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Chapter 29: Ryker
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Dear Diamond Chapter 30: Ryker
I glanced at my phone for the hundredth time tonight. It was late, and I had zero interest in staying here any longer than absolutely necessary. Nikki had just wrapped up her last dance, but the crowd was restless. They wanted her to mingle and had a hard time taking no for an answer. Looking like a mean motherfucker had its advantages at times. I enjoyed staring down each shit stain who dared get close enough to talk to her. I didn't even have to speak; growling accomplished far more than words when you were covered in ink and holes and a known felon. Inside I thoroughly amused myself...outwardly, I appeared pissed. "It's okay to smile." Nikki jabbed me in my side with her elbow. Ever since she'd gone behind the curtain, her attitude had changed. Like that final number relieved her from her duty tonight, and now, she could be herself. My jaw ticced, and I clenched my fists over and over under my folded arms. "Put on your clothes." I shouldn't be so short with her, but not having
Dear Diamond Chapter 31: Ryker
Sam stepped into the light from the streetlamp overhead. "Trying to sneak out?" He cracked his knuckles, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from reacting.Nikki tensed at my side, and her grip on my fingers went slack, so I tightened my hold on hers. I didn't have to glance down to see her looking up at me. Her hand shook in mine, and I could hear her ragged breaths. I stopped a few feet from the men in front of us. The two I didn't know had stepped up behind Sam, putting our mode of transportation and escape route behind them. They now formed a triangle, and the two in the back put their hands on their hips. It was an odd display of choreography that showcased the guns in holsters on their belts. Blindly, I used my arm to maneuver Nikki behind me. I wasn't dumb enough to believe that a bullet couldn't go through my body to hers, but she had a better chance of survival if I got hit first. I crossed my arms and straightened my back. "Not at all. I've been waiting to hear f
Dear Diamond Chapter 32: Nikki
The engine roared to life, and I realized that in a short amount of time, that sound had started to ignite a fire within my soul. It fueled me with energy, and electricity coursed through my veins as soon as the hum of the motor flowed through to my skin. I imagined the vibrations to be as addictive as narcotics, or maybe that was the man who brought the noise to my ears and the rumble between my thighs. It was raucous and should have startled me with as frazzled as I was after the encounter in the parking lot, but it calmed me with the anticipation of the freedom I found on the back. The solitude, the lack of noise except the rustle of wind, the inability to communicate with anything other than nature-it trumped yoga, chocolate, and my little experience with sex. Ryker didn't have to ask me twice to hop on. The moment he put that helmet on my head, I was ready to ride.And then he took a right out of Swank's parking lot rather than left. I leaned in while he could still hear m
Dear Diamond Chapter 33: Nikki
"Why are you doing this?"He stopped working and wiped his hands on a dish towel. His brown eyes searched my face in confusion. "You said you were hungry.""No, not dinner. This thing...with me. Why are you doing it?"Ryker popped a chunk of raw broccoli into his mouth and chewed before he answered. He was the only person I'd ever seen who could make food sexy. "I told you-" "No bullshit. The real reason."He swallowed, and his Adam's apple danced down his neck and back up. The tattoos expanded and then constricted; it was art in and of itself. The browns of his eyes swirled with golds and hints of green as his pupils pulsed and then dilated. I expected some in-depth or detailed explanation for whatever had caused him to go protective alpha over a woman he didn't know. He shrugged. "Not a clue."I arched my brows, not believing his response.Ryker stopped what he was doing and turned the burner down on the simmering sauce. It smelled divine. "The night of Chase's b
Dear Diamond Chapter 34: Nikki
I stood there in stunned silence, absorbing everything he'd said. The heat from his palms burned through my shirt, searing my skin beneath the fabric. My hands shook uncontrollably as I pushed Ryker away. Every nerve ending in my body frayed, leaving me raw and agitated. I'd worked too hard to stay clean from these people. All I'd ever wanted was to get out of Glendale Heights and Dacon, Illinois. And if what Ryker had said was true, the moment I'd agreed to help Ma, I gave all that up. Tears pooled in my eyes, and I fought like hell to keep them from falling. It wasn't sadness those drops expressed; it was full-blown fury. My head turned from side to side in utter disbelief as I seethed. No one's mother should ever ask their child for this sort of ransom, yet mine had offered me up as a sacrificial lamb. Ryker invaded my space against my will. I could hear myself mumbling, although I didn't know what the hell was actually coming out of my mouth. I couldn't make sense of my thoug
Dear Diamond Chapter 35: Ryker
When I woke, Nikki sat in bed next to me. Her legs were crossed as she stared out the window; although, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what she looked at. The only things visible from my bedroom were other buildings and the parking lot. I squeezed her knee and stroked her thigh. "Morning."Her soft gaze shifted to me, and a smile rose on her lips. It wasn't full blown, but I'd take what I could get given the circumstances. "Hey," she cooed. The raspiness that had accompanied her early morning tone yesterday wasn't present today, and I assumed she'd been awake for a while.My hand moved up her leg and rested on the swell of her ass. "You okay?"She nodded. "Are we stuck here until you hear from Jesse or Chase?"It was easy to tell their silence unnerved her. Truth be told, it bothered the hell out of me as well. But I also knew this was part of the game. I might be like family to the Silvanos, but this was business, and I'd riled up a hornets' nest. Actually, I'd knoc
Dear Diamond Chapter 36: Ryker
Nikki walked toward my Harley while I locked the door. When she picked up the helmet she'd been wearing, she glanced back."No bike today."She appeared surprised and set down the helmet. "Are we walking?" Confusion was cute on her. "SUV." I pointed toward the black Tahoe two spaces over. "My mom can't stand to see me on a motorcycle. Plus, I'd hate to mess up your hair before you got there." I winked, and she scoffed. Nikki met me on the sidewalk, and I led her to the passenger door. "If you have an SUV, why do you always ride the motorcycle?""Chicks dig it." I closed her inside and then rounded the front.When I got in, she said, "You're insufferable.""You've mentioned that once or twice."The remainder of the ride was uneventful and quiet. Nikki didn't say a word, not even to mouth the lyrics on the radio or try to talk me out of forcing her to go with me. If she had noticed the detour I took back to our neighborhood, she didn't mention it. I had hoped to catch C
Dear Diamond Chapter 37: Ryker
The room was pitch black when Nikki crawled under the covers. Not even the moon crept through the slats in the closed blinds. There was a storm coming, and the wind howled around the perimeter of the building. I'd always loved the sounds of violent rain and the forces of nature reminding the world that they controlled us, not the other way around. Nikki, however, did not appear to find the same comfort in the deluge that I did. At first, I thought she might be cold after just getting out of the shower. She hadn't dried her hair, and I didn't keep my apartment all that warm-more like a meat locker-but even after a few minutes under the blankets, she still trembled like a leaf. Closing the distance between us, I brushed my fingers against hers. She nearly came undone when she flinched. I quickly retreated and propped myself up. Without any light, it was difficult to make out her facial features much less her expression, but I didn't miss the way she jerked with hiccupping sobs.
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