Angel Without

by Rhiannon Ayers

  Riley laughed. “Fat chance. We have friends in the department, asshole. And our friends are better than your friends any day. Just try it.”

  Robbie tossed his chin arrogantly, but his bravado was paper-thin. He was shaking visibly, and not with anger—fear-sweat permeated the air around him like a cloud of poisonous gas. Since he knew he couldn’t stand up to two big, muscle-bound guys, Robbie focused his anger on her.

  “Do you have any idea what you’re doing? Wait until I tell Father about this. He’ll disown you, Amber. What’ll you do then, huh? Who’s going to pay for all this stuff then?”

  “Let him,” Amber snarled, surprising herself with the level of rage in her own voice. “I don’t need his money! God, you’re all so obsessed with being rich, it’s like you’ve forgotten life is meant to be lived! I’ve found people who care about me for who I am, not what I can do for them, Robbie. I’m staying right here. And if Father wants to disown me for choosing to live my own life, he can go ahead.”

  “And do they know who you really are, Amber?” Robbie said derisively. “Do they know you’re just a little slut who likes to beg for affection? Who needs to be beaten to get off? Did you tell them about all the depraved things you used to do, just to get a dick inside your wet little cunt?”

  Maddox suddenly went still in her arms, his muscles going rock-solid. His beautiful gray eyes, which could turn to molten silver when he was aroused, were as cold and dead as concrete right now.

  “You’re the one, aren’t you?” Maddox hissed. His voice was so low, so dangerous, all the hairs on Amber’s neck stood straight up. “You’re the one who introduced her to that fucking bastard who abused her.”

  Robbie, obviously unaware of the danger he was in, rolled his eyes. “I didn’t introduce her to Wes. Father did.”

  Holy fuck. The son of a bitch knows Wes abused me, doesn’t he? He just admitted it. My own brother is trying to get me to go back to a man he knows hurt me on purpose. How did I ever convince myself he cared about me? Amber shuddered.

  “Not him,” Maddox snarled through gritted teeth. “The other one. Brandon.”

  Robbie laughed harshly. “Oh ho! So she did tell you about that, did she? Did she tell you how she used to beg him to punish her? How she would constantly try to top from the bottom, purposefully inciting Brandon to hurt her, just so she could get off? Oh, yes, little sister. He told me all about how you used to love it when he used his fists on you. How you screamed and cried, with such believable tears in your eyes, yet your sweet little pussy was always dripping wet. Women like you always make me sick, but you gotta admit, the ride is usually worth the effort in the long run.”

  Maddox lunged a step forward, lifting Amber right off her feet, startling a yelp from her throat. He glanced down at her as if just then remembering he had his arms around her, then shot Robbie a murderous glare.

  “You need to get off my property, you bastard,” he snarled dangerously. “If you ever come near Amber again, I will kill you. I am not even close to kidding.”

  Robbie backpedaled a few more steps, terror widening his eyes for a moment. But then he stopped, as if realizing he was revealing his weakness, and tried to appear nonchalant. He opened his mouth, started to spout some new insult—

  And Riley took two steps forward, drew back his arm, and decked Robbie right in the chin.

  Amber watched her brother go down in slow motion. First, his eyes got comically wide, like a cartoon character after getting hit in the face with a frying pan. Then they rolled back in his head, and he toppled backward like a bowling pin, crumpling to the ground with a sickening smack. It was funny, in a twisted sort of way. Her brother had always prided himself on being able to push people around. Now he was the one who’d been toppled. She waited for the fear, the concern for his safety—and felt nothing but satisfaction.

  Too many things happened at once, after that. A white cop car with the HPD logo on the doors suddenly screeched into the parking lot and skidded to a halt inches from her new car’s bumper. As the driver’s door flew open, Maddox whisked her into his arms and strode for his townhouse. Amber looked back over his shoulder in time to see an African American man kneel by Robbie’s side, checking his pulse before whipping out a set of handcuffs. She sucked in a breath, ready to scream at Riley to get away, but the cop wasn’t going for him. Instead, he rolled Robbie onto his stomach and secured the cuffs behind his back as her brother began to moan incoherently. The last thing she saw before Maddox’s front door closed behind them was Robbie being stuffed into the backseat of the patrol car.

  Maddox bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time despite her added weight. He burst into the bedroom and headed for the master bathroom, throwing the door open with his shoulder before finally settling her on the counter. Then he cupped her chin with trembling hands, his eyes darting every which way.

  “Where are you hurt?”

  Amber reached up to hold his big, hot hands against her cheeks, feeling some of his warmth start trickling into her freezing-cold bloodstream. “Bruises,” she whispered. “On my arm.”

  Maddox smoothed his hands down her neck, across her shoulders. He was shaking visibly. “Anywhere else?”

  She shook her head as they both examined her right arm, which was ringed with ugly red marks. Some of them were already turning purple, indicating imminent bruising. Maddox bent, pressed a kiss to each and every mark they found, making her heart turn over in her chest. Then he stood straight and pressed his forehead to hers, cupping her face once more.

  “I was so scared,” he whispered hoarsely. Amber threw her arms around his neck, holding tight as he shook. “I heard you scream, and I was so scared. Scared I’d lost you. Scared you’d been taken from me. Scared I’d never get to tell you…” But the words strangled in his throat.

  Just then, they heard the front door slam, followed by Riley bellowing at the top of his lungs, “Where the fuck are you?”

  Maddox sighed, closing his eyes. “We’re up here,” he called.

  The thunk, thunk, thunk of Riley barreling up the stairs sounded like someone hitting a wall with a bowling ball. She and Maddox exchanged soft smiles just before Riley skidded into the room and threw his arms around both of them.

  “Thank God,” he breathed against Amber’s hair, his arm tight around her shoulders. “Thank God.”

  Amber let herself be held for a moment, then wiggled out of their arms. “Let me see your hand, Riley.”

  “It’s nothing,” he said, but he let her look at his knuckles anyway.

  She grimaced, passing her thumb over the split skin. “We’ll need to clean this. Do you have alcohol swabs, Maddox?”

  He nodded, reaching past her and popping open the medicine cabinet. He pulled out a small first aid kit, set it on the counter next to her hip. “Here.”

  Riley rolled his eyes. “You better check Maddox’s hand, too, if you’re going to go all Nurse Nancy on us. He’s probably more scraped up than me.”

  Amber frowned, looked at Maddox sharply. “What? You didn’t hit Robbie.”

  Maddox gave her a sheepish smile. “I killed a sheet of drywall.”

  She cocked her head. “Uh, why?”

  “It had it coming,” Riley said, his aqua eyes twinkling.

  A hysterical giggle bubbled up before she could stop it—and before she knew it, Amber was sobbing, great big hiccupping sobs that rocked her whole body. Both of her men froze for a moment, expressions of abject horror on their faces. Then she was being hugged breathless, both of them murmuring endless love and comfort.

  Amber wrapped one arm around Riley, the other around Maddox, and held on tight as tears flowed like a waterfall. How did she get so lucky? What could she have possibly done in the span of two days to earn such regard from these two men? Nothing in her experience could account for the way Maddox and Riley treated her. After spending most of her life wondering why God had bothered giving her life in the first place if she was only meant to be overlooked and i
gnored, here she’d found two men who seemed to truly, honestly want her in their lives.

  Neither one of them had any real reason to act this way. Two days wasn’t enough time to form true feelings for another person, after all. Or was it? She’d been talking to her brother about the possibility of getting into a relationship with Maddox and Riley, but had she really thought about what that would mean? Somehow, she’d convinced herself that any emotional attachment that came of their association would all be on her side, that her men would only tolerate her love in exchange for the sexual favors they would receive. And yet, both men had made it clear right from the first moment that they cared about her, not just what she could do for them in exchange.

  She’d said as much to Robbie, hadn’t she? The words had come as naturally as breathing, despite the fact she hadn’t actually considered what they really meant. Somehow, her sub-conscious had decided she was safe here, that she would be sheltered and protected so long as she remained with these two men.

  Another sob wracked Amber’s shoulders. Maddox and Riley held her close, obviously unsure how to deal with a hysterical woman, yet unwilling to let her suffer alone. And that, more than anything else they’d done for her today, told her how much they both cared for her, too. It might not be love yet, but they did care for her.

  God, she was such a mess. When had she become some weak little damsel in distress? When had she lost herself? So many things were coming clear to her. It was like someone had taken a bottle of Windex to her self-image. Her whole life, she’d prided herself on her independence, on her ability to see past her father’s narrow-minded views and make her own choices. Yet ever since she’d been on her own, she’d done nothing but cringe in terror at the very thought of standing up to the men in her life. When had she become such a coward?

  No more. She was done being weak. If nothing else, the last two days proved that there were people out there who cared for one another just for the sake of caring. And Amber was done letting her past ruin her future. It was time to start letting it all go, time to start embracing the opportunities that had fallen into her lap.

  Starting with Maddox and Riley.

  It took a while, but eventually her tears subsided. Amber wiped her cheek on Riley’s shirt, looking up at both of them with a pained smile. “Sorry. Don’t know what got into me.”

  Maddox caressed her cheek, silver eyes flashing with sympathy. “It’s okay, angel. That was rough, standing up to your brother the way you did. I would be more concerned if you didn’t have an emotional reaction.”

  Riley snorted. “Says you. She got my shirt all wet. What am I supposed to do about the mascara on my sleeve, huh?”

  “Jerk,” Amber said with a watery giggle.

  Riley gifted her a soft smile. “Yes, but I’m your jerk.”

  Amber fought back more tears, sniffling as she looked from one to the other with earnest eyes. “Thank you both, so much,” she said brokenly. “You came to rescue me. You were there when I needed you.”

  “Of course we were,” Riley said fiercely. “You’re ours, Amber. Didn’t you know that? We’ll always be there when you need us.”

  “Always,” Maddox said roughly, his expression just as fierce as Riley’s.

  Amber tried for a smile, emotion making her voice unsteady. “My knights in…” She trailed off, blinking as she realized Maddox was shirtless for the first time. “Uh, not quite shining armor. My half-naked knights?”

  Riley snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, you’re okay. If she’s feeling sassy enough to make smart-ass jokes, she’s just fine.”

  Maddox smiled softly, smoothed her bangs from her forehead with still-trembling fingers. “I’m just glad we got there in time. Before he got you into the car. You did good, angel. That was quick thinking.”

  “Not quick enough,” Amber said, wincing. “Robbie knows where I am. He’ll tell my father. And my father will tell Wes.” More tears welled up, despite her best efforts. “I don’t want to leave you guys.”

  “Leave?” Riley snarled, “Why would you have to leave?”

  She blinked. “But…but…Sidri said the whole reason they wanted me here was because my father wouldn’t’ be able to find me. But he’ll know where I am the moment Robbie gets home. Which means he’ll come here.”

  “And if he does,” Maddox growled, “we’ll send him packing the same way we did that asshole outside.”

  “What about Wes?” she asked in a small voice.

  “Shawn or Ryder can arrest him, too,” Riley said smugly. “That was Shawn in the patrol car. Not sure how he knew something was up, but he showed up in the nick of time. They’re good cops, Amber. They’ll protect you. And so will we.”

  Maddox kissed her forehead. “You belong here with us,” he said, voice unsteady with some emotion she couldn’t quite decipher. “As long as you want to be here, we’ll keep you safe. I don’t care if a hundred Robbies or Weses come after you. They’ll have to come through all of us to get to you. Count on it.”

  “Damn straight,” Riley echoed fiercely. Then he sighed. “Look, I just wanted to check on you both. Now that I know you’re not hurt, I have to go down to the station.”

  Maddox stood straight, a frown marring his brow. “What? Why?”

  Riley shrugged. “Shawn asked me to go down there to file the charges against Robbie. Trespassing and attempted kidnapping.”

  Maddox winced. “I co-own the property. I should be the one to go.”

  “No,” Riley said flatly. “Shawn said he only needs one of us. I live here, too. I can go down and file the paperwork. And besides,” and he held up his split knuckles, “I have to log this as self-defense before your asshole brother tries to claim assault.”

  Amber shuddered. “God, I’m so sorry. Maybe I should be the one…”

  “No,” Riley said again. “You and Maddox need to stay here. Let me take care of this. The two of you need to chill out for a bit. I’ll tell the guys you’re taking the rest of the day off, Maddox. Take care of her, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Amber met Maddox’s gaze, then both of them turned to Riley and nodded. Maddox reached out a big hand, cupped the back of the other man’s neck. “Thanks. For everything you did, and everything you’re doing. Don’t be too long, okay?”

  Riley flashed them both a heart-stopping grin. “Count on it.” And he bent forward, gave Amber a soft, sweet kiss, then turned to Maddox and rose up on his tiptoes to do the same to him. He was out the door and thumping down the stairs before either one of them could react.

  She waited until she heard the front door close and lock before scrubbing both hands over her face and looking up at Maddox with a small smile. “Let me look at your hand.”

  He grimaced, held up his right hand so she could see that his knuckles were bright red. “He exaggerated,” Maddox said with a tiny grin. “Trying to take the focus off him.”

  Amber nodded, taking his big hand in both of hers and turning it this way and that, just to make sure. “So I see. Riley seems to be pretty good at doing that. Taking the focus off himself, I mean.”

  “Sounds like someone else I know,” Maddox said, chuckling at Amber’s blush. Then he sighed, pulled his hand out of her grasp, and rested his fists on the counter on either side of her hips.

  “Look, I know this has been a traumatic couple of days for you. And I know I have no business asking this, but…could you maybe…” He paused, swallowed hard. “Could you maybe…let me hold you? Just for a bit?” The last was said in a pained whisper.

  “No.”

  The word was so sharp, shooting out of her mouth before she could stop it, Maddox actually flinched backward. He squeezed his eyes shut, started to push away from the counter as he murmured, “Yeah, okay, I knew it might be too soon. I’ll just…”

  “Maddox, stop,” Amber whispered.

  He paused, took a deep breath, and looked into her eyes, obviously trying to smile so she wouldn’t see his pain. God in heaven, how could this man be r
eal? He was hurt by her unthinking rejection, obviously devastated, yet he still tried to smile for her. Any other man in her life would have been angry, would have shown his displeasure with scowls and harsh words. But Maddox didn’t do any of those things. Instead, he tried to put her at ease, tried to make her feel like she hadn’t hurt his feelings, like he understood why she would reject him.

  Except he didn’t.

  Taking her newfound courage by the throat, Amber reached out, ran her fingertips up the outside of his biceps, and settled her hands lightly on top of his shoulders. Maddox sucked in a sharp breath, goose bumps rising in the wake of her touch as a shiver rocked through his body. She looked up at him with as much sincerity and resolve as she could muster.

  “I realized something, when I was outside just now,” she confessed in a breathy whisper. “I realized I’m not afraid of you anymore. When I saw you both coming to help me, I knew down to the last breath in my body that you would never use your strength against me. That you were there to protect me. To keep me safe.”

  Maddox’s eyes turned to molten silver. He didn’t move.

  Amber cleared her throat. “And I realized something else,” she continued quietly. “I realized I don’t want to let my past dictate my future anymore. That I shouldn’t let my fear of what happened to me before taint my time with you now. I’m tired of letting my fear rule my life. Tired of always running from a past I know I can’t change. I’d rather start making new memories. Rather look toward the future, and concentrate on making my life what I want it to be, instead of dwelling on what it once was.

  “So, no, I don’t want you to just hold me.” She paused, took a deep breath, and looked Maddox straight in the eye. “I want you to make love to me.”

  Then she waited.

  Chapter 20

  Maddox trembled.

  This was almost too much. He was still reeling from the fear that nearly crushed him the moment he heard Amber’s terrified screams. Having that event follow on the heels of confessing his love for Riley had been hard enough. But hearing the determination, the bravery, in Amber’s quiet plea when she begged him to make love to her…that was almost more than he could take.