Without Warning

by Reese Knightley

  Ryder’s hand dropped to his head and fingers combed gently through his hair.

  “Stalker’s are crazy.” His voice wobbled. “A person is dead because of that bastard. I hope he gets the death penalty.”

  “Not in Colorado he won’t, but he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars,” Ryder assured him.

  It would need to be enough. Burrowing into Ryder’s arms, he relaxed beneath the man’s large palms stroking down his upper back and to his waist and then repeated the motion. They sat like that for a long while.

  He tipped his head back to look up, and when Ryder kissed his lips, his own lingered. He rubbed his lips over the stubble growing along Ryder’s jaw.

  He was madly in love with Ryder and had made the decision to not follow his dad’s last will and testament.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Harrison steeled his nerves and sat up and away from Ryder. He scooted up on the pillows and held the man’s penetrating stare. Harrison searched Ryder’s face.

  “What is it?” A furrow etched between Ryder’s brows.

  “I’m going to give up the money,” he said.

  “What? Why?” Ryder sounded surprised.

  “Because I won’t be forced into marrying.”

  “You don’t want to marry me?” Ryder asked, sounding confused.

  The question was so out of the blue, he froze, gulped, and then words came flying out.

  “What? No. Yes! Of course I do!” He swallowed and gulped again. “Do you want to get married?” With a pounding heart, his voice rose to a higher pitch.

  “To you, I do,” Ryder rumbled with a wink.

  “You do?” He blinked, still struggling to catch up to a conversation that was going much differently than he’d imagined.

  “Yes. See, problem solved.” Ryder smirked.

  “Ryder…No.” He shook his head. “I’m not marrying you to solve a problem.”

  “You love me. You also just said you wanted to marry me.” Ryder’s smirk turned smug.

  A laughing huff escaped him. “I’ll…think about it.” Harrison caved. He wasn’t going to force Ryder. That’s not how their life together should start, he reasoned silently.

  They could just live together forever as far as he was concerned. He wanted more than anything to marry Ryder, but he’d wait for the right moment.

  Ryder frowned and lifted both his hands to his lips. “Let me put it this way. Can you picture spending the rest of your life with me?”

  “You bet your ass I can,” he said, affronted that Ryder would even think he wouldn’t.

  “Well then?” Ryder returned, a bit victorious.

  Harrison chewed his lip, trying not to smile.

  “You’re thinking too hard,” Ryder murmured.

  “But you’ve already married a rich man and didn’t like it,” he wailed.

  “It was to the wrong man, darling,” Ryder drawled, pulling him closer and holding him very gently. “It was to the wrong man,” Ryder said again, whispering it against his temple.

  He gulped and held onto Ryder tightly for several long moments, resting his head against the man’s muscled chest and feeling the strong beat of his heart. Ryder eased him back and Harrison gazed up.

  “So? What do you think?” Ryder pressed him.

  “I want to say yes so badly. But I don’t want to trap you.”

  “Baby, please, please trap me,” Ryder urged. “Please say yes.”

  Excitement raced over him and he flung his arms around Ryder’s neck, wincing but not giving a care. He couldn’t hold back any longer.

  “Yes! Yes! I’ll marry you!”

  “Thank god,” Ryder breathed out and dipped his head.

  Harrison pressed his mouth to Ryder’s lips in a long, lingering kiss that sealed his fate forever.

  Ryder pulled away long enough to tug the bedside drawer open and placed a ring box in his hand. Inside sat a matching set of gold wedding bands.

  “If you don’t like them, we can get something else.”

  “They’re perfect.” He threw his arms around Ryder’s neck and peppered the man’s face with kisses. He loved the identical traditional gold bands with nestled diamonds.

  It was sometime later when Ryder led him out of their bedroom and into the front room.

  “There you guys are.” August jumped up. “I thought you were going to sleep all day,” his best friend complained.

  August had taken up residence in his spare room since the day of the attack. The man announced he’d given up his apartment when in Paris and now needed a place in the interim. Harrison loved having his best friend around, and it wasn’t like August was crowding them. The place was huge. They had the west side and August had the east. They came together in the middle.

  “Good morning.” He smiled when August kissed his cheek and then poked his tongue out at Ryder.

  “Child,” his lover grumbled, but he heard the affection in Ryder’s voice. Everyone loved August. With his bubbly personality and quirky humor, there wasn’t a soul on earth that didn’t like him.

  “I ordered breakfast and it came fifteen minutes ago.” August rushed to the table and started pulling out several massive breakfast burritos.

  Harrison lowered gingerly into a chair while Ryder snatched up napkins and plates for the table.

  Unwrapping one of the burritos, his mouth watered before he could even take a bite. “I’m starving.”

  “I bet you are. You’ve hardly eaten a thing this past week.” Ryder frowned.

  “Don’t start that again,” he said around a mouthful of food. “I don’t get hungry unless I’m burning calories.”

  “Which is code for crazy talk.” Ryder took a huge bite of his wrap.

  August’s giggle was muffled by a bite of food, and Harrison grinned at his friend and slanted a look at Ryder.

  “You burn it just by moving. I mean, look at your muscle mass compared to mine,” he teased his man.

  Ryder snorted and took another bite.

  “Speaking of muscle mass,” August said to Ryder. “Do you have any single hunks at your bodyguard company?”

  Harrison laughed. It hurt, but it felt so good.

  Ryder’s eyes popped wide and he smirked. “There are a few.”

  “Ooooh, do tell?” August paused, holding his food suspended in the air.

  “You’ll meet them at our wedding.”

  “What?” August shouted.

  “Ryder,” Harrison scolded. “I was going to tell him.”

  “Oops,” Ryder said, but didn’t look a bit sorry. Ryder gave that sexy as sin smirk and continued to eat.

  “You brat!” August turned on him.

  “We just decided like five minutes ago!”

  “Well, you should have ran out of the room and told me that second,” August complained in a dramatic voice.

  Harrison laughed, and even Ryder stopped eating long enough to chuckle.

  Ryder

  “Want to take a drive with me?”

  Harrison’s eyes lifted from the laptop before he shoved it away and stood. The swelling had gone down dramatically in his love’s face and his open wounds had become scabbed over. Ryder brought Harrison’s shoes and socks over.

  The smile he adored flashed out and the man stretched his arms high over his head. The t-shirt rode upward, showing off flat abs, and Ryder adjusted himself.

  “Where to?” Harrison inquired.

  “My place. I thought you might like to get out.” After two weeks cooped up in the apartment, even he was going a bit stir crazy.

  “Oh god, would I!” Harrison shoved on his shoes and tied them and lifted a jacket from the closet.

  Ryder chuckled and collected his jacket and gun from the bedroom. Reentering the room, he found Harrison waiting in the living room.

  “Want to go with us?” Harrison asked August, who was dashing out of his room tugging on a jacket.

  “Oh, normally I’d love to, but I have a meeting with a fabric distributor.” August kissed
Harrison’s cheek and dashed out the door.

  “I’m not bringing my laptop,” Harrison said with a grin.

  “You’re not?” Ryder smirked.

  “Nope.” Harrison’s lips pursed.

  Ryder couldn’t resist, he dropped a tender kiss on that pretty mouth and smiled when Harrison wrapped his arms around his neck. Drawing Harrison out of the apartment, he kept an eye on the younger man on the way to the garage. Even though it had been a few weeks, Harrison was far from healed physically. Emotionally, the young man had started seeing a trauma counselor.

  Tucking Harrison into the jeep, they were soon flying down the highway toward Colorado Springs listening to the latest pop music that Harrison loved.

  Pulling into his driveway a little over an hour later, he shut off the engine.

  Harrison carefully stepped out and gaped at his house. “I love it.”

  “Thank you. Felix lives there.” He pointed to the house across the street.

  “He does?” Harrison turned and took in the nice front lawn.

  “Yeah, I think he’s home,” Ryder said and let out a loud whistle.

  Dogs started barking from the backyard and Harrison grinned.

  “He has pets!” Harrison’s face lit up.

  “Technically, they’re Logan’s, but Felix likes to keep two of them around.”

  “Oh yeah? Why?” Harrison looked at him curiously.

  “He’s learning to become an expert in canine search and rescue.” Ryder came up and closed his arms around Harrison’s waist.

  “Hey, you two, come on over,” Felix yelled, stepping out of the front door of the house and onto the front porch. “Brick is here and we’re just about ready to start a barbecue. I think a few more of us are coming.”

  Ryder glanced at Harrison.

  “It sounds fun.” Harrison’s smile was wide.

  “You have enough food?” Ryder called out.

  “Are you kidding? Brick’s here.” Felix laughed at someone over his shoulder.

  “Yeah, let me show Harrison the inside of the house and we’ll grab some chips and be over,” Ryder called back.

  Felix waved and disappeared.

  Ryder linked his fingers with Harrison’s and drew him into the house.

  “Oh wow,” Harrison said. Stepping inside, he went to the front room curtains and pulled them open. “The view is fantastic.”

  “I like it. It’s one of the reasons I bought the place.”

  “Did you move in first or did Felix?”

  “Felix was here first and then he told me about this place. I bought it about a year ago. Almost lost it in the divorce, but my lawyer managed to hang onto it for me.”

  “Oh babe.” Harrison came over and curled his arms around his waist.

  “It’s okay. Everything is settled now. It’s working out perfectly.” He kissed the top of Harrison’s hair and set his cheek to rest against his head.

  Harrison was safe and that was all that mattered. Toby was sitting in jail up on charges of kidnapping and murder. The guy would be spending the rest of his life in prison. The gun Toby had used to kidnap Harrison also matched the bullets pulled from Shelby, the ones retrieved from the bricks of Harrison’s apartment building, and the cabin.

  Thomas would make a full recovery from the blow to the head, but was taking things slowly as ordered by the doctor.

  It was discovered that Sheila had used the large cash withdrawal for her crystal meth addiction, and the two criminals she had paid were her drug dealers. Ryder and Jaxon had words with the men, and Sheila had checked into a drug treatment facility. The woman had stopped harassing Harrison for more money and had even become content with living on the ten grand a month. Once sober, Sheila had sought out Harrison and apologized. His love had forgiven her and invited her to the wedding.

  Felix’s place was loud. Not only was Brick there, but Jaxon and Logan both had driven down from Denver for the day. Hayden showed up, but stayed on the opposite side of the party from Brick.

  “I’m so happy for you,” Jaxon said, tapping his beer bottle against the one in Ryder’s hand.

  Ryder smiled and took a swallow from the cold bottle. “Thanks, man.”

  “I think Hayden likes him too.” Jaxon chuckled at his dark look. “Don’t worry, Harrison can barely take his eyes off of you.”

  Ryder smirked. He wasn’t worried. He’d noticed the same thing and Harrison’s looks made him feel ten feet tall.

  “Hell of a shiner you’ve got there,” Hayden told Harrison and handed him soda.

  “You should see the other guy,” Harrison joked, and the bodyguards laughed.

  “I like him,” Felix said, giving Harrison a wink.

  “So, Duchess is going to have a litter of puppies soon. Would you like one, Harrison?” Logan told Harrison.

  Duchess, hearing her name, trotted over to be petted by Logan.

  “Really?” Harrison’s mouth fell open.

  “Really.” Logan smiled, caressing the black Bull Mastiff’s dark, shiny fur. “You have had a dog before, haven’t you?”

  “No, but my grandfather had a dog.” Harrison gazed down at Duchess and she wagged her tail and pushed her head into his hand. Harrison smiled and stroked her head.

  “See? You’re a natural.”

  Not to be outdone, Duke, the other Bull Mastiff, trotted over and poked his head into Harrison’s hand.

  “Is this the father?” Harrison slid a hand down the big male’s head.

  “No, the father is Echo. He’s not one I bring around parties,” Logan said.

  “What does he do?”

  “Echo is a guard dog,” Logan murmured.

  “That sucker will take off your hand,” Felix muttered.

  “Only if he wants the food you’re holding,” Brick snarked.

  “Came right up to me and took the hamburger bun and all from my hand.” Felix threw up his hands all dramatic like.

  “He was hungry,” Logan grinned.

  “That thing is always hungry,” Jaxon added with a laugh.

  The rest of the group joined in with the laughter.

  “Careful, Harrison. Those things will eat you out of house and home,” Ryder teased.

  “Why don’t you have one, Ryder?” Harrison asked, laughing across the distance.

  “Because I’m never home.”

  “Well, I’m always home.” Harrison’s face was smug.

  Ryder chuckled and lifted his beer bottle. “Touché.”

  “Logan, when is she due?” Harrison asked.

  “In about two weeks.”

  “I’ll take one,” Harrison told Logan and made his way back over to him.

  Ryder slipped his arm around Harrison’s waist and pulled him close.

  “Now I need to come up with a name.”

  “True. Now that I think about it, a big dog might be in your best interest,” he murmured.

  “I’ll have to wait until he grows up to take a bite out of crime,” Harrison snickered. “What will I do until then?”

  “I’ll protect you.” Ryder’s head lowered and he brushed a gentle kiss against Harrison’s lips. “Never worry about that,” he said huskily.

  Harrison slipped his arms up and around his neck and kissed him.

  Ryder smiled down into Harrison’s flushed face when he lifted his head.

  Ryder

  Rubbing sweating palms on a small silk cloth, he tucked it back in his pocket.

  Jaxon slapped him on the back.

  “You look good in a tux, brother.”

  “I’m nervous.”

  “Why? You’ve done this before.”

  “Yeah, but not like this. The other one was a fucking circus. This one is really important to me.”

  “Take a breath,” Roman said from his right. “It’s important because you love Harrison.”

  His dad was right. He hadn’t known what love was until he’d met Harrison. He’d thought he knew with Warren, but he’d been wrong.

  The c
eremony music started and the two men at his side left him and walked through the entry that would take them across a small stage positioned in the front of the room.

  A movement drew Ryder’s gaze to the other side of the stage. August and Uncle Dean stepped out and approached the altar from the opposite side.

  Across the distance, he met and held Harrison’s gaze. His lover looked unbelievably stunning in a black tux with blue trim that matched the color of his eyes.

  Ryder’s own tux was black with a gold trim that Harrison said brought out the honey in his eyes. There wasn’t any honey in his eyes, but he went with it because he’d never disappoint Harrison.

  On cue with the music, they stepped forward and approached each other.

  Harrison’s face was completely healed from the attack three months prior. His beautiful soft-hearted lover was finally safe. And just about to become his husband.

  He looked out over the small, exclusive country club room. Rows of chairs were lined up in the large room filled with family and friends all smiling and watching him cement his life to this man forever.

  Reaching the middle of the altar at the same time as Harrison, Ryder took his love’s outstretched hands and held them firmly.

  They turned toward the local judge, a friend of Harrison’s family.

  “We are gathered here together…”

  The ceremony went by in a blur, and suddenly he was turning to Harrison and sliding the ring on his finger.

  “It’s hard for me to say what you mean to me in words. Just know that I will love you fiercely and completely for the rest of my life,” Ryder spoke.

  Harrison smiled at him with tears in his beautiful blue eyes and slipped the ring up to Ryder’s knuckle.

  “Ryder, I stand here before you and our family and friends to pledge my love. I’ve been waiting for you for what seems like a very long time. I never knew what true happiness was before I met you. My darling, I will love and cherish you forever.” Harrison’s voice was strong and sure.

  Ryder blinked back the sting in his eyes as the band slipped over his knuckle and rested tightly.

  “I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss your man,” the judge declared.

  Ryder dipped his head, sliding his arms around Harrison to pull him close. Harrison slipped his arms up around Ryder’s neck and lifted his face.