Breaking Ryann

by Alyssa Rae Taylor

  “’Bout time.”

  She moves her hand to her belly, laughing.

  “Is the baby kicking?”

  She slides her hand back and forth. “No. I was just picturing Luke punching Sean. I’m bummed I missed it.” When I frown, she throws a pillow at me. “You guys are gonna be fine. People do crazy things because of jealousy. Let him cool off. His head will clear by morning.”

  Maybe I don’t want to wait ‘til morning. “Do you think he has good reason to be angry? I mean, we’ve talked about this. He knows my relationship with Sean was because of a misunderstanding. I would never intentionally hurt him.”

  “You said you and Sean were hugging when he walked up?”

  I nod.

  “Put yourself in his position. Think of what he came back to after he left.” She leans forward. “Sean rubbed your relationship in his face, stole the woman he loves. Now that he has you back, he finds you in Sean’s arms again. He’s not thinking rationally. Would you be?”

  No, I wouldn’t. “What should I do?”

  “He’ll come to you when he’s ready.” Booming thunder has me jumping, at the same time the front door swings open.

  As if his ears were ringing, Luke stands at the entrance, wet from the rain. His chest is heaving. He looks unbelievably sexy, and I’m proud to know he is mine. I open my mouth then shut it, deciding not to speak.

  Gia perks up with a smile. “Well, hello there, Mr. Ryann! What brings you here on this stormy evening?”

  “Came to collect my wife.” His brown eyes burn into mine, as he takes confident steps in my direction. Within seconds, he swoops me up, then carries me out into the pouring rain, moving along the pathway toward our house. Once we’re inside, he sets me down, his hungry gaze sweeping over me. My chest rises and falls, and I hesitantly step back.

  He moves forward, a brow raised, then plants a palm on the wall behind me, challenging me. “Where you goin’, sweetheart?”

  “Nowhere.”

  His free hand slides over my bottom, caressing. “What kinda pants are these?” His voice is gravelly, his sexy mouth, distracting.

  “What?”

  “The pants. What are they?”

  “Yoga pants.”

  His eyes heat, then he massages between my legs. “I love yoga pants.” Shoving them over my hips, past my knees, he drops his gym shorts just as quickly. When his thumb circles my clit, I gasp. He leans forward, slipping a finger inside me, then another. My eyes roll back, and I part my lips. He pulls them out of me, showing me my arousal. “Tell me this is for me.”

  “It’s for you,” I say breathily.

  He grips my hips, lifting me up, then slams into me. “I forgive you,” he growls, before pounding into me relentlessly, igniting a flame that builds inside me. I moan, savoring the feeling. I’ve needed this—needed him to show me how much he wants me, to claim me as his. There’s nothing gentle about his movements. He’s rocking into me like a wild beast.

  My head falls back, and I buck against him, hitting the wall behind me.

  “Is this what you wanted?” he grunts.

  “Yes!”

  Rain drips down the side of his neck. I lean forward, licking it off him, loving the way he tastes. He fists my hair, forcing me to look at him. “Nobody touches you but me. Understand? You’re mine.” Pulling all the way out, he thrusts back in, his teeth clenched.

  “Nobody but you.”

  His tongue traces my lips. He drives in deeper, continuously stroking where I need him. My entire body quakes, and I cry out his name.

  “Yes,” he groans. “I can feel you coming.” Stiffening, he pulses between my legs, drawing out his last thrust. When his body relaxes, he releases me, and my knees buckle. I slide down the wall, and he sits on the ground beside me. We’re both breathing heavily.

  It takes a while for either of us to speak, but eventually he looks at me apologetically. “Was I too rough?”

  I turn to him. “No. I liked it … a lot actually. Nothing wrong with a little variety.”

  “Yeah? Want some more?” His mouth tips.

  “Hmm … I’m not sure you can handle me twice in one night.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  He’s right. It wouldn’t.

  I bite my lower lip.

  “Sorry I was a dick earlier,” he murmurs.

  “Yeah. Me too. He was baiting you, Luke. I wanted him to leave, and he—”

  Pressing his lips to mine, he says, “I believe you.” Standing up, he pulls me with him. I trail behind, toward the shower. He takes off the remainder of our clothes, before we’re stepping under the spray. We spend several minutes soaping each other up, kissing and touching. His fingers move between my legs. “I’m not done with you yet,” he warns, his erection pointing toward me. When we’re all dried off, he takes me to bed and tenderly makes love to me.

  “We have an audience,” I say to Luke, who has me pinned to the ground with a wicked grin on his face. Erica just laughs, which is what he is going for.

  He rolls off me, muttering, “quitter,” under his breath, before helping me up, then the three of us move toward the exit.

  “I’d like to get home sometime today. I have places to be, remember?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Holding the door open, he plants a quick peck on my lips.

  “You guys make a cute couple,” Erica says, smiling. We thank her at the same time, and Luke winks at me.

  Today was the last class of the season. I make it a tradition to show the girls how much they’ve grown since they’d started. Erica won Most Improved. She was shy in the beginning, eventually warming up with a strong drive to learn. We were waiting on her mother, who is over a half hour late, when Erica happened to mention the amount of time she spends at the bars, since her recent split from her boyfriend, it raised a big red flag with me. Thankfully her mother didn’t protest when I just offered to give her a ride home.

  “Maybe we should steal her … bring her home with us,” I tease. “I’m gonna miss having her around.”

  Luke adjusts the rearview on her. “I’m cool with that. You cool with that, Erica?”

  I look over my shoulder, and she’s smiling. “Doubt my mom would care, or even notice. Less responsibility for her at least.”

  “No way! She would totally miss you,” I scoff, feeling bad I said anything.

  She looks out the window. “You don’t know her like I do.”

  Luke and I glance at each other. I don’t know what’s going on in her home life, but from what she’s told me, I can probably guess.

  “You’re planning on coming back next season, aren’t you?”

  “My mom isn’t sure yet. I want to.”

  We pull into a neighborhood, getting close. I grab a pen out of my purse. “Tell you what,” I say, finding a scrap of paper in the glove compartment. “I’m gonna give you my number. You ever need help—someone to talk to—call me. I don’t care what time it is. Okay?” She takes the paper from me.

  “Thank you.”

  “I mean it.” I smile at her, feeling a pang in my chest. “You can call me anytime.”

  Luke slows to a stop in front of a small house with dark green trim. “This it?”

  “Yeah.” She grabs her bag. “Thanks for the ride and everything.”

  The concern in his eyes probably matches mine. “Anytime”

  She nods then backs away, waving. Luke and I wait ‘til she gets inside before we pull away.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah … I’m just … worried about her.” I blow out a long breath.

  He squeezes my thigh, and I interlock our fingers. “She trusts you. She’ll call you, if she needs to.”

  “I hope so.”

  Tracing small circles over my skin, he asks, “Still planning on leavin’ me all by my lonesome?” He makes a sad face, one that could work on most occasions, but not today.

  “I have your surprise to work on, so yes. And you won’t be completely alone. Yo
u’ll have Chance.”

  He snorts. “Definitely not the same.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t change my plans. They’re set in stone, but it should only take an hour or so. I think you’ll survive.”

  “I’ll let you make it up to me.” He moves my hand over the bulge between his legs. His lips twitch, and he adds, “Before you go.”

  I tighten my grip, and his eyes glaze over. “That was part of the plan.”

  He presses down on the gas pedal, and we pass a familiar white truck. A knot forms in the pit of my stomach. I follow it over my shoulder, spotting the metallic silver covering the windows in the back. Every time I see it, there’s something unsettling that comes over me.

  Luke notices my shift in mood. “What’s wrong?”

  I give him a reassuring smile. “Nothing.”

  I arrive early to make sure I don’t miss the delivery guys. I’m having a gym set up in one of the extra rooms. Luke’s original equipment is outdated, and he’s been grumbling about getting a few more weight and cardio machines. He won’t accept any of my money to help out with the bills, so I figured this will be a small way to contribute. And it will allow us more time to spend at home together.

  The doorbell rings, and I scurry to the entrance, facing a short, bald man, holding a yellow slip of paper. I lead him and another guy into the room, showing them where to place all the equipment. He nods and takes some measurements, estimating it to take them a couple of hours to put everything together.

  I hang out in the kitchen, browsing peoples’ status updates on Facebook to pass the time. I pop a cracker into my mouth, as I get an alert from the news app on my phone. I read it, sucking in a breath when I see there’s been another attack, once again close to home. This time the young victim was lucky enough to get away. Apparently she had injured the suspect when trying to escape. They now have the suspect’s name and have matched his DNA to some of the recent murders. My phone rings from an unknown number, pulling me away from the article, and I debate on whether to answer it.

  “All set,” the bald guy says, catching my attention, his partner striding out the front door with their toolbox. Turning off my ringer, I get up to meet him at the door, wiping the cracker crumbs off my fingers and onto my jeans.

  I thank him and shut the door. Grabbing my stuff from the kitchen, I head to the weight room, but spot an open window on the way. How long has this been open? Shutting it, I lock it from the inside before another curious thought enters my mind. I quickly squash it. There are no remnants of a squatter living here, Reese. It’s probably just an accident. I double-check the rest of the windows then finally head to weight room. We’ve got the cardio equipment in the back, free weights in the center, and other machines scattered about. I guzzle the rest of my water, pleased with how it turned out and reach for my phone, but it’s not where I left it. At least it’s not where I thought I’d left it. I check the kitchen and the bathroom without any luck, then tread back to the weight room. The floor creaks behind me, and I spin around, my heart nearly stopping.

  “Hello?” I step toward the doorway, peeking down the hall. I swear I heard footsteps, but there’s nobody there. Maybe it was just the house settling. There’s another creak. My head snaps up, and I let out a blood-curdling scream.

  “Lookin’ for this?” My shattered phone rests in his hand, and all the air is sucked out of my lungs.

  I back up. No, No, No! His dark, greasy hair is pulled back into a low ponytail. His thin lips are twisted into an evil grin, and he has that same eerie gaze that I remember from the day he nearly raped me. “Get out!” I shout, grabbing a dumbbell.

  “Now, that’s no way to treat a guest.” His shirt is covered in blood, and his nose looks busted. He’s a filthy mess. “What are you gonna do? Hit me with that?”

  “I said get out!”

  “Can’t do that,” he murmurs, stepping toward me, his eyes on my trembling hands. “Did you think I wouldn’t find you? Did you think I’d forget?”

  I stutter, terrified. “I think you’re a twisted son of a bitch.”

  “Big words for such a little girl.”

  “Not so little anymore!” I swing the dumbbell, treading back, as he gives me a once over.

  “Do you remember the last time we were together, Reese? Wrists bound behind your back. You were scared, naked.” He moves forward, and I feel a wave of dizziness, toppling over the machine behind me. He rips the dumbbell out of my hand, then slams it to the ground. I scream, crawling through the space between the machines, shuffling to stand up. My arm is yanked back. He strikes my face with the back of his other hand, then squeezes my cheeks roughly. Getting in my face, he yells, “Nobody’s gonna save you this time, bitch!” He slams our mouths together, and I gag, causing him to pull back and meet his gaze. “I’m gonna tear you apart from the inside out. Then, after I kill you, I’ll dump your defiled naked body in the desert. How’s that for payback?”

  “Please … just let me go!” I whimper, feeling my limbs grow heavy.

  “Sorry it has to end for you like this,” he says sympathetically. “You were always a pretty thing. Weren’t ya?” I ram my knee into his balls, then slam my palm into his broken nose, feeling a crack. I race to the doorway, my pulse accelerating, then am shoved forward, my face slamming down on the hardwood floor. I cry out in protest, as he wraps his arms around my knees, dragging me across the floor on my stomach. “Crazy whore,” he seethes.

  I look for anything I can use as a weapon, but there’s nothing within my reach. My nails scrape the ground, as he climbs on top of my back. I swing back, jabbing his throat with my elbow. He makes a choking sound, flipping me over. I’ve never felt my heart beat so fast, but every other part of me is weakening. And my brain feels cloudy. Something is clearly wrong with me.

  “You’re gonna pay for that, you fuckin’ slut!” He rips open my shirt. I slap at his face as he gropes my breasts, and holds me down, straddling me, his blood dripping onto my skin.

  “Stop fighting!” he snarls, wrapping his hands around my neck, cutting off my air supply.

  I lift my hips and push him down with my heavy limbs, gripping his face. I dig my thumbs into his eye sockets. “I’ll never stop!” I scream, making his eyes bleed. He’s forced to release my throat, taking my arms and stretching them above my head, as I gasp for breath.

  “Feisty little bitch!”

  “I won’t let you win…” I slur, my head getting foggier.

  “Then we’ll have to wait ‘til the drug kicks in. Enough of this crazy shit.” He spits, watching my expression, waiting to get a reaction out of me.

  Oh God. Did he really?

  “That’s right.” He chuckles. “I drugged you. Tell me, did your water taste funny? I slipped somethin’ in it when you were takin’ a piss.”

  “You’re lying!”

  “Am I?”

  Oh God, no! Hot tears roll down my cheeks for the innocent life living inside me—for Luke and the news I hadn’t even broken to him yet. I turn away so I don’t have to look at him, hating that he sees my tears, that I’m losing my strength.

  “Don’t crrryyyy. It gonna make you feel real good,” he says, licking the tears off my cheeks. “Consider it your going away gift.”

  “Go to hell,” I sob, as he kisses down my neck. I feel the tips of my fingers brush something behind me. He forces our mouths together, shoving his dirty tongue between my lips. Acid fills the back of my throat. I stretch my fingers, silently hoping this is God’s answer to my prayers. He starts unbuttoning my jeans, and I bite down on his tongue. His coppery blood gags me, but I don’t release him, and he shrieks in pain, struggling to get away from me. With my arm like deadweight, I swing my purse, smacking him in the temple.

  He rolls to the side, screaming, “Fuck!” and spews a mouthful of blood.

  With the effects of the drugs more potent, I fumble to find my Taser, relieved when I grab it with shaky hands. I shove it between his legs, pressing the button. A high pitch
noise comes out of him. I hope his dick falls off, as I press the Taser repeatedly. I try to get up, but collapse when my legs refuse to work any longer.

  Crawling on my hands and knees toward the dumbbells, I drag one over to where he lays unconscious. It takes all my strength to sit up. Using both my hands, I slam it down on his head, then do it again. The room spins, and I throw up several times, feeling my eyes grow heavy. I crawl as far away from him as I can, before everything fades into darkness.

  “When’s your woman supposed to get here?”

  I check the clock for the tenth time, then my eyes swing to Logan. “Thought she’d be home by now.”

  “You itchin’ to go another round with her or what?”

  “That, and she’s not answering her phone.” We’ve been watching a ball game for the last couple of hours, but I lost interest halfway through, worrying about why she wasn’t home yet. She’d told me she’d only be gone an hour.

  Logan adjusts his hat over his buzz cut. “Tell her what’s up. The two of you got a baby to make!”

  I shake my head, frustrated, and send Reese another text. I’d brought up the idea of starting a family a while back, not expecting she’d agree so easily. But she’d gotten excited about having our children grow up close in age with Logan and Gia’s. She’d gone off the pill the very next day, and we’ve been trying ever since. “It keeps goin’ directly to voicemail. Think her phone is shut off.”

  “That normal for her?”

  “Nope.”

  “What time she leave?”

  I rest my arms on the back of the couch, having a hard time staying still. Something doesn’t feel right. “Five-thirty, six.”

  “Maybe her phone wasn’t charged. Gia told me about your surprise. It’s probably just holdin’ her up. She said she’s—”

  “Don’t tell me about it, bro. It’ll piss Reese off.”

  “Hey,” he holds out his hands, “only tryin’ to help. You’re being all anxious and shit.”

  “Am not.”

  “Right,” he snorts, checking his phone. “Gia says her car’s loaded with baby stuff. Guess her mom bought out the entire store.”