But . . . he’d said I was his woman . . .
I just stared at him, at a loss for words. Did he really mean that? Should I be happy he saved me? Again? And how did he know where to find me?
My heart beat wildly in my chest.
His woman.
Chapter 30 ~ Ryder
Marcus was a prick. There was no denying that. But at least he was screwing some other bitch. This Cowboy, on the other hand, was trying to screw my woman.
Over my dead fucking body.
“Who the fuck are you? And how did you get in here?” Cowboy yelled, clearly not happy about the intrusion.
A cough from the doorway had all three of us turn our heads. The burly bouncer that had shown us the way into the club was standing there, looking uncomfortable. He shrugged as he tried to explain. “He’s from the Scorpio Stinger MC. Ryder got me this job. So when he asked me to open this door for an emergency, of course I complied.”
“Well, get the fuck back to your station. Now. I’ll deal with you later.” Cowboy was losing his shit, but I wasn’t finished with him yet.
Fisting his shirt and twisting it so that Cowboy’s face was mere inches from mine, I growled. “Just ‘cause we have a deal with your brother, and because you probably didn't know that this is my woman, I'm letting you off this one time. But . . . if I even see you looking in her direction, never mind touching her again, I will cut off your dick and feed it to the birds. Got that, Cowboy?”
On the way up the stairs, Clive had filled me in on exactly who the fucking cowboy was I'd seen pawing Jade. And, luckily for him, he was still fully clothed. I guessed that I’d just made it up here in time.
Not many people would know about this security room, but fortunately, I remembered because Cowboy’s arrogant prick of a brother had shown it off when he gave us a tour around the place a few weeks ago. Doing business with the club had paid off.
When Jade just vanished in to thin air, I nearly lost my fucking mind. She’d acted completely out of character dancing like that, so I knew she was alcohol-fueled, and wasn’t thinking rationally. And the way the fucking Cowboy was all over her . . . I wanted to fucking make him bleed for that.
But there were more important things to deal with right now. I had to make it right with Jade. I was praying like fuck that she’d take me back—that I hadn’t fucked up completely, and that it wasn’t too late.
Christ, maybe she wanted Cowboy to screw her, and I was the one out of line here?
I squeezed my eyes shut for a few seconds as I dealt with that possibility. I'd royally fucked up this one precious thing by acting like a dumbass prick. I'd rejected the love she’d offered me, so I couldn’t blame her for moving on. But it would hurt like fuck.
“Ryder? Why are you here?” she whispered, her voice hoarse and shaky.
I shoved the cowboy hard so that he staggered backward, landing in a chair. Luckily he was not as dumb as he looked, ‘cause he just stayed there, his mouth gaping as he stared at us.
“I came for you, baby.” My voice cracked as I said the words. She had to know how I felt about her—that I wanted her with every fiber in my being. That I couldn’t breathe when I was away from her.
“You did?” She gasped, her beautiful eyes rimming with tears.
“Yeah.” I grinned, feeling like the idiot I was. “Don’t want to live without you, Princess. You’re what gives my life meaning . . . makes it worthwhile to get up in the morning. If I ain't got you, I ain't got anything.”
I pulled her into my arms and just stared into those pools of blue. I wanted to see the answers there—I wanted to look deep into her soul, and see if she still loved me as much as I fucking loved her. If she was just as lost without me.
What I saw made my heart leap with joy. Her eyes shone, not from her tears, but with unadulterated love. Fuck, how did I ever deserve this? A woman as perfect as Jade, loving me? But I would take it, and show my gratitude every day for this blessing that the universe had finally given me, by worshipping her.
“You’ve got some explaining to do, Biker Boy.” A small smile touched her lips. Fuck, she was going to make me pay. My lawyer girl was smart.
Taking hold of her chin, I raised her face to mine. Dipping my head, I brushed my lips over hers. Christ Almighty. This was what I’d been missing. Just the feel of her lips against mine and I was hard for her. She held my heart—and my life—in her small hands. Did she even understand the power she held over me? It would take me a lifetime to explain that to her.
A cough from the chair brought me back to the present. “Fuck me. The two of you are going to set this place on fire if you carry on like that.”
“You’re fucking lucky I have my woman to take care of, and don’t have time to kick your balls right now. Get us a room. Now,” I barked at him.
Above the club were a few guest rooms for VIP club members. Cowboy’s brother—who wore a similar king-sized cowboy hat—had proudly shown them off on our tour. No expense was spared to make them as luxurious as possible, so the prick had been bragging about all their features, including the expansive mirrors on the walls and ceilings.
While I was looking for Jade and Cowboy, I’d prayed that he hadn’t taken her to one of the guest rooms. Those would be harder to get into—I doubted that Clive would have the code to get in there. Something drew me to the security room instead. The pull was so strong, I had no choice other than to follow my gut instinct and go there instead of investigating other possibilities.
Had I made the wrong choice . . . I shuddered at the thought.
Hopefully one of the guest rooms was available, because I had to be alone with Jade. It couldn’t wait a minute longer. I had to tell her how I felt about her. Claim her back as my woman. Yeah.
“It’s your fucking lucky night I reserved one of the guest rooms for myself tonight. Take it. I know when I’m beaten.” Cowboy was fucking smarter than what I’d given him credit for. He withdrew a key card from his shirt pocket. “Here. Take the elevator to room 314. It’s all yours till the morning.”
I snatched the white plastic card from his hand and shot him a warning glance. He was still not off the hook—I'd keep a fucking eye on him, in case he got any ideas that my Princess was fair game. I wasn’t taking any chances again. I'd learned my lesson the fucking hard way.
Chapter 31 ~ Ryder
Beaming from fucking ear to ear, I couldn’t take my eyes—or hands—off Jade as we traveled up in the elevator, but I knew I had a lot of explaining to do, and that she wasn’t going to let me off lightly. After what I’d put her through, and the agony of still not knowing if she would take me back, I needed answers. I was going to have to bring my A-game tonight.
Jade had agreed to accompany me to the guest room, but that was no guarantee that I was home-free. No, I got the impression that she was that eager to get out of the claustrophobically small security room with the strange view, and that she would have agreed to anything if it meant her freedom.
That’s exactly why I was holding on to her arm with a steel-like grip as I steered her toward room 314. She’d bolted before; I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried it again. And fuck, I was getting tired of the cat-and-mouse game. I just wanted for us to be together. For-fucking-ever, and be done. The mechanics of how and where were less important than the reason why.
As I swiped the card, she stood at the door, rigid and unsmiling.