my tippy-toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me.

He bent down, and I pressed my lips against his, closing my eyes and savoring the taste of him.

It had never felt like this when I kissed other men— boys —before.

It had never made me feel addicted or like I was going through withdrawal simply because I wouldn’t be able to kiss him for several hours.

He groaned against my lips, making me feel like a sex goddess, able to seduce a man like him, just as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up until my feet no longer touched the ground.

Fuck, but he was strong.

And he was mine.

I deepened the kiss, holding him close.

I didn’t want this to end.

And then Xavier walked us toward the couch, pushing me down, and laying his body over mine.

He pressed down between my spread legs, letting me feel him.

Feel the hardness of his huge cock against mine, making me tremble.

“Fuck. You make me want to screw the rest of my responsibilities and just spend the rest of the day worshipping you,” he muttered against my skin when he pulled away from the kiss.

“You can,” I said, a little more enthusiastically than I should have.

His chest shook as he let out a small chuckle. “Don’t tempt me, baby. Or I’ll get both of us in trouble. ”

I pouted. “Are you sure?”

He let out another groan and took my lips in his roughly.

I clung to his neck, whimpering when he made a move to pull away.

He kissed me again, then attempted to pull away a second time.

I tightened my hold.

“Baby,” he breathed out.

I let out a small sigh of disappointment. I knew I should let him go to work. I didn’t want to.

“Later,” he said. “Tomorrow. I’ll be out late today, so I want you to go to bed early. Drink plenty of water.”

His eyes turned dark, and the muscles between my legs convulsed slightly.

“Think of me when you touch yourself tonight.”

My cheeks flamed. There was no way he knew I did that in my bed at night, and I wasn’t going to admit to it.

I shook my head.

“No?” he asked, grabbing my hand and directing it between our bodies until I cupped my pussy.

“You mean you don’t play with this sweet little cunt at night and think of me doing it?”

I shook my head, only this time, I didn’t know what I was saying no to.

“What a shame.”

The look in his eyes told me he knew I was lying, but I wasn’t going to admit to it.

Finally, he pulled away from me.

I missed the heat from his body instantly, but I tried not to let it show.

Oh, who was I kidding? My mom always said I showed too much on my face. It was everything a society princess shouldn’t be. Still, I wondered if she knew how hard it was for me to pretend to be emotionless .

I wasn’t like her.

Xavier helped me up from the couch before leading me out of his apartment by the hand.

We got to the elevator, and he pressed the button for the lobby. While we waited, Xavier pulled me back into his arms and kissed me once more as if he couldn’t help himself.

I moaned and opened my mouth, giving him better access just as the elevator doors opened.

Xavier pulled away first, his eyes moving toward it, and he scowled.

I followed his gaze and found Trinity standing there, watching us with a surprised look in her eyes, her mouth gaping wide open.

Then she straightened and walked out the doors, a touch of coolness in her gaze.

The word, slut , was whispered from her lips as she passed me, and obviously not low enough because Xavier stiffened beside me, his face set in a thunderous rage as he looked at her.

I shook my head. “Just ignore her, and she’ll get the hint.”

“Oh, she’ll get the hint, all right,” he said darkly.

I shook my head. “She’s not worth it. And I’m okay.”

He took a deep breath as if to calm himself, and when he turned back toward me, the angry look was gone.

In his eyes was the softness that I was slowly getting used to.

It wasn’t soft like other people’s softness. In fact, the look seemed to contradict who he was as a person, but it was a softness I knew was reserved solely for me.

I smiled at him, and he pressed a final kiss on my lips before stepping on the elevator.

I waved at him until it closed, and I could no longer see him. Then, I walked to my apartment with a wide smile.