Share
Chapter 15: Ryker
Related chapters
Dear Diamond Chapter 16: Nikki
I had no idea what had come over me. It appeared I'd left my brain on the stage as I'd exited my last performance. Hell-bent on escaping the tattooed god who now sat in front of me, I'd managed to land myself in his debt as well as Union 21's. As if crossing Sam, and therefore Jesse, hadn't been foolish enough, I'd ended up on the back of a menacing Harley that growled like its owner. And both did things to my panties I'd never admit out loud. My knowledge of motorcycles was even more limited than that of stripping and gang banging, yet here I was straddling a beast that vibrated between my thighs and threatened to end my life with one wrong move. While I should have been crippled by fear, all I could think about was how the monotony of the hum and the wind against my face had me flush against a wall of muscle, dreaming of all the ways Ryker could make me forget my past, abandon my present, and drown in my future. I didn't have a clue where we were heading or how long it would ta
Dear Diamond Chapter 17: Nikki
The moon allowed me to see each inked finger as it worked the strap below my jaw. It took effort to stare straight down my nose, but something intrigued me in the lines and colors that shaded his knuckles. My sight trailed to his hands and then his wrists, up his forearms to his biceps. The ink didn't stop where his shirt sleeve began. Every intricate nuance of artwork that covered his skin had been done with painstaking precision. Ryker was someone's masterpiece, and damn, I wanted to see the entire canvas.He lifted the helmet from my head and hung it on the handlebars the way it had been at the club. This wasn't a great part of town, and I wondered how he kept someone from stealing it. He didn't give me the opportunity to ask before he grabbed my hand, wound his fingers through mine, and started walking toward the building in front of us.I couldn't help but grin as he unlocked three deadbolts, yet he'd just left an expensive helmet sitting outside. Acknowledging the need for th
Dear Diamond Chapter 18: Nikki
"I know my apartment isn't much, but it's the only place I know I can keep you safe. Until I work shit out with Jesse, I don't want you leaving." In Ryker's mind, that decision had been made-not so much in my own."At all?"He slid his phone across the counter. "Not even to smell the flowers.""This place has flowers?" I shouldn't be a smartass. Not now."The lady next door has a couple pots by her front door." He placed his hands behind him on the countertop, and every muscle from his shoulders to his abdomen flexed. "I know it's not fancy, but the place is clean, and the bed is comfortable."Bed. That was singular. Taking in the space, I hoped I'd missed some of the apartment and that there was a hidden door that led to another room...with another bed. There wasn't even a couch. And as cozy as this chair was, I doubted sleeping on it would provide any actual rest. Ryker must have sensed my discomfort. "I'm not going to try to get in your pants.""Even if you wanted to,
Dear Diamond Chapter 19: Nikki
I didn't try to hide my disgust for the situation. There wasn't a thing about me that Ryker couldn't find out through Chase Silvano if he wanted to know. I'd rather him get the truth through me than lies concocted by U21. "Yeah. Ma stole drugs from him." I stopped and then backed up to clarify. "She fell victim to the promises of the Union. We've struggled most of my life. I did what I could to help, but I thought getting an education would be the solution. Ma worked two jobs for as long as I can remember. Then some thug convinced her that she could give up the long hours and crap pay.""Slinging dope in Glendale?" My story wasn't unique where I came from. It was also exactly why I wanted out. The only way to break the cycle was to stop it. I couldn't stop it if I stayed there. I pursed my lips and nodded, not that he could see me in the darkness. "She didn't do drugs. Never touched them. But temptation's a bitch. I don't have the full story because I haven't asked for it, but Ma
Dear Diamond Chapter 20: Ryker
There was no telling just how long I'd lain in bed, staring at the ceiling, before I finally drifted off last night. Now, as the sunlight filtered through the blinds I hadn't bothered to close, I woke with far less urgency than I probably should have. My fingers trailed warm, bare skin and a rare smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I barely knew the girl in my arms with her face buried in my neck, but Jesus, nothing I could remember had ever felt this good. Nikki's shirt-or rather my shirt that Nikki wore-had ridden up, exposing perfect, smooth skin. Sometime during the night, she'd taken up residence over half my body and now clung to me like a monkey on a tree. Thankfully, her thigh was just south of my erection, and I wouldn't have to explain why I'd woken up with a hard-on or her sprawled across my chest. Even with makeup smudged around her eyes and a puffy, bruised cheek, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It didn't take a genius to see-hell, even a blind man c
Dear Diamond Chapter 21: Ryker
Once the water started running, I pulled bacon from the fridge and a couple of frying pans from the cabinet. I started a fresh pot of coffee and prayed the caffeine would jolt me out of this sex-crazed fantasy I had building. This girl was more than just pussy, and anything more than pussy was off limits. I didn't do relationships, and I could almost guarantee this chick didn't do one-night stands. Even if I hadn't heard the shower turn off, I would have known the moment she opened the door. The scent of Irish Spring and lemon shampoo overrode the bacon frying on the stove and the coffee in the pot. If I smelled that good every time I washed up, it was no wonder women flocked to me. It was intoxicating. "Something smells amazing," she cooed. I didn't need to turn around to know exactly where she stood. My place was small. If she weren't right next to me, she was right behind me. I didn't own a blow dryer which meant her hair remained wet, and she didn't have any makeup with
Dear Diamond Chapter 22: Ryker
She shook her head. "That's not possible. I've seen you with them. Chase is your best friend. You're connected to them, and you stood up to Sam like Jesse had your number on speed dial." Her teeth snagged her bottom lip again.This time, I reached up and pulled it free. "You're going to have to stop that shit." I didn't give her a chance to ask questions since there was no way in hell I'd give her an honest answer-not about that. "You already know where I grew up. Chase and I have been friends since we were babies. By default, yes, I'm close to his family. I am not, however, a sanctioned Union member.""Then how does Jesse know how to reach you?"I couldn't have stopped the chuckle even if I'd wanted to. "That man's been ratting me out to my parents since I was three. I can't tell you how many times he bent me over his knee and smacked the hell out of me for shit I did as a kid."The skeptical glance Nikki shot my direction told me she didn't buy a word of it. I hadn't planned
Dear Diamond Chapter 23: Nikki
The weight in those two words held more significance than they should. People around here didn't make promises, primarily because they couldn't keep them. Street life left little hope, and everyone I'd known since birth was proof of that. Hard work, dedication...it didn't matter. Those born here tended to die here-victims of the street, the neighborhood, and the life."I hope you know what you're doing." I refused to make eye contact with Ryker when I made that statement. I didn't want to doubt him, but I knew better than to depend on anyone other than myself.He reached out and tilted my chin with his fingers. "As long as you're with me, they won't hurt you.""And when I'm not?" Thinking about that notion made my stomach turn. "I can't be with you twenty-four-seven, Ryker. I have to dance tonight." I also had to figure out how to cover the bruising on my cheek so it didn't affect my tips.He laughed. It was sinister versus funny. "You're not dancing.""I am.""You're not."
Latest chapter
