Affection: book 7 Read online

  “Are you ok?” Drew asks me, looking concerned. “You look hot.”

  Lulu nods, agreeing with Drew’s observation.

  “I think I need to go outside.” I let them know before leaving to escape outside. Fingers crossed that the chilly winds can cool me and hopefully result in me being less flustered.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Lulu asks when she’s caught up with me.

  I hurry my steps to secure my seat on a bench and she joins me. “Nothing.”

  Taking a deep breath, I look up and who do I see following my footsteps outside but Ryder! Lulu looks over, wondering what or who I’m staring at.

  “Oh, I should have known.” She rolls her eyes.

  My stomach clenches as he looks as if he’s heading this way, but my brother Axel and some other members step in his path and I breathe a sigh of relief.

  “You can’t let him effect you like this.” Lulu scolds me and I flash her an annoyed look.

  “You think I want to feel like this?” I snap quietly. “I want to forget about him and that it ever happened!”

  Suddenly, others join our bench and Lulu thankfully drops the Ryder conversation. It’s Paisley, Georgia and Daniella that have joined us. They’re about the same age as me and Lulu and are also daughters of club members.

  “Do you two fancy a night out tonight?” Georgia asks us. “We’ve decided we’re heading to some of the bars in town after we’re done here.”

  “I don’t know.” Lulu answers, casting me a puzzled look.

  “Sure.” I accept and smile sweetly at my dear twin sister. “And Lulu would love to.”

  “Great!” Daniella claps. “Some of the others are coming too, even Maci and Erica I think.”

  Georgia and Paisley nod in agreement. The three of them are always seen together and have been like that since they were toddlers.

  Lulu doesn’t seem to thrilled that I accepted their invitation on her behalf but I need to go out and she’s coming with me. I have to get Ryder off my brain.

  After talking to the girls for a bit, I go to find a drink but when I arrive at the bar there’s a big crowd blocking my way so I decide to go to the kitchen and make my own. Most of the alcohol is behind the bar, but the stock is kept in the back of the kitchen and that’s where I’m headed.

  Luck is on my side as when I enter, the kitchen is empty. I quickly grab two glasses and fill them with some wine for me and my sister. Carefully placing back the bottle where I found it, I go over to the fridges and take a peak. The delicious smells coming from the BBQ as the men begin the feast are making my stomach rumble and when my eyes settle on a box of chocolates that are supposed to be for children, I don’t think twice. I sneakily fetch myself one.

  “Aren’t they for the kids?” Comes a voice from the door which scares the life out of me.

  I jump in place, gasping for my life. “Shit!” Ryder laughs from the shadows as I clutch at my chest. “You fucking scared me!”

  “You must be doing something naughty.” Ryder steps further into the room, his voice ideep and it causes goose bumps to appear on my skin.

  I choose to ignore the flirtation. “Are you going to snitch?” I ask, opening the chocolate bar.

  Ryder grins as I take a bite. “Not if you give me a kiss.”

  I stare at him as I chew. Ryder slowly approaches me.

  “Are you following me?” I ask him once I’ve swallowed the chocolate.

  “Are you ignoring what I just said?” He shoots right back.

  I continue to eat my snack, taking a sip of my wine and Ryder just watches me with that irritating smirk. It’s irritating because he looks sexy as hell.

  “What are you doing later?” Ryder asks.

  “Going out.” I sip some more wine.

  This makes Ryder frown, he doesn’t like what he hears. “Who with?”

  “The girls.” I shrug and then I curse at myself. I shouldn’t have told him. I should have kept him guessing.

  Ryder thinks about that. “Where?”

  “Look who has all the questions.” I giggle, grabbing mine and Lulu’s wine. “It’s a girls night Ryder.”

  Ryder reaches out to touch my arm and I pause. I look up at him expectantly. His face is serious, not flirtatious smile in place. No, Ryder’s eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are staring into mine. He pulls me closer towards him and my breath stutters. “You won’t even know that I’m there.”

  “No Ryder.” I shake my head. “I’m not your concern.” Before he can say anything else and trap me here for god knows how long, I step back from him. “It’s a girl night and we’re not together, remember?”

  With that, I give him one last look and leave the kitchen with drinks in my hand.

  Chapter Three

  Poppy

  The music is loud. I can feel the vibrations running through my body. My arms lift in the air as the music takes over my body. I’m with the girls, dancing in a group and having an amazing time. The alcohol creating a buzz through my veins.

  Ryder’s words from when we were together in the kitchen echo in my head and I can’t help but keep looking around for him. You never know, he might have listened to my warning and will stay away but something tells me that he’s going to turn up. It’s not really hard to figure out which bars we will spend time at tonight either because whenever we go out, we just go to the bars that the club owns. Why would we go to another bar and have to pay for our drinks, when we can go to one of our own and have a good time for free?

  I think back to the both of us in the kitchen and a smile comes to my face as I dance. I like it when we flirty banter like that, but really we shouldn’t. I need to stay away from him but it just seems to get harder and harder.

  As my eyes scan the place, I see a lot of club members around. Either I’m not the only one who let it slip that we were coming out tonight, or it seems that a lot of club members decided to attend one of the three club bars tonight. It does seem a little bit suspicious though that it’s this very bar that seems very popular tonight.

  At least my big brother, Axel doesn’t seem to be here though. Silver linings and all that.

  When Axel is around, Lulu and me feel like we can’t properly let our hair down. Nothing’s stopping us tonight then!

  Lulu bumps her waist into mine as she dances and it’s good to see that her earlier doubts about coming out are gone and she’s having a great time.

  “I’m going to get a new drink,” Lulu speaks directly into my ear so that I can hear her over the music. “are you coming?”

  I shake my head, pointing the glass in my hand. “No, I’m fine.”

  The rest of the girls follow Lulu to the bar, and some others have a different dancing spot, so now I’m alone on the dancefloor. I’m pretty buzzed, so luckily I don’t care if I’m dancing alone. I put my hands in the air as the next song begins and swing my waist side to side. I start to get a little dizzy so I decide to find a free table to sit at and rest my feet. I find a small table, just big enough for two, maybe three people to sit at. It’s empty, so I quickly make my way over, ignore the slight pinch of my baby toe from my new heels. I can see the bar from here and the girls lining up and trying to get the attention of one of the bartenders. I sip my drink as I sit on the stool, swaying to the beat of the song.

  Suddenly, a body blocks my view of the girls and sits on the stool in front of me.

  “Hello Ryder.” I breathe, continuing to sip on my drink through the slim, black straw. Ryder just smiles in return. “What are you doing?” I laugh.

  He leans in close, his stubbled cheek brushing against mine. Shivers run down my spine as he speaks so close to me. “I told you I was coming.”

  Ryder leans back with a flirtatious smile aimed right at me.

  “But I told you not to.” I speak loudly, not having the guts to do what he just did.

  Ryder looks at me so intensely. So intense, that I don’t know what to do with myself, so I sip my drink some more.


  “You look sexy.” He growls, looking me over. “Fucking hot.”

  “Were you watching me dance?” I dare to ask. My skin coming out in goose bumps where his eyes look.

  Ryder nods, his eyes dark and dangerous. “And the fuckers who dare to get too close.”

  I laugh. “I’m not yours, remember.”

  Ryder leans in close, even closer than before. “You’ve been in my bed, with my cock buried deep inside of you. Babe, you’re already mine.”

  My cheeks burn and I’m so thankful that it’s dark in here. “I told you I’m not talking about that night.”

  Ryder grins. “That’s because you want it again, and you can if you just ask.”

  I sip through my straw again, my eyes stuck to his. “I won’t.”

  “I’ve never been jealous of a straw before.” I think it’s the alcohol that gives me the boost of confidence as I lick the straw from the bottom to the top. I see Ryder’s jaw clench. Holy shit! This is effecting him.

  “If you wasn’t Axel’s baby sister I’d have you over my shoulder right now and take you to my bed.” Ryder growls.

  “To do what?” I ask, hearing the horniness in my own voice.

  He laughs. “You know what I can do Pop, you know how well I can please you with just my tongue. Remember how I had you begging for my dick?”

  I bite down on my lip, remembering Ryder’s talents very well. A giggle escapes me but I stop a Ryder continues to talk.

  “If you wasn’t Axel’s baby sister, I would have claimed you a long time ago.”

  “Oh really?” I quiz, tilting my head to the side.

  Ryder nods. “I could have you in my bed every night then.”

  With more bravery than I thought was possible from me, I stand from my stool and get close to Ryder, leaning in close so he can hear what I have to say. “Well, it doesn’t look like my brother is here.”

  Ryder shakes his head. “You’re dangerous.”

  I laugh again, turning to face him as I walk away. “You have no idea.”

  I return to the dance floor, noticing that the girls are all coming back from the bar with their fresh drinks in hand. Lulu has two glasses full and I’m guessing one of them is for me, even though I’ve only just finished it whilst my little flirt with Ryder was happening.

  As I greet the girls, I return to my dancing and turn to see Ryder in the same spot, watching me. I turn and give him the booty shot, smiling to myself. I love to tease.

  Chapter Four

  Poppy

  My head is feeling a little sensitive the next morning. I knew I shouldn’t have had those extra drinks Lulu was practically throwing down my throat. I roll onto my back, thinking to what happened last night. It was a good time, I know that. My cheeks were aching from all the smiling and laughing. We definitely need a repeat. Then, Ryder’s face flashes into my memories and I cringe. I had to be drunk to be so brave with him like that! My words repeat in my head and I throw the covers over my face, hiding from my reality. I’m so embarrassed with myself! What if someone had saw us last night? If they spotted me flirting with Ryder so openly, because there were a lot of club members in the bar last night.

  WOW, I must have been really drunk.

  I take a much needed shower, the warm soapy water cascading down my body and washing away the alcohol mist from last night. Do you ever feel dirty the morning after a night our drinking? As if you need to wash away the dirt and alcohol from the night before. It’s such a weird feeling, but the shower leaves me feeling perfectly clean and fresh.

  When I step out from the adjoining bathroom that I share with Lulu, I see that her bedroom door is open. Usually, that’s a sign she wants me to come in once I’m done. Holding my towel against me, I walk into Lulu’s bedroom and see her laying on her bed. Her make up from the night before is smudged and her hair is a mess. She looks as bad as I feel.

  Lulu smiles from her pit. “Morning.”

  “Good morning.” I laugh, walking over to her bed and sitting on the end so I don’t trap her feet.

  “No,” She shakes her head and winces. “It’s not a good morning.”

  I laugh again and this makes her frown at me.

  “How are you in such a good mood?” Lulu asks.

  “Shower.” I gesture to the towel I’m currently in. “You could do with one too.”

  Lulu grumbles, clearly not liking that idea. “How about we talk about what happened between you and Ryder?”

  My mouth hangs open in shock. “What?”

  Now it’s her turn to laugh. “I saw you two together, to be honest I think a lot of people did!” She points out, her eyes wide and looking slightly worried. “If you’re wanting to keep what happened a secret then I’m sorry to say, I don’t think you’re going about it the right way.”

  “I don’t want anyone to know.” I slump down, my mood now turning bad. “I just went over there to rest my feet and along he came. He just can’t resist me.” I add with a slight smirk.

  “Maybe not, but you looked like you were enjoying yourself.” Lulu remarks.

  “I was drunk.” I argue.

  Lulu heavily sighs. “Well, if you want to keep your night a secret, you need to start staying away from each other. If you keep on like this, Axel will find out and that’s not good for anyone.”

  She can’t agree more with that. Axel is their big brother and as much as she loves him, he has a slight temper problem. He would always seem quick to have an argument when he was younger. Never against me and my sister, but towards boys around him. The amount of times my parents would be called to the school because he’s in another fight would be more than once a week. It was a little embarrassing. Now he takes out his frustration in the boxing ring at the clubhouse, and h’s pretty beefed up because of that.

  “I don’t think Dad would be too pleased either.” I add and Lulu’s eyes widen.

  “Shit! Why didn’t I think of that?” She gasps.

  Although Dad doesn’t have a temper, he’s the older generation of club members and they live by an old, respected rule of club life and that means not sleeping with their daughters, unless you’re together and married of course.

  “I’m sure nothing will happen and everything will be fine, as long as you keep your distance.” Lulu adds, placing a reassuring hand on my lap but he face looks anything but reassuring. She looks concerned and fearful.

  There’s a silence as we both think this problem through. I need to keep my distance but it’s hard when Ryder is a member of the club and I see him everywhere.

  “He is hot though.” I huff and Lulu bursts out laughing.

  “Priorities.” She giggles. “He’ll get beat by Axel soon enough and won’t look as hot.”

  I slap her leg and she laughs harder.

  ***

  It’s been a few weeks since we had our girls night and I haven’t seen Ryder. It makes me feel slightly on edge because I’m expecting him to turn up out of the blue at any moment.

  Especially as I’m at the clubhouse. It’s a Saturday night, so the music is playing and the drinks are flowing. I’ve kept my distance from the clubhouse for a little bit because I took what my sister said seriously. Axel would beat the shit out of Ryder. Not that Ryder is a weakling or anything, it’s just that my brother is a fighting machine. Pure and simply put.

  I’m sat at a table, talking with the girls and I’m afraid to say that I’ve had so many drinks. Probably more than I should have had, but I needed something to calm my nerves whilst I’m here.

  There’s a fight tonight and my brother is fighting. My parents said I should come and support him otherwise I most likely would have stayed home.

  Some of the girls start to dance as the atmosphere thickens and it starts to feel exciting. The men are beginning to place their bets and a few women too. Elise is here because Bomber is having a fight tonight also. She’s currently dancing with Drew.

  “Come on.” Lulu stands from her seat. “Let’s go and dance.”

 
I look up at her, still sat on my chair. “I’m not in the mood.”

  “Poppy,” Lulu adds sternly. “get your ass up and dance with me because right now you’re being depressive.”

  “Depressive?” I frown.

  “Get up!” She growls loudly and reaches for my wrist, pulling me up from my seat.

  “But I don’t want to dance.” I insist as she drags me towards the group of dancers. “I’m going to look stupid just standing still.”

  Lulu looks annoyed. “Well, look stupid as I dance then.” She shrugs.

  I stand and watch her dance, sipping on my drink and looking around. My whole body jerks when I see Ryder, sat in the corner and covered in darkness. He’s sat with other club members, including Prez, my brother, Baby, Cyrus and Zane. Whatever they’re talking about, it looks serious.

  It’s as if he can feel my eyes on him, because Ryder suddenly looks over at me and a strange feeling fills me. My body begins to move to the music, the alcohol in my system finally coming alive and giving me the calmness that I was looking for. Lulu looks pleased with herself, most likely thinking this is her own doing but this is all Ryder. I hate that he affects me like this.

  Axel then stands, Zane with him and they leave together. Probably preparing for the fight coming up. I continue my dancing, Elise and Drew have now joined me and Lulu. We sing together and although I giggle with them, my focus still remains on Ryder. I need to get over this.

  After thirty minutes goes by, Bomber appears. The music stops and we all turn to listen. “Alright people!” He shouts. “It’s time for a fight!”

  Everyone cheers and heads down to the gym where the boxing ring dominates the place. The crowds of people fill the empty space and the atmosphere lifts. It feels as though electricity crackles all around us. Fight night is always like this and as the first pair step into the boxing ring it intensifies!

  After two fights, I need a fresh drink but they only have a fridge of chilled beers. I feel really thirsty and wanting some water, so I leave the gym and head up to the kitchen. Before I even reach the kitchen, I know that I’m being followed. I have a feeling who it might be too, but I keep my smile to myself and enter the kitchen. When I reach inside the fridge and collect a bottle of water, the door to the kitchen opens and I giggle as I watch Ryder walking towards me.