RYDER (Slater Brothers 4) (6 page)

I thanked him again and followed Aideen through the double doors that lead into the nightclub. I needed a moment to allow my vision to adjust to the club’s next to no lighting. The strobe lights were already forming an ache in my temples. I followed Aideen over to the crowed bar, and I hung back while she ordered us some drinks.

I tapped my hand against my thigh and bobbed my head along to the song that was pouring through the speakers. I took the drink that Aideen offered me and took a sip. I hummed as the liquid slid down my throat.

Vodka and Coke.

“Me favourite,” I grinned.

Aideen clanked her glass against mine and downed her drink in just a few gulps. I blinked, and didn’t even attempt to do the same with my drink because I knew it’d be back up my throat just as quick. I drank mine at a regular pace, which was not what Aideen did. By the time I finished my first drink she was on her third.

“Let’s dance!” she shouted when her glass was empty.

I put my empty glass on the bar, took hold of Aideen’s hand and allowed her to lead me to the dance floor. We danced, laughed and danced some more. I was just about to request we take a little break, when the sea of people parted on the dance floor and opened up the view of the booths across the club.

My eyes locked on the corner booth, or rather on the man in the booth.

Oh, Christ
.

“Branna?” Aideen laughed. “Will you blink?”

I knew I was staring, and for the life of me I couldn’t make myself stop, or at the very least look away. My libido sprung to life and had taken over full control of my body.

Pulse. Pulse.
Pulse
.

“Who is
that
?” I asked Aideen without taking my eyes away from the Greek God that was sat in the corner booth gulping down Budweiser like it was water.

“
That
,” Aideen wickedly grinned as she nudged me to the edge of the dance floor, “is Ryder Slater. Skull says he is from New York and that he just moved here with his younger brothers, one of his brothers—who is an identical
twin
by the way—is a fighter. He has fought here almost every weekend for the past few weeks, he is lethal and is only Bronagh’s age.”

I heard everything Aideen said, but my mind, and vagina, only focused on one crucial detail of her Intel.
Ryder Slater.

“He is gorgeous,” I gushed, unable to look away from him.

Aideen whooped over the music. “Go get him, mama.”

I felt molten heat creep up my neck. “I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Aideen asked, clicking her tongue.

I looked at my friend and frowned. “How does a woman like
me
talk to someone who looks like
him
? Because I honestly have
no
idea, I’ll make a tit out of meself.”

Aideen rolled her eyes and over the music she said, “Branna, will you
listen
to yourself? You sound like you’ve already been rejected by him, but you haven’t and you
won’t
, if you just be yourself. You’re stunnin’, babe, and you’re a hell of a girl, too. Lads
dig
that.”

I hated that my eyes welled up. “You’re so sweet to me,” I said and quickly dabbed under my eyes, careful not to ruin my eye make-up.

“We have
got
to get you laid,” Aideen grumbled. “And Ryder Slater will be the one to work out all of your kinks. Come with me.”

Everything happened rapidly when Aideen grabbed hold of my hand and quite literally tugged me along behind her as she briskly walked off the dance floor, not caring that body after drunken body was in our way. I shouted for her to slow down, but either she couldn’t hear me over the music, or she flat out ignored me. I only shouted once because I became very self-aware that I was shite at walking in heels, and brisk walking in them could very well cause my immediate death.

When we made it through the crowd and across the dance floor I silently thanked God that I survived, but then quickly asked him to take my life when I realised where Aideen brought us to a stop. We were no more than a metre away from the very booth that the stunning Ryder Slater was sat at. He was looking down at his phone, but when he noticed we were standing next to his table staring at him, he pocketed his phone and gave us his full attention.

I stepped behind Aideen out of sheer mortification.

“Hiya,” she shouted over the music. “I’m Aideen, and this is Branna, we thought you might like some company. You look a little lost sittin’ over here on your own.”

How can she speak to him, or any man, with such confidence?
I wondered.
I would never be able to do that, not without looking like an utter fool in the process.

I was jolted from my thoughts when Aideen turned to me, and roughly pulled me out from my hiding spot behind her. I stumbled to her side and knocked my knee against hers causing me to hiss. I resisted the urge to rub the sting away, because my attention was now on the grey eyes that were trained on me.

Oh, hell.

“Hello,” Ryder said at the exact same time the song playing changed. It allowed me to hear how deep his voice was, and how wicked his accent sounded.

I waved at him—like an idiot—and said, “Hey.”

His lips twitched and I wondered if he already thought I wasn’t worth the trouble of talking to.

“Would you like to join me?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard over the now thumping sound that filled the club.

I swallowed, and stared at him with shock.

Aideen jabbed her elbow in my side and answered for me. “She’d
love
to,” she gushed.

She put her small hand on the base of my spine and pushed me to the side of the booth Ryder was sitting on, and I didn’t know why, but I resisted. I suddenly felt like I was being fed to the sharks. I brought my face to Aideen’s and said, “I can’t do this, I feel too idiotic to sit next to him. I don’t trust meself not to say somethin’ stupid.”

Aideen
completely
ignored me and turned me around to face Ryder—who hadn’t moved an inch since we arrived at the table—and nudged me forward with both of her hands. To avoid falling on top of Ryder, I had to turn on my side and drop into a sitting position next to him. I didn’t look at him out of fear I’d see amusement on his face, so instead I looked to my friend—I use that term
very
loosely—and tapped the empty spot next to me, but she shook her head, grinning.

I widened my eyes, and pleaded with Aideen not to leave me through my skull drilling stare.

“I’m goin’ to go and get us some drinks,” she stated. “You two get to know each other, I won’t be long.”

I gasped when she turned and almost instantly got lost in the crowd. I sat up straight and searched for her in hopes I would see her, but I only saw strangers move their bodies to the playing music.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered.

I sat very still for a few seconds before I plucked up the courage to take a glimpse at Ryder. I froze when I found his eyes were on me, and a smile had taken over his face. The sigh that left my body was one of need, because if I thought Ryder was incredible looking before, seeing him smile almost had me proposing to him. Almost.

“Are you okay?” he asked, a hint of concern in his tone.

I knew I couldn’t get away with lying, Aideen and Bronagh told me enough times that my face told everything I kept inside, so I decided to be honest. I shook my head to Ryder’s question and said, “I didn’t know she was goin’ to abandon me like that. I’m so sorry, it was
her
idea to come over here, not mine.”

Ryder’s lips quirked as he said, “I’m glad she thought of it.”

I blinked, dumbly. “You are?”

“Of course,” he nodded. “I probably would have never seen you otherwise. I’ve found over the last few weeks that this club is always wall-to-wall full. You’re such a tiny thing; it’d be easy to miss you in the sea of bodies. And
that
would be a true tragedy.”

Branna, breathe,
my mind, and lungs, urged.

I sucked in a breath and exhaled it almost immediately, and it made Ryder chuckle.

“Darling, you look like I’m going to eat you up.” His eyes held a glint of mischief as he spoke. “I won’t bite you, I promise. Not yet anyway.”

Fuck.

I cleared my throat and said, “I’m sorry.”

This caused him to raise an eyebrow. “Why’re you sorry?”

I lifted my arm and scratched my neck. “For being so awkward.”

He smiled again, and really tempted
me
to bite a chuck out of
him.

“It’s not awkward,” he said. “It’s nervousness, which is the part I don’t get.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. “What don’t you get?”

He lifted his arm and stretched it out on the booth seat behind me before he leaned in closer. I felt his breath on my face and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes back as it invaded my senses.

I want to taste him,
my mind wickedly whispered.

I blinked my eyes when Ryder’s voice gained my full attention. “I don’t get why a woman who looks as edible as you is so shy.”

I didn’t know whether to run away with embarrassment, or fuck him where he sat.

“I don’t usually do this,” I swallowed. I’m not one to walk up to men and talk to them which is why me friend physically pulled me over to you.”

Ryder’s eyebrows rose with surprise. “Usually I’d call bullshit, but I think I believe you.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing. This decision prompted him to lean even closer to me which had my heart slam into my chest. “What is your name?” he asked me, his eyes scanning my face with an intensity that caused me to suck in another very large breath. “I didn’t hear your friend very well when she introduced you both.”

His. Voice.

I could hear it very clearly now that he was so close. A man’s voice had never caused an ache to rapidly pulse between my thighs, but Ryder’s voice was doing exactly that. It was a little unsettling because my body was reacting to him in such a way that scared me.

“Branna,” I whispered.

He dipped his head even
closer
to mine and said, “One more time, beautiful, I didn’t catch that.”

Sweet Jesus,
my mind gushed.
Did he really mean that?

Aideen and my sister had told me enough times that I was beautiful, and some boys I dated over the years mentioned it here and there; but never a man, and that was exactly what Ryder was. A knicker dropping, fuck me hard as you can,
man
.

I cleared my throat and tried my best to ignore the sinful thoughts that had invaded my mind, but Ryder’s closeness allowed his delicious scent to surround me, and I had trouble concentrating because of it.

“Branna,” I said louder, licking my dry lips. “Me name is Branna.”

Ryder’s heated eyes returned to mine, and a smirk curved his mouth. “Branna,” his voice was low and husky when he spoke.

Shit. Fuck.

“Yeah,” I rasped, refraining from throwing myself at him and begging him to take away the aching pain between my thighs that he so brutally, and unknowingly, caused.

“I’m Ryder,” he said and held his hand out to me.

I swallowed, and with a trembling limb, I lifted my arm and placed my tiny palm in his very large one. “It’s nice to meet you, Ryder.”

He gripped my hand and tugged me closer to him until our chests touch. He gazed down at me, a grin playing on his plump lips as he said, “The pleasure is all
mine
, Branna.”

If he said my name in that low, husky seductive tone one more time, I was going to jump him in front of all of these people. Fuck my pride and dignity.

“Feel free to jump me at any given time,
Branna
,” he said and licked his plump lips. “I’m
more
than ready.”

I widened my eyes. “I beg your pardon?” I asked as my stomach churned a little.

He grinned at me. “You said you would jump me if I said your—”

“Omigod.” I gasped and pulled my hand free from his so I could cover my face with it.

I said that out loud?
I cringed.
How bloody mortifying.

“I’m
so
sorry,” I began, “I didn’t mean to... not out loud... this is awful.”

I was blowing this; I was single handedly fucking up
speaking
to someone. I was grateful for the loud music because I didn’t want to hear Ryder laughing at me. I jumped and dropped my hands from my face when I felt a hand on my bare thigh. I looked up and found Ryder was grinning down at me.

“Hi,” he said, smiling wide. “Branna was it?”

He knew good and bloody well what my name was, he was teasing now.

I cleared my throat. “Hi back... Ryder was it?”

“Yeah,” he smirked. “I’m Ryder.”

Yes. He. Was.

“Ryder,” I repeated.

He lowered his head back to mine and said, “You’re beautiful.”

I blinked, dumbly. “You’re beautifuler.”

I cringed the second the words left my mouth.

He snorted and asked, “Who’s sweet talking who here?”

Not me, I knew that much, I was talking out of my arse.

I shuddered. “You can sweet talk me, I’ll be quiet.”

There was less chance of me making a complete arse of myself if I kept my big mouth shut.

“I don’t know,” he mused. “I like this. You saying what you want to say then getting embarrassed over it. It’s very cute.”

I flinched.

Ryder blinked at my reaction. “Did I say something wrong?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s just, I call me sister cute all the time and because we look similar it just weirded me out for a second.”

“How old is your sister?” he asked, the corners of his eyes creasing.

“She turns eighteen next month,” I said, and then found myself frowning. “She’s growin’ up very fast on me.”

Ryder raised a brow. “On
you
?”

I nodded. “Yeah, our parents died when she was nine. I was nineteen at the time and refused to let anyone raise ‘er but me, so I put everythin’ on hold and brought ‘er up. She’s a good kid, too. I think I’ve done a good job with ‘er.”

Ryder was staring at me with his mouth agape, and what we were just conversing about hit me like a cold shower.