With a groan, he took his mouth from hers. “The neighbors are going to talk, baby.”
Grabbing his shirt in both hands, she kept him close and grinned up at him. “If our friends weren’t watching, I’d give the neighbors a hardcore show.”
“Don’t let those fuckers stop you,” he said, skimming his hands down to cup her breasts. Inhaling hard, his gaze dropped to her cleavage. “Man, you can distract me from anything… You’re teasing me, Trink.”
She understood what he meant. They should be talking about their plan. Instead, they were stroking each other in her parents’ backyard.
“The problem is all those people in our bedroom. You know they’re the only thing standing between you and sex right now.”
“Damn those bastards, I never liked any of them.” Seizing her hand, he dragged her toward the house. “Let’s get rid of ‘em.”
Trust Ryske to turn her mood around and get her confidence back on track. He took her through the kitchen and back up the stairs, where they found Maze doing as she’d asked. Except Anwen wasn’t in the room.
Ryske was about to interrupt when Harlow put a hand to his mouth and pulled him over to sit on the bed again. “Okay,” she said. “I’m sorry. We’re ready now.”
Penzance glanced at an imaginary watch. “That was like five minutes, dude. That’s all she gets after putting up with Ophelia for a month and a half?”
Harlow gasped and flipped over to look at Ryske who was startled enough by her sudden move that he forgot about the snickering Penzance and Maze.
“The club is yours,” Harlow said, only just remembering that she had to tell him. “Lydia told me. It’s official.”
“Ours, Peach Pit,” he said, drawing a fingertip down the perimeter of her face. After gazing at her with love for a minute, he looked past her to Dover who was still sitting in the window. “Hey, we have an empire now.”
Dover smiled at that declaration. Maze and Noon laughed.
Harlow started to wonder about Anwen. “Where’s Anwen?”
“Restroom,” Penzance said. “She went just before you came back.”
Seeing a chance, Harlow pushed Ryske onto his back and threw her body across his lap so she could fumble under the bed.
“Mm,” Ryske said, sliding a hand up her skirt to fondle her ass. “I’m appreciating this too much with so many guys in the room.”
She didn’t find what she was looking for and suddenly recalled moving it before dinner. Clambering over Ryske to get off the bed, she ran into the closet.
“Hey! I’ll stop enjoying it. Come back,” Ryske called.
Penzance laughed. She could still hear them while she grabbed her gym bag and unzipped it to search inside.
“Maybe she wants you to follow.”
“Maybe,” Ryske said like he might be interested. That was no surprise, he was always interested. “We’ve never done it in that closet.”
“But you’ve done it in others?” Penzance asked, a snicker in his voice.
“Oh, yeah,” Ryske bragged.
Harlow located what she was looking for and left the closet. Leaving the door open, she turned off the light.
“Catch,” she said, tossing the velvet box to Ryske between Penzance and Maze who still sat in the bottom corners of the bed.
“What’s…” Sitting up as he popped it open, the sight of the ring made Ryske frown then sigh. “Man, you move fast,” he said. “You know I’ll say yes, but no finesse? Where’s the romance?”
She folded her arms and leaned on the closet doorframe. “I’m not proposing to you.”
“Maybe someone proposed to her,” Noon said like he’d just answered a question on a game show.
It was hilarious to see how her exuberant friend’s exclamation erased Ryske’s amusement. His frown shot from Noon to her.
“Who? I’ll rip out his fucking tongue.”
“You think it’s unbelievable?” she asked.
He straightened up and tossed the ring to Dover for his inspection. “That some bastard would want to take me on for you? Who the fuck thinks they can take you from me?”
“Would you relax and stop shouting,” she said, pushing away from the closet doorframe to cross to him.
Worried that Anwen could come back any minute, Harlow put her hands on his thighs and climbed onto the bed, crawling up higher on him until she straddled his hips. He slouched against the headboard, letting his hands creep under her skirt, around to her ass. Taking off her pointed ring to prevent injury, she tossed it on the nightstand before picking up the hem of his shirt to pull it off over his head.
“Whoa, okay, what’s happening now?” Penzance asked.
Flattening her hands on Ryske’s chest, Harlow slithered down to press her mouth against his tattoo. Scratching her nail around the edge of his ink, she blinked up to meet Ryske’s gaze. Once upon a time, she had asserted that her mouth would never be on his body. He must have been thinking the same thing. His wink betrayed his swagger.
“It’s Anwen’s,” Dover said.
Harlow sat up on Ryske’s legs, letting her nails trail to his abs as she twisted to look at the window seat. “Yeah, it was in the safe deposit box,” she said. “I didn’t know how she’d feel about us returning it to her. Hagan didn’t say what he wanted us to do with it… So I thought I’d leave it to Ryske.”
“That’s the best idea,” Dover said and tossed it back to Ryske who caught it with one hand.
“If Ryske pulls out a little velvet box, Anwen’s going to think he’s proposing to her,” Maze said.
“Wait a second,” Ryske said. “Someone has to catch me up, what the hell are we talking about?”
The bedroom door opened. Anwen came back in, drawing everyone’s attention. Harlow felt a pang of guilt when she noticed the woman’s bloodshot eyes. She’d been crying.
“I explained it while you weren’t here,” Maze said to Ryske. “The safe deposit box was set up by Hagan. He left Harlow a message.”
Figuring Anwen’s tears weren’t caused by her behavior, Harlow offered the woman a smile. “Why don’t you sit down while we get Ryske up to speed?”
34
For over an hour, Harlow and Maze relayed everything that had happened. She explained the safe deposit box and what was in it. Maze did the majority of the talking about the Hagan video given that he was the only other one who had seen it.
Maze was supportive, though he did repeat his concerns about her backup plan. Harlow justified why it was necessary. When they were all argued out, a silence descended over the room.
Sitting between Ryske’s legs, Harlow curled against him, resting her head on his diaphragm, folding her hands under her cheek. She squeezed one of her legs under his to coil both legs around one of his.
“Okay, we know what we have to do,” Ryske said.
Maze made a sound of shock. “You’re just going to accept that? She said she’d hand herself in while you go shack up with your obsessive stalker. Do you want to play house with the Hagan Hag?”
Ryske began to stroke her hair like he was some evil Bond villain and she was his pet. “That’s not what she said, Mr. Rowe. She said we follow the plan and if we fuck up, that’s our fallback. I don’t think we’re going to fuck up. I think the idea that if we do, we’ll be sending Nightingale back to hell is incentive enough.”
“Ryske—”
“This plan hinges on what? A group of people who are already suspicious of each other turning on someone they’re suspicious of. We worked hard to convince the consortium that Jarvis Hagan was crazy, I don’t think it will take much to convince them his sister is the same. They’ve seen her behavior. Besides, we hold all the cards and don’t need her anymore. We don’t need her property because it’s mine. We don’t need her for supplies, that’s Parratt and Yarker’s side of the deal. Svetlana has the girls under control. Why do we need her?”
“Because she could sing,” Dover said.
“Yeah,” Ryske said. “But if we con
vince the others to threaten to gang up against her, would she take the risk?”
Harlow was listening but rolled over, so she was in the same position on her other side with her back to the window. “I’m not being rude, guys,” she called out and began to run her fingernails around Ryske’s lower tattoo. “I’m still listening.”
Ryske kept stroking her while she scratched her nails on him. Her caress was light, enough to torment him, but not enough to hurt.
“This plan hinges on you hacking Parratt’s wife,” Ryske said, she guessed to Maze.
Curled up with her back to the majority of the room, Harlow didn’t see them look at each other.
“Yeah,” Maze said.
“I have faith you’ll find something useful that we can use to blackmail the fucker. But if you don’t…” Ryske sighed. “I’ll get it from her myself.”
“When?” Noon asked. “The meet is tomorrow night at the club.”
“Late at the club,” Ryske said. “I’ll have to see Yarker anyway, so I’ll go back to the city early.”
Harlow kept tracing her fingernails over him, but curled a little tighter.
“You mean you’ll seduce it out of her,” Anwen said. “Don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“No,” Maze said. “You can’t fucking do that.”
“After all you and Nightingale just went through,” Noon said. “You want to do that to her?”
“You can’t, man,” Dover said.
Nice as it was to have their crew defend their relationship, Harlow felt a ripple of tension go through Ryske. Their crew’s words were getting under his skin. Her suspicion was confirmed by his sour tone.
“Let Harlow and me worry about Harlow and me. She wants to comment on us, make demands, I’ll take my medicine from her… but only from her.”
Stilling her hand, she laid it on him and tried to be discreet about kissing his torso.
“She’s one of us,” Noon said. “You can’t screw her around anymore… you’ll break her.”
Despite being more comfortable in her current position than she had been for weeks, Harlow made herself sit up. She turned to face the rest of the team, still seated between Ryske’s legs.
“I guess chilling out with my man gave you all some warped view,” she said. If she was going to need one thing from them tomorrow night when this was all going down, it was going to be their faith. Harlow couldn’t have them believing she was some weak, artless lamb who needed to be watched or saved. “If Ryske steps over a line I don’t like, I’ll open my mouth and tell him.” She was vehement and held her frown. “You all want to protect me and I appreciate that. But if there’s one person in the world I don’t need to be protected from, it’s this one.”
Scanning her crew, she let her hand drift down from Ryske’s throat to his navel. When it stopped, he picked it up in both of his to kiss her fingers.
“I’ll do it,” Penzance said, surprising everyone. But he shrugged and looked at her. “If your buddy here strikes out…” he gave Maze’s chest a friendly smack. “I’ll seduce Parratt’s old lady.”
“You think you can do that?” Dover asked. “In less than a day?”
“I know I can,” Penzance said to Dover, but he was only interested in her.
It could be his audition for a place on the team. Throwing his hat in the ring was his way of telling her he liked this. Vane was accepting the hand of friendship she’d offered when asking him to come home.
“Okay,” she said, nodding slowly. “If Maze strikes out, you’re up at bat next.”
“Baby—”
“You…” Harlow said, flipping her attention a hundred and eighty degrees to pat Ryske’s chest. “Have to focus on convincing Yarker that Ophelia is bad news.”
“How do you want him to do that?” Noon asked.
“In the way he does, make the man feel inferior. Maybe Ryske can hint that Ophelia has mocked Yarker’s sexual prowess or his naivety. Ryske knows what he’s doing. He can make Yarker turn on a woman who’s already declared a deeper interest in another man. Shouldn’t be that difficult.”
“Thanks,” Ryske muttered, probably still peeved that she’d taken the other job off his card.
She stroked him some more and swayed over to give him a quick kiss before addressing the others.
Harlow pointed at Dover. “You need to grab the doc for us. I want him close by in case anything goes down. Make sure he’s supplied with whatever medical stuff he needs. I might need muscle on hand too, so you should stick close.” Dover offered a two fingered salute and she turned to Noon. “You’re going to have your work cut out for you. Everyone needs to be somewhere tomorrow. You’ll have to work out the schedule because I want you on lookout watching everyone’s back.”
Noon nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Twisting more, she waved a finger between Maze and Penzance. “I need both of you in the field with us tomorrow night. Hang back, but, you know, just in case.”
“What are you going to do?” Dover asked.
“We’ll have to take the doctor to look at Ophelia’s notes. I’ll have to talk to Lydia too. She’s sympathetic. She’ll hear me.”
“What can I do?” Anwen asked.
Everyone looked at her and then their gazes swung around to Harlow. “Agree to testify if it comes to it. I don’t know that it will, but when the moment comes that everyone declares their loyalties, you’ve known Ophelia the longest… You can corroborate what’s in those files and what Jarvis thought of his sister.”
“Of course I’ll stand with you guys. But there must be something useful I can do. Something I can do tomorrow.”
If Harlow trusted Anwen, she’d send the woman to Ophelia to coax out a confession. But trust wasn’t the only reason Harlow hesitated. Sending anyone to Ophelia would be dangerous. Ophelia was on the edge and that made her more volatile. Trust or not, Harlow didn’t want Anwen to be hurt on a mission for the Floyd’s crew.
“Let me think on it,” Harlow said.
Anwen didn’t hide her dejection. Maybe Ryske saw it too. If he did, he didn’t say anything.
Her love slapped a hand to his thigh. “Okay, I think everyone needs to get some rest so we’re on form tomorrow night… There are two guest rooms, a pull out in the den and I’ll speak to Jean about letting someone sleep in the living room.”
“We could go to the hotel,” Dover said as everyone began to move. “There’s a hotel around here.”
Maze spoke up. “With Ophelia on the war path and determined to hurt Nightingale…”
“And her family,” Penzance said.
“I think it’s best to have a show of force here, just in case,” Maze said.
“There’s a cot in the closet of the big guest room,” Harlow said, shimmying to the edge of the bed to stand up. “I’ll get it.”
Ryske put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back down. “We’ll find it. You aren’t leaving this bed.” He didn’t give her any opportunity to argue. Spinning around, he addressed their crew. “Anwen you take the small guest room. Zance, Maze, you take the big one, with the bed and the cot you’ll be fine.” He turned a few degrees to point at Dover. “You’re on the pull out in the den. Noon’s on the couch.”
“Why am I on the couch?” Noon whined.
“Because it’s at the front of the house. You can listen for hostiles approaching,” Dover said, slapping his hands onto Noon’s shoulders from behind. “You’re always look out.”
“Where are you gonna sleep, Ryske?” Penzance asked, mischief dancing around him.
Harlow grinned. “Yeah! Oh my God, that’s a good point. Where are you going to sleep, Ryske?” She’d flattened her grin by the time he turned to look at her. Playing dumb, she tapped a finger on her lip. “Hmm, that’s a hard one.”
Swatting her hand aside, he grabbed her chin. Thrusting her head back as he bent down to get in her face, Ryske wasn’t playing. “Take off your clothes and get in that bed. I’ll be back to give you th
e hardest one of your life.”
Penzance was laughing as he opened the door. “Three nights, three different guys,” he said. “You’ve got skills, Sweeting.”
He sauntered out and the others followed.
Ryske gave her a short kiss. “Stay here and don’t fall asleep.”
“What if I do?” she asked, trying to keep a straight face. “What if I just pass out?”
“Then I reserve my given right to take advantage of you anyway.”
It had been him who’d given the open ended invite for her to take advantage of him any time he passed out. Still, Harlow didn’t argue, she just pushed up to nuzzle her mouth on his.
“Hurry back, Crash.”
She hummed a sound of pleasure and let her expression relax. The weight of her head sank into the cradle of his hand that was still wrapped around her chin.
He kissed her again and spoke on her lips. “You fucking little tease.”
Letting her go, he spun around and stalked out, closing the bedroom door. He’d get their friends settled and then he’d be back.
Harlow stripped off and got into bed. If this was her last night on Earth, spending it naked with Ryske was her fantasy come to life. For so long they’d missed each other. They didn’t have to miss each other anymore.
35
Lying on her side, beneath the covers, Harlow kept her eyes closed even after the bedroom door opened and closed. She’d listened to the mumbles of good humor and laughter outside her room as everyone moved around getting set up for bed.
The sounds had died down, suggesting the gang had been shown to where they were supposed to be. Though she could still hear some movement in other areas of the house, her focus was listening to the man getting undressed in proximity to her bed.
“You want to know how I know you’re faking?” Ryske asked. Harlow did her best not to react. “You’re not smiling. You always smile when you sleep with me.” The covers rose and the mattress moved as he slid closer. “Guess she wants me to take advantage…”
Go Full Circle (A Go Novel Book 5) Page 27