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That infuriated me more than anything else in the world. No man was going to imply such a thing to Taylor. There were plenty of women out there who didn’t have any sort of standards and who would be more than willing to jump into bed with them.

  There wasn’t any need to be talking to Taylor as though she were a piece of meat for them to just step in and enjoy. And, seeing the way she clearly was shaken by them made me even angrier. I wasn’t going to stand for them bullying her in any way.

  I wasn’t afraid to stand up for her. Even if it meant taking it outside and beating the shit out of them. Of course, they had their threats of bringing in backup, but that was fine. I didn’t think they would really make good on any of those threats, but beyond that, I wasn’t going to back down even if they did.

  I had an entire MC of my own, after all, and being one of the gang meant they would stand by me if I asked, no matter what. I could go to Jett at any time and let him know I needed help, and he would have them there.

  Even if it meant to protect a girl I still had a thing for, years after the fact. She might have told me nothing was ever going to happen between us. She might claim she wanted nothing to do with the MC…but I knew I could coax it out of her.

  I made my commitment to the MC, and no matter what, I would stick with that commitment. They were my family, and my life was meant to serve them. But, that didn’t mean I couldn’t also have what I wanted out of life, too, and that’s what I was getting here and now.

  I didn’t let the silence linger long. Not only did I enjoy watching Taylor squirm, I’d also missed her. There wasn’t any denying that, and I wanted to talk. I wasn’t sure if she knew I’d been in jail – or if she even cared for that matter. But then, that didn’t have an effect on here or now.

  I still wanted to talk to her, and that’s what I was going to do.

  “You know,” I playfully started. “It’s like you don’t miss me, at all.”

  “I don’t,” she shot back. “I told you a long time ago I just want you to leave me alone.”

  “I know what you said, but really, I’m not so sure that’s what you meant,” I said with a smile. “I’m pretty sure you want me around.”

  “Then I’m pretty sure you’re wrong,” she snapped. It became clear she wasn’t in the mood for any sort of banter, and though I wanted to keep pushing her buttons, I let it drop. While I kept popping back into her life, I still gave her that level of respect, too.

  I might’ve been the sappy, puppy-love-struck boy then who wasn’t going to just back down when she was in a bad mood, but now, I was also mature enough to know what I wanted no matter what.

  Taking on a more authoritative tone, I shrugged. “I’m going to watch out for you, Tay, whether you like it or not.”

  “That’s stalking!” she said again.

  “That’s making sure you’re okay.” I shrugged with the same nonchalant attitude. “And, I’m not going to just step out of your life because you think I’m the bad guy.”

  “I know what the MC is like, and I don’t want anything to do with it,” she replied. It was much the same argument she had when she told me to get out of her life before. But, just like then, I knew she wasn’t fully aware of what she was saying. She thought she knew what the MC was like, but that didn’t mean that she actually knew.

  “After what I saw today, I’d say it’s pretty safe to assume you could still use a hand,” I told her. “Even if you might not realize it.”

  “I’m fine. I’ve taken care of myself for years, and I will continue to do so. I don’t need anyone, and I’m not going to ask for anyone’s help, either,” she snapped.

  I finished my beer. I knew this conversation wasn’t going anywhere tonight, and I’d just have to be okay with that. Of course, I didn’t expect much when I got to the bar in the first place. I didn’t think she would throw herself into my arms and welcome me, though that’s what I ultimately wanted.

  No, she was hard to get, which was fine with me. I would let her be hard to get if that’s how she wanted to be. It wasn’t going to change what I was doing, that’s for sure. I was more than happy to bide my time for her, beating off those who weren’t treating her right, and perhaps scaring off anyone who thought they had a chance at winning her heart through the right methods.

  No, she was mine, and I wasn’t going to back down. I wasn’t stuck in juvenile love anymore, I was a man, and I would take care of her. I would convince her to see things from my point of view, even if it meant I had to deal with a lot of her attitude in the meantime.

  The fact of the matter was that I enjoyed the way she fought me. I enjoyed when she told me no, knowing it wasn’t going to be forever.

  I enjoyed it on many levels.

  And eventually, I knew I’d enjoy her body, too. She just needed a bit more convincing to see things from my point of view, but it was going to happen.

  It was just a matter of time.

  Chapter 7

  Taylor

  Relief washed over me when Ryder finally left. He hadn’t stayed long. Less than half an hour, really, but it seemed longer. I didn’t want to talk to him. Ever since that conversation we’d had years before, I knew I didn’t want anything to do with him.

  I had told him so, too. Never once did I act as though we were going to be together in the future. Sure, there was a time in my life when I thought that was the case. I thought it was just a matter of time before the two of us were together forever – but that was then, and this was now.

  I’d learned things I hadn’t known then, and I knew I didn’t want to tie my life to this man. I had grown up under the ruling thumb of a man who was in the MC, and I wasn’t going to subject myself to that further. I tried to imagine a life with Ryder would be different, but when eighteen-year-old me found out the truth about some things in her life, she knew without a doubt she had to do the right thing and get rid of the entire situation.

  I still remembered it like it had just happened yesterday, though it had been nearly ten years before. The thought still lingered in the back of my mind as though it would be etched there forever. No matter how badly I wanted to get rid of it, no matter how much I wanted it to be gone, I knew it was stuck there.

  Nothing I could say or do would ever wash it out of my mind, that was for sure. All I could do now was live with it.

  If only I could go back to the day my younger self had given herself to Ryder. The things I would do differently. Or, at least, I told myself I would do differently. I had been so young and so in love back then. I thought I was doing the right thing.

  Back then, I thought I was making the choices that would make me happy. I thought I was finally breaking free of running from my father and not having to deal with any of his shit anymore. I was so tired of him at that point, over his control in my life even if he didn’t want anything to do with me.

  It was like I couldn’t get away from him.

  I closed my eyes, putting my hands on the bar and taking a deep breath. I let the memories wash over me as I thought about the past. I thought about the day I turned eighteen. I thought about how excited I was for Ryder to come to me.

  Everything was still so fresh in my brain, it was almost happening around me at that very moment.

  “Are you going out with friends?” Mrs. Jacobs, the woman who had been kind enough to offer me her couch for a few weeks, asked the morning of my eighteenth birthday.

  “I’ve got a good friend I’m going to hang out with tonight,” I told her with a smile.

  “Really? Who?”

  “A boy,” I said with a laugh. “Don’t make it into a thing, please!”

  I flushed red when I talked about Ryder, and she gave me a knowing look. Of course, there was plenty of concern etched into her features, as well, and I knew she wasn’t thrilled with the fact I was going to hang out with someone who was in an MC.

  She knew of my past, and as someone who worked as a social worker, she knew it would be best for me to get out of that kind of life when I
was young. She didn’t want me to go down the same route my parents had, and I was well on my way.

  But, I insisted I was able to make my own decisions, and I would continue to do so. She was kind enough to let me stay at her house regardless. So long as I didn’t get caught up in the party scene. I was careful about that aspect, at least, and she didn’t say much about who I chose to spend my time with.

  Besides that, she would be working that night, and I wasn’t going to have anything to do with myself. Having someone to spend my birthday night with would be far better than telling me to stay home and behave.

  So, without too many more questions, she left me to the rest of my day. And the anticipation of the night to come only made me want it to fly by. I wanted to be with Ryder. I’d been waiting for this night for as long as I could remember.

  I knew I wanted him long before tonight. But, he was too good of a guy to make me his own before I turned eighteen. It didn’t matter how much I tried to convince him I was able to make that decision, he wouldn’t have it, and I was forced to wait it out along with him.

  But, I knew he wanted to sleep with me just as much as I wanted to sleep with him. He had been coming to see me regularly, always tracking me down wherever I happened to be. First in the safe house for over a year after my father didn’t want much to do with me, then here with Mrs. Jacobs.

  Tonight, however, things were going to be different. Tonight, I was going to get dressed up and wait for him outside. I didn’t care if Mrs. Jacobs was working all night or not. I wanted privacy with Ryder. I wanted to be able to give myself to him fully without worrying about her coming home early or anyone else interrupting us.

  I just wanted to be with him.

  Ryder picked me up around nine that evening on his bike. His plans were similar to mine, and he’d gotten us a hotel room that wasn’t too far from the house. His schedule was so different from mine, that I knew it wasn’t likely he would stick around after we made love to each other.

  There were times he was gone for weeks at a time without a word to me, but I embraced that side of him, too. It was okay with me to wait it out. It only added to the infatuation.

  But tonight, I had his full attention. Tonight, nothing else mattered. Tonight, he was mine, and I was his. That was all there was to our love story. And I was more than a little eager to experience him, that was for damn sure.

  We got to the hotel room and headed right upstairs. I was so nervous, I was shaking under my clothing. But, I was already turned on. My pussy was wet, eager for what it would be like to have him inside me. My body was tense, shaking with the anticipation of what was to come, eager to have him.

  As soon as the door closed behind us, I was on him.

  “Happy birthday, squirt,” he breathed. He always called me that, and it gave me chills every time.

  “Thanks,” I giggled.

  “Let’s get you in your proper outfit,” he said as he started pulling my clothes off.

  I helped, but I continued to tremble as each of my garments fell away. We’d made out before, but this was different. I knew we were going to go all the way, and I was excited for it to finally happen. When the last of my clothes fell to the ground, I wrapped my arms around him.

  Ryder lifted me off the floor, carrying me to the bed and laying me down. He removed his vest and t-shirt, then kicked off his jeans and pulled off his boxers. Goosebumps rose all over my body as he eased over the top of me, enveloping me in his arms as we kissed.

  I kissed him tenderly, then laid my head back on the bed and closed my eyes as he kissed his way down my body. I moaned, letting him lick and flick his tongue around my clit, sending shivers throughout the core of my being. I ran my hands through his hair, writhing under his touch.

  Then, he kissed his way back up me, reaching my lips and kissing me deeply as he did. I moaned once more, writhing on the bed as his hands explored me. I was so wet, so eager to have him inside, I spread my legs wide for him.

  He leaned over the top of me, pressing the head of his massive cock against my tight pussy. I knew it was going to hurt, but I didn’t care. All I wanted was to have him inside me. I wanted him to take me, to make me his own. I trusted him to be gentle, and I trusted him to show me what it was like to make love.

  He pressed into me, and all at once, slipped inside. The pain that rushed through me wasn’t like anything I’d expected, and I cried out. At first, I would have pulled back, but he was on top of me, holding himself inside me and whispering.

  “It’s okay, relax. Let your body take me,” he urged.

  I did my best to obey, letting my body get used to the sensation of his cock within me. At the same time, I felt more complete than I even knew possible. I knew this is what I was waiting for, and though I grimaced as he first started to thrust in and out of me, it felt better than I thought it ever would.

  He slid in and out of me, his cock gliding smoothly. I moaned, spreading my legs and pulling him into me as much as I could. I wanted more of him, I had to have him. I needed him. This is what I had been waiting years to do, and I had a feeling it was going to be the beginning of something magical. It was the beginning of our lives together, and I knew together we were going to be an unstoppable force.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it sure wasn’t this. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through me as he thrust in and out of me. He moved with such an assurance, that I trusted him completely.

  Each thrust took me closer to orgasm, and I knew he was getting close, too. We moved together on the bed, my tight pussy pushing him toward climax. Then, all at once, he thrust into me one more time, pushing me to the very brink of ecstasy.

  The orgasm rushing through me caused me to cry out, my pussy tightening on his cock inside me. I felt him start to pulse within me, moaning as he held me still. I knew he was cumming, too, and a new wave of pleasure filled me. He was giving me all that he had within him, he was making me his own, and I wanted it more than anything.

  This is what I wanted from him. This is just what I needed. The waves that rushed through me were intense, but so was the feeling of his cum on my legs. This is what I was meant to do, and I was glad I’d finally gotten the chance to do it. I wanted this, I wanted him.

  And, I was sure this was going to be heaven.

  We lay together for a while after, the excitement building inside me. I knew having sex with him would be the best thing I’d ever done, and it was. I wanted to do it again, but, now that I was eighteen, I wondered something else. I hoped having sex with me would show him how much of an adult I was, and I hoped he would finally tell me something I’d been waiting for over the past couple years.

  “Hey Ryder?” I asked as I looked up at his face. I was lying on his chest, his arm around me as we laid on the hospital bed.

  “Yeah?” he asked.

  “What happened to my mom?”

  And almost immediately, I wished I’d never brought it up.

  Chapter 8 – Eight Years Ago

  Ryder

  I knew sex with Taylor would be amazing. I knew it from the very moment I met her. I’d wanted her for years. There was no denying that fact, and I wasn’t going to deny it – not even to myself. But, that didn’t change the fact that I’d been counting down to the day when I could have her with a lot of excitement.

  The fact that I would be the one taking her virginity only made it better in my world. I wanted to be the only one who ever made her feel that way, and I knew I would put her on top of the world.

  I knew what I was doing in bed, and I couldn’t wait to show her my skills. She would be putty in my hands by the time I was done with her, there was no denying that. I couldn’t wait to make her feel so good. She had been through so much, she deserved nothing but the best, that was for damn sure.

  She deserved to be happy, and I wanted to be the one to make her happy. I wanted her to know her worth in my eyes, and I would do just about anything to make that happen. At long last, her birthday had arrived
– the day I’d been waiting for.

  I got us a hotel room for the night, not wanting to be bothered by anyone. It was a tricky enough situation as it was – she wasn’t actually part of the MC, despite the fact her father was the president. Nothing was going to change that. She couldn’t be patched in even if she wanted to be.

  But, she still belonged to them. Simply because of who her father. Of course, her making it clear to me she didn’t want anything to do with the MC was good enough for me. If she didn’t want to be, they couldn’t make her, and that put her as fair game in my book.

  I was sure she just had a bad experience with the MC her father ran, but I was going to change her mind on that. She had seen firsthand how good we could be. I had proven that to her over the past couple years taking care of her. And her mother, too, for that matter.

  She wasn’t happy when she found out they were going to take her mother somewhere else, but she soon seemed to adjust to that idea when she realized it was for her mother’s own good. Sure, she was pissed off at me off and on depending on how badly she missed her mother, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t deal with.

  I’d never told Taylor where her mother was. I told her everything I could to keep her mind off it – and to avoid answering the question, really. I didn’t want her to know where her mother was simply because of the order I had been given to keep it a secret.

  Jimbo, our president, made it clear to me that we were to keep our mouths shut about what had happened to Katherine. We couldn’t tell a soul – he didn’t even want us discussing it with each other. After she was hidden, that was the end of the situation as far as he was concerned.

  The fewer people who knew the truth, the better, and I had been trusted to keep that secret. I had also been charged with the job of keeping Taylor safe throughout the rest of her adolescence. Until she turned eighteen, it was up to me to make sure she was taken care of in one way or another.

  And, I had done that. I would show up and keep an eye on her periodically, making sure she had a roof over her head and food on the table. Most of the time, I tried to get her to stay in the safe house that was provided by the MC. But, like any teenager, she was headstrong and liked to do things her own way.