Page 56 of Wicked

“We’ll take her. Every piece and part of her. For Sam.”

“Over my cold, dead body.”

19

Harper

“You don’t need to stay, Ryker. I’ll understand if you want to book the next flight back to Oregon. I’ll be fine.”

He sighs. Shoves his hands inside the pockets of his dress slacks. My stomach’s in a knot after what happened in the lounge, but the place between my legs throbs.

Over my cold, dead body.

I’m right. Beneath his tough, cocky, couldn’t-care-less exterior is a fighter, a warrior, and Ryker wants to protect me. Is willing to declare his intentions to guys who will relay the message to Sam.

I wait for his answer. If he leaves, can I live with his rejection? If he stays, can I tell Ryker what happened in that dank room without pulling into myself and shutting him out? He doesn’t answer. He does better.

Ryker reaches for me and envelopes me in his arms. I slacken against the solid strength of his body and his hold. His heartbeats beat strong and loud as I burrow into his warmth.

Shephard insisted Ryker stay with me. He’s giving me the chance to prove Ryker is the one who can help me be normal again. Once I’m close, will Shephard keep his word and let me go?

I untangle from Ryker’s hold and lead him to the bed. He looks from me to the undisturbed covers.

“I’d never force you. You know that, right?”

I nod. The knot in my stomach unravels. I open my mouth. A rough finger skims across my bottom lip.

“I’d never demand you tell me something private either.”

But I do want to tell him. Shephard’s right. Ryker needs to understand how deep in shit I stand. After I reveal the truth, will he stay and fight for me? Or will he walk away?

This goes beyond Wednesdays at the skating rink and Thursdays at the trampoline place. Skating and jumping are safe. What’s coming for us costs people their lives. If Ryker stays, I’ll be asking more from him. How much is he willing to give me? How much of myself can I give in return?

Tired of going round and round in my head, I slip off my heels and crawl on top of the bed. I stretch out my legs. The hem of my dress rides up my thighs. Ryker doesn’t look lower than my bottom eyelash.

In the seriousness of the situation, a smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. He’s such a good guy, and I am wrong. Ryker Conway isn’t a jerk. He has a heart of gold.

The giveaway is in the way he treats the kids. He’s good to them, teasing and laughing with them. But Ryker’s not always good. When the kids misbehave, he calls them out on it. They talk and work through what went wrong and how it can be made right. He does this in private, saving the kids from embarrassment.

I pat the spot next to me. If he’s patient and kind with the kids, he’ll treat me the same. Ryker gets on the bed and stretches out alongside me. His size looms large. He’s all muscle, the cords and sinewy fibers straining against his well-fitted shirt and pants.

I give him a sidelong checking out. “You look good.”

He reaches for my hand and does what I absolutely love. He laces our fingers and drops a kiss on top of my hand. Warm breath on my skin. And he lingers, his lips soft as what I imagine butterfly wings must feel like.

“And you’re sexy as fuck, beautiful. How’d I get so lucky to have someone as fine as you at my side?”

What do I say to that? “Thank you.”

I lean into him and rest my head on his shoulder.

“I told you of my life after my father murdered my mom and Colton. I also told you what happened after my uncle died. What I haven’t told you is what happened from when I was thirteen, living with my uncle, to when Shephard’s brother, Sam, kidnapped me.”

Untangling our fingers, I move to sit in front of him with my legs tucked under my butt. It’s important I see his face when I tell him of how my complicated relationship with the Taylor brothers began.

My dress’s hem rides up my thighs again, and I don’t tug it down. Why hide when I’m ready to lay bare to him more than skin?

“Sam is three years older than me. He was this big sixteen-year-old boy who terrorized the neighborhood I lived in with his gang of bullies. Shephard was his cocky twenty-year-old older brother, a soldier with attitude but charming with the women. They loved him, and he returned the favor.”

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