by Wilder, L.
When I hung up the phone, Gus looked over to me and asked, “What was that all about?”
“She’s drunk and wanted to give me hell.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Another fiery one. It’d be nice if one of you boys could fall for a meek, timid chick,” he grumbled.
“What’s the fun in that?” Blaze argued. “Besides, we all know that the fiery ones are the only ones who can put up with our shit.”
“You’ve got a point there.” Gus reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his SUV. As he tossed them over to me, he said, “You might want to explain a couple of things to her … like why she shouldn’t steal phone numbers from her dad’s cell.”
“I’ll make sure she understands.”
“I know you will.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about the pain I heard in her voice—the pain I’d caused. I’d hurt her—the very thing I was trying not to do—and it gutted me. One way or another, I had to set things right, but before I could do that, I had to find her. When I started for the door, Gus called, “Murphy?”
I stopped and looked over to him. “Yeah?”
“You’ll never know unless you take a chance.”
I nodded, then headed out to the parking lot. When I got to his truck, I didn’t take the time to consider what Gus had said. Instead, I cranked the engine and drove like a bat out of hell towards downtown. While Riley hadn’t actually told me her location, I’d heard her say Grady’s name right before the line was disconnected. It was my only clue, and I hoped it would be enough to find her. When I pulled up to the Smoking Gun, I wasn’t happy to see that it was packed to the gills. I just wanted to find her and set things straight before she did something we’d both regret, but it wasn’t going to be easy to find her in such a large crowd. I started towards the back of the bar, carefully maneuvering my way through the partygoers as I searched for any sign of Riley. I was starting to lose hope when I finally spotted her sitting at one of the tables in the back corner. She was wearing a little black dress that clung perfectly to her curves, and her hair was down around her shoulders. She looked stunning. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed how beautiful she looked.
An overeager douchebag was standing next to her with his arm around her shoulder, and from the way he was drooling over her, he thought he’d found his companion for the night. Unfortunately for him, that was never going to happen. With my fists clenched at my sides, I started towards them, and as I got closer, I could see that Riley had her hand on the douchebag’s chest, trying to push him off her. The guy clearly wasn’t taking the hint and just kept whispering God only knows in her ear. She shook her head, clearly telling him no, but he wasn’t accepting her answer. By the time I reached the table, I was ready to rip the guy a new one. I placed my hand on his shoulder and snarled, “It’s time to move on, asshole.”
The guy was at least a foot shorter than me with a slim, but athletic build. When he turned and looked at me, I could tell from his expression that he was feeling unsure of himself, but that didn’t stop him from saying, “This doesn’t involve you, so fuck off!”
I didn’t miss the surprise in her drunken voice when Riley asked, “Murphy? What are you doing here?”
“You’ve got two seconds to get your fucking hands off her.” When he didn’t move, I brought my hand up to his throat, lifting him up in the air as I slammed him against the wall. With a look of utter panic, he started clawing at my hand, trying to pry himself free from my hold. The poor bastard looked terrified, but he had it coming. I gave his throat a firm squeeze, and when his face started to turn red, I leaned towards him and with my face just inches from his, I growled, “I’m going to let you go, and when I do, you’re going to walk away. Is that understood?”
He nodded frantically.
“Good.” I lowered his feet to the ground and released my hold on his throat. “Now, get the fuck out of here.”
As he turned to leave, I heard him grumble, “No piece of ass is worth this bullshit!”
The second he was gone, Riley turned to me and asked, “What the hell was that?”
“That was me saving your ass from that asshole, which wouldn’t have been necessary if you hadn’t gone and gotten yourself drunk.”
“Oh, no. You don’t get to come in here acting all high and mighty trying to save me,” she slurred. “You don’t get to do that. Not after …”
“I just did.”
“Well, you had no right to intervene. Besides, I was handling it!”
“Um-hmm. Sure, you were.” I crossed my arms as I asked, “Where’s your cousin, Grady?”
“Not that it’s any of your business … he had something he needed to take care of.”
“So, he left you here alone?”
“Yes, but he had something important he needed to take care of,” she repeated with an over-exaggerated eyeroll.
“Nothing is as important as you are, Riley. Nothing.”
A faint blush crept over her face as she said, “Tha’s almost funny coming from you.”
When she picked up her drink and took a long sip, I reached for her and said, “You’ve had enough. It’s time to get you home.”
“Whoa. Hold up there, Hercules,” she argued. “Who are you to tell me when I’ve had enough? I’mmmm not going anywhere.”
“This isn’t up for discussion, Riley. You’ve had your little tantrum. Now, I’m taking you home.”
“Tantrum?” Her words continued to be slurred and drawn out as she stood up and asked, “Are you kidding me?”
“Riley,” I warned.
“You can ‘Riley’ me all you want, but I’m not leaving.” As she pointed towards the front door, she said, “You, on the other hand, are more than welcome to do whatever you want.”
“Is that right?”
With that, I stepped towards her, and with one quick swoop, I lifted her up and planted her across my shoulder. Once I had her situated, I noticed that her dress had shifted, and her tiny, black lace panties and perfect ass were completely exposed. My cock stirred to life, and I silently cursed myself when I felt the urge to touch her and feel her smooth, round flesh beneath my hand. It wasn’t the time nor the place, so I gave the hem of her dress a quick tug, making sure she was completely covered. It was at that moment that Riley started hitting me in the back with her fists. “What the hell are you doing? Put me down!”
“You said I was welcome to do whatever I want, and I want to leave.”
“I already told you I wasn’t going anywhere!”
Unable to help myself, I gave her ass a quick, but memorable smack as I told her, “Considering your present situation, I would say you’re wrong about that.”
“Oh, my God! I can’t believe you just did that! Put me down, Murphy!”
Ignoring her half-hearted protests, I grabbed her purse off the table and worked my way towards the front of the bar. She kept trying to wiggle her way out of my grasp, but that wasn’t going to happen. Now that I had her, there was no way in hell I was going to let her go. I gave her ass another firm pop, and as I’d hoped, she finally accepted her fate and settled down. I’d almost made it to the front door when a tall, preppy motherfucker stepped in front of me, blocking the exit. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Put her the fuck down.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Oh, it’s gonna happen, and it’s gonna happen right now.”
“You need to step back, asshole, or you’re not gonna like what happens,” I warned, tightening my grip around her waist. I could’ve let her down. Considering her current condition, it would’ve been the respectful thing to do, but I had a point to make, and I was damn well going to make it. Besides, there was no way in hell I was going to accommodate the asshole who’d left Riley alone while she was drinking. That shit was out of line, and I had every intention of letting him know it.
He took a charging step forward, and just as he was about to do something stupid, Riley stopped him by saying, �
��Grady, don’t. I’m okay.”
“Who the fuck is this guy?”
She turned her hips so she could face him, and with a hiccup she answered, “Um … this is Murphy.”
A surprised look crossed his face as his eyes skirted over me. “This is Murphy? The Murphy?.”
“The one and only.”
Grady looked up at me and said, “I don’t know what you think you’re gonna do here, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting you leave with her. Not like that.”
“She was under your watch tonight, and you dropped the ball. That fuck up is on you.” I knew he was Riley’s cousin, but that didn’t mean I was gonna let him stand in my way. “If you’re smart, you’ll see that you’re about to fuck up again.”
“Grady, just leave it. Seriously, s’okay.”
“Nothing about this is okay, Riley,” he argued. “Just say the word and I’ll handle it.”
I eased my hand up and it rested on her ass. Taking the hint, she answered, “Don’t. I’ll be fine … if the room will just stop spinning.”
Grady reached in his pocket and pulled out his card. “Here’s my number. Call me if she needs anything.”
I nodded, and as I walked past him, he shouted, “Riley, call me as soon as you get home.”
Seconds later, we were out of the bar and headed towards the SUV. When I got to the passenger side door, I carefully lowered Riley’s feet to the ground and handed her the purse I’d taken off the table. She stood there silently scowling at me as I opened the door for her. In her act of defiance, she crossed her arms with an angry huff and asked, “Are you going to tell me what your plans are here, or am I just supposed to assume that I am being kidnapped?”
I stepped towards her and with my arms fully extended, I placed my hands flat against the truck, pinning her in place. As I looked down at her, I felt that pull to her grow even stronger, and from the way she was looking back at me, I knew she could feel it, too. “We both know you just got what you wanted, so why don’t you just get in the truck and stop pretending that this is something it’s not?”
“Oh, my God! You are such an asshole!” Once again, her words were slurred and her facial expressions overdramatized. “You just carried me out of the bar on your shoulder, and you actually think I wanted that?”
“You wanted to see me again, and now, I’m here.” I knew I sounded like a dick, but I couldn’t stop the words from coming out of my mouth. “So, yeah. You got what you wanted.”
“You’re right. I did want to see you again, but that was before …” she lowered her head and her voice grew soft, “when you were being nice … when you actually talked to me instead of the way you’re acting now … barking orders and acting like a bossy asshole. It’s hard to believe you’re even the same person.”
“We’re one in the same, Riley.” I took a step back as I motioned my hand towards the truck. “You can either come with me and give me a chance to set things right, or I can call you a cab. It’s your call.”
CHAPTER 10
Riley
And just like that, he’d put the ball in my court—which couldn’t have come at a worse time. In my inebriated state, I had to decide if I was going to ask him to get me a cab and put an end to whatever was going on between us forever or get in his truck and take a chance on starting something real with him. I would’ve thought it would be a simple decision; after all, I’d pined over for him for weeks, but I was completely at odds with myself. As I stood there looking at him, all brooding and sexy as hell, I had no doubt that he had the ability to turn my entire world upside down. My brain was screaming for me to just walk away and salvage what was left of my dignity and self-respect. While I was certain I had a pretty good idea of who he was and the kind of life he led and after dealing with the decisions my father had made, I wasn’t sure I could handle it. My heart, on the other hand, didn’t agree. I’d seen a glimpse of the man beneath that rough exterior. Murphy was no knight in shining armor, but there was a light hidden away in all that darkness—a good inside of him that I was drawn to in ways I couldn’t begin to understand. There were plenty of reasons why I should be scared of wanting him, but the fact was I did, and I couldn’t imagine walking away without taking a chance.
I mulled it over for a few more seconds, then let out a deep breath and started to get inside the truck. Once I was settled, he shut the door, then walked over to the driver’s side and got in. Neither of us spoke as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. When he started out onto the main road, I asked, “So, what’s the plan here?”
“I already told you, I’m taking you home.”
I tried my best to hide the disappointment in my voice when I replied, “Oh, okay.”
Feeling dejected once again, I turned and leaned my head against window, completely ignoring him as we continued forward. Just as we were leaving the crowded streets of downtown, something caught Murphy’s attention, and he mumbled something under his breath as he slammed on his breaks. Seconds later, we were parked next to the sidewalk and he was getting out of the truck. He grabbed something out of the backseat, and just before he closed the door, he looked at me and said, “Lock it and stay put.”
“Um… okay?”
“No matter what happens, do not move from this spot, Riley. Is that understood?”
“Yes. It’s understood.”
With that, he closed the door and waited for me to lock it behind him. Once he was sure that I was secured inside, he started walking towards a group of teenagers who were huddled together near the side of an old brick building. I had no idea what was going on until one of the boys happened to notice that Murphy was headed in their direction. When the boy took a step back, I could see that his friends were harassing an old homeless man, kicking and hitting him as they towered over him like a pack of wolves. The whole scene sickened me, and I hoped that Murphy would be able to put an end to it but feared that there were too many for him to handle. I wanted to call out to him and tell him not to risk it, but it was already too late. The others had seen him approaching, and their focus was now directed at him. Words were exchanged, and I thought they were about to jump Murphy, when instead, the teenagers started to scurry away. It was the craziest thing I’d ever seen. Together, they could’ve easily taken him down, but they all looked completely freaked out as they rushed out of sight. I watched in wonder as Murphy walked over to the homeless man and helped him to his feet. He spoke with him for several minutes, and once he saw that he was okay, he offered him the coat he’d gotten out of the backseat. After he’d put it on, Murphy reached into his front pocket and pulled out some cash. He gave the money to him, then turned around and walked towards the truck.
I unlocked the door, and as soon as he was back inside, he started up the truck and drove away. I wanted to ask him about what had just happened, but I couldn’t form the words. I was too stunned. I couldn’t believe that the same man who’d thrown me over his shoulder, smacked my behind not once, but twice, and carried me out of the bar like a caveman had shown such compassion and kindness to an elderly homeless man. It just didn’t make sense to me.
Maybe it was the fact that I was intoxicated or maybe because I was so lost in my own world of thoughts, whatever the reason, I never even noticed that he didn’t take the exit to the interstate. Instead, Murphy had pulled up to a beautiful cobblestone house and parked. He opened his truck door and said, “We’re here.”
As I sat up in my seat, I looked out the window and asked, “Wait. I thought you were taking me home.”
“You’re right. I did.” I was beyond confused. I thought I was starting to sober up, but apparently, I still had a long way to go. Murphy got out of the truck and continued, “I just didn’t say whose home I was taking you to.”
“Hold on … This is where you live?”
“Yes. This is where I live.” He walked over and opened my door, then reached for my hand and led me up to the front steps. Even though it was dark, I could tell we were in
a nice neighborhood, most likely in midtown. Like several of the other homes around him, it had a small front porch and a large fenced-in backyard, but unlike the others, his was landscaped with elegant shrubbery and flowers along the walkway. As he unlocked the front door, he shrugged. “It’s not much, but it’s home. Go see for yourself.”
I stepped inside, and my mouth dropped open when he turned on the lights, revealing a quaint little entry way with checkered tile and an elaborate, crystal chandelier hanging above the hallway that led to the second floor. As I started towards the living room, I quickly realized that Murphy had spared no expense when it came to making his home just the way he wanted it. His furniture, the color of the walls, the newly refinished hardwood floors, and even the artwork hanging throughout the room looked as if they were all made specifically for him. When I walked into the kitchen, it was much of the same—elegant but comfortable. I could barely contain myself. “It’s really incredible, Murphy.”
“Glad you think so.”
“Was it like this when you bought it?”
“I did most of it myself, but I had some of the brothers give me a hand.” He took off his leather jacket and hung it on the back of a kitchen chair before walking over to the refrigerator. He opened the door and looked inside then asked, “Have you had dinner?”
I wasn’t really in the mood to eat, so I answered, “No, but I’m not really hungry.”
“You need to eat something, Riley.” Before I had a chance to respond, he asked, “What are you in the mood for? I could make us a couple of burgers or a full on breakfast. The choice is yours.”
“Actually … breakfast sounds really good.”
“Yes, it does.”
He grabbed a package of bacon along with a pound of sausage and after he placed them on the counter, he pulled out the eggs and a couple of cans of biscuits. Once he had everything laid out, I walked over to the stove and asked, “What can I do?”