His eyes snapped to mine in an instant and he quickly pulled me into his arms. “Did that piece of shit hurt you?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“He did, but not in the way you think. He just threw me around a little bit. You guys got here in time before he did something worse,” I cried.
I heard a terrifying growl come out of Ryder’s mouth and he tried to lunge at Scott again but I held on as tight as I could. “Let go of me, Everleigh! I’m going to kill him!”
“Ryder, don’t! Please, just let the cops handle this! I need you right now!” I begged, tugging on his shirt. “Don’t let me go, please.”
He looked at me again and when his eyes landed on my face he looked horrified. Instead of rage his eyes were now filled with tears that were threatening to fall. He was breathing like he’d run a marathon. “Ev-ver-leigh…” he choked out. “Shit, you’re bleeding,” he whispered, trying to contain his emotions. He sounded like he had a lump in his throat as he finally took in my injuries, which apparently must have looked pretty bad judging by the look on his face. He tenderly placed his shaking and bloodied fingertips on my swollen cheeks and said, “I’m so, so, so sorry gorgeous,” before tears spilled from his eyes.
“Ryder, it’s okay. You got here in time before things got worse,” I said, looking into his blue eyes. They were filled with anger and despair like I’d never seen. “You saved me.”
“Evie…” he whispered. I reached up and wiped the tears from his cheeks with my thumbs. “I’m so sorry.”
“You didn’t hurt me Ryder, don’t apologize.”
“I should have never let you go off on your own with that sick fuck running around. I should have known better,” he said, his jaw tensing.
“Hey, it’s not your fault. Even I didn’t know Scott would do something like this. Please, Ryder,” I cried, feeling heartbroken that he was actually blaming himself for what happened.
He pulled me into his arms gently and ran his fingers through my tangled hair. “I love you so much, gorgeous, and I promise you that son of a bitch will never touch you again, okay?”
I nodded against his hard chest and cried harder. “I love you too, Ryder.” He held me tight in his arms and just rocked me against him for several minutes as we both cried.
All too soon, someone tapped my shoulder. “Everleigh,” Jessie said gently, “the cops are here.”
I pulled away from Ryder and looked at his shirt. It was soaked with tears and some of my blood. My stomach did another deep flip. “O-okay,” I said, terrified of what I would see when I looked in the mirror. Judging by everyone’s reactions Scott must have done a number on my face.
Ryder led me out of the bathroom before I could peek in the mirror and into the hall as two police officers and two paramedics went inside. An overweight cop with gray hair came up to us and said, “Are you Everleigh Stone?” I nodded. “You mind telling me what happened here?” I told him every detail of Scott’s attack on me, including what he was ultimately planning to do. Ryder tensed up listening to the details and I could feel burning anger radiating out of his body.
As the cop wrote down everything I said, he turned his questions to Ryder. “And how do you figure into this, tattoo boy?” he asked, his eyes giving Ryder a once over.
His eyes narrowed. “How do you think, rent-a-cop? That fucker tried to rape my girlfriend. I did what any normal guy would do and beat the shit out of him. I want his ass thrown in jail and a restraining order against him.”
“Do you think you can just tell me what to do because you are some famous person?” the chubby cop said. “I don’t take orders from some punk like you and you need to show some respect.”
Ryder’s face was hard and he said, “I’ll show respect when it’s earned, officer.” His eyes were full of contempt as he stared the cop down, daring him to do something.
Before the cop could respond, I interrupted. “Please, officer, he’s telling the truth. If Ryder hadn’t busted in when he did Scott would have r-raped me,” I choked out.
“Be that as it may, it looks like Scott may be in bad shape thanks to your, um, boyfriend, so I’m going to have to take him into custody,” the cop said, looking at Ryder like he was a piece of gum on his shoe.
“What? No, you can’t do that!” I shouted. “Scott attacked me, beat me up, tried to sexually assault me, and you are arresting the man that saved me from him? Ryder was defending me!”
“That doesn’t matter right now until we get the facts. He violently attacked a man unprovoked and for that he needs to be taken to jail,” said the cop.
At that moment, one of the other cops came walking out of the bathroom and tapped the one that harassing us on the shoulder. “Hey, Johnson, this guy is going to be fine. He just got knocked out and he’s already coming to. No need to arrest this one. We have witnesses that have corroborated their story.”
Chubby Cop looked pissed and he glared right at Ryder. “You got lucky this time, tattoo boy, but I’ve got my eye on you. You screw up one more time and I’ll have your ass in the back of my squad car before you can even blink, you got it?”
Jessie came over to us at that moment and glared at the cop. “Hey, stop harassing them and go do your job and arrest the one that started all this,” she said angrily.
He turned and gave Jessie an angry look. “You’d better watch yourself too, little lady,” before walking away from us.
Ryder wrapped his arms around me and said, “Come on, let’s get out of here and get to the hospital.”
I blinked. “Why?”
“Everleigh, you were attacked and your face looks like Scott used it as a punching bag. We need to have you checked out and make sure he didn’t do any real damage,” Kris said, walking over to me.
“I just want to go home and get a shower,” I said but Ryder shook his head.
“No, we are going to the ER and making sure you are okay,” he said. It was no use arguing with him right now. He’d just beat the hell out of Scott for me and was almost arrested…the least I could do was go get looked at by a doctor. I sighed and nodded and as soon as we saw the police taking Scott into custody he got my coat and we left the club.
Three hours later, I was finally home from the ER. I tried to get out of Ryder’s Escalade and walk to the house but before I could get out of the car, my door opened and Ryder lifted me into his arms. I was too tired to fight him so I let him carry me into my house.
Thankfully nothing was broken and I didn’t have any internal damage, but Scott had left a pretty nasty cut on my forehead, my lip was slightly busted, and I had a pretty bad headache. All in all I was lucky that it wasn’t worse. Ryder, however, apparently didn’t hear that I would be okay in a few days because he was treating me like I was breakable again.
Once we were inside my house, he shut and locked the door while I was still in his arms and then he carried me down the hall to my room. He hadn’t said anything since we left the hospital and I was getting worried. After he gently placed me on my bed, he was about to walk to my dresser and get pajamas for me when I stopped him. “Ryder?” I said softly. “Will you please talk to me?”
He placed both hands on my dresser and leaned over it, taking deep breaths. “The cops better keep him in jail, Everleigh, because the minute he is free I’m going to kill him,” he said, his voice deep and terrifying.
A wave a fear shot through me. “Ryder, don’t. He’s not worth it. We will just have to…I don’t know what we will do, but I know that between you, the band, and your security team you will keep me safe,” I said, cautiously coming up behind him and placing my hands on his biceps.
He slightly jumped but stayed still. “I have never been that angry before. If the guys hadn’t pulled me off him he would be dead right now.”
I leaned in and kissed his shoulder blades and moved over to his arms. “You did stop, though. Even when you wanted to attack him again you stopped. I am so thankful for you, rock star,” I whispered, trailing my kisses around his bi
cep and taking his hand.
“Hearing you screaming for help and then seeing you all bloody…I’ve never felt so helpless. I don’t know what I would have done if he had touched you,” he said, his upper lip lifting in a snarl.
“Believe me, I wouldn’t have let him. He tried but I kneed him in the balls before he could touch me. You are the only one that gets to do that,” I said, pulling him away from my dresser and wrapping myself around his waist.
“You know he’s going to get out,” Ryder said. “I can hire all the extra security in the world but that fucker will still be free.”
I could see the wheels in his head turning and I was desperate to get his mind off of Scott. I needed him to stop thinking of what could have happened so I tried to use the only weapon I had in my arsenal. I pressed my lips to his neck and slowly slid my hand down his chiseled abs to the waistband of his jeans. “Well, for tonight, he can’t bother us. It’s just you and me, rock star.”
“Evie,” he said, tensing up. “I’m not-”
“Take a shower with me?” I asked, my tongue darting out past my lips and licking the vein in his neck.
A deep groan rumbled from his throat. “I don’t think this is a good idea right now, gorgeous.”
“The doctor said I was fine, Ryder. We are both bloody and need to wash this night away. Please?” I asked, batting my eyelashes at him. “Please, I need you.”
“I don’t know…” he said, his breath increasing and his body responding to my touch. I felt warm chills spread through me knowing I affected him this way.
I slid my fingers into his jeans and my fingertips grazed the tip of his dick, which was already solid as a rock. “Please,” I begged again, “I just want to forget. Make me forget him, Ryder.” I barely spoke his name before his lips gently claimed mine.
“I’ll make you forget, Evie, I promise you,” he whispered between kisses. He gently guided me into my bathroom and I quickly turned on the water before returning to his arms. I found the bottom of his tee shirt, which had been torn in the struggle, and pulled it off him. My breath caught at the sight of him…I didn’t think I would ever be able to fully appreciate his beauty no matter how long I lived.
I tried to kiss his neck but he stopped me by saying, “Lift your arms, gorgeous,” and I obeyed. He slid off my top and tossed it to the floor. When his eyes roamed down my body he gasped sharply. His jaw squared as he looked at my stomach. “Fuck,” he whispered through gritted teeth. I looked in the mirror and saw what he saw…I had a huge bruise across my stomach from where Scott threw me against the sink.
I blinked a few times…how did I miss this? I’m sure the doctor told me it was there but I just wanted to be home and in Ryder’s arms again that I didn’t listen. I looked at him and placed my hand on his cheek. “I’m okay, it doesn’t hurt.”
“Evie, I can’t do this,” he said, his voice clouded with different emotions.
“I promise you it doesn’t hurt,” I said and before he could protest I reached for his hard cock again. Unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants until he sprang free, I took his strong thick length in my free hand and said, “I want…no, I need you so much right now. Please don’t stop.”
He closed his eyes tight for a moment and looked away. When his eyes met mine again, they were full of desire and promise. He was going to take my hurt away…all of it.
He gently pushed my skirt down past my hips and it fell to the floor. All I had on was my bra and panties and my black boots. My fishnet stockings were ruined by Ryder before the struggle with Scott so I had thrown them out at the hospital. I slid out of my boots as he unfastened my bra and pulled it off my shoulders.
I was about to take my panties off but he stopped me. He knelt down in front of me and got on his knees. He placed feather light kisses on my bruised stomach before sliding his fingers into the hips of my panties and gently tugging them down. He kissed his way lower as the panties fell to the floor and my knees buckled as his tongue darted across my entrance. He gripped onto me as he licked and tasted me. All thoughts of Scott and this horrible night were right out the window as he sucked my clit and nibbled it gently with his teeth.
I threw my head back and moaned loudly as the steam from the hot water fogged up the bathroom. Ryder relentlessly licked and sucked until I was so close I was about to scream. “Ryder, I’m close!” I shouted.
“Oh fuck, you taste like heaven,” he groaned, sliding a finger into me slowly. He flicked his tongue quickly across my clit and I was done…I came hard against his mouth, my release dripping down on his hand. I looked down at him and his eyes met mine. He had a satisfied look on his face as he withdrew his finger and sucked it into his mouth. “Mmm,” he moaned.
I pulled him up to his feet and I tugged roughly at his pants so I could get them the rest of the way down. Just as he was stepping out of them I fell to my knees before he could stop me. “Evie, baby, you don’t have to-oh holy fucking shit!” he shouted as I grasped his cock with both hands and wrapped my lips around the tip. I pulled him into my mouth as far as I could take him, relishing in the flavor of him. He was so strong yet smooth, like silk over granite.
I worked him up and down with my hands since he was too big to take all the way into my mouth. I released him a few times to run my tongue along the base of his shaft and tease his round hard balls with the tip of my tongue.
I took his length back into my mouth for just a moment before he gently shoved me back and I released his cock with a soft pop. “What’s wrong?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I want you. Now,” he said, and he guided me to my feet and pulled back the shower curtain. I stepped in and he followed. The hot water felt amazing on my sore muscles.
I turned to face him and he guided me against the wall. Neither of us spoke as he lifted my legs and I wrapped them around his waist. “Hold onto me,” he said, water spraying our naked bodies.
I gripped his shoulders with my hands as he thrust his hips and sank his thick cock into me. We both moaned loudly and I leaned my head forward and started kissing and sucking on his neck. “Harder, please,” I cried out as he slid in and out of me slowly.
Ryder stilled. “No, baby, not tonight.”
“But-” I protested, but he shushed me.
“After what happened I can’t be rough with you. I am trying to make you forget what he tried to do and I can’t do that if I go too hard. I need to be gentle with you, Evie.”
I bit my lip to hide my emotions. I nodded at him and answered him with a deep kiss. We stayed silent as the water beat down on us and he slowly and gently made love to me.
An hour later, we were lying in my bed, our bodies still connected from making love again. His fingers trailed up and down my spine and my head was resting on his heart. The gentle yet strong rhythm was soothing to me.
“I am so sorry all of this has happened to you, gorgeous,” Ryder whispered.
I sighed. “Will you stop apologizing? You didn’t do any of this to me. My dad was sick long before I even knew you and Scott has been an asshole for years. I am just shocked that he took things as far as he did tonight,” I said.
“You know he’s going to try this again when he’s released from jail, Evie,” Ryder said sternly. “The fact that he tried to rape you in the bathroom of a crowded club on a Friday night just proves that he’s fucking psychotic. I won’t take any more chances with your safety.”
My head snapped up off his chest. “What are you saying, Ryder? You’re not planning on attacking him, are you?” I was terrified at the thought of Ryder being in jail for assaulting Scott because that meant I would be all alone and he would have an easy way to get to me.
Ryder looked into my eyes. “No, Everleigh, I was thinking of doing something else entirely,” he said, his face serious.
“W-what?”
He brushed a damp lock of hair from my forehead and tucked it behind my ears. “Come to New York with me.”
My jaw fell open. �
�New York? Are you serious?”
“I’m deadly serious. While you were being examined by the doctor I got a phone call from our manager Steve. The dickheads that run our label are pissed that we all blew off their orders and came to Indiana to record so they are pretty much forcing us to fly up there and finish so they can ‘keep an eye on us’ until this album is finished. I told them I’d play ball but I wouldn’t come there without you.”
“Ryder, I can’t let you jeopardize your relationship with your label for me,” I said, feeling guilty.
“Hey, it’s a done deal, Evie. I love you so much and I won’t leave here without you, gorgeous.”
“I don’t know. My dad just died, Ryder. I think I have estate papers to go over and all of that. I need to pack his things up…” I said, but he cut me off.
“It won’t be for long, I promise. We have to make plans to deal with Scott. The stuff with the estate can be done over the phone. I have to go to New York but I refuse to leave without you. Come with me? Please?”
His eyes were locked with mine for a long moment as I thought about what he was asking me. I was a little worried about leaving my home where I was comfortable and anonymous (for the most part) and running off to New York with Ryder. I would be thrust into his world of celebrities, paparazzi, and gossip magazines and I was a little scared. I also knew that he loved me and would do anything in the world to protect me.
I cleared my throat. “Okay.”
“Yeah? You’ll come with me?”
“I’ll go to New York with you, Ryder,” I said, and he visibly relaxed.
“Thanks, Evie. Don’t worry about the house. I’ll make sure that someone watches it for while we’re gone.”
I leaned in and kissed him. “Thank you. So,” I said, snuggling into him again, “when do we leave, rock star?”
He looked over to the window and the sun was already starting to rise. “How about now?”
Rogue (Bad Blooded Rebel Series) Page 9
