Page 71 of Taming Raptor

“Never Say Goodbye”—Bon Jovi

When we left Raptor’s family’s ranch it was with a profuse welcome back from his mom. In a way I felt guilty that she thought I was a dance instructor, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’d been a stripper. I actually really liked his parents, but I was a little pissed that he’d left me alone with them right after first meeting them.

“I can’t believe you did that,” I grumbled as we parked outside the clubhouse. “And why didn’t you take me back to Sloane and Phoenix’s place?”

He sat there with both hands on the steering wheel, staring out the windshield. The tension in his body was evident and I wondered why I hadn’t noticed sooner. Probably because I was too much in my head on the way back. Finally, he took a deep breath and roughly exhaled.

“There was someone following us.”

“What?” I jerked around to look behind us down the gravel drive. Panic chewed at my insides. Fear that they had found me, choked me. Nausea roiled in my guts and my hands trembled.

“Not here. We’re safe, but I was afraid to leave you at Phoenix’s knowing someone had been following us.”

“Did you tell them?” God, I’d never forgive myself if something happened to them because someone was after me.

“I called him before we left the ranch. They know and they have taken the necessary precautions.”

“Wait. You knew this before we left there? So, whoever it was followed us there? To your family?” I stared at him with my jaw unhinged.

“Trust me when I tell you that place is a fortress.”

Then my heart seized. “So that’s the only reason you took me to meet your parents?”

“Fuck, no. Did I plan on doing it tonight? No. Was I taking you there soon? Damn straight, I was.” His intense hazel eyes were heavily gold and locked on mine.

“So where did they go?” If someone had been following us, where were they now?

“They are being followed too.”

“Are you sure we didn’t lead them here?”

“Positive.”

My gaze narrowed on him, but I had to believe him, because I was afraid not to. After everything I’d seen before Blade snuck me out of Iowa, I needed to know I was safe. Because I was teetering on insanity at the thought of that person finding me here.

“Why do you care if I forgive you? You left me without looking back. How can I mean anything to you at all?”

“Do not for a moment think I didn’t look back. Even if I had wanted to, I couldn’t get you out of my head. No one has had a chance of replacing you. It took walking away from you to realize something.”

“What?”

“You? You’re everything. Understand?”

“Am I?” No matter how much I wanted to believe him, I wasn’t sure if I did.

“Yes. Tonight didn’t go quite as planned, but your safety was important to me, and I don’t regret taking you to meet my parents. But I do have something for you. Come inside, and I’ll show you,” he begged as he leaned over the console to thread his fingers through my hair and gently tug.

I pouted for a bit, but he ran his thumb over my protruding bottom lip.

“Please?” he prodded.

I don’t know why I pretended I wasn’t going to go with him, because I had every intention of giving in. Honestly, I was surprised I’d lasted this long. The man was an addiction of the first order. No matter how angry and hurt I’d been that he’d walked away from me, I still wanted him.

Craved him.

Loved him.

“Okay. Fine.” But I still had to keep up the pretense that he had to prove himself, because goddamn it he really did.

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