I need to take a few breaths before I can get over the weird reaction of hearing my name falling from her lips. It’s been a long fucking time since I’ve heard my given name. I decide to ignore her words and hold out a shot I printed from the video surveillance. “Any idea who this guy is?”
She glances at the shot for a microsecond and narrows her eyes at me. “Also, not the pizza guy.”
What the hell? “Look closer, Doc,” I snap.
Ivy glares at me. I don’t fucking care, I’m still holding the paper up. She leans forward and snatches it away from me.
Her head tilts to the left. “Huh. That might look like Tuck. Except he should be at work right now.”
She holds on to the paper and grabs up her phone, tapping it before she puts it close to her ear and stares at the paper again. “Yeah, hey, Ivy here…is Nora around? Good, can you put her on for me?”
It takes a moment because Ivy strolls over to the window and peeks through the curtains.
“The fucker isn’t out there anymore. I just came from there.” I sigh and drape myself over her couch, putting my leg up. It feels like someone is pounding on the thing with a hammer.
Ivy keeps staring out the window until she starts to talk. “Hey, it’s me. Yes, I know it’s vacation time, just listen, okay? Tuck…he was supposed to be at work but he wasn’t there when I left. Did he show up?”
Now her eyes meet mine and she just shakes her head when she notices I’m lying comfortable on her couch.
“He’s not sick, Nora…the idiot was in front of my house…no, I’m not kidding. I’m staring at a picture that puts him right there…yes, he’s moved up to stalker classification…where did I get the picture? Well, to be honest, my other stalker gave it to me.” She bursts out laughing. “Nah, I’m just kidding. He’s a guy who’s going to handle it for me. I’ve known him since I was sixteen, he was one of Arthur’s friends…yes, I will…bye.”
“Tuck was supposed to be at work, but he clearly wasn’t…dodging shifts as usual.” Ivy stalks over to the couch and looks down at me.
“What?” I question.
“Are you comfy? Because…dammit, your leg. If you ripped the stitches I’m going to be really pissed, mister,” she says in a low, harsh voice before she bends over me and starts to pull on my sweatpants.
I can’t help the laughter in my voice when I tell her, “Didn’t expect you’d be stripping off my pants that fast.”
Fuck. The way she’s looking at me right now might be close to a death threat, and here comes my cock rising to get her attention as if he’s willingly surrendering to his last seconds on this fucking earth.
I give her a cocky grin. “Looks like he wants a formal introduction.”
Ivy rolls her eyes. “As an ER doctor, how many penises do you think I see in a normal week’s work? I’ll tell you…more than you think. But the bigger,” she fucking winks before she continues, “question here is…how many were still functional? Because one time there was this girl holding her boyfriend’s penis...and with this I don’t mean palming it. Nope. Holding the guy’s pride and joy in her hand because she accidentally bit it off while she was mid orgasm while giving him a blow job.”
Yeah, my boner just left the fucking building with that little too much oversharing work shit. Her eyes slide down and she fucking chuckles.
“Hey, don’t blame him. You’re the one with the horror story. Any cock would fucking sympathize. Damn.” I shudder at the thought. “I’m fine. Lemme up already, no need for you to check my damn leg.”
She grips my cut and I’m surprised by her strength when she pulls me halfway up with one arm. “Shut up and let me look at it. I swear to God, if you made your leg worse I’ll tie you to the bed and treat you Stephen King's Misery novel style. Get me?”
“You’re gonna break my ankles if I leave. Gotcha. But for the record, Doc…I brought a bag, see,” I point in the direction of the door where I left it, “I wasn’t going to leave any time soon anyway.”
“Shut up,” she thunders before she checks out my leg and I swear she’s doing it to inflict pain. No. That’s a lie but she’s not going all gentle on me, that’s for damn sure. Ivy pins me with a fierce look. “Don’t freaking move from this couch.”
She grabs a few pillows to shove underneath my leg and covers me with a quilt that looks more like a spider web. She stalks off to the kitchen and returns with a bottle of beer in her hands.
“Are you gonna offer me one of those?” I question.
“Hell no,” Ivy says with determination. “You need to take some pain meds and mixing them with alcohol won’t be happening underneath my roof.” She glares at me before she adds, “Now start talking about why you’re here and why you have a picture of Tuck in front of my house.”
I lean up on one elbow. “I was checking a camera feed that had a straight view of your house. There was this car parked with a dude in it leaning out of the window. He had a cup of coffee in his hand, so I thought he was just on a break from work or something. Then you flashed your cunt and,”
“I did not,” she seethes before she adds, “And who’s the creepy stalker in the first place? That’s right…the one that’s draped over my couch.”
“Hey,” I snap. “I resent that. I was just checking up on you. It’s not like I was jerking off or something. It’s what I do…I’m the intel guy of Broken Deeds MC. The computer guy who can get his hands on almost any type of information, no matter how deep it’s hidden. That’s why I hacked into the camera feed; because I was curious, that’s all.” I wait to see her reaction to my confession.
Ivy takes a few sips of her beer before she signals with her hand and adds, “Go on.”
“Remember when you flipped me off the first time?” I watch as Ivy’s mouth twitches.
Yeah, she remembers alright. “Well, that’s when he threw down his coffee and almost got out of his truck. It spiked my attention that he wasn’t just taking a break and enjoying the view while sipping his fucking coffee. Then you flipped me off again and he got out of his car and walked right up to the porch…but he stopped himself and the look he had on his face…yeah…I’ve seen that on lots of people. Built up anger that’s been there for a while and threatening to blow any damn second. Even though the fucker got in his car and left…I couldn’t ignore the situation. That’s the reason I had Lochlan drop me off here. I’m not leaving until I’ve researched this fucker and know you’re safe.”
She’s just staring at me; no fucking emotion on her face. I swallow that visual for a few minutes before I snap, “Well? Say something, dammit.”
One eyebrow shoots for the ceiling before she raises her empty bottle. “I need another beer.”
Chapter 06
***Ivy***
“You fucking what?” Chopper barks, clearly annoyed and I can tell he’s about to get up from the couch.
Yes, I’ve decided to stick with the name he uses now because I saw a weird expression come over him when I used Rigby earlier. Kinda suits him though, Chopper. Because clearly Rigby, the teenager I knew, is far too different, in size and attitude, from the guy that’s now lying on my couch.
I point at him while walking backwards into the kitchen. “Stay there. I said I needed another beer. I’ve got a few days of vacation time. I work shifts where I can’t even count how many hours, or at what hour it is, for that matter. I’m allowed to drink beer right now…because I’ve looked forward to these days off ever since I asked for them months ago. Besides…all of what you just mentioned? Weird. Weird and most definitely insane enough that I need a little more liquid courage to talk more about this insanity.”
Turning, I open the fridge and stroll back into the living room with a bottle of water for Chopper and a beer for me. “Tuck has the annoying habit of dodging shifts when he’s supposed to work when I’m not. At first, I thought it was a coincidence. I mean the guy just started working at the hospital three months ago, but the last few weeks it’s been getting more than annoying
and now this.”
I plunk down in an easy chair and put my feet on the table just as the doorbell rings, making me dash up. Except in the next instant Chopper is blocking my way to the door.
I see him palming a gun signaling at me without a sound. I need to back up and let him handle this.
I roll my eyes and whisper, “It’s the pizza guy, doofus.”
He narrows his eyes and clearly waits for me to step back. I take a deep breath and finally do so as he checks the peephole before tucking away his piece because I’m right; it is the pizza dude. When he opens the door, I lean in, plastering myself against Chopper’s back to hand the guy some money after Chopper takes the pizza.
Closing the door, he turns toward me and eyes the two boxes. “Two pizzas for a tiny woman like you…or did you have something planned?” I see him grit his teeth before he adds. “Some other dick I’m not aware of?”
I release a very unfeminine snort before taking the pizza boxes and mindlessly add, “The only dicks I’ve had, and own, are the jelly kind that come in all different colors, sizes, and speeds.”
Oops. I manage to stalk away into the bedroom. Eating in bed while watching a movie sounds like a perfect way to start my night.
Chopper walks around the bed and plants his ass on the mattress and the second he does, I watch…horrified and gasp, “What are you doing?”
“We’re having pizza in bed, apparently.” Chopper shrugs. Shrugs!
“You’re half right. I am having pizza in bed. You on the other hand can crash on the couch. I would say ‘leave’ but that nut, Tuck, was just brought to my attention and I can’t do anything about it right now, so I’m going to get through this night and take action tomorrow.” I open one pizza box and take out a slice.
Chopper eyes my pizza and asks, “What’s in the other box?”
“Only cheese on that one.” I make sure to put some steel in my voice before I add, “I’m not sharing the one with pineapple, but you can have a slice of the other one if you leave my bedroom.”
“Hey, the pineapple shit is all yours. No way would I ever even try that combination.” The man fake gags while he takes a slice of the other pizza.
“Why aren’t you moving?” I mumble with a mouth filled with heavenly food.
Dammit. The smile he’s now sporting almost makes me choke. It’s absolutely stunning. His normally hard features, short hair, scruff, and strong jaw are now radiant, a warm welcome.
“Fine. Stay,” I mutter and grab another slice.
Within minutes we’ve devoured the food, leaving me to stroll to the kitchen to grab us something else to drink. Soda for the both of us. I hand him one while I take a huge gulp from mine.
“Mind showing me your dick collection now?” Chopper asks me without one hint of humor, making me slap a hand over my mouth to keep the contents inside.
Swallowing to regain the function of drawing air into my lungs, I manage to free up my mouth and cough. “Excuse me?”
“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong. Now show me.” He crosses his thick arms in front of his chest…waiting.
I’m not easily embarrassed…but dammit…when I was sixteen he made me uncomfortable with the way my body reacted and he’s this rough, huge, sexy biker that’s just barged back into my life and demands that I just show him my stuff? The things I’ve collected over the years because I have no time to… “No.”
He raises one eyebrow that he manages to evolve into a very hot action and repeats, “No?”
“That’s right,” I snap. “Be glad I’m not grabbing you by,”
“My dick?” He cuts me off mid-sentence, laughter and disbelief in his voice. “Because you only have rubber ones?”
I’m on my feet with my next breath and grab my lime colored vintage train case from underneath the bed where I keep my ‘stash.’ Screw shame, I don’t owe this man anything, but I do want to show him how a girl has many more options than needing a man because only he can give her pleasure. Slipping my finger over the numbers, I take care of the lock and hold it upside down over the bed, making dick after colorful dick tumble out in a pile.
Did I not mention I have a huge collection? Some girls have lots of makeup. I’m the not so much virgin who likes to try stuff I order online…vibrators, dildos, plugs, beads, you name it, I’ve tried it…well, except for the real-life thing.
“Holy shit,” Chopper mutters. “That’s even more goddamned sexy than hearing a chick voice she watches porn every now and then.” His eyes find mine. “Did you try every single one of them? Maybe two at a time?”
“Yes, but...” I lean over to the bedside table and grab my tiny clit vibrator and hold it up. “This one works best though. I think it’s the fourth one I’ve bought. But that’s only because I accidentally washed it along with the sheets. It’s not water-resistant.”
‘Not…” He swallows before he croaks, “water-resistant.” He rubs a hand over his face. “Dammit woman, do you have some kind of sex addiction or something?”
“No,” I gasp. But I swallow my next words and think for a moment because this does look bad. I mean my bed is littered with all kinds of colorful sex toys. “That’s all I have,” I add in confession.
“Geez, that’s comforting.” Chopper chuckles. “So, no other cases filled with more dicks then?”
“I mean, I haven’t shoved a real live one into my vagina, you idiot,” I snap.
His eyes darken and it’s then he realizes what I’m saying. “You mean, except for the fake stuff…you’re telling me you’re a virgin?”
Chapter 07
***Chopper***
“Put the fucking dicks away.” My voice is filled with anger. Why? Maybe because I claimed a woman who no one has had before me. Un-fucking-touched and I’ve tied her to me.
To a broken person who can never be fully functional. I mean it’s not due to my legs that were shattered and took months to heal, and still have a limp every now and then when I’m having a bad day. Some scars can fade but they will remain and I’m not talking about just the ones carved in my skin. There’s more than that. The stuff I’ve seen and the guilt I have to live with, it’s every-fucking-thing.
What the hell did I do, claiming her? I rip the case from her hand and start throwing those things she shoved in her cunt in there. Dammit. Now I’ve got that visual on a loop in my head.
“Get out.” Ivy rips the bag out of my hands and shoves my shoulder. I’m caught by surprise and my leg fucking hurts. All of this makes me twist and turn, making me fall on my ass.
Every fucking ol’lady I know would have dropped down beside me to help. This lady doc here? She’s glaring right at me while locking up her precious dicks and shoving them back underneath the bed. “Get up, and get out, Chopper.” Her voice is as hard as stone.
Wincing at the pain, I manage to pull myself up by leaning on the bed. “By all means,” I sneer, “don’t raise a finger to help.”
“Help? Help who? You?” She snorts and steps closer into my personal space. “You’re beyond help because for one…you need to allow yourself to be of any value. That’s something you couldn’t do at the hospital when I tried to help you, so why would I give you a hand now? I’ve done enough already.”
Somehow, that’s a punch to my gut and I must have a look on my face because she shakes her head.
“Shit. Me and my big mouth,” she mutters before she clears her throat and adds, “You’re too damn annoying, you idiot.” Ivy pokes her finger against my chest but this time I’m prepared for her hands-on tactics.
My fingers wrap around her wrist and in one smooth move I’ve got her turned and her back is plastered against my front. I’ve got a tight grip on her neck and my other arm around her waist preventing her from moving.
“Don’t fucking judge me. You know nothing,” I snarl.
Ivy struggles in my grip but it’s useless. She just barely manages to draw in oxygen with my fingers wrapped tight around her neck. “I wonder how many times people thre
w a punch in your face,” she mutters.
Stunned, I let her go and step back, planting my ass on the bed to remove the weight off my damn legs.
“Well? Go on, tell me. I shared my dick collection, so it’s only fair you share something in return.” She’s toying with her necklace. There’s a maple seed hanging from it.
Shit. I reach out and hold it. “Helicopter seed,” I croak. What are the chances? “Why do you have this?”
“Quid pro quo,” she tells me softly.
Share something. She’s asking me to open up? I don’t fucking know how to do that. So instead I just grunt the first thing that comes to mind…the last time I got punched. “I screwed up a while ago. Got slumped into a state where I was zoning out into the comfort of my brothers having my back. Didn’t do my job, didn’t protect an ol’lady and...let’s just say I got my ass handed to me. That was a serious wakeup call.”
“We all need a kick in the ass sometimes, keeps things real.” Ivy gives me a tiny smile. “When I was little, me and my brother used to love throwing them in the air and watch how they...”
“Chopper down.” I mirror her smile and release a deep sigh. “Can we just lie down and watch a movie?”
Ivy gives me a tiny nod before she whispers, “I’m sorry.”
I shrug my shoulders.
“No, I mean it. I shouldn’t have snapped at you, but you’re very annoying, and when you indicated that I didn’t jump to your rescue...let’s just say you seem to be a guy who doesn’t appreciate being pampered. I saw your X-rays. I know you were with Arthur when...I just…I can imagine, okay? My comment about you being beyond help was poorly stated. What I meant to say was you don’t accept it in a kind matter. If I would have run to your side, you would have pushed me away. And dammit it’s coming out all wrong and I can see by the way your jaw is ticking that I’m screwing it up even more. So yes, let’s shut up and watch a movie.” She sighs and slides underneath the covers.
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