Rory Read online

  Table of Contents

  RORY

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  RORY

  Coded For Love #1

  © Saskia Walker

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is contains sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers.

  All rights reserved. This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work.

  Cover design: Daqri Bernardo at Covers by Combs

  Cover copy:

  Coded for Love #1

  Three guys who want to leave their hacker days behind.

  Three women who may or may not stand in their way.

  A chance encounter on the London Underground brings Sky Vaughn face to face with her stepbrother, Rory Rattigan, the guy she had a passionate teen crush on back home in Wales. Sky’s vowed to stay out of trouble. She’s already been thrown out of one college and she’s desperate for a second chance to study art in London—but she never could resist sparring with Rory Rattigan.

  Rory is trying to break with his computer hacker past. His sexy stepsister turns up just when he needs to hide his hacker kit, and she’s more than willing to help him out. But Rory soon realizes the desire he’s always had for Sky is going to complicate his plans to play life by the rules. He left home because he couldn’t have her, and now here she is.

  The chemistry between Rory and Sky is about to change their lives forever—because trouble and danger can’t keep them apart, and they attract both, in spades.

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  PROLOGUE

  It was the day their parents got married.

  Rory stared across the table at Sky, who was now his stepsister.

  Sky eyed him from under her lashes, her pretty green eyes bright with interest.

  How was it she could look both innocent and brazen at the same time? It fascinated him. He shifted his coffee cup around on the table, in an attempt to distract himself from the view. No easy task, she drew his attention like a magnet.

  It wasn’t the first time the five of them had gathered around the kitchen table together, but it was the first time they’d done so without either of their parents being present. It felt different. Rory noticed they still stuck together in two distinct camps. He and his brother Sean were on one side of the table, representing Ireland. Sky sat the other side, close to her sister Rowan and her brother Draco, representing Wales –

  five of them forced into some sort of weird united kingdom by the marriage of their parents. The idea of it made him smile.

  Sky mirrored his smile.

  What was she thinking? He’d love to know.

  Meanwhile, a discussion was going on about the plan for the evening.

  Draco, Sky’s brother, was in a mood. Being the oldest, he’d been left in charge. “I’m not going to hang around and act like we’re the bloody Brady Bunch,” he announced, “not now they’ve gone off on honeymoon.”

  He glanced around at the rest of them for backing.

  Rowan, Sky’s sister, rolled her eyes. “That’s what they’d like us to do though, now we’re officially related to each other.”

  “We’re not ‘officially related’.” Sean folded his arms across his chest. “We’re step-siblings. Important difference.” He winked at Rowan.

  Rowan beamed.

  They’d been living in one house for a couple of weeks now, and it still felt forced and odd, even though they basically got on with each other. It helped that the guys were all into motorbikes and tech stuff—namely computer hacking. That was a common ground they didn’t mind sharing. It fascinated all three of them.

  “At least we won’t have to listen to them banging each other all night,” Sean commented, “seeing as they’re banging each other in a hotel instead.”

  “Eeew.” Sky grimaced.

  Rowan laughed appreciatively, her gaze lingering on Sean.

  They had a connection, Rory noticed, just the way he and Sky did. In fact it was probably why Draco was hanging by the door as if he was about to get the hell out of Dodge. He got twitchy when his sisters flirted with their newly gained stepbrothers.

  Rowan pulled some folded notes out of her back pocket. “They gave me money for pizza.”

  “Big deal,” Sky muttered. “They get to go to a fancy hotel and we get to share a pizza.”

  Draco’s eyebrows lifted. “I’ve got a better idea.” He opened the food cupboard and pulled out a couple of cans of hot dogs. “We eat from the cupboard, and spend the cash on beer.”

  “Now you’re talking,” Rory said.

  Rowan handed over the money to her brother. “Get some ciders too, please.”

  “Party it is then,” Sean said and rose to his feet, gravitating instantly to Rowan’s side.

  As he made his way to the front door, Draco pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket and commenced inviting contacts.

  Within the hour, the house was filled with loud music and the alcohol was flowing. Rory lined up the music for the next hour then prowled around, trying to ignore the hankering need he had to get closer to Sky. It was hard, because she was right there, sucking her drink through a straw while looking at him from the other side of the room.

  She represented trouble for him. He could fuck any one of a half dozen or so girls who’d turned up at Draco’s request, but he wanted Sky. Wanted her so bad she made him hard, made him think about her in the night, made him want to disobey the rules of the house. Turning away he headed out, needing to clear his head.

  “Rory?”

  She’d followed him into the gloomy hallway.

  “You’re not leaving are you?”

  “I should.”

  “Why?” Those cherry painted lips of hers pouted as she looked up at him.

  “Because you’re too much of a temptation.”

  Her face lit, her smile growing wide. She sidled closer.

  The invitation in her eyes made him harden. He could have her and leave. Why not? He was going to leave Wales soon anyway. The only thing stopping him was Sky. For some reason he didn’t want to do that to her though—didn’t want to hurt her. She deserved better than a quick shag and a wave goodbye.

  “Well, Rory Rattigan, I didn’t know you’d even noticed me.” In the shadowed hallway, she leaned up against the wall by his side and captured her bottom lip between her teeth, as if she wanted to say more but daren’t. It was a sexy look.

  “Hell, yes, I’d noticed you.” Rory put his hands on the wall either side of her head, caging her in. “I’d noticed what a little prick tease you are.”

  She latched her hands on hi
s belt and pulled his hips closer still. “Tease? Who, me?”

  He inhaled her scent. Strawberries and musk. Everything about her turned him on. Raunchy guitar music blared from the crowded sitting-room, speeding the lust in his veins. It would be too easy to have her, right now. “My dad would think nothing of beating me to a pulp if he knew what I’m about to do.”

  She inhaled sharply, her expression altering.

  Moving his hands in around her waist, he ducked his head to kiss her.

  She was tense, because of what he’d just revealed, but once his mouth covered hers she softened under him. Her hands moved around the back of his neck, fingers locking together under his hair.

  She was warm and supple, and wriggled in his grasp. When her lips parted to let him in, he groaned into her mouth, sinking deeper still.

  Oh yes, he wanted her, wanted her badly.

  The front door opened and the lights went on.

  Standing there in the doorway were Nan, Sky’s grandma, and her sister, great aunt Gladys. A scary pair of old ladies they were, too. They wouldn’t think twice about reporting him to his dad. Rory eased away from Sky, the appearance of the blue rinse brigade quickly leveling his head.

  Nan cast a dubious look over them as she passed. “Put him down,” she said to Sky, and then winked at him.

  Startled, Rory frowned.

  “Turn that racket down,” she bellowed into the sitting room.

  Great aunt Gladys hustled in and glared at him. “You didn’t think we were going to leave you lot alone to run riot, did you?” She gestured out the front door to where her battered mini was parked at a weird angle, half on the pavement. “Get our overnight bags in from the car would you, lad.”

  Draco emerged from the sitting room, hands up, apparently trying to explain himself to the ladies. Then he looked at Rory and Sky.

  “Rory?” Draco lifted his chin, querying him, his expression darkening.

  “Nothing happened.” Rory loped off, leaving Sky to deal with her kin.

  He was an outsider, him and Sean. And they were both loners at heart.

  But the need to get to close to Sky didn’t ease up, and probably never would.

  They were family now though. Ruefully, Rory considered going back to Plan A. When he’d left Dublin with his dad and Sean, the plan had been for the three of them to go to London, where the streets were paved with gold. Or at least there were jobs to be had, jobs and the chance of a new life.

  London still beckoned to him and Sean, even if their dad had got no further than Wales before wanting to pitch down. The only thing keeping Rory from getting on his motorcycle and taking off was Sky. And she was out of bounds.

  Perhaps the blue rinse brigade had split them up in the nick of time. Draco was a guard dog in disguise. It was probably just as well. Sky would only bring trouble down on his head. There are plenty of other girls like Sky, right?

  Plan A it was.

  London awaited.

  CHAPTER ONE

  London

  Three years later

  Rory was always on her mind, so when Sky thought she saw him striding through the crowded underground railway platform, her heart skipped a beat. She blinked, and the shadow was gone. Imagined it. Wouldn’t be the first time.

  She slouched back against the tiled wall in the Hyde Park Corner tube station, scoping the crowd on the platform, looking for an image to sketch—looking for a side of London people didn’t immediately see. She scoured the streets wherever she went, making mental notes she could incorporate in her grungy drawings of city life. The distant sound of trains in the tunnels condensed with the sound of voices around her. She narrowed her eyes, allowing the view to blur.

  Once again, a black leather biker jacket caught her attention. The guy wearing it strode along the edge of the platform. When he drew to a halt, he glanced at the electronic notice board. She saw his profile and something inside her responded acutely. She hadn’t imagined it. It really was Rory Rattigan—his familiar thick dark hair, his tall, muscular frame.

  Over two years had passed since she’d last seen him. He’d taken off for London with Sean and Draco. They had big plans. Make money, hack their way to fame, rule the world. Last she’d heard Sean was serving a jail sentence for cyber crime. The other two had vanished from social media, making it hard for her to keep track of them. Even though she looked out for them, it was a big place, millions of people. She wasn’t even sure any of them were still in the city.

  As she craned her neck to get a better look, he slung a black bag over his shoulder. Her fingers closed tightly around the strap of her own backpack—identical to his. His dad had given them all one for Christmas. Sky smiled. Rory had kept his as well. She ached to run over to him, grab his arm. It was what she’d done in the past, and it always ended badly. Nevertheless, that familiar sense of longing filled her, defying her ability to turn away and ignore his presence.

  The tube train rattled into the station, drawing to a stop with a high pitched screech. The crowd hustled forward. Unable to resist, Sky moved through the crowd, keeping him in her sights. For once she didn’t hate the fact she was short, because it meant she could skirt the shopping bags and dive into the gaps, closing the distance fast. The passengers moved like rabid zombies onto the tube train. Usually she would wait until the last moment and stand right by the door. Not this time. Not with Rory in her sights.

  By the time the staccato “mind the doors” announcement sounded she was two bodies away from him. Elbowing a business man in the ribs, she got one body closer. Luck was on her side, because her target had found a spot to stand. Rory had his back against the far side and turned to face her just as she closed in. The crowd behind her did the rest of the job for her—she was pushed right up against him a moment later.

  His attention was on the phone in his hand.

  Rory. His name whispered around her mind. It really was his familiar thick dark hair, his tall, muscular frame just a whisper away from her. She breathed him in, her body acknowledging the familiar mix of leather, his favorite cologne and engine oil. That hadn’t changed. Neither had the worn in jeans that clung to his hips and thighs, and the heavy Jack Daniels buckle on his belt. Her fingers twitched as she recalled latching her fingers over that belt, tugging on it while they’d stolen forbidden kisses with eager, hungry mouths.

  His dark brown eyes were overcast, making them appear almost black. His chest was broader, more muscular. The soft fabric of his T shirt stretched over taut muscles. In a heartbeat she was back at home in Cadogan, watching as he’d tugged oil stained T shirts over his head after working on his motorbike, casting them aside with a surly glance in her direction. She’d never been able to look away, and had never forgotten. His face was rugged and defined, with dark stubble covering his jaw. It was sexy. He had a scar she didn’t remember, a slightly curved line stretching the length of one cheekbone.

  The tube train sped off.

  He shoved his phone into his pocket.

  When he shifted, the leather of his jacket brushed against her coat. She leaned in, willing him to notice her. He glanced along the crowded tube train, craning his neck as if he was looking for someone. Then his gaze landed on her.

  Sky lifted her chin, staring up at him.

  Recognition flickered in his eyes. He scanned her with curiosity. “Sky?”

  She breathed, smiled, nodded.

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Wow, kiddo, look at you.”

  Kiddo. She hated that.

  “Visiting London?” He peered down the crowded train again.

  Curious, she followed his gaze. The carriage was packed. Was he with someone, or meeting someone—a girlfriend maybe? “No, I’ve been living here.”

  “Broke up with Wales, huh?” His handsome mouth quirked at one corner.

  “Why not? You did.” The train rocked and she put her hand against his leather jacket to steady herself.

  He eyed her slowly. “Copycat.”

  Was he always thi
s annoying? “I’m hoping to get a place in Art College next term.”

  “I thought you were studying in Wales?”

  How did he know that? “It didn’t work out.”

  “Blew it, huh?”

  The urge to smart mouth him and turn away had her in its grip. As per usual her stepbrother was treating her like a little kid. She didn’t need it any more. She’d grown out of it.

  “You look great,” he added.

  Her annoyance quickly faded. They were so close she could feel his breath on her face. “You’re looking pretty good yourself, Rory. I’m glad we bumped into each other.”

  Their eyes locked. It was still there—that familiar tug between them. Her lips parted. He looked at her mouth. She thought he might kiss her.

  Then he refocused, and glanced away staring over her shoulder. “Shit.”

  He moved his bag off his shoulder and clutched it in one hand. A frown darkened his expression. “Sky, it’s not a good time.”

  Annoyed, she wished she hadn’t approached him. She should have stayed on the platform and waited for another train.

  Then she noticed his gaze had locked onto something specific.

  She glanced back and saw a guy elbowing his way through the crowd, hood up, eyes on Rory. Her attention sharpened. Rory was in trouble. Some things never changed. “Something to hide?”

  “You could say that.” He flashed a warning glance and shifted, so he blocked her view of the oncoming guy in the hoodie. “Stay out of it. Act like you don’t know me.”

  Sky was intrigued. “You’re a spy on a mission, right.”

  His mouth lifted at one corner. “Near enough. I’m going to have to jump off at the next stop.” He locked her gaze. “Shame.”

  That single word and the look in his eyes melted her. She didn’t want to say goodbye. Not now. No matter what trouble he was in.

  Sky risked another glance back. The guys approaching him didn’t look like police, and the one in front was a heavyweight, like a nightclub bouncer. A voice in her head warned her to stay out of it. She’d vowed to make it work out in London and that meant keeping her head down and not gravitating to trouble the way she had at home in Cadogan.