Ryan Redemption: A Dark Mafia Romance. Book 2 in New York Ruthless Series
Ryan Redemption: Chapter 18

Conor sits at the end of the bar for the remainder of my shift. The place has been packed for the last five hours of it, and I’ve barely had a chance to speak to him, which is only a good thing. I tried to get my work buddy, Cody, to serve him, but he flat out refused. I suspect the fact that Conor spent most of the night glaring at him, especially when we had to squeeze past each other behind the narrow bar, kind of put him off. So, I have been serving him soda for most of the night, most of which he’s left to go warm in this intense heat.

When there is no-one left but him, I walk over to him. “We’re closing up. You need to leave.”

“Let me give you a ride?” he offers.

“I have a car.”

“I have a better one,” he grins.

“Probably. But mine has one huge advantage.”

“And what’s that?” he smirks.

“You won’t be in it.”

“Ouch!” he says as he places his hand over his heart. “I’ll be waiting outside anyway, Angel. In case you change your mind.”

“I won’t,” I snap as he stands up and walks out of the bar.

Ten minutes later, I’m walking through the parking lot. Conor’s huge Audi SUV is parked next to my old, beat-up Mustang and he’s leaning against my car with his arms folded.

“Can you move, please?” I snipe.

“Sure, Angel.” He steps aside, and I eye him warily as I open my car and climb inside. He stands watching me as I start it up.

My car is old, but it’s a beast and I love the roar of the engine when it fires up. Tonight, though, it sputters and dies. I roll down the window. “What the hell did you do to my car?”

He opens his mouth and feigns his indignation. “Me? Nothing,” he smirks. “Do you need a ride?”

I get out and slam the door. Cody has left. Ray has gone too, and I’m so desperate that I would even consider getting a ride home with my handsy, jackass of a boss. We are in the middle of nowhere and my place is at least an hour’s walk away and Conor Ryan is looking like my only option.

“This means nothing, Conor,” I snap as I walk towards his car. “You can drop me at home and then hightail your ass back to New York.”

“Whatever you say, Angel.”

We drive in silence and I realize that I haven’t given Conor my address, but he’s heading straight to it.

“We could just stay on the road and head home to New York right now?” he says as he turns to me.

“Are you serious?” I scowl at him.

“Deadly.”

“You honestly think I would just pack up and leave my whole life here to come back to New York with you? What planet are you living on, Conor?”

“What have you got here that’s so important to you, Jessie, or Ryan, is it now? Are you seeing someone?” he growls.

“No!” I snap. “Not that it’s any of your business. And what I have here is my life, Conor. It might not seem like much to you, but it is freedom. It’s paying bills, and grocery shopping, and going to work. It is life!”

I sit back in my seat and fold my arms across my chest, and he falls silent. A short time later, we pull up outside my apartment.

“Thanks.” I snap as I go to open the door, but he locks it with the push of a button, and my heart lurches in my chest. “Let me out,” I demand.

“Jessie. Can we just talk? Please?”

“I have nothing to say to you. Now, let me out of this car or I swear to God, I will kick out the windshield.”

He sighs and the next thing I hear is the doors unlocking with a click. My fingers curl around the handle, but something stops me opening it immediately.

“What time shall I pick you up for your shift tomorrow?” he asks.

“What?” I blink.

“You have no car. Remember?”

“I’ll get a ride off Cody.”

“That stoner you work with? I don’t think so, Angel,” he scowls at me. “I’ll just sit out here all night if I have to.”

I stare at him. I wouldn’t put it past him to do just that. “Fine. My shift starts at eleven.”

“I’ll be here at ten then.”

I sit looking at him and there is a gigantic ball of emotion in my chest that I can’t deal with. I have thought about him and his brothers every day since I left, and seeing him sitting right here in front of me makes me realize how much I have missed them all.

What happens next happens entirely on instinct. I lunge for him, wrapping my hands around his neck and pulling his face to mine. He unclips his seatbelt and reaches over to me, lifting me with ease and pulling me onto his lap so I’m straddling him. His hard cock presses against me through my damp panties as my skirt rides up my thighs, causing pleasure to flood my entire body.

My heart hammers against my chest as his fingers dig into my hips and he pulls me closer, grinding his cock against my pussy and making me moan softly. I press my mouth over his and he licks the seam of my lips until I open them and allow his tongue inside. The warmth in my core spreads through my chest and my limbs as I melt into his fierce kiss.

I press my breasts against his muscular chest, and my nipples stiffen until they’re almost painful. My hands run over his muscular shoulders and they flex beneath his shirt, reminding me exactly how ripped his body is.

“Jessie,” he groans into my mouth, and his voice rumbles through my body. His hands slide down to my ass and he squeezes me exactly the way I like it until the memories of all the incredible times we have spent together flood my senses. I feel an intense rush of slick heat between my thighs as he fucks my mouth with his tongue. Damn! I’m about to reach the point of no return here. If we don’t stop now, I’m going to ride him like a rodeo bull right here in his car.

It takes every ounce of willpower I have, but I pull back from him and wipe my mouth with my thumb and index finger. “Night, big guy,” I pant.

“Jessie,” he growls. “Let me come up to your place with you. Let me take you to bed, Angel. I need you so fucking bad.”

I need him too. But I can’t do this. “No. We can’t,” I shake my head.

“Then what the hell was that?” he blinks at me.

“That was goodbye. Go home, Conor,” I say. The pain flickers over his face and I force myself to close my eyes because I can’t stand to see it as I climb off his lap and out of his car. I walk towards my apartment with tears running down my cheeks. But this is for the best.