“Thank you,” she murmured softly as she gazed down at our joined hands. “Oh my God! Your hands!”
Grabbing both of my hands gently, she inspected them before looking up at me sadly. Most of my knuckles had split open, and blood splattered the skin.
“It doesn’t hurt, not yet anyway. This is a perfect example of why you should never punch anyone in the face. I just couldn’t control myself.”
She softly smiled as she pressed her lips to my fingers, careful to avoid my injuries.
How could anyone want to hurt someone so perfect?
Once she finished, she leaned over the center console to lay her head on my shoulder, keeping one of my hands linked with hers.
“I need your address for the GPS.”
“19 Pleasant Street.”
By the time we got to her apartment, Kaiya had fallen asleep. Carefully reaching to lift her in my lap, I cradled her in my arms as I stepped out of the truck. Shit, I don’t know her apartment number. “What’s your apartment number, baby?” I asked softly.
Stirring slightly, she mumbled, “Sixteen.”
Once we made it to her door, I pushed the button for the doorbell. After several seconds, the door opened to a surprised Kamden. When he focused on Kaiya in my arms, his expression morphed from shock to anger as he reached for her. “What the fuck did you do to her?”
Stepping back, bringing her closer into my body, I said, “I didn’t do anything. We need to talk.”
He must have seen something in my face because he moved from the doorway to let me in.
“Where’s her room?”
“I’m not letting you in her room,” he stated gruffly.
“Then, I guess I’m holding her until we finish talking,” I retorted as I looked down at her, sleeping peacefully. She was like an angel, and I couldn’t believe someone had hurt her for so long.
When my eyes went back up to meet Kamden’s, his anger seemed to have receded some. His jaw was no longer tense and his eyes softened as he gazed at Kaiya.
“Her room’s this way,” he sighed.
I followed him down the hallway to the door at the end. After we walked in, Kamden pulled back the comforter so I could lay Kaiya down. As I covered her, I pressed a kiss to her temple and brushed the hair back from her face. “Goodnight, Warrior.”
She drowsily smiled as I pulled away. I shut the door before following Kamden back out into the living room.
“Care to explain what happened?” he asked, his eyes glaring as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Some guy got too handsy at the club tonight. I took care of him.”
He sighed in relief. “Thank you.” He fell back onto the couch and covered his face with his hands. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened to her.”
“Sounds like a lot has happened to her already.” I stood in front of him and folded my arms over my chest. “Care to explain that?”
His gaze snapped up to mine as his body tensed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” he spat.
My fists clenched. “Was it you? Were you the one that abused her when she was little?” If he was, I was going to kill him.
He sucked in a breath, eyes wide with disbelief before furiously responding, “No! I would never do that to her!”
“Who was it, then?” I gritted.
“It’s not my place to tell you—Kaiya will tell you when she’s ready,” he replied firmly.
We both silently stared at one another for I don’t know how long before Kamden finally spoke, “Thank you again for protecting her.”
I nodded, then headed for the front door, but stopped. Turning back around to face him, I asked, “Will you have her call me? I want to make sure she’s okay.”
He hesitated, shaking his head. “Look, you seem to have feelings for Kaiya, but I don’t think you two should see each other anymore.”
I squared my body, pushing my chest out. “Last I checked, Kaiya is a grown woman, and you aren’t her father. She can make her own decisions.”
He stood up with authority and stared me down with a death glare. “And last I checked, you’re a womanizing asshole. I don’t want my sister getting involved with you.”
“Too late.” I shrugged. “I’m going to see her, whether you fucking like it or not.”
“Oh, really? We’ll see about that.” There was an obvious challenge in his tone.
“Yeah, we will,” I responded. I turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind me. I was going to see Kaiya, and there was nothing Kamden or anyone could do to fucking stop me.
Noise from the kitchen woke me, and I winced from the throbbing pain in my cheek and head. Why did I drink so much? I can’t believe how stupid I was.
As I slowly sat up in my bed, I thought about how Ryker not only came to my rescue, but listened to me when I needed someone—he actually seemed like he cared, despite what he had said to me the night before. What changed?
I dreaded facing Kamden—Ryker had to have brought me home, and I wondered what happened after that. Did Kamden question Ryker? Did they talk about what happened at the club?
Slowly, I trudged to the kitchen, where Kamden was making breakfast.
“Hey.” I plopped down at the breakfast bar, preparing for the inevitable.
As Kamden turned to face me, his eyes focused on my cheek, then immediately set in anger as he stalked over to me.
“Did Ryker do this?” he growled as he gently grabbed my chin, tilting it to look at my face better.
“No!” I snapped, pulling back from him. “Ryker saved me from the guy that did—he stopped him.” I looked away and wrapped my arms around myself.
Kamden placed his arms on my shoulders, looking at me with concern. “Tell me what happened.”
Tears stung my eyes as I remembered last night. Thank God Ryker was there to save me. I don’t know what would’ve happened if he hadn’t come after me.
“I acted stupid—I got drunk and was all over this guy.” My voice was barely above a whisper as shame and embarrassment got the better of me. “He wanted to take things further, and I didn’t want to. He didn’t like that, and got physical.”
When I looked up, Kamden’s nostrils flared in anger as he took a deep breath and gripped the side of the counter. “And?”
“Ryker intervened—he beat the crap out of the guy and brought me home.”
“You told him about Kaleb?” He sounded irritated and confused as his eyes searched my face.
My muscles tensed slightly at the accusation. “Not everything. I just told him that I was abused when I was little. Not who.”
“He thought it was me—I thought he was going to kick my ass.” His stern expression and tone told me he was serious.
“What?” I laughed nervously.
“Seriously—he asked if it was me. He was pissed.”
“Really?” I can’t believe he cared.
“Yeah. I told him to stay away from you.” Kamden crossed his arms.
“What?” I exclaimed angrily as I stood. “Why did you tell him that?”
“He’s not good for you, Ky. He—” He relaxed his stance as he moved towards me again, but I held my hand up to stop him.
“That’s not your decision, Kamden!” My voice rose as I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s my choice whether I want to see him or not!”
Kamden paused, giving me a perplexed look as a grin attempted to curve his lips. “You really like him, don’t you?”
Did I? “I don’t know… he makes me feel different.” I sighed as I locked eyes with him. “Alive… like I’m not just a hollow shell anymore.”
“Well, he didn’t sound like he was going to listen to me, anyway. He wants you to call him.” He smiled knowingly at me.
My lips tipped up, but almost immediately fell. “I can’t believe he wants to talk to me after last night. I was all over that guy right in front of him, and I yelled at him in front of all the people in the club.” I blew out a breath
of frustration as I buried my face in my hands and groaned.
“I don’t like the guy, but he obviously has feelings for you. He wouldn’t have wasted his time otherwise. Ryker has no problem getting women.”
That was an understatement. Ryker had told me that he had lost count of how many women he’d been with, and never slept with the same one twice. I wonder if he’ll be the same with me. After Thursday night, I would’ve said yes, but given the events of last night, I wasn’t so sure anymore.
“I know. I’m going to get some ice for my cheek and call him.”
After grabbing a bag of frozen vegetables, I went back to my room and dug my phone from my purse. Fuck, it’s dead. Plugging it in to the charger, I powered it up before dialing Ryker’s number.
“Hey, Warrior.”
A warm tingle spread through me at his words, causing a smile to spread over my face—I loved when he called me that. “Hey.” I lay back on my bed, keeping the phone to the opposite side of where I was holding my makeshift icepack to my cheek.
“How you feeling?” His tone sounded genuine, like he actually wanted to know.
“Fine. My cheek and head hurt, but I’m okay. How are your knuckles?”
Ryker’s laughter sounded into the phone. “You’re the one who got attacked last night, and you’re worried about me. They’re fine, baby.”
“Good.” I paused for a few seconds, nibbling my bottom lip. “I’m really sorry about last night.”
“Me too, for everything.” He sighed into the phone. “Let’s just forget about it and move on. Can I see you today?”
Some tension eased in my chest—he still wanted to talk to me after how I acted. “What did you have in mind?”
“Lunch? I don’t have to go into the gym until two today. I can pick you up or meet you somewhere.”
“You can pick me up. In an hour?” A goofy smile spread across my face as I stifled a girly squeal.
“I’ll see you then. Bye, Warrior.”
“Bye.”
After I hung up, I rushed to shower and get ready in time before Ryker got there. We had a lot to discuss, especially the things he’d said to me after we had sex Thursday night—I hadn’t forgotten them. Their harshness still stung me, and they were such a contrast to his actions last night that I was left totally confused.
I dressed in a deep purple sundress, then applied some foundation to the bruise on my cheek, but it didn’t help much. The purple of the welt almost matched the color of my dress and looked terrible against my pale skin.
Ryker texted me when he was downstairs, and I peeked my head into Kamden’s room to tell him about my plans.
“I’m going to lunch with Ryker. I’ll be back later.”
Kamden gave me a disapproving look as he cautioned, “Be careful.”
I rolled my eyes. “I will.”
Ryker was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He looked amazing, as always, in a tight blue V-neck shirt that emphasized his muscles. He gave me his sexy grin until I got closer, then his eyes focused on my cheek. His eyebrows creased in anger as his smile morphed to a scowl. “That fucking bastard,” he mumbled below his breath.
When I reached him, he pulled me into his chest, cradling my face as he examined the bruise like Kamden had earlier.
“I’m fine.” I pulled away, uncomfortable with him looking at me so closely, afraid he would see what lay underneath if he looked too long.
“Ready to go?” Ryker asked as he joined our hands.
Giving him a small smile, I nodded. He led me to the passenger side of his truck, opening the door and helping me get in the raised cab.
“Where do you want to go?” Ryker asked when he got in.
“Hmm. What about Cafe Luna?” I suggested.
Cafe Luna was a quaint brunch spot that Nori and I went to occasionally. They had delicious paninis and breakfast, including a spicy chicken chorizo and black bean omelet.
“Wherever you want, baby,” Ryker said as he started the truck.
It only took us about ten minutes to reach the restaurant. Ryker once again threaded our fingers together after helping me get down from his truck. I really like this side of him. A smile took over my lips as I glanced at him, but I quickly darted my gaze away when he caught me looking at him out of the corner of his eye. What are you, like twelve? Quit being such a girl.
We were seated in a booth right next to a huge window overlooking the street. People hurried past us on their cell phones, some talking on them as others stared at the screen while trying not to run into anything.
The waitress came up to our booth and took our drink order. After she brought our drinks and jotted down what we wanted to eat, I impulsively asked Ryker, “Did you mean what you said the other night?” I couldn’t keep the question inside any longer—it had been nagging at me the whole drive.
The muscles in his jaw tensed as he swallowed. “No.”
“Then, why did you say those things to me?”
He didn’t say anything for several seconds, and I was afraid he was going to get up and leave me there, not wanting to deal with my bullshit anymore.
“Fear.” He reached for his glass of water before taking a long drink.
Fear? What was he afraid of? “Fear?” I repeated, wanting him to clarify.
He gave a quick nod as he set down the glass. “I thought you were blowing me off.”
“So, you decided to blow me off first?” I raised my eyebrow and rested my arms on the table.
“Look.” He sighed. “I know I made a mistake, and I’m sorry I hurt you. I… I have issues.” He leaned in, grabbing my hands and locking eyes with me. “I’ve been fucked over in the past, and it’s hard for me to trust someone after what I went through.” He sat back and shrugged his shoulders. “We all have our own demons.”
“Yeah, but some demons are worse than others.” I stared at my glass, tracing a finger along the rim.
“That doesn’t make them any less easy to deal with for the person that has to live with them.”
He had a point. Just because I felt my demons were worse, didn’t mean that Ryker’s weren’t hard for him. I didn’t even know what his were to be able to judge. I wouldn’t feel right asking him to tell me since I kept so much from him all of the time.
I nodded in understanding. “So, where do we go from here?”
“I’m not sure.” He released a heavy breath. “All I know is that I want to keep seeing you. That is, if you still want to.”
“I want to, but I’m scared.” I gnawed on my lip as I looked over his face. “What if you hurt me?”
Abruptly, he stood before coming to my side of the booth and scooting in next to me. He draped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him. He used his other hand to tilt my chin to look in his eyes.
“Honestly, Warrior, I’m scared, too. I haven’t felt this way about someone since… well, a really long time. I promise I won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt me.”
My heart fluttered. I wasn’t completely sure I could trust him, but I was willing to take the chance. Life wasn’t meant to be lived in fear, and I felt that moving forward with Ryker was taking another step to becoming stronger, to becoming whole.
Instead of answering him with words, I brought my lips to his, hoping that was enough of an answer for him. I wasn’t good at expressing my feelings, but I hoped that the kiss demonstrated how I felt, showed that I was trusting him not to crush what was left of me.
When we finally parted, he said, “So, was that a yes?”
I laughed. “On one condition—no other girls.”
Making a skeptical face, he teased, “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Then, I guess I’m leaving,” I joked, pushing him away from me.
Wrapping me in his arms, he chuckled. “I was just kidding.” He brushed his lips over mine. “No other girls.”
I pulled back and gave him a deal breaking glare. “Promise,” I demanded.
Cupping my face, he hel
d my gaze. “I promise—no other girls.”
“You better not hurt me or I’ll be forced to use my fighting skills on you.” I lightly jabbed him in the stomach as I giggled.
“No, please don’t,” he playfully pleaded, acting fearful of my non-existent threat. We both laughed before he brought his lips to mine again, sending warmth through my entire body before it pooled between my thighs. My stomach tightened as his tongue entered my mouth, joining with mine to deepen the kiss. Damn, he kisses so good.
Throat-clearing caused us to break away from each other, but not before Ryker pressed one last soft kiss on my lips. We both directed our attention to the waitress, who held a tray in her hands.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but your food is ready,” she said politely.
Blushing with embarrassment, I avoided her eyes as she set our food on the table. When she left, I looked at Ryker, who chuckled at me and shook his head.
Once we finished eating, Ryker drove me back home. He made plans to take me to dinner once he got off work, and I couldn’t fight the foreign feeling of happiness that overtook me. Maybe Ryker is good for me.
When I entered the apartment, Kamden came out of his room and asked me a million questions about Ryker and our date. Okay, maybe not a million, but way more than necessary.
After his interrogation, I tried to escape to my room, but he stopped me as I was walking down the hallway.
“Do you remember about Monday?”
“Monday?” I said quizzically. What’s Monday? After a few seconds of contemplation, it hit me. Our appointment. Kaleb. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. “Fuck. I can’t believe it’s already here,” I groaned.
“You okay?” Kamden asked with concern, rubbing his hand up and down my arm.
My stomach tightened uncomfortably. “Yeah, just nervous. I better call Nori and remind her.”
“Let me know if you need anything—I know this is going to be tough for you.”
“Thanks, I will,” I replied before turning and heading into my room. Taking my phone out of my purse, I dialed Nori. She answered after the second ring. “What the fuck happened last night, Ky? You didn’t return any of my fucking calls or texts. I was worried sick.”
Shit. I forgot that I just left without a word—she sounded pissed. I sat on my bed as I apologized, “I’m sorry. My phone died, and it just slipped my mind this morning.”
The Scars of Us Page 12
