Tilting her head, she waited for Ryske’s growl. He shoved away, thrusting Clyde against the wall.
Her man grabbed her shoulders to haul her forward. “Get away from him,” Ryske said.
“You know there’s nothing between us,” she said, stroking his chest and letting him put an arm around her to guide her back to the bed.
Almost a minute after she was back in bed, while Ryske was tucking the covers around her hips, the door opened.
Bale ran in with a nurse. He took in the scene, saw she was okay, relaxed, and spoke to the nurse. “False alarm.” The nurse slipped out. “I’m tempted to sedate you again, Sweeting.”
Bale eyed Ophelia and the panting Clyde who was still flat against the wall. The doc only spared Rupert a brief glance. He came over and tried to push Ryske aside, but her man wasn’t for budging.
“He’s having a moment,” she said, patting Ryske’s arm.
Bale didn’t ask anything else. He went around the bed to where Rupert was standing and started to reconnect her to everything.
“When you were sedated, you weren’t such a difficult patient,” Bale said and nodded toward his brother. “I thought he was bad.”
Tension radiated from Ryske with such intensity, it almost had mass.
Leaning forward, she took his hand, knowing it was her responsibility to loosen him up. “If my doctor sedates me, will you take advantage of me?”
It took a minute for Ryske to even blink. The various sounds of horror that came from Rupert, Clyde, and Ophelia broke through to him.
“Damn right I will,” Ryske said, sinking down to sit on the bed again, shoving her across it to give himself more space.
“Ryske, I would like to speak to you,” Ophelia said, probably assuming that she was asserting herself. “Alone.”
Harlow was getting tired and slid down in her bed, pulling her covers higher. “I want you to get the fuck out and never come back,” Ryske said. “Only one of us will get our way.”
“I think the patient needs to sleep now,” Bale said, always trying to find the calmest way out of a fraught situation.
Grateful for the doctor’s suggestion, she relied on his support. “I do,” Harlow said, searching for Ryske’s hand to bring his palm up to her face so she could embrace it.
“I’m going to find your parents,” Rupert said. “We’ll come back in the morning.”
Harlow’s eyes were closed. Ryske growled when Rupert’s lips met her head, so she held him tighter.
“Thank you for coming,” she whispered and assumed that Rupert left.
“I’m going to go too,” Clyde said. “I just wanted to check you were okay.”
Her friend didn’t come near her. That was no surprise given how Ryske reacted when Clyde had tried to stand up for himself. When she was out of the hospital, she’d make a point of reconnecting with Clyde who she’d valued so much in her lowest times.
“Everyone else is getting the hint,” Ryske said, probably talking to Ophelia.
“I’ll wait and walk you out.” Ophelia said.
Ryske scoffed and stroked Harlow’s hair with the hand she wasn’t embracing. “You’ll be waiting a while. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You can’t stay here forever.”
“Only until my girl leaves,” Ryske said.
Harlow heard a sound like boots hitting the floor and then he took his hand away. Her whimper of disappointment was answered by him changing position to lie down to gather her against him.
“You’re not being reasonable,” Ophelia said. “She stole from me… from us.”
“If I look like I give a fuck, I’m a better actor than I gave myself credit for,” Ryske said. “Fuck off, Fi.”
“I’ll walk you out, Miss Hagan,” Bale said, again, doing what needed to be done to protect his brother from acting in a way he might regret.
There was movement and then the sound of a curtain being pulled on a rail. She had a vague recollection of there being one against the wall, so Harlow assumed Bale had drawn it around the bed. A door closed and then there was silence.
“Are we alone?” she murmured, afraid she wouldn’t be able to stay awake for much longer.
“Yeah, baby,” Ryske said, gathering her hair away from her face. “Go to sleep.”
“Promise you’ll stay.”
“I promise.”
With a smile on her lips, she relaxed. There had been a time when he wouldn’t have made that promise. Offering any kind of promise had been against his rules when they’d met. Back then, neither of them had known that they would become so intrinsic in each other’s lives. After all they’d been through, Harlow couldn’t imagine her life being any other way.
4
The hospital was horrible.
Harlow decided that she never wanted to spend another night in hospital if she could help it. The food was bad. The smells were bad. The noises were awful. The only time she enjoyed herself was while Ryske held her in her sleep.
So many chest x-rays had been taken of her that Harlow was sure the radiation exposure was making her glow. In spite of repeated signs that she was okay, Bale insisted on keeping her until Saturday. His resolve seemed stupid given that she was going back to his apartment. She’d literally be living with a doctor; it wasn’t like she could die while under his care.
Ryske had been at the hospital throughout her stay. No one had confirmed it, but Harlow was sure he hadn’t left since she’d got there. Even though he’d showered, had a change of clothes, and brought her food from the outside, he didn’t need to leave to get any of those things. The guys were on call to bring them whatever they needed.
When Saturday came and Bale discharged her, Harlow was as relieved as she’d been the night her ankle monitor was removed. Noon was there to take her and Ryske back to where everyone was staying: Bale’s.
Going inside, she took a minute to observe their refugee camp. The TV was emitting a din. There were things everywhere, strewn across any empty space on the floor. The apartment seemed so much smaller. The couch had been pulled out into a full-size bed, and there were two air beds on the floor as well.
“Hey!” Maze said, leaping out of the armchair to dump his laptop on the pull out couch where Anwen was sitting.
Grabbing her away from Ryske, he hugged her tight, giving her a chance to see what was lying around. Mostly, it was clothes and boxes, which she guessed came from Floyd’s. The structure had been proven to be sound. Although that was great news, they’d have to wait until the building had dried out to assess the damage.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Harlow,” Anwen said, but didn’t bother to get up from the couch.
With an arm around her, Maze pulled her deeper into the room. “We’re a riot without you, babe.”
“I can see that,” she said, stepping over a sports bag. “We better get home soon or Bale will euthanize all of us… Where is everyone sleeping?”
“We decided to let Bale keep his bedroom when he’s here,” Maze said, guiding her toward the second bedroom. “Anwen slept in there the first night; that was her room when she was here after the attack.” Which wasn’t that long ago. “So, we figure she can sleep there when Bale is on nightshift. I’m on the pull out couch. Noon and Dover are on the airbeds… Though Dover hasn’t been sleeping much.”
That wouldn’t be good for his health, but was no surprise. More stress meant more aggravation. Harlow didn’t want him to burn out. Maze directed her into the second bedroom. It was small, and barely had enough room for a full-size bed and a dresser. Still, it was the tidiest room in the house, which was something.
Ryske kissed the top of her head. “This one’s for you,” he said, going past to dump her bag from the hospital on top of the dresser.
Maze pulled her closer. “You get to pick who you want to bunk in with… We’re taking bets that it won’t be Anwen.”
All of the guys had popped into see her in the hospital the previous day, even Dover, who was more distant th
an she’d ever seen him.
“Yeah,” Ryske said. “And I told you she didn’t have a choice.”
Tipping her head up, she accepted Maze’s kiss on her cheek. “Do you need anything?”
Harlow shook her head. “Ryske said there were some clothes around. I’ll pick through what’s left and find something suitable for tonight, then I’ll have to get washed.”
Maze frowned. “Are you allowed to do that?”
“Wash?”
“No, tonight,” he said. “Are you going to the meet?”
“You’re damn right I am,” she said, slipping off her shoes. “I already fought with Bale today and Ryske. Please don’t make me fight you too.” She opened her arms. “Look at me, I’m capable.”
“You look beautiful,” Maze said, making her smile because she actually looked anything but. His head swung the other way. “We don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“Ryske will be there,” she said, sitting on the bottom corner of the bed. “And it’ll be quick. These things never take long.”
“I already spoke to Noon about waiting outside,” Ryske said. “You should come too, just in case.”
Maze nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Watching Maze admire her was touching. She didn’t often think of him as sentimental, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He smiled and came over to kiss her cheek again.
“Okay, man, she gets it, you’re happy to see her,” Ryske said. “Now fuck off.”
Holding up his hands, Maze backed out of the room and closed the door.
“Be nice to him,” Harlow said. “You’ve been in a bad mood for days. I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”
“You got hurt,” Ryske said. “Do you expect me to be celebrating?”
“It wasn’t a big hurt,” she said, pulling the tie from her hair and trying to work her fingers through the knots. Her hair hadn’t been washed since the blaze and still smelled like a bonfire. “We better have conditioner.”
“Maze hit the grocery store and Dover brought a bunch of stuff from the bathroom at home,” he said. “I’ll go see what’s there.”
Nodding, she didn’t look up when he started for the door, but was grateful when he handed her a towel. At least she didn’t have to go hunting for it.
As she got undressed, Harlow peeked in the dresser to find it was full of her and Ryske’s things. From the smell of it, everything had been laundered… more than once. Good. Going through the clothes and accessories, she picked out what she’d need for that night and then wrapped herself in the towel.
Although Harlow was physically fine, being in a hospital bed, bored, for almost two days, had made her sluggish. She’d pep up once she washed and started moving around again.
Thinking about asking Ryske to make coffee, she slipped out of the bedroom and ducked into the bathroom that was between the two bedrooms. The last thing she expected was the place to be lit by a dozen candles.
“Fire insensitive?” Ryske asked, closing his lighter and slipping it back into his pocket.
Speechless, she wasn’t prepared for romance. “No, it… it’s beautiful.”
Harlow hadn’t known that while she’d been in the bedroom, Ryske had drawn her a bath and taken the time to stand up the candles like he’d watched her do for Anwen.
“I’m not leaving you alone,” he said, backing up to the vanity to slide up onto it.
Getting herself together, she realized they had a limited time window available to take advantage of. “You know what I love about Bale’s apartment?”
“The bathtub?” he asked.
Harlow reached behind her and clicked the lock on the door. “The bathroom door locks,” she said, making him smile. Pulling the comb out of her cleavage, she went to the vanity and tossed it down by the sink. “For the last two days I’ve been thinking about this.”
“Thinking about what?”
Untucking her towel, it dropped to the floor. She slid her hands onto his thighs, giving him some of her weight when she rocked forward.
“Seducing you.”
One side of his mouth curved as he scooped a hand onto each side of her face. “You just did.”
Pulling her forward, he married their mouths, holding her in his firm grip, and angling her to deepen his kiss.
There was no way they’d be able to have a typical relationship, not now. They couldn’t waste time on dinner and movies and playing it coy. Time wasn’t a commodity to be wasted. Each second they had was one closer to the moment they’d lose each other.
Thinking of being without him made Harlow grab for the hem of his shirt. Renewed urgency prompted her to pull it off over his head as fast as she could. His belt was next. In the same moment the buckle hit the floor with a thud, her frenzy took her fingers to the buttons of his fly.
“Baby,” Ryske said, capturing her hands and pressing them flat on his bare chest. “Take your time.”
While he might think it was okay to smirk or tease, Harlow wasn’t in the mood to play. One of the best things about their sex life was the variety. They were just as at home being rough and dirty with each other as they were being tender and slow.
But this moment was unique… to her anyway.
Shaking her head, Harlow pulled her hands out from under his and went back to unfastening his jeans. “I want to make a life with you, Crash,” she said because that was one thing she had to say out loud. “I don’t want to be me and you anymore.” Cradling her head, he slid his thumbs across her cheeks, up and down, just listening. “I want to be us… I’ll always be independent and I know you’re strong-minded. We’ll fight and follow our own paths. But I don’t want a grey area between us anymore.” To say the next part, she had to garner all her courage. When she thought she had it, she swallowed hard. “I want to belong to you, Ryske.”
“That’s all I ever wanted to hear, Trink,” he said. “Doesn’t mean we can’t take our time.”
They were on a clock because they were due at the hotel in less than two hours. She could choose to make her point by being mushy with him, but that was less his style.
“Oh, okay then,” she said, using her grip on his thighs to push herself away.
Turning her back on him, she sashayed to the tub and bent over, sweeping her hand through the water to test the temperature. It was warm enough. Hot, but not too hot. So, Harlow went to the bunch of soaps and bottles at the end of the tub to select what she wanted to use during her soak.
“Where’d you go, Trinket?”
“I’m right here,” she said, putting the conditioner on the end of the tub near a candle.
“We were in the middle of something.”
Twisting around, she spied him over her shoulder. “You said we had all the time in the world,” she pouted and bobbed her head in an innocent nod. “I should take my time and look my best for you.”
5
“Ha, that’s not what I meant,” Ryske said and slid down off the vanity.
Harlow dipped a toe in the water to climb in and just got her footing as he captured her waist. Given that she was standing in the tub, he couldn’t pull too hard. It would be a risky move to wrestle her out of the water.
“Hmm?” she asked, pretending to be oblivious to his frustrated disappointment.
“Come on, baby. Get out of there,” he said. “Seduce me.”
Harlow maintained her innocence. “Will you please pass my comb, honey?” she asked, pointing at the vanity and sinking down, catching the sides of the tub to tip back so she could soak her hair. “I like having my man in the bathroom with me.”
The bathroom was somewhere they’d spent a lot of time. Sometimes the shower stall in Floyd’s was the only place they got a semblance of privacy. Though that in itself was an illusion because there was usually at least one person on the other side of the glass going about their business.
“Come out and let me play with you,” he said, grabbing the comb and slapping it off his thigh.
Sitting up
, the water cascaded from her head. She slid down to grab the conditioner bottle. “I’ll let you skull fuck me if you condition my hair for me first.”
Hunkering down at the side of the tub, Ryske folded his forearms on the edge. “I don’t want to fuck your face, I want to fuck your pussy.”
After tsking at him, Harlow opened her mouth in horror. “Wow,” she said, faking offense. “You’re being all kinds of insulting today.”
“Baby, your language isn’t—”
“It’s not about language, Crash. You’re just being rude.”
“Rude?” he asked. When she sank back to wet her hair again, she noticed his smirk from the corner of her eye. As she sat up, he rose enough to lick a drip from her ear lobe. “Trink, you want me to be rude all over that gorgeous body of yours any damn time I want.”
“I threw myself at you over there and you rejected me. Then, I offer you my mouth, which you’ve enjoyed before, and that wasn’t good enough for you either.”
“Baby, every part of you is good enough for me. The word rejection doesn’t enter my vocabulary with you.” Dipping his hand into the water, he moistened it and then ran it across each of her breasts, fondling his favorite part of her. “Come out and play.”
Hitching her chin, she pulled her shoulders back like she was going to let him play with her. Except it was another tease.
Harlow put his hand back on the side of the tub. “Maybe we should come up with some sex ground rules,” she asked, playing the priss that had once entertained him so much.
“Ground rules?”
“Yes,” she said, pouring conditioner into her hands to begin working it through her hair with the comb. “We’ve never been a couple before. We’ve never discussed a relationship. Everything has always been fluid.”
Doing a bad job of pretending to take her seriously, Ryske pushed out his lower lip and nodded. “Mmm, good point,” he said, sitting on the floor to take off his boots and socks. “Spell it out, baby… Gimme rules.”
Go All In (A Go Novel Book 4) Page 4