Chapter 30: Chapter Thirty

Madison’s heart raced as she approached the room. She didn’t know why. Ryder would be happy to see her. Still, after spending the night with her cousin and aunt, reminiscing about the past, listening to Heather swoon over Will, Madison was drained. She stopped in front of the door and reached for her key card when she heard laughter, music, and the sound of something crashing. What the hell? She did have the right room, didn’t she? Afraid of walking in on something she didn’t want to see, she knocked.

A heartbeat later, the door swung open and a guy who looked like a mirror image of Ryder stood there. But he wasn’t Ryder. He leaned against the doorjamb and grinned. Whoa. Same smile, same deep dimples, same perfect teeth. She swallowed hard.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

Christ, even his deep voice and cocky tone were the same as Ryder’s.

“Oh, I get it.” His eyes widened with some sort of realization she wasn’t aware of. He half turned and shouted over his shoulder, “Hey, Xander, didn’t I tell you no strippers?”

There was another loud clatter—like a chair being tipped over—and then a second guy appeared. Dawning smacked her hard. These guys were Ryder’s brothers. He failed to mention they could pass for triplets. Good God.

“I didn’t call for a stripper, but damn.” Xander whistled.

The first guy, who she guessed by process of elimination was Tanner, elbowed Xander hard and laughed. “You lying shithead.”

“Hey,” she said louder than necessary. “I am not a stripper!”

From somewhere in the room, she heard a faint, “Oh shit.” And then Ryder finally appeared. His hair was messy, face flushed, and eyes wild with embarrassment. “Madison, I’m so sorry.”

“Wait…” Xander glanced back and forth between her and Ryder. “This is your Madison?” He slapped Ryder on the back. “No wonder you’re playing pretend fiancé for her. I would, too.”

“Xander!” Ryder shoved both of this brothers into the room and then slammed the door closed before either of them could say anything else.

“Well, they seem nice.” Not only had they mistaken her for a stripper, they were under the impression that she was just some chick their brother was pretending to be engaged to. Hadn’t he told them they were more than that? They were, weren’t they? Anger and disappointment warred in her chest, and she crossed her arms. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“My brothers are idiots?” He gave her a sheepish smile.

And dammit if she didn’t smile right back at him. “Are you guys seriously expecting a stripper?” From what Ryder had told her, he was the only single one of them, and the image of a scantily clad woman grinding on his lap while shaking her tits in his face was making it very difficult for her not to hit something.

“No.” His eyes flickered with…amusement? Understanding? “They’re drunk. You really can’t take anything they say seriously.”

“You’re drunk, too, dumbass!” Xander’s muffled voice carried through the closed door.

Madison laughed.

“I really am sorry about those two. I made the mistake of telling them about you, and they haven’t stopped harassing me since.”

His choice of words was like a razor blade to her already fragile emotions. “Mistake?”

“Wait, no, it’s not what you’re thinking. It was a mistake telling them because those two are like hyenas when you give them information. But you’re not a mistake.” He furrowed his brow as if he’d confused himself with that explanation. And his words were slightly slurred, confirming what Xander had said.

She remained silent, waiting for him to dig himself out of the crater-sized hole he’d just dug.

“I told them everything. How you dropped a book on my head to giving me the cold shoulder for weeks, how I was like a damn puppy following you around, doing and saying dumb shit just so I could see you smile.” He grinned. “And they”—he jerked his head toward the door to indicate his brothers—“think it’s the funniest thing in the world.”

Madison’s stance relaxed a little. “You did go full on stalker for a while,” she teased.

“Exactly.” Ryder’s eyes lit up. “And I’ll stalk you for as long as you’ll let me.”

“Nice save, bro.” Tanner laughed.

Ryder smacked his hand on the door. “I swear to God if you two ass fuckers don’t get the hell away from this door and stop staring out the peep hole, I’m going to beat you.”

She hadn’t ever heard him talk like that, but she couldn’t deny it was sort of hot. Okay, it was super-hot. There were some mumbled words and a burst of laughter. She hoped his brothers had gone into the room and stopped eavesdropping. Regardless, it was clear that Ryder was having a good time, and she wasn’t going to stand in his way.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your party. I’ll just go—”

“Oh no you don’t,” he said.

Before she could even turn to leave, Ryder had her face in his hands and his mouth slanted over hers. She parted her lips on a sigh, expecting him to take advantage of the opening. And he did, but not in the way he had every other time they’d kissed. This time, he flicked his tongue over her lips, and then nipped at her bottom one, teasing it before repeating it with her top lip. That alone made her head spin and had anticipation pooling in her gut. Then, finally, he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

She couldn’t breathe. Her heart raced. Her ears rang. He slid one hand down her back and grabbed her ass, jerking her tight to his body while his other hand cupped the side of her neck. And then he hummed with satisfaction—a deep, throaty, wholly masculine sound that had her simultaneously sweating and shivering.

Holy. Fucking. Hell.

The cool, collected Ryder who’d clearly been holding back before was long gone, replaced with a sexually-charged, take control, hot-as-fuck Ryder. And God, she liked this version of him. She pressed closer and frantically tugged at the hem of his shirt until she was rewarded with the feel of his smooth, taut skin. She moaned, her fingers tracing the familiar hard lines of his abs.

He broke off the kiss with a snarl. “Fucking Christ. You still got the room key I gave you?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Give it to me.” He held out his hand, palm up.

Just as she reached into her pocket to get the key card, the door opened. Tanner and Xander wore shit-eating grins, their gazes knowing and accusatory. Ryder took her hand and tugged her behind him, almost like he was trying to shield her from his brothers.

“Figured you might want your room back,” Tanner said.

“Thanks.” Ryder’s voice was deeper than normal, the raspy tone sending a thrill through her. “I didn’t want to have to kick you out, but I would’ve.”

“You would’ve tried,” Xander said.

“We’ll catch up with you tomorrow.” Tanner nudged Xander out of the doorway and down the hall.

“Make us proud, Ry,” Xander shouted, then made a lewd gesture of humping the air. “Show her what it means to be with a Collins!”

“You really are a dick.” Tanner could barely get the words out around his laughter as they pushed and shoved at each other down the hall.

This wasn’t exactly how she’d envisioned meeting his brothers for the first time, but then again, nothing ever went how she expected. Besides, catching them together like she had was nice. It gave her an unfiltered look at their relationship and confirmed what she already knew—they were close. Even though they harassed the shit out of each other, they obviously had each other’s backs, too, and no one could fake that kind of love and loyalty. It made her wish her relationship with her own family wasn’t such a flaming train wreck.

Ryder dragged her into the room and kicked the door shut, snapping her from her thoughts. “So, you missed me, huh?” One side of his mouth lifted in a lopsided grin that literally made her knees weak.

She backed up, needing the wall for support. Regular Ryder was a lot to handle, but the guy who was now sauntering toward her, expression hungry like a predator, was too much. Her breath hitched. “I think your brothers were right. You’re drunk.”

“Maybe a little.” He winked.

She swore her knees buckled, and she was pretty sure she whimpered a little, too.

“I’ll totally let you take advantage of me, though.” He pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor, then he took both of her hands and pressed them to his chest. “Unless you don’t do that sort of thing.”

Her mind flashed to the night they’d spent in New Orleans, how she’d gotten drunk, and he hadn’t so much as kissed her because he didn’t want to take advantage of her.

“You’re playing dirty, Ryder.” But that didn’t stop her from letting her hands roam down his chest, across his stomach, and around to his back.

He put his hands on the wall on either side of her head, as if he were putting his body on display for her pleasure, and then he leaned down. His mouth brushed over her ear, eliciting a low moan from her. “I think you like it dirty, Madison.”

Her name rolled off his tongue, the sound sweeter and hotter than melted chocolate in the summer. She attempted to squeeze her thighs to ease the sudden ache in her clit, but Ryder wedged his leg between hers, almost like he knew she needed some form of relief from his seduction but refusing to give her any. Yup, she was in over her head and royally screwed. But hell, there was no way she could lose whatever game he was playing. Not when the end result was them in bed, naked and sweaty.

She dragged her hands up his chest, watching the path they traveled, and then she draped her arms over his shoulders, lacing her fingers behind his neck. Holding his gaze, she whispered, “Bullshit.”

The shock that flashed behind his eyes was lightning fast, making her wonder if that’s actually what she saw or if it was something else entirely. Slowly, one of his hands went to her waist, and he shifted closer, causing his thigh to press harder between her legs. It took everything in her not to start dry humping his leg.

“Oh, sweetheart, you really don’t want me calling your bluff. Not tonight.”

The hell she didn’t! That’s exactly what she wanted. She smiled. “Why not?”

His eyes narrowed, the deep brown darkening even more. But he didn’t say a word.

“I think you don’t want to call my bluff because you know you can’t,” she said.

“Bullshit!” His eyes blazed, the look feral and downright sexy. “That’s the biggest line of shit you’ve ever said, and we both know it.” He shifted again, and her eyelids fluttered as she tried, and failed, to hide a groan.

And then he was doing that thing to her lips again—the suckling, nipping, teasing, the diabolical almost kiss that turned her insides to mush. And if it weren’t for his hand on her waist and his leg between hers, she would’ve slid to the floor in a pile of squirming, unquenched need.

His tongue parted her lips, and she wanted to cheer she was so damn happy. But all she could do was stand there and let him have his way with her mouth as she struggled to keep up with him. He lifted his knee ever so slightly, driving his leg harder against her already aching sex, and she swore her eyes rolled back in her head. Then he did it again. And again. Until she couldn’t do anything but cling to him and ride the motion of his leg.

Tingles, tremors, goose bumps, and a host of other sensations she couldn’t begin to name shot through her, shaking her from the inside out. When he stilled his leg and broke the kiss, she involuntarily leaned forward and gasped for breath. Sweet mother of God! She let her head fall back against the wall with a thud and glanced up at the ceiling.

“Still don’t think I can call your bluff?” he asked.

She raised one shoulder in a half shrug. “It’s a start I suppose.” She had no fucking clue where she got the strength to say those words, or how her voice wasn’t a pathetic whine.

“A start?” He laughed, his eyes now bright and twinkling. “Is that so?”

He lifted his knee again, pushing firmly against the growing ache between her legs, and she sucked in a breath, holding it and his gaze, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how close she was to coming. He dipped his head and puckered his lips to the soft spot behind her ear. Damn him!

“Your heart’s racing.” He nipped at her earlobe. “You’re sweating.” A perfectly placed kiss to her throat. “You’re damn near panting.” He moved back up, his nose and lips leaving a trail of destruction over her neck. “Your body is practically begging for me.” Then he abruptly moved away and held up his hands. “But hey, if you think I can’t call your bluff, maybe you can call mine.”

Her jaw dropped. Her heart wasn’t slowing down, no matter how many deep breaths she took, and her mind could not process what just happened. He didn’t seriously stop cold in the middle of the hottest foreplay of her entire life, did he? Oh, he was going to pay for that.

When she was certain her legs would hold her, she pushed off the wall and removed her bag that was still draped across her body. She dropped it to the floor then patted his chest. “That was a cheap trick, playboy.”

He laughed, his brown irises dancing with amusement. “You’re the one who said I couldn’t call your bluff. I’m simply giving you a chance to prove me wrong. So, show me what you.”