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Resting there, in the shadowed half-light of his room, with the distance between us suddenly not feeling so vast, I couldn’t get rid of the heat that had been building inside me since the moment he had pulled me close in that strip club. This rough, tough, not-giving-an-inch biker prez had got me all twisted up in ways I never saw coming.
But damn if part of me didn’t want to explore where that heat might lead. Despite the world telling us we’re on opposite sides of a line drawn in the sand, here we were, finding some kind of crooked middle ground. Maybe, just maybe, this collision course we were on might just be worth the ride.
And the realization that I was naked in his bed, covered only by a sheet, wasn’t lost on him. Riptide, ever the player, couldn’t resist raising an eyebrow. “Always knew I’d get you in my bed,” he said, the amusement clear in his voice.
“Where did you sleep last night?” I shot back, trying to ignore the flush of heat his words sent through me.
“Beside you,” he replied without hesitation. Biting his lip, he added, “Behind you, spooning your naked body… Don’t worry, I was naked too.”
I gasped.
“I was a gentleman,” he started, trying to dismiss my worries.
I snorted at that. “I don’t remember you ever being a gentleman.”
His amusement faded, replaced by a flicker of offense. “You act like I was some kind of monster to you. We’ve never even had sex.”
“But we did everything else,” I said, clarifying his statement. Our times spent together were just as intimate as if we did the deed. Being just shy of it always seemed like an excuse for Hudson to ignore me. “But you’re right. No actual intercourse.”
“I’m willing to change that,” he added, a challenging edge to his tone.
The room suddenly felt ten degrees hotter. I could feel the blush spreading across my cheeks. All a flutter, my heart pounded. My body responded to his nearness, to the raw intensity in his dark eyes as they fluttered over me. Yet, despite the undeniable pull between us, I knew it was time to create some distance to cool us down before things got out of hand.
I swallowed hard. “Perhaps it’s a good time to hit that hospital, before things get…out of control,” I managed to say, my voice more stable than I felt.
Any other guy this hot, this into me, and I wouldn’t hesitate. But with Hudson, or rather Riptide, it was different. My feelings for him ran deep, tangled up in a past filled with pain and longing, making the thought of giving in to my urges terrifying.
“What are you scared of?” he asked, as if reading my mind.
I met his gaze, the question hanging between us like a challenge. “What do you want, Riptide?” I asked, needing to hear him say it, to make sense of the chaos swirling inside me.
“I want you, Brat.” He chose to use my road name. And that gesture made me feel like he was truly seeing the woman I’d become.
“You’re all I can think about,” he confessed, his honesty stripping away the last of my defenses. “I want you like I couldn’t have you before.”
“But we’re enemies, now,” I countered weakly, clutching at reasons why this couldn’t, shouldn’t, happen. “It could never work.”
He leaned closer, his breath warm against my skin. “Maybe it could be fun,” he whispered, his lips brushing against mine in a featherlight touch that sent waves of longing down my body. “Don’t you miss me? Miss the way I used to find you in the dark… and dry your tears.”
His admission had the sensation of electricity, as our connection had all been unspoken. A memory ran through me. Ever since our first chance encounter. The bully who haunted my days found me alone, crying behind the gym. He’d not completely caused my tears, but he didn’t know that. His gentle kiss in the dark was everything. After that, the bully started heating up my nights. I’d wait for him in the shadows. I was his secret. He was my enemy and my relief, the pleasure to the very pain he created.
“You’re the one who caused my tears,” I said, knowing it wasn’t always entirely true.
“I was just a silly teen. I needed to save you, even if I had to become the bully you needed saving from.” Riptide’s face was so close. His lips hovered over mine. “Are you feeling up to a trip down memory lane?”
The conflict raging within me was unbearable. Every fiber of my being screamed yes, even as my mind raced with a thousand reasons why this was a terrible idea. We came from different worlds, our clubs were in constant conflict, and our shared history was filled with complicated emotions and misunderstandings.
Yet, as I looked into his eyes, saw the desire and something that looked suspiciously like genuine affection reflected back at me. No way could I avoid wondering if maybe we could find a way to navigate this impossible attraction. Maybe we could carve out a space for us amidst the madness, a secret place where our colors didn’t matter, and the future was ours to write.
But for now, the hospital seemed like a safer, simpler choice. There was time enough to explore the what-ifs and maybes later. For now, I needed to guard my heart, to remember who we were and the world we lived in, a world where love was a luxury we might not be able to afford.
“Honestly, I hurt all over,” I admitted.
Riptide agreed that a hospital visit was in order. He rummaged through his room and found me some clothes. That’s when I saw it, a whole drawer dedicated to women’s clothing. My decision not to give into whatever this was between us was instantly validated. This was an MC president, a biker with women at his beck and call. The realization chilled the flicker of warmth I’d felt for him. I had already been this man’s secret when he had all the girls he could ever want.
Dressing quickly in what I could only describe as another woman’s cast-offs, indignation and relief settled in the pit of my stomach. Riptide had his back turned, giving me a semblance of privacy in a situation that was anything but private.
“Even if you refuse to give into your desires, we’re connected now,” he said, his voice reaching me over his shoulder. “We’ve got to get to the bottom of who killed Viper and if one of your sisters was involved… we need to keep all this under wraps for now.”
