by Cari Quinn
“That won’t be happening today.”
Ryan collapsed against the cold concrete floor. Best voice ever in the history of British voices. “Thank God.” Ryan coughed. “Thank God, he heard me.”
“Gentlemen, I believe this man is who you want. I wish I could say it was nice to see you, Marco. I warned you not to come near me or mine ever again.” Donovan’s cultured voice never wavered.
Denver scooted over to Ryan, her hand cupping his cheek. “Are you okay?”
Ryan nodded and sucked back a moan as he tried to sit up. So not cool to cry in front of his girl.
Suck it back, asshole.
He blew out a slow breath until the pain passed from shimmering dots and a cold sweat to a searing heat. The moment it did, he curled his arm around her. “Are you okay?”
She pressed her face into his neck and nodded.
He looked at the man standing just past them. Dark suit, dark hair, dark eyes. Marco looked as if he came from the Donovan Lewis wannabe factory but his mold had come out a little skewed. His eyes were a little too sharp, his brow a little too severe, his demeanor just shy of manic.
Ryan wrapped his arm more securely around Denver. That man would never get near her again. He’d die to make sure of it.
“I was just helping this poor woman. I saw that man dragging her off.” Marco’s voice was modulated with a coolness that made Ryan’s spine tighten.
The man who’d hauled Denver away sat against the wall across from Ryan and Denver. His gaze swung up to Marco before his features went carefully blank.
Donovan took a step forward. “Save it.”
“You have nothing on me.” Marco flicked a glance at the four policemen behind Donovan. “Groundless accusations of an overactive imagination. Casey already assaulted one of the artists at the awards show tonight.”
Casey—God, it sounded so wrong for this man to call her that.
She shuddered in Ryan’s arms. “Denver. I’ll never be Casey again. Never.” She sat up and wiped tears off her cheeks. She helped Ryan to a fully upright position, but both of them stayed huddled together. “That man threatened me earlier tonight. Not the first time either.”
Marco’s jaw tightened. “She’s hysterical.”
Donovan clasped his hands in front of him. “I think these officers will be anxious to see the file I’ve put together on you and your organization. It took me a few years to compile, but I believe they’ll find it very enlightening. Especially the pages on Frank Patterson.”
Marco’s nostrils flared and his hands fisted.
“It took a while to find your informant, Marco, but he’s been dealt with.”
Ryan curled his arm around Denver’s shoulders a little tighter. He’d never heard quite that much ice in Donovan’s voice before. In fact, Ryan wasn’t sure who he should be more worried about right then.
Marco’s eyes glittered dangerously, but he said nothing.
Donovan stepped closer to Marco. “Oh, and the high rise you’re working on with the O’Connor group. That’s close to breaking ground, isn’t it?”
Marco stiffened as Donovan leaned in and said something else, but Ryan couldn’t make it out. He glanced down at Denver, but her face was buried in his chest.
Donovan waved his fingers and the officers behind Donovan split off and came forward. Two of them restrained Hulk on the floor and the other two headed for Marco.
Marco pulled his arm away from the blond-haired officer who clamped a cuff on his wrist. “You’re delusional if you think this situation with Casey will come to anything.”
“Oh no.” Donovan’s eyes were shark-flat. “I’ll make sure of it. No one threatens my family. You knew that and still persisted.”
The officer hauled Marco in front of him and snapped the other cuff around his wrist before he pushed him past Denver and Ryan.
Luc came up beside them and helped them both to their feet. Ryan slid his arm around her shoulders and turned her away from the man who had been terrorizing her for far too long.
“Whatever you think you have on me, it won’t ever be enough.” Marco’s eyes were as dark as obsidian in the overhead lights. “She’ll always be mine.”
Ryan pressed his chin against her hair. “Not as long as there’s breath in my body.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
First came a fight nearly to the death—or at least possible serious injury. Then came a police interrogation.
Finally, utter embarrassment.
“I have to admit, being told that you were sleeping with my niece via text was a revelation.”
“Yes, well, desperate times. I’m sorry I had to be so abrupt.” Ryan cleared his throat and avoided glancing at Denver, still tucked against his side. He was still doing that tugging her closer thing. Probably always would.
Especially after tonight.
They were in the parking lot where the bus was parked, and Donovan and his fancy driver had just dropped them off. The bus would be just fine for tonight.
Every night.
“No reason to pussy about.” Donovan flicked a hand down his lapel. “You’re okay, Casey?” It was the closest thing to genuine warmth Ryan had ever seen from the man. He usually bordered just this side of frosty.
Denver nodded, swallowing hard. “I’m fine. And I’m going to be even better.” She detangled herself from Ryan and leaned forward to kiss her uncle’s cheek. “Thank you for everything. Even the extra security. I don’t like it, but I suppose it’s necessary. I’m just sorry that—”
“You are to be sorry for nothing. Understand me?” Donovan pulled Denver in for a hard hug. “He won’t get near you or your young man again, or anyone in the band. Trust me on that.”
Denver returned his hug, nodding fiercely. “No, he won’t. He fucking won’t.” She eased back and took a shaky breath. “Can you call me Denver from now on, please?”
Ryan waited for Donovan to question her further, but he simply nodded. “As you wish. Be well, sweetheart.” His gaze drifted to Ryan. “Thank you for loving her.”
Ryan swallowed hard and nodded. He did love her, and if love could save lives, hers would never be in danger again.
“Thank you too, Donovan. For being there for her then and now.”
Donovan nodded and tipped his head at them before climbing into the back of his limo.
Denver came back to Ryan’s side and together, they watched as Donovan was whisked away into the night. His chariot was fitting for a big shot record exec.
Ryan didn’t care about any of that. He was just happy as fuck to be about to spend the night on their bus with his girl.
His smart, gorgeous, safe girl.
“You didn’t have to come back with me to the bus,” Denver murmured as they started to walk across the parking lot. “I know it’s weird, when we have a perfectly nice hotel suite waiting for us.”
“I was fairly certain you didn’t want to go back there.”
“No. You would be right about that.” Denver let out a soft laugh, swinging their linked hands between them.
She was much quieter than usual, but that was to be expected. As was the way they’d sort of tiptoed around each other since the big fight. The band had gone back to the hotel, and Denver had finally admitted that she would rather sleep in her own bed.
Ryan hadn’t argued. If there was any night they needed their version of home, this was it.
They’d asked Donovan’s driver to drop them off on the other side of the parking lot because they needed some air and wanted to walk. They were almost there, halfway across the uncovered lot adjacent to their hotel that had space available for buses. A short distance away was another one for RVs and boats. This time of night, there weren’t too many people around.
Nearly morning now. The first hints of pink and orange were just starting to streak the sky.
What a fucking night.
They’d been at the police station for hours. Waiting, waiting, and more waiting interspersed with long bouts of q
uestioning by the officer assigned to Denver’s case. Even those words alone were enough to make Ryan want to shout and use his fist on something solid. Preferably Marco Salzano’s head.
The positive news was, between what had happened that evening and the apparently bulging file Donovan had on Salzano, he’d be going away for a good long time. Maybe Denver could finally start to put some of the awfulness he’d put her through behind her, now that she knew he wouldn’t be dogging her every step. Donovan had suggested adding extra security for the band for a while, and though Denver argued initially, she’d given up quickly. Marco’s men wouldn’t get near her, even if they tried.
All of that was well and good. Ryan was glad the asshole was going to get well acquainted with the inside of a jail cell. He just didn’t know what to do with all of the jagged emotions still rattling around inside him.
But his fury and frustration and, yes, pain over what had gone down weren’t what Denver needed to handle right now. She needed her patient, understanding, steady best friend.
He would do his best to be that for her even when he couldn’t quite manage the feat for himself.
As soon as they reached the bus, Denver opened the door, jogged up the steps, and rushed toward the back. “I’m gonna take a shower. Police station grime. Plus, this dress. Ugh.” She tugged at the sparkly fabric. “I need something comfortable. Be right back.”
Ryan sat on the couch and buried his head in his hands. He should let her go. Just give her those few minutes to herself under the spray. She needed that time.
And he needed to hold her away from the prying eyes and questions that had chased them all night long.
“Colorado,” he murmured, not at all expecting her to hear him.
Hell, she was probably already in the bathroom. The bus was small, but his voice had barely even been audible.
He waited for the shower to turn on. Maybe then he’d be able to give in to the heat and pressure behind his eyes. Never, ever would he want her to see him cry. He hadn’t thought he needed to. It wasn’t exactly something he did on a regular basis. But the band around his chest hadn’t let up all night, and if he didn’t pop a valve soon, he was going to lose it at the wrong time.
Like when she was listening nearby, or watching him from the other end of the bus aisle, just standing there in her bra and panties and gripping her throat as if she had to hold on to something. Anything.
All he wanted was for her to reach for him, so he could reach back.
He turned his head and stared at her, so beautiful and fragile, unable to stem the sound of grief that tore through him and echoed through the bus. She lurched forward, staggering toward him and dropping to her knees beside him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, drawing in deep breaths of her honey scent until the air in his lungs wasn’t choking him any longer. That slick sting of whisky and pricey cologne was gone, replaced by the sweetness of the woman he loved.
“It’s okay,” she whispered again and again, rocking them both. “We’re okay now.”
He didn’t have the vocabulary to describe the tangle of emotions inside him, so he didn’t try. He just held on to her, moving with her, letting the raw, ragged sound of her breathing soothe his own. His heart raced with hers, then slowed, the beats syncing up again as the storm of worry and fury and terror passed.
His face was wet when he drew away, but he didn’t try to discreetly dry his cheeks. He was too focused on her. The way she tipped back her head to meet his eyes, how she so carefully scanned his face, her lips trembling open at what she found there. He didn’t try to shield her from any of his feelings. She deserved all of them, and he couldn’t ask her for things he wouldn’t offer himself.
“You made me come after you.”
She bowed her head, her shoulders shaking.
“But I will. I always fucking will, Colorado. ’Til death do us part.”
“Me too,” she whispered. “Me too.”
“I love you,” he said thickly, and she nodded, raising her head so that the fresh tears spilling onto her cheeks glistened in the growing sunshine. “I can’t think about how close I could’ve come to losing you, so I have to think about you being with me. Here, today. Tomorrow. Forever.”
“Ry—”
“Just let me get it all out. Please.”
Nodding again, she fell silent.
He fumbled out the little black box still in his pocket and set it on the sofa cushion beside him. “I bought this tonight. After I left the hotel room, I went down to a jewelry shop and picked this out for you. And I know the timing is all wrong, and you’re probably not ready, and hell, we haven’t even gone on a real date yet, because tying you up to the hotel bed doesn’t count.”
She let out a watery laugh, pressing her fist against her mouth.
“I was going to wait until the timing seemed right. First, I had to win the bet I’d made tonight. That would be the first sign. I bet that the band would win. Because the show was partially sponsored by The Hummingbird Group, and that made it special for us. Right back to the first night I touched you, hummingbirds meant something important. From a shitty motel to the band’s biggest night.” He lifted his head, zeroing in on her face until her dark, damp eyes were all he could see. “Tonight they were what told me you were in danger.”
She let her hand fall into her lap. “I didn’t know how else to tell you. He was reading over my shoulder. I knew you might not understand that I was under duress, but I had to try.”
“It took me a minute, but I got it. There were other things I got tonight too.” He picked up her hand and stroked her fingers. They were so soft and so strong at the same time. Just as she was. “After hearing some of the shit I heard that Salzano bastard was into, I understand more and more why gambling freaked you out. It stopped being just recreational for me when I got my ass kicked. It became a problem, but because I figured I didn’t crave it, I was okay.”
She didn’t say anything as he paused to suck in a breath. Just gave him time to get where he was going.
“I wasn’t. Not because I lost so much money or because it took over my life, but because it will always have the potential to make me do some reckless things. You were the one who worried about me when I was MIA all the time because I was playing poker too much. I can’t be that guy anymore. Disappearing into a card game for nights on end was different before. Now I have you.” He kissed the tips of her fingers. “You’re worth so much more to me than a high like that ever could be.”
She curled her fingers around his and held on.
“It won’t always be easy. I’ll probably slip and forget that I probably shouldn’t casually place a bet like the next guy. I can’t promise I’ll never fail you, or myself. But I can promise I’m going to try like hell to be a man who is worthy of you. Maybe even worthy of some mini Denvers someday down the line. Or not…” he added quickly, trailing off as she shook her head.
Her throat bobbed with her swallow. “I want kids someday.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s handy then. One thing we have in common.”
“Just one?”
“A few more than one,” he said lightly, stroking the inside of her palm while her lips trembled for a whole different reason.
She pressed them together. “I walked away from Marco when I witnessed his men beating a man who’d cheated them in the casino under his orders. At the end, Marco joined in. For sport.” She averted her gaze. “I didn’t do enough to stop them. I always wondered if they went back later and finished the job. Because I wasn’t woman enough to not run and make sure he was put away for good.”
“You helped make sure of that tonight.”
She nodded, eyes glittering. “I did. I stood up. Finally. It took a damn long time.”
“Not all that long. You saved my ass in that alley.” He caressed her damp cheek. “You made sure I was okay. Like a fucking bad-ass who doesn’t need anyone else to save her, because she’s more than capable of doing it hersel
f. She’s also capable of saving me.”
Her laughter made him smile. “Not entirely true, but you know what? I’m taking it. We saved each other, and now we get to the happily ever after portion of our lives.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Though I suppose you have questions about Marco. You probably don’t understand why I fell for a guy like that. I wish I could tell you, because I don’t know. I was young and dumb.”
“And horny,” he said gently.
To his relief, she smiled. “Never hornier than when I’ve been with you, pal.”
“As it should be. And ditto.”
“I loved him. It was messed up in every way, but I can’t lie to myself anymore and say I didn’t. It fucks you up, you know? If you can love someone you find out later is so fundamentally…wrong, what does that say about you?”
“It says that you look for the good and you can find in anyone. Even a bastard like him.” Ryan tucked her hair behind her ear. “If you’re waiting for me to criticize you for your choices, it’s not going to happen.”
She ducked her head, smiling faintly. “Well, I do make some good ones now and then. I picked you, didn’t I?”
“That’s debatable. Pretty sure I picked you first, but I’ll let you take the point.”
Her throat rippled as she met his gaze. “You know, you still haven’t actually asked me. Sitting a box on a cushion is rather weak in the romance department, dude.”
He had to grin. “You know, you still haven’t actually said you love me back. Nodding during romantic declarations is a total cop-out.”
“You go first.”
“No dice. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Sally in a baby carriage. Even I remember that rhyme from preschool.”
“You totally bungled it,” she said. “Kissing came first.”
Still watching him, she rose up on her knees, inching forward to frame his face between her hands. Her lips slid over his, as gently as the golden morning light filtered into the bus.
“I love you. I’d say I loved you from the first moment we met, but that would be a lie. You kind of annoyed me. Plus, I thought you chewed too loudly.”
