Riding Hard (Hell Ryders MC Book 4)

by J. L. Sheppard

  The loud noises, now clear to see, were rotten eggs, rocks, and debris sprawled around her yard, drive, and porch. Some of the rocks had hit her door, others a series of potted plants on her porch she’d purchased yesterday intending to plant that weekend to keep busy and not think about Dodge. Some of the rocks, eggs, and debris struck her windows, cracking yet not shattering two. Thankfully, she’d parked her car in the garage.

  Same cops, same questions, a repeat of just days ago. In a haze, she answered their questions, the weight of her body supported by Dodge. She hadn’t noticed how much until a cry sounded. Dodge nabbed the monitor from his pocket and didn’t waste a minute. Instantly, he released and faced her.

  She nodded. “Go.”

  He left, and the cops continued asking questions. Most she answered half-heartedly and therefore, poorly.

  With the scare and tears, only natural, exhaustion took hold. With Dodge’s arm around her, he’d been supporting her not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Added to that, she now worried about Cullen.

  “Miss Millen, do you realize the severity of the situation? Someone’s after you. We haven’t been able to get ahold of your ex meaning we have no clue who’s doing this. We don’t know what they’re capable of, but we know the acts are escalating.”

  She tore her gaze from the mess of dirt and plants on her porch to Officer Johnson. “Yes.”

  “But you don’t know anyone who could’ve done this?” He asked again a question she’d answered days ago and once earlier.

  “No, I don’t. I don’t think my ex is capable of this. There’s no one in my life that would do this.” She swallowed. “I’m a kindergarten teacher. I don’t party, smoke, or use drugs. I’m not the type of person who makes enemies, and besides, I haven’t been here long.”

  “It’s not necessarily a requirement,” Marks added. “People who do this kinda thing, there’s no telling where you might’ve caught their eye. It may even be someone you don’t know.”

  Johnson took a step toward her. “You’re dating a biker from Hell Ryders Motorcycle Gang—”

  “Ace,” Marks cut him off and looked to her. “We know you’re tired. Maybe, tomorrow you can come to the station.”

  She nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”

  Johnson handed her his card. She still had the one he gave her but didn’t have the energy to tell him. She took it and thanked them. As they left, she stood there and stared at the mess on her lawn, drive, and front porch. She wouldn’t get a chance to clean it until after school tomorrow, which meant the neighbors who hadn’t been woken in the middle of the night would see the house she worked so hard to make into a home vandalized.

  Time to go in and try to get some sleep. What if whoever had vandalized her house came back? What would she do to defend herself? She didn’t even own a bat.

  She turned to face her door, pressed her trembling hands against her stomach, and breathed deep. She needed strength, needed not to be afraid, needed to get some sleep, but she couldn’t move. Her eyes watered. She closed them tightly and swallowed.

  “Lex, babe.”

  Eyes shooting open, her hand flew to her chest.

  Dodge closed the distance between them until he stood in front of her. One of his hands went to her hip. The other grasped her hand. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Not your fault.” She finally met his gaze. “Cul?”

  “He’s up. Had a bad dream. Told him I was with you, just outside. Didn’t tell him why. He wants you to tuck him in.”

  Her eyes widened. “Really?”

  A smile spread across his lips. “That surprises you?”

  “I have to…um…lock—”

  He cupped her cheek. “I’ll take care of it. You go to Cul. He’s waiting for you in the living room.”

  She nodded.

  Dodge released her. She strode across the street and into his house. Inside, Cul rushed her and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him too, and together, they headed into his room. When he lay in bed, she sat on the edge and sang to him softly.

  In no time, he fell asleep. When she stood and turned, Dodge waited for her by the door. She walked to him. He moved making way for her to stride out. Then he closed Cul’s door, grabbed her hand, and led her into his room.

  She took off her robe and climbed into bed. She didn’t have to ask him to stay. He got into bed, rolled to his side, and faced her. When she turned to him, his arm went around her waist, hauling her close.

  He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Your phone’s in the living room.”

  Her phone? She couldn’t remember giving it to him.

  Staring at the corded muscles in his neck, she mumbled, “Thanks.” Then her mind drifted thinking too much, about it all. Helplessly, tears rushed her. Fighting them, she swallowed. “Can’t do this anymore. I’m not strong enough.”

  His finger went under her chin, lifting it until her eyes hit his. “Yeah, you are, Lex. You don’t need a hero. You’re your own hero.”

  She had told him that. Now, it seemed so long ago.

  Truth was she wasn’t, not then, not now.

  She’d spent her life savings on a house, moved away from her sister and friends for this dream, and someone wanted to ruin it. She didn’t know what to do, how to make it stop, or where to go.

  Who would want to hurt her this way? What could she have possibly done to deserve this?

  One thing she knew, she couldn’t fight this on her own.

  “Right now, I’m not. Right now, I need to be saved.”

  A soft smile spread across his face. “I’ll save you.”

  “You can’t. You have Cul.”

  No truer words. His number one priority was keeping Cullen safe. No matter what Officer Johnson implied, whoever was terrorizing her was after her. It had nothing to do with the club. If something happened to Cul because of her…

  The breath froze in the back of her throat. Her hands went to his chest. She pushed, sat up, and turned. “I shouldn’t—”

  He snaked his arm around her waist and hauled her until he’d pressed her back against his chest. Then he buried his face in the crook of her neck. “You’re right where you need to be.”

  “Being here will put you both—”

  “You gotta trust me when I say nothing’s gonna happen to Cul. Nothing’s gonna happen to me, and nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

  She looked over her shoulder. “If that’s what you really think, then you’re in denial. My house was vandalized twice in a week. The calls are coming more frequently too. I’m…”

  She didn’t think she had to say what he could clearly see.

  He released a breath then relaxed. “You don’t gotta be scared. I’m here. I’ll keep you safe. You let me, I’ll get the club to find out who’s doing this, and we’ll make them stop. No one’ll ever hurt you again, Lex.”

  The day after he broke into her house to fix her back door, he’d showed on her doorstep and asked to borrow her key so one of his brothers could install an alarm system. She’d not only vehemently refused, she’d also told him if he cared about her at all, he’d promise to stay out of her life and keep the club out of her business too. He had promised, but she knew it’d cost him by the torn and ravished look on his face. In all honesty, she didn’t think the club could help her anyway so it didn’t matter, but she’d made him promise because she needed him to keep his distance. She feared if he didn’t, she’d lose her will and take him back.

  “What?”

  He dropped his head and pressed a kiss to her shoulder blade. “It’s late. We should sleep.”

  He didn’t explain, but he had a point. She was dead on her feet. The past several nights she’d barely slept so afraid of every sound, even the smallest waking her. Tonight, she should take advantage. With Dodge, she’d sleep soundlessly.

  She did just that.

  ****

  Warmth, so much of it, Lex didn’t want to move. She burrowed in to that heat. Ski
n against her chest, arms, legs, and cheek, she parted her eyes.

  A broad, muscular back…Dodge’s. She was cuddled against his back, her arm tight around his waist, one of her legs tangled between his.

  Darn it. She should’ve kept her eyes shut, should’ve pretended to sleep so she could enjoy him a little longer, enjoy the fact that she slept soundlessly for the first time in days. Now, she couldn’t stay in bed, couldn’t forget why she needed to pull away, couldn’t ignore what happened last night, couldn’t overlook she made another mistake, the same she’d made days ago.

  She promised she’d cut all contact, promised she’d figure out her predicament all on her own, and promised she wouldn’t go running back to him because she was scared.

  What had she done?

  Just. That.

  Granted, he’d gone to her, as expected considering someone had vandalized her house in the middle of the night. But she ended up in bed with him, tucked tightly against his back, so it seemed her unconscious mind didn’t keep promises either.

  Only one thing to do—get away.

  Ever so slowly, she shifted backward and managed an inch before he grasped the arm she had circling his waist. A moment later, he flipped to face her and hooked his arm around her back.

  He grinned. “Morning, Lex. How’d you sleep?”

  She swallowed. “We should talk—”

  His smile faded, his eyes narrowed before he repeated, “How’d you sleep, Lex?”

  “I know it’s my fault, but—”

  “How. Did. You. Sleep?”

  She hesitated before finally saying, “Fine.”

  “That’s a lie, Lex. You slept like a baby. Didn’t move all night except when I pulled away. I pulled away ’cause I figured you’d wake and pull the same shit on me, and when I pulled away, you came to me. Even dead asleep, you came to me.”

  She dropped her chin, losing hold of his eyes. “Fine. I slept great. It doesn’t change—”

  He trailed his hand up her spine and grabbed the back of her neck. His thumb resting on her jaw, he angled her head, forcing her to look at him. “I’ve been patient. Two weeks, I’ve waited for you. You’re more stubborn than I thought and you’re not gonna let this go, so I’m gonna be just as stubborn.”

  This didn’t sound good.

  “You say we’re done. I say we’re not. Last night, again, you showed me we aren’t over, so we are not done, nowhere near it.”

  She swallowed. “Dodge, we are.”

  He leaned in to her. “We’re not.”

  She attempted to tilt back, but his arm slipped from the back of her neck to her waist. “Let me go.”

  His jaw hardened. “Say we’re together.”

  Her eyes widened. “I can’t say that because we are not.”

  “We are, babe.”

  “We aren’t anything, Dave.”

  “We are everything.”

  Her chest seized wanting that to be true, hating it wasn’t. She ignored the ache as best she could. “We are not.”

  “We are.”

  Planting her hands on his chest, she shoved.

  His arm tightened around her. He didn’t speak, just kept staring at her. His deep, dark, beautiful eyes burning her, owning her, searing her.

  Her pulse raced, mind blanked. She shut her eyes and forced herself to focus. “You can’t make me change my mind.”

  “I can and I will. I’ll keep you in this bed just like this all fuckin’ day, all night, forever until you admit I mean something to you, that we mean something to you.”

  She cracked her eyes open. “Of course, you and Cullen mean something to me—”

  “Not ‘we’ me and Cul, babe, ‘we’ me and you. What we have, you want, but you’re scared I’m gonna hurt you again, so you’re not giving me a chance. That’s bullshit and cowardly and you, Lex, are no coward.”

  No use in arguing when he was absolutely right about one thing. With the other, he was dead wrong.

  Eyes filling with tears, her voice wavered. “I am a coward. I sat in bed last night shaking while some jerk vandalized my house. I couldn’t move. I forgot where I put my phone, and it was right next to m-me.”

  In that instant, his face and eyes softened. He slid his hand up and down her back soothingly. “You aren’t a coward, Lex. You got every right to be scared, and I already told you I won’t let anything happen to you. I’m gonna take care of you.”

  “You’ll just be putting yourself and Cul in danger.”

  “Babe, please, listen to me. I got this.”

  She believed him, but she couldn’t let him handle anything for her. It’d just encourage him.

  She shook her head. “Don’t—”

  “I’m gonna handle this, then we can move on, ’kay?”

  God, this again?

  She gritted her teeth. “We are not together—”

  The fire in his eyes came again. With the arm around her, he squeezed her. “We are.”

  “Are not.”

  His jaw clenched. “We. Are.”

  They’d go on forever, she knew. In sheer exasperation and since she had to get to work, she expelled a breath. “Fine. We’re together. We’re one of those couples who never have sex.”

  He scoffed. “That’ll make two for two.”

  She quirked a brow.

  “Before you, it’d been years since I got laid.”

  Why?

  He leaned in to her, lips grazing hers. “Years. I can hold out. As long as you’re not seeing anyone else, fuckin’ anyone else, I’m good. When it’s not working for me anymore, I’ll let you know and we’ll both go our separate ways. But for now, you said it. You can’t take it back. We’re together. You’re mine. You don’t flirt, don’t date. You’re taken.” His stare shot to her mouth as he raked his thumb against her bottom lip.

  Gaze scanning his handsome face, she shook her head. “Wait, what do you mean you hadn’t had sex for years before me? You were married. You are married.”

  His stare shot back to hers. “Separated for more than a year now, Lex, and the two and a half years we were married and not separated, we never had sex.”

  Again, what? Why?

  “W-why didn’t you…”

  “Speak up, babe.”

  God, he could be a jerk!

  “Why didn’t you just cheat?”

  His eyes widened then narrowed. “’Cause I was married and I took a vow. I didn’t love her, but I respected her as the mother of my kid. I wouldn’t cheat on the mother of my kid, no matter how big a bitch she is. Besides, she’s a horrible mother. I knew eventually it’d end, and I couldn’t give her ammunition to take my kid.”

  That made perfect sense. Her thoughts drifted back to what he said before. He was fine with not having sex with her as long as she wasn’t with anyone else. So he’d have her any way he could get her?

  Her stomach knotted, an uneasy feeling settling in her gut. “You’re okay with being in a relationship with me and not having sex?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Her chest warmed. She shut her eyes fighting to ignore it.

  “And Lex, you know what this means, right?”

  She snapped open her eyes. “What?”

  “It means we’re a couple, a real couple, so that promise you made me make you—that I stay out of your life—is null and void. I handle shit for you. I take care of you. We do shit every other couple does like before. You come over. I go over there. We go out on dates. We may not have sex, but you’re mine in every other way. Everyone will know you belong to me.”

  Not a good idea. She’d never get over him, just fall deeper, but she didn’t have another choice. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. Then he let her go, turned, threw his feet over the edge of the bed, and stood.

  “Does this mean you’re not going to be with anyone else either?”

  He stilled.

  She hadn’t meant to ask, wasn’t thinking
straight, and it slipped, proving how much she cared.

  Finally, he faced her and smiled. “Didn’t cheat on my kid’s mother. Some could say she had it coming, so there’s no way I’d cheat on you, Lex.”

  Relief swept through her. She didn’t move though. Still thinking about what he said and what it meant, she couldn’t.

  “Need me to get you a change of clothes?”

  She sat up in bed. “What?”

  “You didn’t bring any clothes last night. Do you need me to run over and grab you some?”

  Would he? Seriously? Just so she wouldn’t have to walk across the street in her robe? So thoughtful.

  “Um, I… Do you mind?”

  He smiled. He had a great smile, one of the things she missed the most. “I’m asking you means I don’t mind.”

  She smiled too. “You wouldn’t know what to get.”

  “Makeup, clothes, a thong and bra, shoes, what else?”

  She laughed, the first time in too long. “Okay. I’ll make it easier for you.” She made him a list with instructions where to find each item.

  While he went across the street, she got out of bed and made coffee.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lex caught Cullen’s gaze from across the hall and smiled. He grinned, released Allie’s hand, and rushed her dodging people as he did. A moment later, his small body slammed in to hers. She’d prepared for the impact but still had to take a step back to steady herself.

  His arms around her, hers around him, he looked up.

  “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”

  A beautiful smile lit his face. “Lex.”

  Dodge texted her earlier that day and told her he had to work late then asked if she wanted to “chill with Cul.” His words, not hers. She needed to clean her yard desperately, but she wouldn’t pass up a chance to spend time with Cullen. Her yard would have to wait. No hiding the vandalism, so what was a couple of hours more?

  She spent the day purposefully thinking about the vandalism to avoid thinking about the fact that she and Dodge were a couple again. The way it’d played out made her feel like an idiot. Though in her defense, never in a million years had she thought a man, a tough biker especially, would agree to be in a relationship with a woman and not get rewarded for it, the reward being sex. She tried to trick him, but he agreed without the slightest hesitation, and it made her rethink everything.