Unworthy Heart: The Donnellys, Book 1 (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

Ryan walked up the jetway with his duffel bag in hand and navigated around a group taking pictures when they reached the terminal. “Where are we going to stay?”

“Dunno yet, we can figure it out later. Maybe we can pick up a couple of chickies like back in the day and crash with them?” Jimmy ran his fingers through his mop of hair.

Ryan raised his brows. “Wow. Classy.”

“Relax, Momma’s Boy. I’ll get us a room somewhere close to the club.”

“Fuck off. You’re one to talk.”

Jimmy blew a breath on his knuckles and shined them on his chest. “I don’t deny it.”

“Anywayyyy. Where’s this club we’re going to?”

“It’s not on The Strip. Which makes it badass.” Jimmy flashed him his Cheshire-cat grin.

“That smirk is what has me worried.” Ryan stopped before they got on the escalator. “Should I be worried?”

“Nah, it’s all good, bro. You’ll love this place. All kinds of people hang there.” Jimmy clapped him on the shoulder and walked past him on to the escalator.

Ryan paused, knowing full well he
should
be worried. Guaranteed, tonight would be wild and crazy and full of Jimmy-induced fun. Should he even call Maiya and let her know he was in town? He wasn’t sure if he wanted Jimmy near her though. The two would probably hit it off big time.
Hey, Maiya, this is my brother. I know he’s your type, but could you please not want him?
Jealousy poked his insides like a pin.

“Come on,” Jimmy yelled from halfway down the escalator, snapping Ryan from his thoughts.

Damn, he’d never been jealous of his brother. They’d never had the same taste in women, still didn’t. Ryan cringed. But Maiya was every bit Jimmy’s type. Shoving the thoughts aside, he stepped on to the escalator. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he checked it for missed calls. A razor of disappointment sliced through him. She wasn’t going to call him, and man, that just sucked.

After a quick check-in at a hotel, they headed to the club. Ryan got out of the taxi and took in the mammoth white-brick building. “You sure I’m dressed okay for this place?”

“Yeah. Stop worrying, will you?” Jimmy paid the cabby. “When did you become this much of a pansy ass?”

Ryan crossed his arms. “Oh, now, that was harsh. Take that shit back or I’ll tell the first girl that talks to you that you used to wet the bed.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“The hell I won’t.” Ryan laughed.

Jimmy threw his arm over Ryan’s shoulder. “I am totally getting your uptight ass drunk tonight.”

Ryan looked at the towering neon sign. “Tangled, huh?”

“The one and only. This place speaks my language.”

“James Donnelly.” The bouncer smiled when they reached the entrance. “To what do we owe the pleasure this fine Vegas night?”

Jimmy shook the bouncer’s hand. “Jay, my man, nice to see you. Just flew in from L.A. Brought my brother along to party for the night. Ryan, this is Jay. Good man. Makes sure this club stays clean.”

Ryan looked up to meet Jay’s gaze when he shook the big man’s hand. He was colossal in size. “Nice to meet you.”

“Go on in. I’ll let Gino know to get you a table upstairs in the corner.”

“Right on. Thanks, Jay.” Jimmy walked past the bouncer, and Ryan followed thanking the bouncer too.

They made it halfway through the entrance corridor before Ryan stopped and realized he was staring at his brother’s artwork. “You sold work to them?” He turned in a circle, taking in the walls. “That’s awesome.”

“Yeah, no biggie though. It was a couple years ago when they opened. I told you about it at the time, but you were a little busy then.”

“Shit. I guess so. Sorry, man.” Ryan shook his head. Jimmy would never get used to the fact his art had gotten so popular. His brother was humble and immensely talented, and Ryan was so damn proud of him it made his chest ache.

His brother squeezed his shoulder. “It’s cool. I know you love me. Come on, you can make it up to me by buying me a drink.”

“Absofuckinglutely.” Ryan laughed, remembering Maiya using the same word on him.

Another bouncer, probably Gino, met them when they entered the main area. He bent and said something to Jimmy Ryan couldn’t hear and then they were traveling up a curving wrought iron staircase to a loft that circled the perimeter of the club. They moved to a stout table nestled between two plush chairs in the back corner and took a seat. A moment later, a waitress came over and took their drink order. Ryan handed her his credit card. “This place is off the hook.”

“No shit, right? I love it. Check out the crowd on the dance floor.”

Ryan walked to the railing. A blast of fog shot from the ceiling into the center of the floor and the crowd went nuts. The DJ queued up Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” and a mosh pit formed in the center of the floor. Ryan threw his head back and laughed.

Joining him at the railing, Jimmy handed him his Jameson on the rocks. Ryan bent to his ear. “Makes you want to go down there and get in it, huh?”

“Hell yeah!” Jimmy took a gulp of Guinness.

Next on deck was Saliva’s “Click Click Boom”. The mosh pit continued, arms flying while guys—and girls—moved in and out, and around the center—the outer fence of people doing their job, keeping everyone in the pit. The song changed and Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” blared through the speakers. Ryan was in awe listening to the boiling cauldron of metal and rap power echoing through the club.

The crowd shifted, and the outer circle widened. His eye caught a tattooed girl on the edge, pushing guys twice her size back into the fray. In between shoves, she danced…and was magnificent. Kind of reminded him of Maiya. The girl tilted her head back and laughed at something the chick next to her said, and at the same time a bit of the fog cleared. Ryan tightened his grip on the railing.

Holy shit, it
was
Maiya. Rammstein’s “Du Hast” blared from the speakers and Ryan watched her—he watched every move she made.

Pulling the brim of her hat lower, Maiya danced. Her body moving in time with the hard industrial metal beat. Like a badass, she shoved with her hands and elbows, keeping the rowdy ones who broke the circle, within the pit. Her display was downright sexy and made his dick so hard he wanted to scream. The mosh pit broke up and Maiya walked off the floor toward the back of the bar.

He watched until he couldn’t see her anymore. “Be right back, bro.” Ryan left his drink and made his way down the stairs, heading in the direction she’d gone. He spotted her talking to the same dark-haired chick she’d been next to on the floor. Not wanting her to see him yet, Ryan stayed behind one of the large pillars, ensuring he had a clear view of her, and then sent her a text.

Ryan:
Hey, bummed I haven’t heard from you. You still up?

Then he waited.

Maiya pulled her phone from her back pocket and read the text, but then lowered her hand. She wasn’t going to respond?
You
have got
to be kidding me.
Disappointment settled hard in his chest. Thirty seconds later she stepped away from her friend and started typing on the screen. Relief washed through him and he exhaled a harsh breath.

Maiya:
Hey, sorry. One of my friends dragged me out. Why aren’t you sleeping?

Ryan:
My brother came into town and he dragged me out too.

Maiya:
That’s cool. Where’d you two go?

Typing the next message, he walked up behind her and hit Send.

Ryan:
We’re at a club called Tangled in Vegas
…

Ryan waited a bare second, then wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and bent to her ear. “Where are you?”

She jumped and turned her head with a glare harsh enough to scare a mercenary. “Holy fucking shit, Ryan. You scared me.” She blew out a breath and then spun inside his embrace to face him, wearing a far different expression now. “You coulda got punched, you know?” She laughed.

“Believe me, I braced for it.” He tugged on the brim of her hat. “Not to sound creepy, but I was watching you on the dance floor. I think you might have one hell of a right hook in you.”

“You were watching me?” She raised her brows. “And you didn’t go running in the other direction?”

“Why on earth would I run from you?” He snugged her tighter against him. “I think I’d much rather be up close and personal.” He kissed her then, a soft stroke of his lips over hers.

Yes, Jimmy was a genius; Vegas had been exactly what he needed.

Holy mother of God and all the saints, Ryan was there. And not only was he there, he was standing in front of her. She was in his arms. And he’d just kissed her.

In spite of what he’d said, Maiya couldn’t imagine what he must’ve been thinking when he saw her on the dance floor. She’d been going all out, venting her tension, but Maiya never expected to run into anyone from work…especially Ryan. She stared into his crystal eyes. “How long were you watching me?”

“Since they played Drowning Pool.” He caressed her back with one hand and she shivered.

“That’s a really long time, like four songs long time.” Circling her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for another kiss.

“I know. Couldn’t keep my eyes off you.” He nipped her bottom lip. “Made me hard.”

Maiya gasped and gripped his hair between her fingers. “Are you still hard?”

He pulled her closer, pressing his groin to hers. “You tell me.”

The solid ridge of his erection sent a thrill zipping through her from head to toe. “Damn. I guess so, huh? I want!”

Yeah, she’d definitely had a few too many drinks because in an instant, all the fears about whether Ryan did or did not want her, or if letting him touch her again was the right thing to do, went “see ya later, bye bye”. Maiya was buzzing hard, and the only man who’d ever made her come like lightning struck her body had his arms around her.

With
a hard-on.

Just
for her.

Mmm!

“You want?” His lips slanted into a devilish grin. “Have you been a good girl, Maiya?”

She loved when he went all dominant male on her. She couldn’t help it. The man reduced her to an enormous puddle of boiling hormones. She wanted to rub herself up and down his body like a cat in heat. Hell,
her
cat wasn’t just in heat, the damn thing was on fire for him. “That depends.”

“Oh? On what?” He nuzzled her neck.

She tilted her head to the side and rolled her hips forward. “On the reward or the punishment.”

Ryan muttered a curse and bit her neck. “I guess you’ll have to take your chances.”

“Then I’ve been both.” She giggled.

He gripped her ass. “I fucking love the sound of your laugh.” He pulled away and gazed at her, his eyes alive with delight.

For a moment, she imaged herself as the woman he perceived. She was sure he saw her much different than she saw herself. With shaking fingers she traced his lips.

Ryan bit her fingertip and then brushed the tip of his nose over hers. “Come dance with me.”

Shaggy’s “Boombastic” played through the sound system, and Ryan led her to the center of the floor. The dance floor thumped like a heartbeat, the whole crowd moving in time with the music. As the heavy bass of the music vibrated in her chest, Maiya discovered another talent Ryan had—the man could dance.

He snugged up behind her, one hand on her hip, pulling her ass tight to his groin and rocked his hips in time with the song. Bending at the waist, she kept her ass against his pelvis and moved in unison with him. Wanting to see his face, Maiya stepped away and spun around to face him. Fog drifted around them and he jerked his chin at her, urging her closer.

The expression in his eyes—part predator, part prey—gave her a new definition for the word sexy, and lust zipped through her. Maiya raised her hands over her head and moved closer, pressing her body against his, then slid one leg between his thighs. Ryan framed her sides with his arms and they shifted from side to side.

They were matched, in perfect time with each other. She shouldn’t have been surprised; the man rocked her world in bed, why wouldn’t he be able to rock the dance floor? So many sides to Ryan Donnelly. What else would she find if given enough time with him?

She’d had her doubts and suspicions before meeting him in person, but after this past week she knew for sure—he wasn’t the vanilla preppy-boy she’d mistaken him for. He was a bright businessman and a soft, loving father. He was romantic, and he was a smartass. As if that wasn’t enough, adding to the prize, he was dominant as hell in bed. The man was turning out to be a match for her in more ways than she ever dared to imagine.

Ginuwine’s “Pony” came on and she popped her shoulders. “I love this song.”

“Me too.” He spun her and pulled her back against his chest again.

She glanced at him over her shoulder and ground her ass against him. His warm breath brushed her ear and he slapped her thigh. The sting through the denim made her shiver all over. Leaning forward, she rolled her hips, sliding her ass over the bulge in his jeans.

He yanked her back up. “Don’t think you won’t get punished later for teasing me like this.”

She turned to face him. “You love it.”

“That—” he bent his head and ran his tongue up the side of her neck, “—is beside the point.”

Another blast of vapor blew around them, making the dance floor a haze of blurry bodies. But she could still see Ryan. All she wanted to see was him. Ryan pressed his thigh between her legs and urged her hips forward. She rocked her pelvis, rubbing her clit against his leg. With each sway of their bodies, she ground against his thigh and her clit pulsed.

The whole scene felt like something out of a wet dream. The music, the smell of sweat and booze, and the way she rode his leg to the beat. Ryan was building her up, and she let him. There had been a few times she swore the managers of the club were drugging the crowd with a liquid form of ecstasy via the fog machines, but it’d always been a joke. She felt drugged now though. So much so, she wanted to find a dark corner and beg him to fuck her against the wall.