by Debra Kayn
As if he had all the time in the world, he trailed his tongue around, over, and flicked her into a puddle of feelings. She reached up and placed her hands on his arms before she could question if he wanted her to touch him.
He pressed his cock between her legs. She prepared for him to enter and instead he rubbed against her. Clutching him with all her limbs, she tried to contain the thrill mounting in her body.
The tug of her nipple, the caress on her pussy, the size of Glen against her. Too much. Too little. Too unpredictable.
She needed him to show her what he expected from her. Simply laying underneath him seemed inadequate for what her body demanded.
Glen raised his head. She looked into his eyes. His arousal was written all over his face. From his brows pulled down in concentration or maybe it was supreme control. Was he holding back?
He rolled off her, taking her with him, and she ended up straddling his hips on top of him. Planting her hands on his chest to keep her balance, she caught his short nod.
This was what he wanted? Her on top?
"Take it when you want it." His hands grasped her thighs at the juncture of her hips.
Oh, boy. She blew out her breath as her pussy spasmed, knowing he could be in her soon. This minute. Now.
She lowered her right hand and wrapped her fingers around his girth never taking her gaze off him. His pupils dilated, and she caught her lower lip between her teeth. Yes, he liked that. She did, too.
Raising up on her knees, she placed the head of his cock at her entrance. Her legs shook at the hint of fullness she'd soon experience. The poignant situation took all her concentration, and she gazed down her body to where their bodies were tottering on joining. She slid down. The pressure, the sight, left her trembling. She gasped, jerking her gaze to Glen and found him watching her. Not his cock. Not her pussy. But her eyes.
As if he reached in and stroked her soul to climax, she quivered, plunging down on him fully.
She couldn't move.
She couldn't think.
She couldn't open her eyes that'd closed at the pleasure.
Glen lifted her by her waist and brought her down again, taking control. She tilted forward and caught herself on his chest. A moan vibrated out of her.
"That's it, Blue," whispered Glen in the back of her subconscious.
She rode him, reaching, panting, searching. Her sensitivity to him, the position he put her in, the desperate need to hold on to the beauty he gave her, she came hard, losing control of her muscles as her insides constricted in pleasure
He brought her upper body down to his chest and groaned in her ear. His cock pulsed bigger, harder, and he held still underneath her as he came. She closed her eyes, drained of any strength.
Glen rubbed her back. She sighed. That's how it all started. With the softest of touches, a soothing scratch, and him finding her sweet spot.
"Hey, what's wrong?" His body hardened underneath her.
She opened her eyes and found her vision blurred. Not aware she cried, she raised her head and tried to put her feelings into words.
Glen kissed her. "Tell me."
She kissed him back. "For the first time, I feel hopeful. Thanks to you."
"It's going to get—" A knock interrupted Glen's reply. He groaned. "Damn. I need to get that. It's Notus."
She slid off him and swallowed hard. His motorcycle club brothers would have answers and an idea on her next step. The desire to see her parents filled her with energy, and she moved off the bed.
"Go ahead and get dressed. Then, come downstairs." He removed the condom, cleaned himself off with the towel he'd used for his shower, and zipped his jeans.
She nodded. The mix of emotions brought back her nausea. With Evan's knowledge that she was still in St. John's, anything could happen.
"Hey?" He stopped in the hallway. "We'll talk about what just happened between us later. Okay?"
"Okay." She pulled the edge of her shirt down over her hips.
He hesitated. "We're good, Blue."
"Yeah, we're good," she whispered, warming inside.
Once alone in the room, she hurried to the bathroom to wash and put on her new clothes. She couldn't lose herself in what happened in the bedroom until she fixed her past.
Chapter 21
The clock on the stove read seven thirty. Glen poured the last of the coffee into a mug and made another pot. He'd planned on feeding Ingrid before Notus showed up, but after the way she reacted to him in bed, he knew she'd finally opened herself up to him and was thinking with a clearer head.
His gut tightened even thinking about how damn sexy she'd been in bed. All innocent on the surface and hiding her wildness for him in the privacy of his bedroom. He wanted her out of her shell and the shit she dealt with behind her. She deserved to embrace life again.
"You okay?" asked Thad.
Glen put the lid on the can of coffee and looked up. "Yeah, fine."
Thad grunted. Glen lifted his mug to his lips, hiding the spasm in his lip. If slipping out of Ingrid's body to answer the God damn door was okay, he was okay.
"Do you need someone to punch some sense into you?" Chuck stepped into the dining room. "You've got a woman upstairs in a world of trouble, and you're walking loose like you've boned her all night."
Glen concentrated on his mug. "I've got things under control."
"She's now under our protection." Wayne crossed his arms. "We don't invite missing persons into our lives."
"She's not missing." Glen whistled low, stopped, and turned around and opened up the cupboard grabbing a bag of sunflowers still in the shell. "She found me."
"You're going to argue details?" Thad chuckled. "Bro, we've seen how you act with her. Her life is going to go back to normal, or at least a new normal. Let her start the process now."
Chuck placed papers on the dining room table. Glen put a handful of sunflowers in his vest pocket and a few in his mouth. The whistling was no longer fun to control. He needed something else to distract him from the spasms in his lip and sunflowers would do the trick.
"Come look at these," said Chuck.
Glen walked around the counter and studied the photo on one paper, ignoring Thad's advice to step away from Ingrid. He knew what he was doing. Ingrid wasn't only a person asking for Notus's help. She belonged to him. He'd fucked her, and he wasn't planning on stepping away.
He tapped the closest piece of paper. "That's him. Evan Kingsley."
Smiling into the camera, the guy looked young, spoiled, and cocky.
Movement out of his peripheral vision grabbed his attention. He stretched out his arm and reached for Ingrid's hand. She hurried over and latched on to him.
He put the paper down. "I poured you a cup of coffee, and there's an oatmeal breakfast bar on the counter beside the mug."
She stepped away from him, opened the wrapper, bit off a section of the bar, and covered her mouth with two fingers and mumbled. "Thank you."
"Are you ready to hear where we're at and what we need to do?" he asked.
She drank from the mug and nodded. "Yes."
Glen looked up at Wayne. "Let's get it done."
Wayne motioned for Chuck. "Go ahead."
"Evan Kingsley lives in an apartment complex in the Piedmont area. We've got an address and number." Chuck picked up another piece of paper. "He's an IT specialist with Romero, a company in Beaverton."
Ingrid watched Chuck without blinking. Glen put his hand on her back and rubbed. She hid her reaction from everyone in the room, including him.
"I went through our records and plugged into past missing person cases and cold cases." Chuck looked at Ingrid. "Nobody under the name of Ingrid Peterson or Heidi Lundin has been reported missing. I went back five years. Now would be a good time to give us a different name or a different spelling..."
"I don't understand that. I am Ingrid Peterson." She inhaled deeply. "My parents didn't report me missing?"
Glen's lip tingled, and he bit down on one
of the sunflower shells. He wanted to remove Ingrid from the room and bring her back after he found out everything. That way he could break the information to her gently. As it was, she had to face some hard truths. Not knowing her previous life, he had no idea if she had a good relationship with her parents or if their lack of interest was a red flag in her story.
"No. I have access to all missing person reports." Chuck cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Let's remember that this is only background information as we build a case, off the record. We haven't talked to your folks or Kingsley or the police. Their side of what happened the last two years could be different than you imagine. You should keep an open-mind."
Ingrid reached over and grabbed on to the thigh of Glen's jeans. "You didn't talk to Steward Kingsley, did you?"
"No." Chuck fingered the stack of papers and pulled another one out. "Wayne watched over your parents' house last night, and Thad parked at the end of the block at Officer Kingsley place."
"We're all here now because Evan Kingsley is at work. He works Tuesday through Saturday, and we verified that he started a half hour ago." Wayne pulled out a chair and sat down. "Before we discuss anything more. I need to tell you I talked to an attorney last night after I left for the stakeout. We've used him before when Notus needed a lawyer. Since he's on retainer with the club, everything I discussed with him is kept private. I discussed with him the statute of limitations for assault and battery, which you've said describe happening two years ago and prior. In Oregon, there's a two-year limit. Do you know the exact day and month of the last time Kingsley put his hands on you?"
Ingrid let go of Glen and rubbed her stomach. "He never touched me."
Glen lifted his hand and cupped the back of her neck. Her clammy skin damp against his fingers. He leaned over and whispered, "It doesn't have to be his hands, Blue. It can be items and furniture he used to hurt you."
"Oh." She moistened her lips. "June second was the last day. I ran away that evening. It was Evan's birthday."
Wayne looked at Glen. "It's mid-July."
Ingrid body trembled. "What does that mean?"
"It means your two years are over and you can't prosecute Evan Kingsley for the damage he's done to you." Wayne widened his feet and grimaced.
"What about personal injury?" asked Glen, his anger growing. "He can't be untouchable for what he's done."
Wayne lifted his hand, silencing Glen. His pulse raced. He understood the ramifications of the club handing out the punishment. Business wouldn't be discussed with outsiders around, including Ingrid.
"I don't understand what all this means." Ingrid crossed her arms and clasped her elbows. "Are you saying he can't be arrested, so my parents are safe?"
Wayne nodded. "That's what I'm saying. It's been too long. Any report you make to the police will not be prosecutable. They can't arrest him, and he will remain free to live his life."
Ingrid backed up and turned around. Glen rubbed a hand over his face. Last night, he knew of the possibility, but Jesus...there had to be something the police could do to nail Kingsley. Ingrid shouldn't have to worry about Evan coming after her or those she loved.
"Ingrid?" He tagged her hip. "We can still take you home. I can be there while you explain to your parents, and offer you protection. There are ways to keep yourself safe. A restraining order—"
"No." She shook her head and turned around. "A restraining order is only a piece of paper, and I don't qualify. The abuse had to have happened within the last one hundred and eighty days. I checked right after I ran away and decided it was best to disappear. The homeless women have told me taking a restraining order doesn't work, and they should know. They've been in my shoes. They tried to get help."
His chest ached for her. He wished like hell he could tell her of another way to get Evan out of her life, but she was right. The abuse had happened too long ago in the eyes of the law.
"I don't know what to do," she whispered. "Evan knows I'm in St. John's, where I work, and probably watched me run across the bar to all of you, and go home with Glen. He could go after my parents because I've made him mad."
"What would you like us to do?" asked Glen.
"I feel like I've made a huge mistake and I can't go back to protecting everyone." Ingrid looked up at him. "My parents have to be told what Evan is capable of, and I'm the only one who can tell them. I can't hide to protect them any longer since Evan knows where I am. I never wanted this to happen."
"Do you think you want to go home, back to your parents?" He lifted her chin to keep her gaze focused on him.
"Yes. I think I need to go back home." She put her hands on his chest. "If I'm there and Evan somehow get inside their house, he'll focus on me, and not my mom and dad. I rather have him hurt or kill me than my parents."
"That's not going to happen," he said.
"I would suggest talking to law enforcement. There could be a way around the requirements to obtain a restraining order that we don't know about." Wayne stood and scooted in the chair. "I know it's a long shot, but you need a legal record of what you've lived through in case anything should happen or Kingsley tries to make contact with you. That report would help you in the eyes of the courts."
Glen brought her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. During her explanation of what she wanted, he'd cracked every single sunflower, and the shells poked irritably against his cheek. "A record is a good idea, Blue."
She nodded against him. "I don't even know how to tell my parents or what they'll think when they see me. They never reported me missing. All this time, hiding, running, telling the police I was someone else, nobody was looking for me. I don't even think Evan was. He found me because we ended up in the same location."
He barely heard the last few words. "Everything will be okay, and if it's not, you can always come back here and stay with me."
"Okay," she whispered. "Stewart is going to hate me when I make a report about his son."
"That's not your worry." He kissed the top of her head. "Right now, you come first, and we're going to take care of you."
In the other room, Wayne talked to Lieutenant Gomez on his cell phone, setting up a meeting. Glen continued holding Ingrid. The motion was started. He wasn't sure when the next time he could hold her would be. But, he'd be by her side.
Chapter 22
Lieutenant Gomez handed over the copy of the statement to Ingrid. Glen stood behind Ingrid, hands on her shoulders, lending his support. To make it more convenient for Gomez, less stressful for Ingrid, and get the complaints recorded immediately, they'd agreed to meet in Wayne's garage.
"You might be interested in a community self-defense class for women." Gomez removed a business card from his front shirt pocket. "It's free."
"Are you joshing me?" Ingrid's back straightened. "I got schooled on Sixth and Broadway, fighting off wandering hands and dodging needles. What are a bunch of women decked out in yoga pants with their gel manicures while wearing Fitbits going to teach me?"
"It's routine information the officers give out, Blue." Glen pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her ribs.
She looked at the card and slipped it into her pocket. "Is that all? Am I done?"
Her attitude had kicked in a few hours ago when he told her to pack her stuff. Not for the first time, he realized her mouth fought back when she was scared. She over-compensated. Every Notus member in the garage and the lieutenant understood what returning to her parents meant for her. There would be hurt feelings on both sides. They'd all grieved in their own way when Ingrid ran away. Only time and unconditional love would bridge the gap.
Lieutenant Gomez dipped his chin. "Call 911 if the police department can be of further service."
Ingrid placed her hand over Glen's. "Thank you. I don't mean to be ungrateful. I'm concerned. Will that report be going to Stew—Officer Kingsley?"
Gomez glanced at Glen. He'd already asked for a favor before he allowed the lieutenant into Wayne's garage.
Ingrid needed time to talk with her parents, assuming they'd give her the support she needed to face Evan's father.
"I can't guarantee he won't learn about the allegations against his son when he gets to the station. But, that's all it is. Your word against his son's opinion. A formal document that doesn't have any prosecution power." Gomez's eyes softened. "Officer Kingsley starts his shift at four o'clock. That's three hours from now, so you have a small window to move forward knowing Officer Kingsley hasn't been informed yet."
"Okay." Ingrid palmed her forehead and inhaled deeply. "Thank you."
Gomez stepped away, spoke with Wayne, and left the garage.
Glen turned Ingrid around and lifted her chin. "Talk to me."
"I don't know what to say." She hooked her thumbs under his belt at his hips. "I don’t know what to tell my parents. I don't know what they're going to think about me. I don't know what Evan told them over the last two years. I don't even know if they'll welcome me back home after knowing I was homeless."
"Sh. Slow down."
"I'm going to shock them, then break their hearts, Glen," she whispered, hyperventilating. "I'm not the same person I was or the girl they raised. Not in looks or personality."
He laid his hand on her chest between her breasts. "Breathe. Big breath."
She closed her eyes and inhaled, exhaling in a rush. "What if they don't believe me?"
"All you can do is tell them the truth. You can't control how other people react." He ran his thumb under her eye, removing the smudge of makeup that Clara had given Ingrid earlier when they'd arrived to prep for the meeting with Gomez and then to see her parents. "Whatever happens, I'll be right beside you. If you want to leave after talking with them, I'll take you back to my place. If you want to stay, I'll swing back around and drop off your backpack."
She reached up and smoothed his lip. "If I stay with my parents, you're not going to disappear and not see me, right?"
He wasn't the runner between them. In the upcoming days, he'd have to watch over her more than ever. One upset, one conflict, one episode of fearing for her life, she'd run away. It was what she knew and was comfortable doing. He would make sure that never happened, and Kingsley never got close to her.