Ten minutes later, she heard the front door open and shut. Ryker already? Talk about fast delivery. Had he even stopped for red lights? For a second, she considered quickly toweling off and running out to meet him, but the siren song of the warm, scented bath water wouldn’t be ignored.
“Hey, I’m in here!” she called.
Minutes later, the bathroom door swung open, but instead of Ryker, Carl strolled in like he owned the place.
“What the hell are you doing in here?!” she shrieked. She sat up in the tub and grabbed the towel she’d placed on the toilet seat lid. She draped it around her upper body, though the bottom half of the towel got soaked. Then, she held the loofah against her chest, like it would ward him off or something.
“Oh, don’t get dressed on my account. I’ve seen it all before, babe.” He chuckled.
His smile chilled her blood.
Once again, the reptilian side of him appeared. Something about the way he stared at her freaked her out. She’d gotten a taste of it at the library. She’d never imagined he’d show up here after Ryker had threatened him at the fair. And it scared the hell out of her. Clearly, Carl didn’t seem to be thinking straight. She’d never considered he might actually pull something like this.
“Why so quiet? Expecting someone else? Maybe your biker boyfriend?”
She wouldn’t give in to the panic, though her heart hammered in her chest. She collected herself, breathing deeply in and out. Remain calm and figure a way to get away from him.
“Carl, I need you to leave.” She kept her tone composed and not confrontational, but laced with authority. “You are married now. You shouldn’t be here.” She didn’t want to set him off, but she needed to make it clear he didn’t belong in her house.
He got closer and she pressed against the back of the tub, as though she could somehow escape through the porcelain. He trailed his long fingers in the tepid bath water, starting at the foot and moving slowly, edging closer to her bare skin. “I don’t believe you, Elizabeth. You’ve been in love with me for years. You even agreed to be in my wedding.”
She clenched her jaw, clamping down on her anger. “I did that for Lisa. Not you. You and I didn’t work out, but I still considered her a friend.”
Carl ignored her reasoning, listening to his own lust. “I know you are lying. The way you kept staring at me during the wedding. You wanted me. You still want me. Don’t you? Hot for me, even though I’m married.” He grabbed the loofah from her and set it aside. She didn’t fight him, saving her strength for the real battle about to come.
“I think you are overestimating your charms.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back. Dammit. Her temper had gotten the best of her.
He knelt beside the tub, his face right against hers. He grazed her cheek with damp fingertips and she reared back, and then he settled two fingers against her lips. “Shh. No more lies. Not between us.”
Oh yeah. His cheese had slipped off his cracker for sure.
He stroked her face, regardless of her obvious revulsion. “You don’t have to pretend, babe. I know what kind of a girl you really are now,” he whispered. “And I like it.”
Pushed out of fear by sheer fury at this violation, she glared at him. “Oh? And what kind of girl do you think I am, Carl?”
That reptile smile again.
He grabbed her hair, gripping it tightly and making her cry out in pain and then, tilted her throat. Leaving it exposed. She thought for a crazy second, he intended to bite her or something. “I told you in the library. A dirty girl. That’s why you are hanging out at the bar, banging a biker and strutting around town with your ass hanging out.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not begging for yours,” she ground out. She tried to move, but he held her firmly in his grip.
“Don’t lie to me. You like it rough.” He laughed, without humor. “I never knew, you were so frigid in bed.”
He relaxed his hold on her and she recoiled, sloshing water as she scrambled to the other side of the tub. “Go to hell, Carl!”
She tried to shove down the fear and think. Should she hop out of the tub? As stupid as it sounded, the water felt safer than completely baring her naked body. She worried he might try to rape her and the thought of him violating her made her feel like throwing up.
He grabbed her arm, yanked her back towards him. She gripped the sides of the tub, but her hands were slippery. No choice but to let him drag her closer. “If I’d known your true nature when we were dating, I would have made you my little toy a long time ago.” He chuckled. “I might have even married you instead of Lisa.”
She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He snorted. “Come on, you had to know I played around on you. I like women who know their place. Oh, sure, you could be quiet enough. Submissive. At first, I thought you might be perfect for me, but I kept trying to sex you up, and you played the prude in bed.” He sighed. “Screwing you could be such a chore. Most of the time you just laid there.”
She shook her head, marveling at this new side of Carl. Had she ever really known this man? For the first time, she started to feel bad for Lisa. Evidently, she had some sort of twisted sexual relationship with him.
He reached for her again and she splashed water at him, backing him up a foot. “You make me sick. Don’t touch me.”
His face was thunderous and for a moment, she thought he’d strike her. “I know you. You can’t be happy slumming it with some filthy biker.” He smirked. “Beg me and I’ll take you back.”
Yeah, that’s not happening. Ever.
Ryker was a good, decent man. Sure, maybe he occasionally lived on the wrong side of the law and he might screw around, but he would never try to stalk or rape a woman. She suddenly wished she’d accepted his help and let him take care of this situation.
She felt a deadly calm come over her and a boldness she didn’t know she possessed. “We need to get a few things straight.”
“Oh, do we?” He crouched down, hovering over her, obviously assured of his victory.
“First of all? I will never, ever sleep with you again. Second? Ryker turns me on more than you ever have or ever will. And third? He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be. The biker is worth ten of you, maybe twenty.”
Then she slapped his face. Hard. And it felt damn good.
“You had it coming for a couple of years, Dipshit. Now, get out of my house!” She screamed the last part at him.
Carl backhanded her and she bit back a cry as pain exploded in her nose. Blood spilled down her lips, falling into the lukewarm bath water.
But she didn’t back down. And she didn’t cry out. Instead, she lifted her chin, eyes fixed on his. “I know something you don’t.”
“What the hell are you babbling about?”
“I said,” she bit out. “I know something you don’t.”
“Oh? And what’s that?” he asked tiredly.
“The biker is going to be here any minute and I won’t be responsible for what he does, once he finds you here.”
Carl went pale.
***
Something was off.
Ryker didn’t know what exactly, but his outlaw instincts came to the fore, letting him know some shit was going down at Elizabeth’s place.
She hadn’t turned on the porch light for him and she always did and he couldn’t see any lights on inside the house either. As he came up the driveway, he noticed an unfamiliar car parked in her driveway. When they’d texted, she hadn’t mentioned she had a visitor.
He parked the bike and knocked on the front door. No answer. He tried the door knob and it swung open. Not locked. Shit. Another bad sign.
And then he heard Elizabeth scream.
He tossed the pizza box down and ran towards her voice. When he reached the bathroom, he yanked the door open, nearly ripping it off the hinges. Sure enough, he found Carl bent over Elizabeth, who sat naked and bloodied in the bathtub.
/>
I’m going to fucking kill him.
He’d never felt so raw, so irrational in his life. Dipshit opened his mouth to speak, but Ryker grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and slammed his head into the tile wall. Twice. Carl’s forehead started to gush blood, staining the tub and floor below. Then, he forced the dickhead to his knees, grabbed his left arm and twisted it behind his back. He didn’t care if he ripped it off.
Carl howled in pain. “I—”
“If you know what’s good for you? You’ll shut the fuck up.”
Carl clamped his mouth shut.
“God am I glad to see you,” she cried. She scrambled out of the tub and wrapped herself in a flimsy robe she pulled from the hook on the back of the door. Blood still poured from her nose and she held a washcloth to her face, to stop the bleeding.
“What did he do to you, baby?”
She stabbed a finger in Carl’s direction. “He smacked me across the face.”
He twisted the guy’s arm harder. “That true Carl? Where I come from, we don’t beat on women. We protect them.” Dipshit opened his mouth, but Ryker smashed his nose on the lip of the tub. The guy’s nostrils sprayed blood everywhere, like a gory fountain.
“What else did he do?” he asked Pinky.
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure?” Ryker ground out. So help him God, if he’d tried to rape her, he was a dead man.
“Positive!” she said quickly. He smashed Dipshit’s head against the tub again. Even if the fucker didn’t rape her, he’d been thinking about it. If he’d arrived any later, he would have found Carl violating her. He knew that for damn sure.
Then, he turned his attention to Elizabeth, who surprisingly hadn’t bitched at him for smacking her ex around. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself. She grabbed a loofah on a stick from the floor and approached Carl cautiously.
“You really okay?” he asked her.
“I’m fine.”
He tightened his grip on the guy’s arm and turned his attention back to Dipshit. “I’m only gonna say this once more. She’s mine and don’t you fucking forget it, you piece of shit.”
“I know!” Carl cried. “I only wanted to—”
“I said shut the hell up.” He dunked Carl’s head in the water. The other man struggled, flailing his arms and legs, but Ryker was a hell of a lot stronger. He braced his arm around the guy’s back, pinning him against the side of the tub. Drowning him.
Finally, he yanked Carl’s head from the water and let him suck in a bit of air. The chicken shit didn’t even try to fight back. He turned to her. “Don’t worry, Pinky, this won’t be happening again,” he said. “Once Carl here gets it through his thick skull you are off limits, that is.” He plunged the guy’s head under water for another minute to make his point a bit more clear.
“That’s enough, Ryker! Let him go.”
“Why should I?” he growled.
“Because!” she said, still brandishing her loofah. “I think he’s got the message.”
“If I’d gotten here any later, he would have been raping you.” Meanwhile, Carl had stopped struggling. “So I repeat, why should I?”
“Because I’m falling for you, you dumb ass! And I don’t want you to go jail over this. He isn’t worth it!” She placed her hands on her hips, furious with him.
Carl gurgled in the water, but Ryker didn’t pull him out. “You are in love with me?” he asked. Surely, he had it wrong. From the expression on her face, she wanted to throttle him right now.
“No, I said I was falling for you, you idiot! I’m not in love with you yet, but I’m headed there. Why do you always have to push it?” She said, throwing her hands up in the air. “Now pull him out of there before we both end up on death row!”
He hauled Carl from the tub and sent him sprawling on the bathroom floor. The guy got on all fours, puking up water on the tile and coughing.
With a grim look worthy of an old lady, she stalked over to Carl, still waving the loofah. “Stay away from me.” She slammed the wooden handle up between his thighs, nailing Dipshit right in the balls. Hard. “If I have to do this again? I’m going to give you splinters.”
“God damn it!” Carl screamed, grabbing at his crotch and rolling around the floor.
Holy shit. He’d never have thought she’d play piñata with some guy’s nut sack. He beamed at her, his woman didn’t take any shit. Made him proud.
He dragged her into his arms and kissed her gingerly, mindful of her injuries and then he cradled her against his body.
She laughed and then winced. “Ouch. My nose hurts.”
Eyes darkening, he released her and then grabbed Carl by his soggy shirt front and heaved him to his feet. “Listen to me, asshole. If I ever, ever catch you anywhere near her again? I am gonna let her castrate you. And then, I’ll put a bullet in your head. Got me?“ He spit the words in the guy’s face.
He nodded furiously, probably too afraid to speak.
“Good. Now get out of here while you still can.”
Dipshit scurried away without a backwards glance.
Then, he hauled her into his arms and carried her out of the bathroom to her bedroom. “Let’s get you out of here, darlin’. “ He wanted to see to her injuries, before he cleaned the place up.
“Ryker?” she said as he gently deposited her on the bed. He pushed a couple of pillows under her head and sat down beside her.
“Hmm?” He smoothed the hair from her face, examined her nose. Gently, he probed the area with his fingertips. He’d had several broken bones over the years, so he knew enough to size up her injuries. It didn’t feel like anything had been broken, but she’d have some bruising and swelling.
“You never told me how you feel about me.” She had an adorable pout on her full lips.
He felt a familiar thump in his chest. He crawled into bed beside her, tucking her in against his body. “Sorry about that, I got caught up in the heat of the moment.”
She stared at him. Expectantly. Ah, she wanted the actual words. The words never came easy to him. He preferred action to words every damn time. That’s why he offered to fix her car, watching out for the safety of your woman meant a hell of a lot more than telling her to be careful.
He’d only told his immediate family, he loved them, but he’d make an exception for her. He kissed her mouth. Softly. “I’m falling in love with you too, Pinky. Though, I’ve been too stupid to admit it. Even to myself.”
She sucked in a breath. “Yes, you have been really stupid with the manwhoring around and the testosterone poisoning.”
He chuckled, nudging her. “Don’t push it.”
“And what about the blond bimbo twins?”
He couldn’t even believe what he was about to say. “No more hellions. I promise.” He couldn’t even imagine wanting another woman. She was everything he’d never allowed himself to want. And more. “And while we’re talking about this, let’s get somethin’ else clear. Remember what you said earlier about a two lane highway or some shit, that means no other men for you either.”
She cocked her head to the side as if she had to think about it a moment, just to torture him. Hell, he guessed he deserved a bit of torture, for being such a dick. “Hmm, I don’t know, Cowboy is awfully cute. Did I tell you he hit on me the other morning?”
“He did what?!” His hands curled into fists. “I’m going to—”
“Shush! I want to be kissed,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around him.
More than happy to oblige her, he pressed kisses to her forehead, her cheek, and then her mouth. He made it a point to be gentle, not wishing to injure her anymore.
“I will never let you get hurt again,” he promised her. “I’ll protect you with my life if I need to,” he promised her fiercely.
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and he brushed them away. “I guess this means we need to make this official, eh?” he asked. Ryker removed the horse pendant and then draped it over her head. It came to rest
between her big breasts. Such a good place to be.
Then he slapped her bottom lightly, right where he intended to have his name tattooed, a much more permanent brand. To hell with a pendant she could take off anytime she wanted.
“Consider yourself officially my old lady.”
Epilogue
“Tell me your name!” Elizabeth pleaded.
Two weeks after the incident with Carl, she and Ryker sat on bar stools in Perdition, the very spot where they first met. The sun had begun to set and the tables were filling up. It had the makings of a busy night and she couldn’t think of any other place she’d rather be.
She found it hard to believe she’d been intimidated by Perdition on that very first night. The Horsemen were decent men. Well, for the most part. Given her affection for punishment via loofah, she had more in common with them than she originally thought.
The bruises around her nose had faded to a sickly yellow color and the swelling had gone way down. She’d easily been able to cover it with a some carefully crafted makeup placement. She hadn’t heard from Carl since Ryker had given him a beat down and she doubted she ever would.
Tonight, Pretty Boy bartended and he made a mean Cosmopolitan at her request, even though it made the brothers groan. Something about girly drinks ruining the macho vibe or something. She’d promptly ignored the protests and downed one and it promised to be the first of many this evening.
Shepherd sat beside her, nursing a beer and they were becoming fast friends. When Ryker shared his choice of old lady with the VP, he’d just hugged her which nearly caused Ryker to deck the blond biker.
She observed him watching Pretty Boy as he worked, particularly when he bent over to reach in the bin for ice. Not that she could blame him, Pretty Boy had a seriously cute butt. They hadn’t spoken about his affection for the young prospect yet, but she hoped Shepherd would let someone in when, hopefully her, when he felt comfortable talking about it.
She glanced over at Ryker, who hadn’t answered her question yet. “Come on. Tell me,” she prompted.
“Why does it matter?” Riker saluted her with his beer, his lips curling into a smirky smile. “The name tattooed on your ass is going to be Ryker anyway.”
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