Lynch's Rule (Ruthless Sinners MC 9)

“I do.” Her eyes were fixed on mine. “I thought about what you said.”

“I’ve said lots of things, Raelyn. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“Seriously?” She huffed. “You want to play games right here in the middle of the parking lot?”

“Games really aren’t my thing.” I took a step closer. “I’m just looking for a little clarification.”

“Fine.” She lowered her eyes to the ground. “You said I needed to make a decision.”

“I did.”

“Well, I made one.”

“Okay, and what exactly have you decided?”

“I think we should try going out again.”

“You think so?”

“I do.” She pursed her lips, then added, “I just need to know if you still feel the same way.”

“I don’t know.” I dropped my hands to her waist and pulled her close. “Depends on whether or not you’ll be able to follow my rule.”

“Your rule?”

“Yeah, it might be a tough one for you.”

“What is it?”

“No walking out on me.”

A soft smile swept across her lips as she replied, “I think I can handle that.”

“You sure about that?” I brought a hand up to her face, then trailed my thumb across her lower lip. I could feel the heat of her breath against my finger when she softly exhaled. “’Cause this is one rule that cannot be broken.”

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded. “I’m sure.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“You won’t have to. I’m not going anywhere.”

I wanted to believe that was true, but there was something in her eyes that told me she wasn’t done running—which meant I had to give her a good reason to stay.

With that thought in mind, I lowered my mouth to hers. A slight moan slipped through her lips as she wound her arms around my neck. When she stepped closer, my hands drifted down her back and over the curves of her ass, and I thought how unbelievably perfect she felt in my arms.

I wanted to devour her right there on the spot, but then I remembered we weren’t alone. I immediately pulled back, but when I looked into her beautiful eyes, I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in for another. When she opened for me, I savored the soft caress of her lips and the hitch of her breath.

Damn, there was no denying it.

This woman was my kryptonite.

RAELYN

I knew the day was coming when my life would fade to black, and all my regrets would rise to the surface. And when that day came, I would wish that I’d done things differently—that I had taken more chances and made the hard decisions I was often too scared to make. I didn’t want one of those regrets to be Lynch.

I decided to take a chance.

And as we stood there kissing in the parking lot, I was feeling pretty damn good about that decision. We were both completely lost in the moment when a group of guys walked by and started heckling. Lynch immediately released me and gave the men a warning scowl.

Once they’d gone inside, he looked down at me and said, “So, we’re gonna do this?”

“Certainly looks that way.”

“When are you free?”

“Other than work, I’m pretty open right now.”

“I wish I could say the same.” A grimace crossed his handsome face. “Things are a bit out of sorts here. I’ll be working a double shift tonight and tomorrow. I’m not making any promises, but I might be able to get away for a couple of hours on Sunday.”

“Sunday would be good.”

Lynch’s eyes skirted over to his motorcycle. “You up for taking a ride?”

“On your bike? Absolutely! I’d love that.”

“Great.” He smiled. “You got your phone with you?”

“Yeah, I have it?”

“Gonna need it.” He watched as I pulled it out of my purse, then he extended his hand and waited for me to unlock the screen. After I handed it over, he pulled up my contacts and added his number, then sent himself a message. “Now, you have my number. Just let me know if anything comes up between now and then.”

“And if I just wanna say hi or check-in?”

“Then, go for it. I’d like to hear from ya.”

“Okay, I will.” As much as I hated to go, I knew I couldn’t expect him to stay. “I guess I’ll let you get back to work.”

“Yeah, as much as I don’t want to, I need to go.” He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the forehead. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Lynch stood there for a moment, just looking at me, then shook his head and smiled as he murmured, “Definitely kryptonite.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just be careful heading home.”

“I will.” I turned and started back to my car. “I hope you have a good night!”

He didn’t respond. He simply stood there and watched as I got in my car. He remained there as I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. I had to admit, it gave me a bit of a rush to know that he stayed until I was gone.