F*ck Club: Riley

by Shiloh Walker

  “Damn straight.”

  “That’s why I didn’t.” She slid her arms around him, clinging to him.

  “Who was it, Bree?”

  But she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now.”

  He wasn’t going to accept that answer though. No way in hell.

  “So, are you going to sleep on Avengers sheets…or with me?”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  She sighed against his lips.

  It had taken forever to get Toby to settle down in his bed and even longer for them to trust he was asleep.

  But now, stretched out on his bed, Riley had his woman next to him and she was soft and warm, her body lax under his hands and when he kissed her, she all but purred with satisfaction.

  There was no fear this time.

  No fear, and when he kissed his way down her body, her hands tightened in his hair as she urged him on.

  He didn’t need urging.

  Hell nor high water could have stopped him.

  He pressed a line of kisses over her belly, then lower, until he could nuzzle her through the tight curls. As she lifted up against him, he used his tongue to part her folds.

  She was sweet and slick against his mouth.

  She moaned and rocked against him, her nails biting into his scalp.

  He was pretty damn certain that he could do this forever.

  His cock wasn’t so certain, though, and it jerked demandingly—wanted to be exactly where his mouth was.

  His cock had always been a selfish bastard, though. Riley decided that particular body part could wait its turn. For now, he was content to flick his tongue against her clit, pushing her closer and closer to orgasm.

  Once he had her moaning and riding that orgasm, right on the edge, he slid two fingers inside her cunt, felt her tighten. Her head thrashed on his pillow and her heels drove into the mattress.

  Her mouth opened on a ragged cry.

  It still wasn’t enough.

  She cried out his name, her hands cupping the back of his head.

  Not enough.

  She thrust against him, moving in time with him, then she came—

  He crawled up her body, adjusted the condom he’d put on earlier, then sank inside her, just as the climax gripped her hard and fast.

  Her eyes flew wide and she wailed, caught in a fever of pleasure.

  He pulled out, sank in deeper.

  “I love you,” he whispered against her lips.

  She said his name.

  Just his name.

  It wasn’t quite what he wanted, but it was good enough.

  For now.

  * * * * *

  His cell phone rang in the middle of the night.

  He wasn’t too happy about it and ignored it, pulling a pillow over his head.

  If he’d thought about it, he would have at least grabbed the damn thing to make sure it wasn’t anybody…incriminating.

  But he was tired, half drunk on the taste of Bree, and he just wasn’t thinking.

  That changed when he heard her sleepy voice go, “Hello?”

  He jerked upright and whipped his head around to stare at her.

  She was holding the phone to her ear.

  And she no longer looked so sleepy

  “One moment, please.”

  She pushed the phone into his hand and clambered out of bed, clutching a sheet to her breasts. As he took the phone, watching her warily, she wrapped the sheet around her.

  “Hello?”

  “Riley? Who was— Never mind. It’s Marnie. I…um…look, the detective stopped by to talk to me and she… Well, she explained a few things. I think maybe I messed up, and I’m sorry. But…I…” Her voice hitched, and try as he might, as much as he wanted to hang up and focus on Bree, he couldn’t.

  There was real fear in Marnie’s voice.

  And Marnie wasn’t the type to get scared.

  “Marnie, what’s wrong?”

  “I told you somebody’s been following me. If it’s not you…”

  “Call the cops,” he said, standing up and moving to his dresser to grab a pair of jeans. It would take him way too long to get there. Way too long. “You hear me? Call the cops.”

  “I already did. I called… I don’t remember her name. Detective Chance. I called her. But she didn’t answer.”

  “You call 9-1-1. You got me? Hang up, then call 9-1-1. Are you home?”

  Her voice broke on a sob. “Yes. He’s walking around the house outside. I hear him.”

  “Call the fucking cops. Make sure you’ve got your alarm system on and call the cops. Hide. Get a weapon and hide. I’m on my way.”

  He tossed the phone down, his heart pounding in his ears.

  Bree watched him, a remote expression on her face. “Who was that?”

  “A friend,” he said shortly. How was he going to explain this? He didn’t know, couldn’t even begin to explain.

  “A friend? One who calls you in the middle of the night? How many women do you go around rescuing, Riley?” she asked, her voice cracking.

  “I don’t have time for this, Bree. She’s had somebody following her. She’s scared.”

  “Is she your girlfriend?” Bree demanded as he jerked a shirt out of his closet.

  He laughed at the question, at the craziness of it. “No. She’s got a boyfriend.”

  “Then why isn’t she calling him?”

  He turned and looked at her. Then, after a moment, he shook his head. “I can’t do this right now, Bree. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

  He grabbed a pair of boots and turned his back as she left.

  He should have been paying more attention because when he came out of his room a few minutes later, she was pulling on a pair of jeans under her short nightshirt.

  “What are you—” He stopped, feeling like he’d been blindsided. “Are you leaving?”

  She gave him a look that clearly said, Oh, please.

  A moment later, there was a knock on the door.

  Riley swore under his breath. He didn’t have time for this.

  He opened it and Con came in, his shirt damp across the front, a dishtowel thrown over his shoulder. “What’s the crisis?” he asked, smiling. “Not that I care, if it gets me out of helping José wash dishes. I hate washing dishes…”

  His words trailed off as he caught sight of the grim look on Riley’s face.

  “Go away, Con.”

  “No, don’t. I need you to watch Toby,” Bree said, pulling on a button-down shirt—one of his button-downs, Riley noticed. Then she turned on him. “I’m coming with you.”

  “No. You’re not.”

  “I am. And if you don’t let me come, I’ll follow. Now are you going to keep wasting time?”

  He ground his teeth together, then, without a word, grabbed his keys. Con caught his arm. “What’s going on?”

  “Marnie. Somebody has been following her. I think somebody is targeting…” He hesitated, then added, “My friends.”

  Con looked blank for a minute, then understanding flooded his eyes.

  “Fuck,” he whispered, his hand falling away. His eyes slid to Bree, then he blew out a breath and stepped back. “Good luck.”

  Riley didn’t bother responding. Luck wouldn’t do him any good now.

  In less than five minutes, they were pulling out onto Main Street, the dim glow from the dashboard the only light.

  He tried calling Marnie and swore when nobody answered.

  “You going to tell me what’s going on?” Bree asked softly.

  “She’s a friend,” he said shortly.

  “Yeah.” She laughed, the sound bitter and ragged. “Yeah, sure she is.”

  “I’m in love with you.”

  “I think you believe that.”

  He could have put his fist through the steering wheel.

  But there was no time.

  It felt as though he had a time bomb ticking away in his head, only he wasn’t the one in danger.

  Marnie was.

/>   * * * * *

  The drive to her place in Louisville had never taken so long. It wasn’t on the northern side. She lived in a nice, posh area out on Old Henry Road and logically, Riley knew it was only minutes, under an hour, before he got there.

  But it felt like a lifetime and the tension between him and Bree didn’t help.

  When he whipped the car around the corner, the dread inside him exploded and he wanted to tear into something.

  Police cars lined the street.

  There was an ambulance and he could see somebody being wheeled inside.

  He also saw a familiar car.

  Detective Halle Chance.

  He eased the car closer, pulling up behind Chance. Giving Bree a sharp look, he said, “Stay here.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.”

  He sucked in a breath, then blew it out slowly. “I think the woman in that house was attacked, possibly worse. A few months another woman was raped. Please…stay in the car. With the door locked.”

  He hated scaring her.

  But after he shut the door, she locked it and he knew he’d scare her all over again if it kept her safe.

  He found Chance standing by her car, talking to another cop.

  She looked as though she’d rolled out of bed into whatever clothes came to hand and driven straight there. Much as he had. She caught sight of him and gave him an appraising look.

  “Is she okay?” His eyes drifted to the ambulance.

  They were shutting the doors.

  “She’ll make it. He roughed her up some but the cops got here before he could…” Chance stopped and looked away and they both watched as the ambulance pulled away, flashing lights and sirens on.

  Riley nodded his understanding, then looked back at his car where Bree waited. Her face was impassive and he knew he’d have to tell her.

  “She doesn’t know, does she?”

  He met Chance’s gaze and shook his head. “We were in bed when Marnie called me.” He hesitated, then added, “You can have my phone if you need to check it.”

  “I’ve already seen hers. She said she’d called you.” She glanced back at Bree. “What are you going to tell her?”

  “The truth. And then I’ll watch as she walks right back out of my life. Again.”

  Chance studied him, her eyes thoughtful. “Are you going to keep…doing what you’re doing?”

  “Is that the cop asking?”

  “No. Actually, it’s not,” she responded.

  “Then, no. I’m not.” He shook his head. “But I’m not sure it matters.”

  “Tell me something.” She took a step toward him, arms crossed over her chest. “If you found out she had to do something similar, to take care of her son, a sibling, whatever, even if it was hard to accept, could you?”

  He swallowed back the bitter laugh. He’d been dealing with it for years. Maybe she wasn’t doing it for money, but she’d drifted from one man to another and they’d all mistreated her. Now he knew why and it only made it worse. “I could accept it.”

  “Then don’t take her choice away by assuming she can’t do the same.” Chance nodded at him and turned to go.

  “Where’s Marnie going to be?” He shifted from one foot to the other. “I need to… Hell, did they catch him? Did she know who it was?”

  “No. We didn’t catch him. And no, she couldn’t get a good look at him.” Chance looked disgusted, shaking her head. Then she gave him the name of the hospital. “Take it easy, Steele.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  He lied and said he was her brother.

  Bree lied and said she was his wife.

  They both got back to see Marnie and she caught sight of him, then started to cry.

  Her son was there and when he saw Riley, he got up, moving to block him. “My mom needs to rest.” He looked angry and frightened…and protective. Thinking of the rift that had been between Marnie and her kids, he thought that at least some good might come out of this.

  “I won’t be long.” Then he looked at Marnie. “Are you okay?”

  She gave him a wobbly smile. “I called the cops. But he…” Marnie looked away, licking her lips. She winced immediately and he could see why. There was a cut on her lower lip and he imagined he knew what had caused it—a fist. A big, brutal fist. “He was able to get around the alarm system. I don’t know how. He got inside. I was hiding in my closet. I had the key fob for the system and I hit panic. I’d already called 9-1-1 and I told them he was inside and when I heard him in my room, I dropped the phone so he wouldn’t see…”

  Her voice broke and she started to cry.

  “Mom…” Her son rushed to her, giving Riley a harsh look. “She doesn’t need this right now.”

  “No. You’re right.” One hand clenched into a fist, and he blew out a breath. “Marnie, I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry…for thinking it could be you.”

  Behind him, Bree sucked in a breath and he damned everything he could think of straight to hell.

  Marnie’s eyes drifted to Bree and widened as if she’d just now realized the other woman was there. She looked a little stunned, then sad. “Hello.”

  Bree gave her a stiff nod, moving off to the side.

  There was a knock at the door and Riley turned, instinctively moving to block Marnie from sight.

  When he saw who it was, he frowned.

  The man paused, looking surprised.

  “Ah…hey there, Riley. What are you doing here?”

  “Kyle.” He eyed the uniform, then met the cop’s gaze. “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “I was here to ask a few more questions,” Kyle said with a smile. But his eyes looked strained as he glanced past Riley to look at Marnie.

  “I’m not up to any more questions right now,” Marnie said.

  Riley glanced at her. She hadn’t picked up on the tension in the air. He could understand that. He suspected they’d given her some pain meds and the IV plugged into her arm would certainly be a handy vehicle for them. He turned to look back at Kyle, but saw that Bree had turned away and her breath was coming in quick, almost ragged pants. She was partially hidden from Kyle, standing behind the curtain that could be pulled to offer patients privacy.

  Kyle wouldn’t see her unless he moved farther into the room.

  Bree was pale.

  Her eyes wild.

  She shot a vacant look at him, then at Marnie.

  Son of a bitch…

  Casually, Riley stepped forward, blocking Kyle from coming any farther into the room. “You’re here for a statement? Not a good time. They just gave her more pain meds and she’s about to fall asleep.” He offered a smile, thankful the past few years had allowed him to hide his feelings almost as easily as he changed his clothes. “Pretty sure all those legal things have to be done with a clear head, not under the influence of narcotics and shit.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Of course.”

  Riley could have said a number of other things to call him on his bullshit.

  Like how Bardstown was a hell of a long way from where Marnie lived out on the outskirts of Louisville, but he didn’t. He just smiled and nodded at the cop, and stood there like a stone wall, refusing to move.

  Kyle’s mouth tightened and Riley knew he was suspicious.

  But Riley didn’t blink, didn’t alter his expression at all.

  A few more seconds passed, then Kyle nodded at Marnie. “Ma’am, I’m terribly sorry about what happened. We’ll be in touch.” He turned on his heel and left and Riley sauntered forward, bracing his arm against the doorway and watching as Kyle headed on down the hallway.

  As soon as he was gone from sight, Riley lunged forward and found a security guard.

  “That man is not to come to back in here.”

  “Uh…he’s a cop. He was here to take a statement,” the man said, looking confused.

  “He’s a cop from Bardstown. She was attacked in Louisville.”

  The security guard still looked confused
.

  “Mr. Steele?”

  He spun around and saw Detective Chance approaching, along with another woman—another cop. Chance had her badge on her belt and looked as if she’d tried to spruce herself up in the car.

  “A cop was just here.”

  Chance looked over at the other woman, then back at Riley. “We saw him. He’s not Louisville Metro, Riley. He’s from Bardstown.”

  “He was claiming he was here to take Marnie’s statement. When he saw me, he was…surprised.” Riley crossed his arms over his chest to keep from grabbing onto something and tearing it apart. Now that Chance was here, he turned on his heel, ready to go into the room with Marnie, but he stopped abruptly.

  Bree was standing outside the room, arms folded over her middle, shaking.

  She looked at him with bruised eyes and then abruptly, she took off running.

  “Bree!”

  He raced after her but she bolted into the bathroom. After a second’s hesitation, he went after her. An older woman was at the sink, washing her hands. “Do you mind?” she demanded.

  “No. I don’t. Do you?” Then he followed the sounds. She was in the farthest stall. She hadn’t locked the door. Bent over the toilet, she heaved and wretched.

  Sickness and rage twisted in him as he moved up, then crouched next to her. She was in one of the larger stalls, designed for handicapped access.

  “Bree.”

  She shook her head. “No…not right now, Riley. Not right now.”

  He nodded and smoothed her hair back, feeling lost.

  She heaved again, but nothing came out.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “It’s occupied,” he said tiredly.

  “I figured.” Chance’s voice sounded as tired as he felt. “Riley…you’re in the women’s bathroom. You just freaked out a woman old enough to be my grandma.”

  “Too bad.”

  “Go on, Riley,” Bree said. “I’m fine.”

  “The hell you are.” She was clammy and shaking, her entire body shuddering as if with a fever. “I’ll leave when you do.”

  She gave him a narrow look, then, slowly started to heave herself up.

  He rose with her, supporting her as much as she’d let him. Brushing her hair back, he met her pale-green eyes. “It was him, wasn’t it?”