Page 14 of Ruthless

Chapter 6

Ginger

Present

With my arms wrapped tightly around Rebel I could feel that he was still as hard and muscular as he'd been four years before. I’d never thought I would see him again, I’d never thought that I'd find myself on the back of his bike, yet there I was, using his huge body as a shield against the wind as he took me home. Who was I trying to fool? I liked the feel of him, I always had, and I closed my eyes and let myself remember. That turned out to be a mistake. All it did was start a pleasant tingle in my nether regions when I recalled how hot the sex had been between us.

That had been then, and this was now. He wasn't here for sex. He'd hunted me down for the money that I'd stolen from him. I was glad in a way, because now I knew that Wildman and the Red Devils were no more. I wondered if I'd go to hell for being glad. They'd been evil men. It hadn't taken me long to determine that Rebel had been a different caliber of man once he'd helped me get away, and I would have waited for him, as he'd instructed, if things had been different.

Within ten minutes we were pulling into the parking lot of my apartment complex and coming to a stop in front of my building. Rebel helped me dismount, and I removed the helmet he'd insisted I wear as he got off his huge, powerful Harley. In spite of the poor lighting I could see that he was taking in his surroundings. I wasn't going to apologize for the shabby look of the place, it was what it was. The place was old, everything was painted beige, and the parking lot hadn't been paved in years. It was filled with potholes, and faded, the yellow lines marking the parking spots all but gone.

I bit my lip to keep from telling him that the inside looked better. Della and I had furnished our apartments with thrift store and yard sale items, but we'd been discerning. It was amazing what people got rid of when they were tired of it. Thinking of Della, I wondered how she was feeling. She hadn't called as I'd asked her to.

"This area doesn't look very safe."

His comment pissed me off immediately and I swung back to him. "Look, I've been on the run since I left your apartment, and I do the best that I can. I choose to live here in order to save back the money I owe you. I knew if you were alive that you'd probably come looking for me one day. If you're worried about your precious bike, bring it inside. I live on the ground floor."

"Even safer," he scoffed sarcastically. "And watch your attitude, woman. I was simply stating the fucking obvious."

Watch my attitude? After the night I'd just been through? I was exhausted, numb, totally freaked by his presence there, and I was still coming down from the frightening experience of the attempted robbery. I had a right to have an attitude when, on top of everything else, he was criticizing where I lived. I took a deep breath to rein in my emotions and turned to walk away, reminding myself that I didn't really know Rebel.

I knew that he was behind me. I could hear the clomping of his heavy boots. When we reached my door I unlocked it and turned to him, noticing the satchel in his hand. "I'll be right back. I need to check on my friend." I'd forgotten how tall Rebel was. He was so close that I had to crook my neck to meet his eyes. I tried not to notice the intoxicating scent of his manly smell.

He raised a brow, hesitating from going inside my apartment. "A man?"

"That's none of your business." It would have been much easier to just tell him the truth, but his arrogance irked me.

"I'll go with you," he smirked.

"It's right there," I said, pointing at the door directly across from mine. "I won't be long." I took a step toward the other door when he grasped my arm and then I was pulled backwards against his hard form. I gasped, feeling his mouth against my ear.

"Has there been anyone else since me?"

Oh, God, a sudden inferno erupted inside me. I shivered at his nearness. No, there hadn't. "It's been four years, Rebel." Let him think what he wanted, I didn't owe him anything.

"That's not an answer," he said, his hand tightening on my arm. "Yes or no."

I swallowed, unable to lie to him. "I don't know why it matters, but no, you're the only man I've ever been with." I had to get away from him before I made a fool of myself.

I could sense his relief. His hand uncurled, and I was free. I used my key and let myself into Della's apartment. Like mine, it was barely bigger than an efficiency. Della and I had the same taste in décor, we both liked color and miss-matched items that somehow came together. While she'd focused on bright yellows and greens, I'd gone with greens and lavender.

It didn't surprise me to find her apartment dark and quiet. I made my way to her tiny bedroom, turning on the hall light so I could see. I found Della's form in the middle of her bed, buried beneath a stack of blankets. "Della? Honey?" Low moans were my response. "How are you feeling?" I sat down on the edge of her bed.

She moaned again, but didn't move. "I hurt all over. And I've been throwing up."

"Oh, God. It sounds like the flu." I glanced around, not seeing any water or medication on the nightstand. "You need to drink lots of water." I got up and went to the kitchen. Flipping on the light switch, I removed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with the filtered water she kept in the fridge.

On the way back to the bedroom I stopped at the bathroom and dug through the medicine cabinet, but there was absolutely nothing in there for the flu. I did grab the aspirin to help with her aches and pains, and I snatched up the trashcan before returning to the bedroom. I sat back on the bed and put my hand on Della's forehead, not surprised to find that it was hot. "Here, honey, take these for your fever and aches." I shook out two pills.

She moaned in protest. "Please don't make me move."

I grinned. "You'll be glad that you did after these kick in. Now come on, suck it up."

She grumbled with irritation but gradually moved into a position where she could half sit up. "You're a cruel woman," she said, opening her mouth.

I slipped the aspirin inside and then held the glass of water against her lips. "Drink as much as you can. You're burning up." When she was done I set the glass aside and began pulling at the mound of blankets on top of her. "We need to remove a few of these, honey. At least until your temp drops, okay?"

There wasn't much she could do to stop me. By the time I was done I'd pulled off four blankets, leaving her with the sheet and light bedspread. I sighed, realizing that she was already halfway back to sleep. "I'll be back in a few hours to check on you, okay?" The smallest movement of her head indicated that she'd heard me. "The trashcan is also by your bed in case you need to throw up again and can't make it to the bathroom."

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