The Rider's Dangerous Embrace (An Interracial Bad Boy Romance Story) (14 page)

After a minute she heard him walk back, the crunch of dirt under his boots alerting her to his presence.

“He’s on his way, just hold tight, okay? Want me to stay?” His voice was so warm, she almost said yet. Almost.

Jayda shook her head, and wished away the stubborn scarlet that was surely coloring her hot cheeks.

Dustin gave her a weak smile before giving her a wave. He was as uncomfortable as she was.

“Thanks,” She whispered meekly, completely embarrassed.

The minutes ticked by one by one until she finally saw Luke’s truck park behind her little car. A scowl was clear on his face. Great. Not only was she embarrassed, but he was also mad at her. It shouldn’t matter to her what he felt like, if what Samson was suggesting was true, it would ruin everything. She couldn’t trust him, hell, she couldn't trust herself.

Each step closer he came, the more worried she got. She could see the lines on his face, and they were not lines of a smile. What was he thinking?

He opened the car’s passenger door and slid inside. His frustration was palpable.

“Why the hell didn’t you call me, Jayda? That’s what I’m here for. Whenever you need me you call.” He blew out a breath as he looked her over, and it was enough to make her want to laugh.

This was ridiculous. All of it.

“But I don’t even know if I can trust you.” The tears were back and they were followed by the sobs. She couldn't take this, losing her father, and then his company. It was just too much.

“What? Why wouldn’t you be able to trust me? Come here, honey. Let me hold you.” He grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. She breathed in his smell, letting him comfort her. It was working.

Until she opened her mouth to explain. “Because you are the one trying to ruin my dad’s business. You want it all for yourself.” It sounded ridiculous, even to her.

“What? Why would you even say that?”

“Samson… he wasn’t the one.” She pressed on. “It only made sense that it was you. You said he was your friend, even he said it pointed to you.”

“Samson is a douche bag. I said I drink with him, that we ‘get along’.”

“Why would he lie about something like this. I mean, dammit, he was so fucking sure.” She wasn’t willing to let this drop, not yet.

“ He hates me because I called him out for cheating on his wife. I’m not taking any money from the company, Jayda. Why would I even do that?” He looked at her, completely confused.

“Because you want the company for yourself, you could end up with a majority of the shares, and god knows the men look up to you.”

“Yeah, they do, why would I risk that?”

“People do a lot of things for money.”

“You aren’t that stupid, Jayda. You know better than that. Something like that, it would come out sooner or later.”

“I…” She didn’t know what to think, her rage was too hard to contain. She was so raw all the time, her anger ruling her.

“I haven’t done anything to ever jeopardize your company. Hell, I don’t even want to inherit the partnership. I have no need of it, I can make my own way. I thought you knew that about me, Jayda.”

Her entire argument against him deconstructed at the seams, breaking down until she saw what a fool she was. She was spinning out of control and she needed an anchor. “You don’t?”

He was that anchor.

“Hell no. I want to earn what I get fair. If I wanted to, I could be in there right now. My mother has been asking me for years. But I need this. You might not be aware, but this is the last chance I have to make something of myself. I wanna do that with a clear conscience. Anything that might mar that, I ain’t going to let them come into my world. I need my second chance at bull riding to pay off. I know it can. I have enough time.”

She shouldn’t have doubted him, looking at him now, at the steely resolve in his eyes, she knew he was right.

“I’m an idiot.” She shook her head and bit her lip.

“No, you’re not. You’re angry.” He raised his hand to her face and caressed her cheek. Even when he was chiding her he did it in a way that made complete sense. “And you have a right to be.”

Warmth radiated through her. He reached over and pulled the keys out of the ignition.

“What did you mean?” She knew he was right before she even asked the question.

“I’m not answering you until you get in my truck and come home with me. I don’t want you out here. We can call someone to get your car.”

She nodded in assent and opened the car door, walking over to his truck and climbing inside. Once they were in and down the road she felt herself relax. She wasn’t as upset anymore.

“You’re angry at whoever is doing this. Angry that you have to take all this on yourself. Angry at your father for leaving you.” His voice was strong as he pushed her anger onto her, not letting her back down from it.

Everything he said brought her true feelings to the surface. How could he just leave her here, with all this shit to deal with? No one to really trust, or confide in. Not to mention her lack of actual experience. She fought back another round of tears, she had finally gotten herself under control.

“I think I have been coping very well. I have stepped up when I could have walked away, Luke. I could have just sold out. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Doesn’t it
?

"Of course, Jayda. But that doesn't erase that anger. That fear."

"I just can't deal with it right now. I have to get through this. I have to find out who is doing this."

"It won't bring him back." His firm admission took her aback.

She wasn't used to anyone being this blunt.

"That isn't what this is about."

"Are you sure?" He looked over at her with a sideways glance that made her second guess herself.

In truth, she wasn't.

"Baby, I want to take care of you, but you need to be honest. It is okay to be angry. It is okay to be upset." He reached for her and pulled her into him. “We’ll find them. You just need to be patient.”

“I want to forget about all this for a while, Luke.” She snuggled into him and let all her anger met away into him. She was falling, and she couldn’t deny it now. “I just wanna go home with you.”

“Always.”

The rest could fall away to nothing. All she wanted was Luke.

Jayda looked around the conference room with a bit of trepidation, it wasn’t a lot of people, but she felt out of place. Everyone sitting next to her was seasoned. They understood the intricacies of the business on a very intimate level. The feeling that she was inferior was nagging at her, pulling on the frayed edges of her consciousness.

She should’ve been in bed with Luke, his arms wrapped around her. But she was there, in that cold room, having an official meeting of public partners.

“There are a few things on our agenda this morning.” Thomas started, looking down through an itinerary. “We need to discuss the direction of the company, and a particular individual has asked to meet with us, and he is here and waiting. Muriel Daniels is here as well, but the rest of the board isn’t. She can be of great insight, so listen to her, Jayda.”

She looked over at the soft smile of a woman she didn’t know. It had to be Luke’s mother, he was the spitting image of her.

“Now, back to our guest, if there are no objections, I will let him in?”

Was she seeing things or did Thomas look irritated as he walked towards the double doors?

“Alice, could you please get Mr. Hayworth?”

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Chad Hayworth was not her idea of a welcome guest. After the way he spoke to her at the rodeo she wanted nothing to do with that arrogant suit. Her nose flared as he walked in, wearing a suit that cost more than a ranch-hands weekly pay.

He didn’t belong. Even she could feel that. Hers wasn’t the only distaste emanating from the room. She sneaked a glance over towards her right, where a beautiful woman with white and black hair sat rigid. Mrs. Daniels, Luke’s mother. She even had the trademark dimple. It was surreal.

“I’m sure y'all are wonderin’ why I come up here. I wanted to meet with the public partners, though I know y'all have some silent. Now look, it ain’t no surprise that the company’s been havin’ a bit a trouble since the old man passed,” He held his hat in his hand as he talked. What kind of man wore a suit with a cowboy hat, she could only guess. “But it ain’t gettin’ better, and people are beginnin’ to talk ‘round town.”

His accent was exaggerated, and made Jayda cringe. She hated men who acted macho like this, but she let him speak on.

“Truth is,” He continued, “y'all need some help. And I’m here to give it to you.”

“What are your suggesting?” Muriel Daniels looked right into his eyes. “Get to the point, Chad.”

“Fine. I’ll get down to brass tacks, but don’t get pissed for not beatin’ around the bush. Sell me your shares. Let me take over your company. Merge it into my own. I could make it thrive again, like when John had hold of the company.”

“Don’t you dare talk about my father.” Jayda rose from her chair., “I have 70% of the shares, Chad. I will never sell. This is my company. My father’s company. Get the hell out of my office. Do not come back.” She pointed at the door. “Ever.”

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, young lady…” He was getting back steam but it didn’t last long, a booming voice interrupted him. The sneer in his voice told her all she needed to hear. She knew his type. The kind who just looked at her and decided, because she was a women, or because she was black, or because he had a bad day, he didn’t like her.

“You heard her. She’s the owner. Get out.” Thomas got up and escorted Mr. Hayworth out, his arm gripping the man’s bicep and all but ripping him out of the room. She saw Alice get up hurriedly and follow them both out.

Now why would
she
care?

Jayda’s attention was diverted by the clearing of a throat in the room.

“Thank goodness someone finally took care of that self-inflated oaf. He’s been coming around here since your daddy died, sniffin’ for any kind of crumb he could get.” Muriel glared in his direction. “You’re enough like your daddy that this company will be fine.” She cracked a smile that warmed Jayda right to her heart.

“I’m glad you think so.”

“I do. And what’s more important to me is that my son does.”

Jayda looked at her through the corner of her eye. “Your son?” She tried to act innocent.

“He’s told me about you, Jayda. You think I wouldn’t know? That boy can’t keep a secret from his momma. Never could. Thinks your somethin’ else.” Her warm smile turned to stone in a moment. “Don’t you hurt that boy, he’s been through hell.”

She couldn’t believe her business partner was given her the “good intentions” talk right in the middle of the conference room. At least the lady had guts. What hell was she talking about?

“I have no intention of hurting your son.”

“Of course you don’t. You’re a Rivers. I have every faith in you. What else is on the agenda, Thomas?” The woman transitioned back to business seamlessly.

“I have a small budget increase proposal for the facilities ready. We had a better quarter than originally projected, so we agreed to funnel some money into the training facility.”

“Oh, so soon? That is great.” Muriel put on her glasses and reached for it.

“Got it up this morning, figured since you were coming in, we could go over it. The silent partners are being faxed a copy.”

“I see, well after a quick scan it looks good. I’ll spend some time with it tonight. Email you what I think later?”

“Yeah, that is pretty much it. Unless you have any questions.”

“I think this is the least we can do, putting the money back into the things that keep our business thriving. Riders deserve more than I’ve been givin’ ‘em lately,” Jayda admitted.

With that Muriel stood. “You are just like your daddy, honest to the bone. Cept, he was a bit of cad, now wasn’t he? You aren’t like your daddy in that way, are you?”

“No. My father, had some faults, but I don’t share them. Mine are all my own.”

“Good.” She was gone.

***

“Oh my God! The one time I come into the office in the afternoon and I missed everything exciting. Did you really tell that big blow hard where to stick it?” Mary balanced on her heels as she gingerly walked a fresh cup of coffee over to Jayda. Eyes bright with excitement she sat the cup on the desk and took the seat next to her.

“I want to—no—I need to hear everything. Was it planned or did you just have a spur of the moment feeling? You know your dad said that you could be pretty hot tempered, just like him. What did Hayworth say? Did he threaten to get you,
my pretty
, and ride off on his broom?” The questions rattled but Jayda couldn’t focus on them. She was too busy trying to figure out what her next move for the company was. She tried to answer Mary the best she could, but she just kept focusing on what Hayworth said. It got under her skin.

Hayworth was right about one thing. They company wasn’t thriving and if she didn’t figure out how to turn it around she might not have a company to put her name to.

“… Oh and you met his mom today too. What was she like?” Mary had moved on to a new topic, which suddenly caught Jayda’s attention. Luke.

“Yes… What was she like?” A tall man in a cowboy hat strutted through the door, his hat shading his face, but Jayda could tell who it was just by his gait. It was her man.

“I definitely know where he got his spunk.” She walked up to Luke and wrapped her arms around him, letting him rest his body against her voluptuous curves.

“Ah yes, the infamous Daniels spirit. I know where I inherited that. Heard you got a surprise visit from a not so invited guest. Wanna go home and fill me in on it?” He grabbed his hat and put it on her head, giving it a little tap before smiling.

“She told me not to break your heart. Warned me, really.”

“Sounds just like her. You really to go?” he asked, a second time.

“I don’t know if I can leave right this moment, Luke,” she admitted, pushing him back. “I think I need to stay here a while and think.”

“No, you can totally go!” Mary made shooing motions at the two of them. “The office isn’t going anywhere, Jayda.”

“Maybe a nice cold beer and a pretty field will change your mind,” he said. It wasn’t a question, but more of a statement, and he knew she had no choice in the matter. Pulling her out the door, Luke used his strength to force the decision.

Her good mood immediately turned sour.

***

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Luke asked when they got outside the building.

“You don’t understand. I have a lot going on right now. The meeting made it very clear that I am going to have to fight to control my company. Really control it.”

“Do you want my advice?” he asked looking her over.

She wasn’t sure she did.

“Calm down, and let it settle. Think about it later, things will seem clearer than.” He never did care about what she wanted, giving her what she needed instead. It infuriated her, but she knew he was right. He was always right.

She rolled her eyes.

“Get in the truck, let’s go.”

Silence.

“What?” He pulled her into him, kissing her neck, his arms wrapped tightly around her. “You going to say no to me?”

She had a feeling that would amount to something truly disastrous. She chewed the word in her mouth, and then spit it out.

“No.” Her eyes were dangerous as she said it, sparkling with defiance. She knew it was going to land her in hot water, but she didn’t care. Jayda needed to be able to say no to someone. Anyone. Even if she didn’t mean it.

“I don’t think so.” Luke scooped her up in one swift movement, picking up the curvy beauty and shoving her in the truck. Her ass slid across the vinyl of his pickup. “I ain’t about to let you sass me right now.”

Jayda was defiant, her head held high as she tried to regain her composure, but giggles threatened to erupt in her mouth. This was all so ridiculous. The leader of a small company at such a young age, a man who she couldn’t control going after her father’s legacy, and Luke.

Dangerous, handsome, wonderful Luke.

She loved how he knew exactly what he wanted.

Those giggles spilled over and erupted into a laugh that she couldn’t control, and despite how crazy she must have looked, Jayda couldn’t stop.

“This is all so crazy. Who has this kind of life?” She asked finally, catching her breath and breathing in deep.

“Office politics, back stabbing, and fear? More people than you think.” Luke turned on his truck and brought it to life, the roar of it stifling down her silly laughter.

Well, that and the look in his eyes.

“You can do this, Jayda. I know you, or at least I like to think to do. You are as damn stubborn as you are loyal. I know you won’t quit this. Quit us.”

Was he talking about the company, or the two of them? She couldn’t tell.

Jayda sat as close to him as she could, feeling the way he shifted the gears, the jerking motion of his arm reminding her of his power. His raw power.

Just watching him drive was making her hot, the familiar heat of lust reaching up from her depths, threatening to overwhelm her. She saw his jaw twitch, his eyes on the road, and not her. Jayda reached up and stroked his arm, looking at him with eyes that could only say one thing.

I want you.

“What are you doing?” Luke asked as he looked over at her, the long in his eyes playful. “We have somewhere to be.”

“When do we have to be there?” she asked, her voice a little husky as she leaned into him. “I thought we were just going out to some old field to get some ‘perspective’.”

“With some guys from the club and their girls.”

Ice flooded her veins, the last thing she needed was to be surrounded by a bunch of employees who didn’t know if they should like or hate her. She was doing a poor enough job at this without the added stress of being told how awful she actually was.

“I thought you wanted me to relax,” Jayda pushed herself away from him, but he wasn’t having it. Instead, Luke pulled her closer, arm wrapped tightly around her.

“Let me go.”

“What you need is to get to know these guys. Really know them. You can go to their training facility. Play the boss. But you are a kid, younger than some of them. They need to know you care. Plus. I promise you it will be a fun time.” He finally released her so that he could shift the truck, and pulled off the round onto the brim.