Ryder shrugged, “If it makes you feel any better, I’d consider three months a long term relationship. Then again, I’m not much of a relationship kind of guy.”
“Let me guess,” she sassed. Tatum filled a bowl full of chicken and dumplings, handing it to Ryder. He nodded his thanks and smiled. “One night stands with barflies around Savage Hell is more your speed,” she said. She sounded like she was accusing him of something and hell, maybe she was, but the idea of Ryder working his way through the women who hung out at the bar, hoping to land a biker, made her a little jealous. She had no right to be. Tatum had no ties to Ryder besides the hot kiss they shared in his bedroom earlier. But, thinking about him with another woman made her angry.
He didn’t act like he was going to answer her and she slashed her hands through the air. “You know what—just forget I said anything,” she said. “I overstepped and who you’re with, and for how long, isn’t my business.”
“I don’t mind really,” he said around a mouthful of food. “This is good, by the way. I was the one who started all this by asking questions about you and your brother. To answer your question, I do usually hang out with women from Savage Hell,” he admitted.
They sat and ate in silence for most of their meal and Tatum worried that she had done or said something wrong. She suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore and stood to clear her dishes and he grabbed her hand and pulled her down to his lap, not giving her time to react or protest. “Thanks for dinner,” he whispered. She watched him and felt like she was holding her breath waiting for him to make the next move. He seemed to be trying to make up his mind about what to do next with her and she almost wanted to giggle at him, but then thought better of it.
“You going to kiss me or not, Ryder?” she asked.
“Hush,” he ordered. Tatum stifled her giggle and when he shot her a look, she covered her mouth with her hands, hiding her smile.
“Sorry,” she lied.
“I’m trying to decide,” he said.
“You’re trying to decide if you want to kiss me or not?” she asked.
“No,” he breathed, “I’m trying to decide if the ass-kicking Hart’s going to give me will be worth it.”
“Oh,” Tatum breathed. She almost felt defeated. If he didn’t kiss her now, she’d have her answer to what he thought of her. He’d deem her unworthy, un-kissable, and this might be her only chance to prove to him that she was neither of those things.
“It is,” he said, sealing his mouth over hers. Tatum gasped in surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck. God, he felt so good up against her body. No man had ever kissed her the way Ryder did and she was pretty sure no man would ever measure up to him in the future. Yeah—she was good and screwed from just one kiss.
Ryder
Kissing Tatum Hart was the worst fucking idea he had ever had, but then why did she feel so right in his arms. Her hot little body was pressed up against his so tightly he could practically feel her heart beating. And the way she kissed—God, it was like tasting heaven every time she shyly dipped her tongue in to find his.
She broke their kiss and stood from his lap. “I—I can’t,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry Ryder.” He watched as she made her quick escape from his kitchen and ran upstairs to her room. When he heard her door slam, he all but cringed. How did they go from her all but begging him to defy her brother to her running up to her bedroom to hide from him?
“Shit,” he grumbled to himself. He looked at his crutches and back down at the half eaten dinner she made for them. Honestly, he was starving and he knew that taking his pain meds on a partially empty stomach was a craptastic idea, but he also knew that he needed to go after her. Ryder sighed and grabbed his crutches, hobbling his way upstairs.
By the time he reached her locked door, he was tired and in a good deal of pain. “Tatum,” he shouted through the door, “open up and talk to me,” he demanded. Sure, he was ordering her around, just like her brother did, but he was ready for his meds and his bed.
“Go away, Ryder,” she shouted back. “I made a mistake; can’t we just leave it at that?”
“No,” he growled. “I want to know what your fucking problem is. Stop acting like a toddler and open this door,” he ordered.
“I am not acting like a fucking toddler,” she shouted back. He almost laughed out loud when he pictured her stomping her foot in protest on the other side of the door. “There are things you just don’t understand. Things you don’t know about me and when you do, you won’t want to kiss me anymore. It’s just better this way.”
“What the fuck, Tatum?” he growled. “How about you let me decide if I want to kiss you or not. I’m sure you’re making something out of nothing, Honey. Just open the door and talk to me,” he begged. He listened for any movement on the other side of the door but heard nothing. “You know what—do whatever the hell you want. I’m taking my meds and going to bed. Night, Tatum,” he said. Ryder made his way down to his bedroom and quickly got ready for bed. The sooner he could take his medication, the sooner he’d be able to sleep, and that sounded like a damn good plan to him right about now. He’d figure out his whole Tatum problem tomorrow.
He woke to a dark room and looked at his cell—it was only three in the morning but it felt so much later. That’s what he got for going to sleep before the sun went down. His leg was throbbing and he needed another pill to get him the rest of the way through the night. Ryder sat up and gingerly swung his legs over the side of the bed. He found his crutches, ignoring the woozy feeling from sitting up so quickly. He stood, balancing himself on his crutches, and the room started spinning around him.
“Fuck,” he whispered. He was going down and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He thought he shouted for Tatum but he wasn’t sure. The last thing he remembered was laying on the damn floor and looking up at his ceiling just before his world went dark.
“Ryder,” he heard a woman whispering in his ear, and damn if it didn’t turn him on. If it wasn’t for the pain in his leg, he’d pull her down and roll her under his body. He had a dream that a dog was chewing on his leg and it hurt like a bitch now that he was coming out of his dream.
“Ryder,” the woman said again. This time she touched his face, even giving it a gentle pat. “Wake up, Ryd,” she insisted. He didn’t want to wake up. The dream of having a sexy mystery woman hovering over him was so much better than the pain in his leg. No, he liked the dream he was having and he’d stay just where he was.
He felt the woman straddle his body and his cock sprang to life, wanting to be freed from his boxer briefs. Her gasp made him smile and he pulled her down on top of his body, letting his lips run over her soft skin. Her hot little ass filled his hands and he flexed his fingers into her fleshy globes—Tatum. It had to be her. He had been dreaming of getting his hands on her ass for the past two days now and he knew she’d be a handful.
“Ryder,” she moaned into his ear, rubbing her body over his. Yeah—this was worth waking up for. He didn’t want to miss a minute of having Tatum Hart on top of his body, hot and ready for him.