Page 31 of Property of Riptide
“I’m not going to tell anyone, Riptide. I don’t even know her and wouldn’t be able to recognize her on the street. Nobody will ever be able to connect us together,” I assure him. “She doesn’t come into the office and hasn’t even showed up to any of the holiday parties.”
“That makes me feel a little better,” he mumbles. “I want you to be careful about who you befriend in Canton. Promise me you will be cautious.”
“Are things really that bad?” she inquires, her tone mystified.
“Unfortunately, they’re worse than what you’re conjuring in your mind, Van. The officials are corrupt and work for the local gang there. The Onyx Dragons are the ones responsible for Zoey and Elodie’s kidnapping.”
“Will we be safe there, Riptide?”
“I’m going to make sure you are, Van. Even if I have to camp out on your doorstep to ensure it,” he avows.
“This time last week, the move to Canton was exciting. Other than going to college in the city, I’d never left my hometown,” I utter. “I was looking forward to a fresh start and do-over.” Moving now leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
“You could always move in with me,” he broaches. “I have a house on the compound. It’s a five bedroom so there’s plenty of room for you and little man.”
“I thought you lived at the clubhouse,” I say, stalling.
“I have a room there,” he admits. “I stay there more often than not because it gets lonely in such a big place with nobody to talk to.”
“It’s too soon, isn’t it?” Gage moved in with me weeks after we met and look how that turned out for me. I’m not sure if I’m ready to take this sort of leap.
“If you hadn’t noticed, I move at a rapid pace. I told you before that I’m the type of man that when he wants something, he goes after it. This is more than a fling, Van. I’ve already told you my intentions. We can either start living our lives together now or draw things out and be miserable apart. Either way, it’s happening.”
“Can I have more than five minutes to think about it, Riptide?”
“You know you can, I’m not going to pressure you into something you don’t want or aren’t ready for, Van. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to tempt you along the way.”
“Just you breathing does that, Riptide,” I acknowledge. “I don’t want to push things between us too fast is all. Plus, I have to think about Gagey and how this will affect him. Especially if things don’t work out between us in the long run.”
“You can’t think like that, woman. When I’m in, I’m in… no take backs and no reconsidering,” he deadpans.
“We don’t even know if we’re compatible,” I prattle, trying to rush my complaint.
“You mean in the bedroom? Because fuck knows we’re compatible in every other way there is,” he states.
“Yes,” I hiss, turning my head to make sure nobody is listening in on our debate. It’s a little too embarrassing.
“Yo, Rip, Rio needs you,” I hear a male voice say from behind me. I don’t turn around in my seat to see who it is, that’s inconsequential right now.
“We’ll pick up this conversation later, okay?” he asks.
“Later would be good,” I mutter. He squeezes my shoulder, plants a kiss on the crown of my head and follows whoever it was calling him. I stay stationary, my eyes glued to the spot he just vacated as I replay our discussion in my mind. A part of me wants to give into my hesitancy and say yes, but it’s that other part, the more logical one that has me stalling.
There’s some sort of parade happening in the ring, but I’m still sorting out my thoughts and am not paying attention to it. When I lift my eyes and they meet Riptide’s, I wasn't prepared for the man to steal my breath as our eyes connect across the arena. My soul is singing, my heart weeping, and my body becomes a livewire. It’s as if I’m seeing him in a new light. A first meeting. An instantaneous bond. Suddenly, all of my inhibitions fly out the window and I know what my answer will be.
Yes. Always yes when it comes to him and our future. He’s right, I don’t need to worry about the spark we’ll have in the bedroom, with him, there’s never any question about our attraction to one another.
It’s explosive.
Diabolically charged.
Deciding to play with him a little, I lift up my left hand and point to my ring finger, sending him a challenging look. Then I jokingly mouth,“Put a ring on it.”
He has one of those smirks on his face that makes my knees weak. Then he mouths his own warning,“Challenge accepted.”
I may have just stepped into things a little too deep with that goading remark. You don’t provoke a man like him and come out on the other side intact. Although, I’m woman enough to admit I’m looking forward to whatever he comes up with, skinned knees and all.
Icer comes in long enough to let me see my boy before hustling his way back out and taking the kids to see the ponies. I have a feeling he doesn’t care too much about Gage’s last ride. Gage’s betrayal runs deep inside of him and he’s not the sort of man who lets things like that go nor does he forgive easily.
