Page 74 of Wicked

Cheesy grin on his face. “You do?”

I nod.

“How much?”

My eyebrows tug low. “Is that a trick question?”

“Answering a question with another question?” He steps close. “I like.”

Suddenly, I find myself slung over his shoulder, staring at the ground.

“What are you doing?” I’m laughing. Can’t stop the sounds of happiness from slipping from my mouth.

“I plan on showing you how much you mean to me too.”

He can’t say the words yet, and I’m fine with that. I have to be. His father won his mother’s heart through patience, friendship, and acceptance. I’ll wait for Ryker to figure out if he feels the same for me. And if he comes to the realization that he doesn’t, I can live with that, too. Free will is important, and he has every right to choose who he wants and doesn’t want in his life.

I would never take his free will away. Or jeopardize his chances of making his future dreams come true.

Desire. Lust. Obsession. Possession.

You are mine. I am yours.

Run and I will come after you.

Fight and I will hold you tight until the fight dies from you breath by breath.

Love another and your world will go out with a bang.

I will never be like my father.

I will fight when Sam comes for me.

And if Ryker doesn’t love me back, life will go on.

It has to.

27

Harper

“You sure about this?”

“Yes.” I stick my wireless earbuds in. “I need something other than you barking orders at me.”

After Ryker and I made love, making up the excuse that sex speeds up the heart rate as nicely as a good runandsex is a more enjoyable way of working up a sweat, he dropped me off at the gym before going off to do something so secretive, he didn’t budge when I tempted him with sex in the shower in exchange for telling.

What is so important he turned down sex?

Shephard’s laughter pulls me out of my thoughts. He collars me around the neck and rubs his knuckles over my hair. Before I can protest, he yanks out my earbuds and tosses them next to my phone set in the corner of the boxing ring.

He taps at his black headguard that’s identical to mine. “Play your music loud and proud for me, too, yeah? We both need to let off some steam.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“You can’t keep anything from me, Harper.”

Blinking, I put on my best poker face. He cannot know of Missy talking shit about me. Otherwise, she is in for a reaming, among other things. Shephard can take overprotective to the extreme.

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