“This is where we’re going?” I asked as Rylan helped me out of the car.
He raised an eyebrow. “Is this not a good enough place for a date?”
“It’s great,” I said quickly, not enjoying how awkward I was feeling. “I’m just surprised.”
“Why?”
“I was expecting a classy, five-star restaurant.”
He chuckled, holding the door open for me. “Because I’m the mayor?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t grow up with money,” he said quietly. “I grew up here. It’s still my community. That’s why I stayed on the north side even when I went into city politics.”
The building we stepped into had dim lighting, and a lady walked up to us with a wide smile. I glanced down the short hall, hearing music from behind the closed doors. I’d never been here, but it was one of the places I’d researched before coming to Ridgewood.
“Welcome, Mayor,” the lady greeted him. “Your table is ready.”
Rylan placed his hand on my lower back, leading me down the hall as I fought to relax. My body was stiff, and I took a deep breath. This was fucking ridiculous. I’d been in situations where I had to fight my way out, yet I was more nervous to be on this damn date.
Although, the conversation with Kade and Gray last night had me on edge too. They were never supposed to find out about Ryan. I needed them for the Panther job. But I refused to tell them what they wanted to know about my past.
The lady pushed open the door, and music filled the air. A smile played on my lips as I gazed around the large room. It was a jazz club and was decorated like the Prohibition period. A live band was on the stage, and the giant dance floor was packed. Women were being spun, and the atmosphere was light. We followed the lady to a table that was a little higher than the dance floor. It was a small round table, and our chairs were close.
I smoothed out my white, shimmery dress before sitting down. Rylan unbuttoned his suit jacket and shrugged out of it, putting it on the back of his chair. After ordering drinks, he scooted his chair closer, and I tore my eyes from the dancers, meeting his gaze.
“Do you not like the club?” he asked with a slight frown.
“Of course I do,” I answered, giving him a smile.
“You seem more uncomfortable than when I found you outside the police station with guns aimed at you.”
I straightened up, taking a deep breath. I’d learned to act natural in any setting. It wasn’t the place we were in that was keeping me on edge.
“I don’t date,” I muttered, making him lean closer so he could hear me.
His eyes widened. “You’re nervous about being on a date with me?”
“Not with you. Just being on a date in general.”
I bit my tongue when he was close enough that his shoulder brushed mine. I shouldn’t have blurted that out. I never shared things about myself, and even if he wasn’t part of my world, it didn’t mean I should trust him.
“When’s the last time you were on a date?” he asked.
I didn’t answer, keeping my gaze on the band. Rylan’s hand gently grasped my chin, turning my head until I was staring at him.
“Part of being on a date is learning things about each other,” he murmured. “I’ll go first. You’re the first woman I wanted to take on a date in over a year.”
He was so open about his life, which was the complete opposite of the way I lived. I kept my eyes on him, debating whether to lie or tell the truth. It wasn’t like this truth would reveal anything important. Pulling my face from his grip, I rolled my eyes and took a large sip of my drink.
“I haven’t been on a date since I was fifteen when I went to the homecoming dance at my high school.”
I giggled in amusement at the absolute shock that covered his face. He opened his mouth to respond and then closed it again before studying me as if he were trying to see if I was telling the truth.
“Why?” he finally asked. “You’re my age, aren’t you?”
I grinned playfully. “I don’t know. How old are you?”
“I’ll be thirty this year.”
“Then yes, I’m around your age.”
He broke our stare, taking a long sip of his whiskey. “You’re telling me you haven’t been on a date in, like, fifteen years?”
I shrugged. “I guess not.”
“You were in a long-term relationship,” he stated, watching me carefully. “Am I right?”
I bristled, not enjoying this conversation anymore. I didn’t want to think about Joel tonight—or ever. The only person I’d talk to openly about him was Caleb.
“Why did you choose this club?” I asked, purposely changing the subject.
“Because I have no idea what you like,” he answered. “You’re a mystery, Mili. But after seeing you dance at the crew’s club, I got the feeling that you enjoy dancing.”
“I do,” I muttered. “It feels freeing. But why this place?”
He grinned. “You think I don’t know who owns this place?”
Like many other businesses in this city, the crew owned this jazz club. Although from what I could find out about it, it was one of their legitimate businesses, and it was in the middle of the city. Not completely on the north side like their other club was. But as I glanced around, I noticed more than a couple of people were stealing looks at me. Gray and Kade hadn’t been kidding about rumors circulating after I’d been seen with them.
Not that I gave a fuck. I didn’t care what people thought. But for some reason, I didn’t want Rylan caught up in it all. And after finishing business here, I’d never be able to come back since people knew my face.
“If I avoided all the places they owned, I wouldn’t have anywhere to go in my city.” He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “And I think it helps that I show my face. It makes them stay more on the legal side if they have to worry about people like me coming into their establishments.”
“There’s a history between the three of you.” My words had him tensing, and I grew more interested.
“I knew them when we were kids,” he said gruffly. “But obviously we went our separate ways.”
He didn’t elaborate, and I tilted my head, watching as he relaxed again. Maybe I’d been wrong about him being an open book, because he was being very tight-lipped about how he knew Kade and Gray.
“And what about you?” he asked, looking like he almost didn’t want to know the answer. “You went out of town with them. You’re seeing them.”
“I don’t see anyone,” I told him bluntly, repeating what I told him on the phone last night.
“But you’ve slept with them. You like them.”
“I tried sleeping with you too, but you refused,” I teased before growing serious. “If you’re looking for a wife, I’m not the right woman for you. And I never will be, Rylan. If that’s what you want, then this date was a mistake.”
He grabbed my wrist when I tried moving away from him. “This is not a mistake. I don’t want another woman. You’re the one I can’t get out of my head.”
“That’s not exactly a good thing,” I mumbled.
“I’m not stupid. I know that whatever you do isn’t exactly legal.” He looked around, making sure we weren’t being overheard. “But I can’t stay away from you. And I don’t want to.”
“Then let’s move this somewhere more private,” I purred, dragging my fingers down his shirt sleeve.
He laughed, standing up and pulling me with him. “Let’s dance first.”
I let him bring me to the dance floor, and my stomach fluttered with nerves as he spun me around. I had no idea how to dance like everyone else here was, but it would be fun trying. Rylan took the lead, and he knew what he was doing more than me. I grinned when he pulled me into his arms, letting all my troubles disappear as I lost myself to the upbeat music. I was light-years away from my hellish reality, and I was enjoying pretending to be just a girl who was on an innocent date.
We danced through two songs, and the floor got more crowded as the night went on. A slower song came on, and he tugged me closer, his arm wrapping around my waist. I tilted my face up, and his lips crashed onto mine. Pressing myself against him, I opened my mouth, letting him deepen the kiss. We made out like horny teenagers until another faster song began playing. His hazel eyes seemed to brighten with amusement as he spun me around again.
Until someone got a hold of my wrist and I was yanked away from him. My chest collided with someone else’s, and I glared when I looked up to meet Gray’s stormy gaze. Surprise jolted through me. I’d thought I’d have a longer reprieve after talking to them last night. His arm locked around my back when I attempted to pull away, and I mentally cursed myself for leaving my knife in my purse at the table.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I hissed.
“I don’t think so,” he tsked, tightening his hold. “What are you doing? I think Kade and I were pretty clear when we told you that people think you’re our girl. And how bad it fucking looks when people see you with someone else.”
“Are you kidding?” I spat out. “I don’t give a shit what other people think. You should have kept your hands to yourself if you didn’t want rumors flying around. Because I sure as hell don’t belong to you. Or Kade. I will do whatever I want, anywhere I want. And if you don’t get your hands off me in the next few seconds, we’re going to have a fucking problem.”
I craned my neck, seeing Rylan arguing with Kade on the side of the dance floor. Gray slid his hand up the back of my neck, fisting my hair and forcing me to look back at him.
“You might be the great Sapphire,” he murmured. “But right now—in this city—you’re a girl who has the attention of everyone because you’re bouncing between the men who own this town. Mixing the mayor into it was a mistake. It only adds to the talk going on about you.”
“You think I care what people say about me? Or what they say about you?” I snapped. “I told you before—I am not yours. You and Kade gave me attention, so what people are saying is all on you.”
“You want to spend the next few months here?” he asked, his eyes narrowing. “Then you play by our rules—”
I lifted my knee, hitting him in the balls while twisting out of his grip. He grunted, attempting to get a hold of me again, but I was already out of reach as I raced back to the table. I snatched my purse before heading straight to Rylan and Kade. Rylan saw me first, and he shook his head, not wanting me to intervene. I ignored him, slipping between him and Kade.
“It’s rude to crash a date,” I murmured, my voice dangerously low as I stared at Kade.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he replied coldly. “Especially not with him.”
“I’m going home with him,” I stated loudly, causing others to stare.
“No,” Kade growled, wrapping his fingers around my arm. “You’re coming back with me.”
“You are out of your fucking mind.” I opened my free hand and smashed it against his nose, ripping away when his hold went lax. “Come on, Rylan.”
Grabbing Rylan’s hand, I pushed through the growing crowd, hearing Kade curse behind us. I didn’t hit him hard enough to break his nose, but I was sure he wouldn’t be moving very fast for the next few minutes. We made it to the front entrance, and the outside silence had my ears ringing from the absence of the loud music.
“Let’s go before they catch up…” I trailed off when I saw three guys surrounding Rylan’s Mercedes Benz. It was clear they were part of the crew, and they all stiffened as I got closer.
“You boys better get the hell away from my car,” Rylan threatened, stepping in front of me.
One of the guys scoffed. “You think we’re scared of you calling the cops on us?”
Rylan unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. “I don’t need to call anyone to deal with you.”
My jaw dropped at how menacing Rylan sounded. He was nothing like the respectable mayor I’d come to know. Guilt slithered through my chest, and I darted forward, grabbing his forearm. From everything he’d told me and the things I’d learned online about him, this wasn’t how he usually acted. He was careful, and he never got caught up in scandals. And now he was about to brawl gang members to protect me.
“Stop,” I muttered, keeping my words quiet. “I can take care of myself. You should just go home before people hear about this.”
“I’m not leaving you here—”
Anger bubbled in my veins when, once again, I was jerked away from Rylan. I caught sight of Gray’s leather jacket as I opened my purse, and my heart stuttered when I realized both my knife and gun were missing. Gray tugged me farther down the sidewalk, purposefully dragging me backward, making it harder for me to get my footing.
“You really shouldn’t leave your bag unattended,” he taunted in my ear, stopping when we were feet away from Rylan.
I forced out a laugh. “This is way over the line of your usual pranks to get me to leave town.”
“This isn’t a joke.” He brought my arm behind my back, bending my elbow and pulling my wrist high enough to make it hard for me to move. “You’re messing with our city. People are talking about us—and not in a good way. You’re making it look like we can’t control a girl we’re sleeping with. We don’t need our enemies thinking we can’t deal with things in our city.”
“You can’t control me,” I spat out, watching as Kade got in Rylan’s face in front of the car. “You’re going to fucking regret this.”
“You fucked up, Mili,” he murmured, pushing my chest against the side of Kade’s Camaro. “You took it too far. We warned you not to get with guys in Ridgewood. Especially on the north side. You asked us not to blurt out your name, and we asked you this. Yet here you are, practically fucking the mayor in the middle of one of our clubs. And let me tell you, we don’t need rumors circulating where he’s involved. People are going to think we’re under investigation or cooperating with the fucking cops.”
“That’s not my problem,” I snarled, pushing off the car, only for him to shove me back, pulling my arm higher.
“Let her go,” Rylan demanded, moving closer to me before Kade stepped between us.
“We need to talk to her,” Gray said as he opened the car door next to us. “Run along home, Mayor.”
“Not happening.” Rylan’s eyes darted to the growing crowd around us. “This time there are witnesses. You can’t kidnap a girl in front of everyone.”
Kade tilted his head. “Kidnap? She’s coming with us willingly.”
“No the fuck I am not.” I fought against Gray when he tried pushing me into the car. I wasn’t worried they were going to kill me, but they were more heated than I’d ever seen, and it was smart to let them cool off before they got me alone.
Rylan went still when Kade slammed his palm against his chest, keeping him away from me. Gray was putting all his weight against me, pressing me on the car, not moving even when I crushed my heel onto his foot.
“Look at you two.” Rylan huffed out a harsh laugh. “Need to show her how big you are, don’t you?”
Kade smirked. “Oh, she knows.”
Fury slammed into me, and I struggled harder to get free. I didn’t give a fuck that this was their town. No one treated me this way.
“But don’t worry,” Kade continued in a low voice. “I’m sure she was thinking of you when she was worshipping my cock.”
“You son of a bitch,” Rylan growled.
Gray tightened his hold on me. “We’d love to keep chatting, but we have things to do. Bye, Mayor.”
