U-Turn

by Maren Lee

  ➰

  Ryan floored it into town. He was terrified. Fuck. What if he gets to her? What if he wants to hurt her? He tried to get her back on the phone, but she wasn’t answering. His service was shit on the outskirts of Billings. Thankfully, though, he had her address. He knew exactly where it was. Fucking ritzy neighborhood. Nice views. Nice square footage. If he was coming to rescue Katie, he was going to be taking her from hardwood and granite to formica and laminate. From a mansion to an apartment rented by a county employee. The best a single dad paying child support could afford.

  Fuck it. She’s gonna be okay and you’re gonna be together and you’re gonna get over all of these stupid-ass hangups.

  Katie had never been about status. She’d never cared about his job or his age. She just wanted him.

  Go fucking save her.

  He took a hard right turn and pulled up into her neighborhood, driving way too fast for a residential street, but not giving a shit. He saw lights flashing ahead. Two responders. Billings’ finest. Ryan knew his fair share of guys on the force in Billings. He’d started his career there early on before Erica wanted to move to Imminence to raise the kids in a smaller town. The guys on the force here were cool. Bounty County needed their support on occasion at the Bounty-Yellowstone county line. Ryan had never had any issues with them. And today it looked like they might just be his new best friends. He pulled slowly up to the driveway and hopped out without turning off his Jeep.

  Katie.

  There she was, sitting on her front porch, gigantic purse at her feet, head in her hands. A man he assumed was her asshole fiancé was standing in the driveway, cuffed and arguing with one of the cops. He looked like a cocky little motherfucker. Likely blamed everything on Katie. Ryan didn’t recognize the officer.

  “Katie!” he shouted. She looked up and then ran toward him. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in Ryan’s direction. A second officer got out of a cruiser and gave Ryan an odd look.

  “Blakesly?” the second officer asked as Katie threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. He brought his arms around her and held on for dear life. He was so upset that she was frightened – that any man would scare her – but he was so relieved that he was the one she felt like running to.

  Ryan turned around to face the officer who had greeted him.

  “Chase. Gimme a second and then we’ll chat.”

  With a chin tilt, Officer Chase agreed and walked toward the other officer and Dr. Dickweed.

  “Did he hurt you?” Ryan growled.

  “No. No, I’m fine.”

  “You’re pressing charges.”

  “For what?”

  “Assault. Property damage.”

  “Ryan, he didn’t touch me. He threw a vase at me, but I successfully blocked it. And he didn’t destroy anything of mine but a few picture frames. Just get me out of here.” She glanced over at Brian and the officers. Brian was cuffed, a bloody towel wrapped around his hand.

  “Whose blood is that, Katie?” he said, pointing at Brian, who kept glaring back at the two of them.

  “It’s his. He punched the mirror after he found your texts.”

  “Fuck, I’m so sorry, Katie.”

  “No one’s fault but Brian’s. Asshole. Okay, how do I wrap this shit up? I need to get out of here. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.”

  Ryan unwrapped his arms from her and moved his left hand down to her right and intertwined their fingers. “Follow my lead, babe.” They walked toward Brian and the two officers.

  “So this is the guy, Katie? You’re leaving me for some old fuck?”

  Ouch.

  “Fuck off, Brian,” she spit out at him.

  “Hey now,” Officer Chase attempted to intervene. “She yours, Blakesly?” he asked, in a way that made Ryan wonder if he thought Katie was his daughter. Fuck. How on earth do I answer that?

  “Katie Hamilton belongs to no man.” Ryan smirked and looked at Katie. She shook her head and held back a grin.

  “She’s my fucking fiancée, you dick. She belongs to me!” Brian shouted.

  “Dude, shut your fucking mouth,” Officer Chase responded. “Okay, ma’am.” He turned to Katie. “He’s completely trashed your house. We saw that. He threw a pretty heavy vase at you. And he scared you enough that you barricaded yourself in your closet, called 9-1-1 and” —he looked to Ryan— “a law enforcement friend of yours. It’s irrelevant if you cheated on Dr. Carson like he claims, you could press charges for assault and we could take him in.”

  Katie stood up straight and looked Brian right in his eyes. “I’m not pressing charges. But this is done.” She twisted her giant rock off of her ring finger and pushed it into Brian’s front pocket while he fumed. “Goodbye, Brian.”

  “Need to go in and get anything while we still have him cuffed up?” Officer Chase asked Ryan.

  “Anything in there you want, Katie?” Ryan asked.

  “I’ll come back for all of my shit later. I have enough in my bag to get me through work next week. Get me out of here,” she requested of Ryan.

  Ryan nodded at the two officers, grabbed Katie’s hand and pulled her toward his Jeep. His white Jeep. The noble steed. Ryan puffed out his chest, feeling very much like a knight in shining armor. Katie would probably argue that she would have been fine without him, but he was gonna let himself soak this up for a minute.

  Maybe he was good enough for her.

  Chapter 14

  Katie was awfully quiet the entire ride back to Imminence. She didn’t talk much, but she didn’t let go of his hand. He could tell she was shaken up but was refusing to let her guard down.

  They pulled into his parking spot at the complex and he put his Jeep in park.

  “Come on, sweets. Let’s get you inside and find a little something to calm those nerves.” He squeezed her hand attempting to let go of hers, but she wasn’t having it. “Unless…fuck, maybe I’m assuming too much? Do you want to be with your brother, Katie? I’d much rather keep you close for my own peace of mind, but I could drive you over there if you wanted,” he offered. It wasn’t what he wanted, but he knew she was skittish. He didn’t want to scare her away at this point. He could take her to Jake’s. Ryan wouldn’t like it. Katie was his. But he’d do it.

  “No,” she said definitively. “I don’t even want to think about reality right now. I just want to be with you, Ryan.” Ryan relaxed in relief, but was worried that she didn’t think he was reality right now.

  This is real, babe. “Thank god. I want you with me.” Ryan moved to let go of Katie’s hand so he could get out of the vehicle, but she wouldn’t let go. He looked back to her.

  “I don’t want you to let go of me,” she confessed. Her voice trembled, her beautiful eyes gazed up at him. She was lost. Scared.

  Shit.

  “Come here, baby,” he insisted, tugging her hand and pulling her over into his lap, her long legs spilling over the center console. She buried her face in his neck and he took in her scent as he squeezed her close. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you. I’m never letting go of you again,” he whispered into her hair.

  Katie took a deep breath and the exhaled. He felt her warm breath on his neck and he had to fight himself to keep from getting hard. Now is not the time, jackass. “You ready to go in, honey?” He pulled back and she nodded. He gave her a squeeze and opened the Jeep door, sliding out while still holding her. Katie wrapped her legs around him and he carried her to his apartment. If anyone saw them, he’d have some serious questions to answer. But it was pretty dark now and once again, Ryan found himself not giving a rat's ass.

  When he got them up to his door, he set her down on her feet for a moment so he could take out his keys and unlock the door. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck, never breaking contact. Once the door was opened and they were through, he shut the door behind him with his foot and carried her to the couch in the living room.

>   “How ‘bout a bourbon, honey?” he offered. She nodded in return and looked around his place.

  “Thanks, Ryan. Your place looks the same. It’s kinda weird being back here.”

  He walked to the kitchen, pulled two rocks glasses out of the cupboard and began to put together their drinks. “Haven’t changed anything since you were last here, so no surprise that it looks the same.” He grimaced. “To be honest, I’ve been living under a bit of a fog since we stopped seeing each other.”

  He brought the two glasses of bourbon on the rocks out and handed her one before sitting beside her. He flipped on the television and put it on the Food Network. Ryan knew Katie loved to watch Chopped and, wouldn’t you know it, it was on.

  Katie sighed. “I love this show.”

  “I remember.”

  “Do you mind if we just sit here and watch it and not talk about anything right now?”

  “Nothing I’d rather do more. We have plenty of time to talk, babe.”

  Katie brought her legs up onto the couch and folded them under her, then leaned into Ryan for support. He threw his left arm around her and let her sink into him while they watched the host reveal the mystery basket ingredients over and over again. After a few episodes, Ryan felt her body sink even further into the couch and into his side. Her breathing steadied. He looked down and discovered she had fallen asleep. He was remarkably tired himself, so he set their glasses down on the coffee table, picked Katie up in his arms, and started carrying her to his bedroom.

  “Will you sleep with me?” she asked, mumbling.

  “Shhhhh. Of course I will.” He’d been planning on it anyway. He pulled the blankets back on his bed and laid her down on a pillow. She was still fully clothed, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate it if he stripped her tonight. They had so much to talk about. She was exhausted and vulnerable and had just gone through what he imagined was traumatic. Tomorrow. They could talk tomorrow. So if she was comfortable enough to fall asleep in her clothes, she’d stay in her clothes. Ryan wasn’t going to able to, though. He took off his pants and threw on a pair of athletic shorts and then unbuttoned his red shirt.

  Shit.

  Shit shit shit.

  The red shirt he was wearing reminded him he had been on his way to have drinks with Sierra’s friend Gwen. He’d completely forgotten about her when he’d received Katie’s panicked call.

  Shit. Sierra is going to kill you. Fuck. He quickly shot off a text to Gwen.

  RB: I am so sorry. Emergency came up.

  He couldn’t say anything else. He wouldn’t be making it up to her. He wouldn’t be taking a rain check. About all he could say was “sorry I’ll never meet you and please don’t tell Sierra I’m an asshole.”

  He set his phone down and looked at his bed. Katie’s blonde hair was draped over his pillow. She was so damned beautiful. It was like a dream came true for him tonight. Everything he’d been wishing for – torturing himself over – for the last nine or ten months was now in front of him. In his bed. It was too bad she had to be scared out of her mind in order for this to happen.

  Don’t fuck this up, Blakesly.

  He crawled into bed next to Katie and spooned her body with his.

  “Fuck, I love you,” he told her, knowing she was asleep and wouldn’t hear him. He would say it again and again and again as soon as she was ready.

  ➰

  “Hey,” Katie said as she opened the door. It was midnight. She wasn’t expecting visitors. And she wasn’t expecting Ryan. But here he was at her apartment in Billings.

  “Hey,” he responded. “Sorry I’m here so late without warning.”

  “It’s okay. I wasn’t asleep yet. What are you doing here, though?” she asked.

  “I dunno. Couldn’t sleep. Got in my Jeep and just started driving. Didn’t stop until I found myself here.”

  Whoosh. Katie felt that in her heart. Fuck. That’s not supposed to happen.

  “Come in, then,” she stood back from the door and let him walk into her space. Damn. He was so tall and handsome, and yeah, he was older, but it was such a turn on to her. He was established. Experienced. Interesting. Funny. Really fucking great in bed. The best kisser she’d ever kissed.

  But this was just about sex. Sex and only sex. Exactly. Don’t get attached, Katie. It wasn’t about his gentle blue eyes. It wasn’t about the salt and pepper sprinkled near his temples. It wasn’t about the hot dragon tattoo sleeve that snaked down his right arm. It wasn’t about the manly chest hair she loved to run her fingers through. It wasn’t about his thick, muscular arms and how they felt wrapped around her. It wasn’t about the movies they both enjoyed. It wasn’t about laughing with him. It wasn’t about the wine and pizza he’d bring over on occasion. It was just about sex. Totally just sex.

  She shut the door behind her, locked the deadbolt, and turned to find Ryan devouring her with his eyes. She hadn’t been expecting him, so she hadn’t done anything to really look good for him. Her hair was thrown up on top of her head and she was wearing a yellow cotton nightie that hit her just above her knee. Nothing super sexy, but the way Ryan was looking at her right now, she may have been mistaken about the level of sexiness.

  “You look good enough to eat,” Ryan voiced his confirmation.

  “I wasn’t expecting you. I would have cleaned up a bit around here,” she gestured to her slightly messy living room.

  “You don’t ever need to make an effort for me, Katie. I’m easy.”

  She smirked. “I know. You’re a sure thing.” She walked toward him on her bare feet and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the bedroom.

  “I know it’s late, baby. We don’t have to do anything.” No. No feelings. Must not have feelings.

  “Bullshit. You came all this way and I’m horny. Let’s fuck.” There we go.

  Ryan followed her into the bedroom. “Swear I didn’t come for this, Katie,” he pleaded.

  No. Shut it down or your heart won’t make it. “We both know you did. This is what we do, Ryan. We booty call. I’m totally fine with it. Quit trying to make this something that it’s not.”

  Ryan looked at her, confused, but seemed to quickly shake it off. He looked like he was resigning himself to what this really was. A booty call. That’s all this was. Right?

  “You’re right,” he replied. “I need to be inside you. Now.” He grabbed the hem of her nightgown and pulled it up and over her head, leaving her just standing in her plain white bikini underwear.

  “I would have worn sexier underwear if I’d know you were coming,” Katie admitted as she shrugged.

  Ryan laughed. “This underwear is fuckin’ sexy because of who’s wearing it. But I’d like it better on the floor.” He raised an eyebrow.

  Katie pushed her underwear down and kicked it off onto the floor. “I picked something up the other day that you might like.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asked, intrigued.

  “Yeah,” she opened her top dresser drawer and pulled out the anal training kit she’d bought at the sex shop. She and Ryan weren’t strangers to backdoor pleasure, but it still kind of hurt and she’d heard that a training kit was the way to go. She tossed it at him.

  “Oooh. Buttplugs?”

  “Yep.”

  “Fuck, Katie. God damn, what did I do to deserve your sexy, kinky ass?”

  She grinned. “Just lucky, I guess.” She tossed him the lube and walked toward the bed, swinging her ass back and forth on the way.

  “Shit. Don’t gotta tell me twice.”

  Katie got on all fours on the bed and waited. She wasn’t sure if Ryan had done this before, but he’d never done her wrong, so she wasn’t worried. You trust him. She heard him open the lube and then snap it closed. She was waiting for the hard plastic to hit her back end, but instead, it was Ryan’s fingers, coated in lube and pushing past her tight ring.

  “Fuckkkkkk,” she hissed.

  “Yeah, that’s right. You like my finge
rs in your ass, don’t you?”

  “Mmmmmm, I love it.”

  He scissored his fingers and widened her a bit. “Gonna put this first one in, honey,” he warned her. He removed his fingers and smacked her ass. Hard.

  “Ouch!” she gasped.

  “That didn’t hurt.” He was right. It really didn’t. She loved it. “Deep breath in, Katie.” She took a deep breath and he pushed the butt plug in. “You good?”

  She exhaled. “Yes. Oh my god, yes.”

  “Ready for my dick in your cunt?”

  Jesus. His mouth got her completely off. He wasn’t even inside of her yet and she was ready to come.