by Lori King
“Is he okay?”
“Physically? Yeah, he’s fine. I don’t think his head hit that hard, but he was already drunk so…”
Mack was running his hand through his yellow curls again, like he always seemed to do when he was stressed out or nervous. All of the anger had left both of them the moment she hit Ryker, and now she just felt a sad sort of pity for the unconscious man. It was clear he was in a lot of pain, but it didn’t give him the right to treat her or his brother that way.
“Is your arm alright, slugger?”
The question caught her off guard and she looked up at him in surprise. His concerned blue eyes were taking in the way she held her injured hand against her body protectively. “Uh, I think so. I don’t know.”
“We better get some ice on it and check to see if you broke anything, sweetheart. Come on.” His large body was invading her space again, but she didn’t feel awkward about it this time. In fact, she felt safe and secure as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and propelled her toward the kitchen.
“Are you sure he’s okay? Maybe we shouldn’t leave him?”
“He’ll be fine once he sleeps off his drunken stupidity,” he answered as he retrieved an ice pack from the freezer and moved back to her side.
She gasped in surprise when his hands landed on her hips and he lifted her easily up onto the kitchen counter in front of him so she was easier to reach. “Mack!”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
A hiss of pain slipped from between her teeth when he began checking each knuckle and finger gently, and she couldn’t think straight. Between the pain in her hand and the heat of his callused finger tips, she felt completely out of control as sensations barreled through her.
“I don’t think anything is broken, but you won’t be shaking anyone’s hand for the next week or so. Pretty impressive for a city girl.”
The glint of humor in his gaze eased some of her discomfort and she gave him a small smile. “Even in the city we stick up for our friends.”
“Is that what we are, Claudia? Friends?”
She felt her lips part as she stared up at him. Did he know what his tone did to her? The slight curl of his upper lip told her he did, and turned her on even more. She wanted to taste him, now more than ever before.
“I hope so. I-I mean, I did just coldcock your brother and knock him out, but if you don’t hold that against me—”
His laughter cracked through the air, “Hold it against you? Hell, honey, it’s more likely to make me fall in love with you. Ryker has needed someone to knock some sense into him for a while. I just kept thinking he needed more time and space to get over it. I kept telling myself everyone deals with their issues differently. I ran off to The Cage when my business went under, but Ryker doesn’t have an outlet. All of his so-called friends are back in Chicago avoiding his calls.”
“What’s The Cage?” The question seemed to rattle him, and he stopped speaking and grimaced.
“Uh, it’s just a local club.”
Curiosity got the better of her, and she prodded the subject even though he clearly didn’t want to talk about it. “Like a dance club?”
“No, uh, shit. Look this is our first date, and it hasn’t exactly been run of the mill, but I’m still hoping I haven’t scared you off completely yet.”
She almost laughed at the awkward look on his face. Didn’t he notice she was sitting on the counter in his kitchen, with ice pressed to her bruised hand, and his lean hips between her spread knees? This was clearly not a typical situation, and if she hadn’t gone running when his brother took off driving drunk, or when he insulted her in every possible way…but the more she watched him fidget, the more her curiosity ate at her. Something about the club had triggered his awkwardness. What kind of club would make someone that uncomfortable?
“Is it a strip club? Or a gentleman’s club? Like an escort service? Is that it? You paid for sex with a prostitute and now you’re feeling guilty?”
Wide blue eyes stared at her for a few brief seconds before he was laughing again. When his laughter finally calmed, he gripped her jaw gently and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. Her tongue darted out to wet it and his pupils dilated. “No, you nosey woman, I have never paid for sex in my life. The Cage is a BDSM club where I’m a member.”
Nothing prepared her for that. Her mouth fell open as he smirked at her shock. “BDSM? You like to beat on women?”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes, “No, sweetheart. That’s not what BDSM is about. Sometime in the near future we will continue this conversation and I will try to explain, but I think after all of this excitement now is not the time.”
She wanted desperately to question him further. To understand what he meant by BDSM club. It’s not like she was a complete moron. She had read the popular books, so she knew the basics. People into that stuff liked to inflict pain on others and make them beg and cry. The sour taste in her mouth and the butterflies in her belly had her nodding her agreement to shelve the topic for another time. Too much had happened tonight for her to absorb the man she thought she was interested in, was way too kinky for her plain-Jane self.
“Are you sure Ryker is okay?”
“Let’s go check, before I walk you to your car.”
Mack helped her off the counter and they both went back into the living room. The big man on the floor had shifted and thrown one arm over his face and he was snoring. Reassured he really was just sleeping off the alcohol, she picked up her keys from where she had dropped them earlier and led the way out of the tiny cabin to her car.
She paused before opening the car door and turned to face Mack. In the dark shadows of night he seemed more raw and dangerous, and her heart fluttered a little in her chest.
“I wish—”
“I’m sorry—”
They both started to speak at the same time, and broke off with a laugh. Mack shook his head, “If you’re going to try to apologize again, you may as well keep quiet. This wasn’t your fault in any way. It’s been coming for a long time.”
She nodded and stared at the button in the center of his wide chest in silence. His hands came up to wrap around each of her elbows and he rubbed up and down as though trying to warm her. If he only knew how hot she already was for him.
“I was going to say I wish this night had gone differently, Claudia. I will make it up to you on our second date.” His warm breath caressed her cheek as he dipped his head down, and instinctively she lifted her face.
“There you go again, assuming there will be a second date.” She drew back, but her voice was so breathless he just grinned. Even in the dim moonlight she could see the deep groove of his dimples and the white flash of his teeth. The man had a killer smile to go with his sex God body.
“There will be.”
Three words, and her knees nearly collapsed. The confidence and command in those three words sent goosebumps skittering across her skin and she struggled to maintain her dignity. What would he think if she begged him to touch her right now?
“Sweetheart, I’m going to give you five seconds to get in your car and shut the door, because if you don’t I’m going to kiss you, and once I kiss you, I have a feeling there will be no going back for us.”
She let out a gasp of indignation and then her breath caught. He was serious. Torn between the desperate desire to finally taste him and her own instinct for self-preservation, she swayed on her feet. Only his hands on her biceps kept her from toppling.
“Five…four…”
She jerked backwards and both of her hands landed on the center of his chest. Just the physical connection made her pussy throb and her skin burn.
“Three…two…”
Her mind was spinning as she pressed one hand to his chest, “Wait a second. Don’t I get a say in this? Who says I even want you to kiss me?”
“You’re still standing here.”
Lightning struck the moment their lips touched. Fire sizzled through her veins, and pooled directly
between her thighs. She gasped on impact and he took it as an invitation to invade her mouth. That’s exactly what it was, an invasion. Her senses were completely overwhelmed and she melted into him, her arms sliding up around his neck as he braced himself on the car behind her with one hand and tugged her body tightly to him with the other.
Somewhere in the recesses of her brain she heard a tiny voice warning her about getting involved when there were so many hurdles between them, but in that moment she couldn’t hold on to it. There was no gap too wide or mountain too high when his mouth and hands were on her body. Instead, she felt as though she had finally found a home. A safe place where she could revel in this one man’s desire and need for her.
It could have been hours, but she knew it was only minutes before they broke apart panting for air, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Only the chirping of crickets sounded on the breeze as the two of them fought to regain control over themselves.
“I’m—”
He jerked back a step, and covered her mouth with his hand. “Don’t you dare say, you’re sorry. Baby, if I could, I’d strip you naked right here and fuck you seven ways to Sunday, but you deserve better. We didn’t have the best first date, but that kiss assures me that it wasn’t the worst either. Give me your phone.”
She shook her head trying to follow his train of thought, “My phone?”
“Yes, love. I want to put my number in it, so you can call me when you get home.”
Somehow she managed to open the car door and fish her cell phone out of her purse, handing it to him silently. She watched while his thick thumbs zipped over the tiny device like a pro, and a buzzing sounded from his back pocket. He pulled his own phone out and smiled again, “There, all set. Call me as soon as you’re there, okay?”
Her tongue wouldn’t work. Something in his kiss must have numbed her mouth. Like some sort of anesthetic because her voice box seemed frozen too.
“Claudia, okay?”
Resorting to a silent nod, she accepted her phone back and took a seat in the car.
“Take a left when you get to the road, and then a right when you see the sign for Dottie’s Ice Cream Parlor. That will get you back to Main Street.”
She nodded again and shut the car door, latching her seatbelt as quickly as possible. His large frame filled her view as she backed up and turned around. He remained standing in place until she turned out of the drive toward town and he disappeared in the darkness.
Within fifteen minutes she was pulling into her own driveway, still in shock over the whole evening. It was sure as hell the strangest first date she had ever been on. As she entered her house and began stripping her clothes for a shower, she pulled out her phone again and sent Mack a quick text. I’m home, safe and sound.
A couple seconds later her phone chirped with a response. I thought I told you to call me.
She rolled her eyes as she answered. Does it make a difference?
Turning on the shower, she read his response. We’ll work on following instructions.
She giggled as she sent the next message. What are you going to do? Spank me?
His next response took longer, and she began to question her teasing while she waited. What if he didn’t get the joke? Her heart jumped when she read the next message. Anytime. Anyplace. I’ll see you in my dreams. Goodnight.
Just like that he flipped the script again leaving her weak-kneed and confused. His offer to spank her shouldn’t make her stomach clench and her pussy weep, right? Choosing the safest road, she sent him a quick, Goodnight, and climbed into the shower, already wondering about date number two.
Chapter Five
Twelve hours and two pots of coffee later, Ryker felt like a complete chump. He couldn’t believe he had acted the way he did, especially with Claudia. She didn’t deserve it. In fact, she was completely right about his lashing out because he was hurting. The irony that the spitfire managed to bring him down with one sharp punch to the nose wasn’t lost on him, but he didn’t feel the need to examine it too closely.
He hadn’t seen Mack yet today. When he woke up on the floor of the cabin, he was alone. The smell of alcohol was as strong on his breath as the bitter aftertaste was on his tongue, and his head felt like someone had been using Mack’s leatherworking mallet on it. After a shower, he managed to force down some aspirin with his coffee while he debated what his next move was.
Claudia’s reaction to his rudeness made him wonder if perhaps her attraction to him was stronger than she was letting on. True, they barely knew each other, but already he felt like she was some sort of puzzle piece that had been missing from his world. Now that he found her he wasn’t sure he wanted to let her out of his sight, at least not until he knew how she fit into his life. He wasn’t a complete idiot, even if his actions from the night before proved otherwise. He was fully aware Mack wanted to keep her for himself, but Ryker wasn’t about to step aside just yet.
She seemed intrigued by the idea of a ménage, but no amount of self-reflection made him want to test those waters. As much as he loved his brother, he really had no desire to see him naked and screwing his woman. He just couldn’t figure out how to let her know he shared her feelings without looking like a bigger asshole than he already did. Stealing Mack’s woman might just rip apart the tenuous strings holding the brothers together, but Ryker couldn’t let Claudia go without giving it a shot, and the only chance he had of getting back in her good graces was to man up and apologize.
Leaving a note on the counter for Mack that just read, “Be back later,” he headed into town in search of her. It was a Saturday, so he was hoping she would be at home, but when he pulled into her driveway his heart skipped a beat.
Perched atop an eight foot ladder was the woman of his dreams. Her footing was precarious, and she had one hand braced on a window ledge while she held a paint scraper in the other and she was viciously attacking the peeling paint off the clapboard siding in front of her. To his eyes it looked like if the wind blew wrong she was going to topple, and he didn’t hesitate to leap out of his car running full steam in her direction.
“Ryker?” she asked, frowning down at him as he reached the bottom of her wobbly ladder and secured it firmly in his grip. “What are you doing here?”
“The better question is what are you doing up there, duchess? You’re going to break your neck!”
Yesterday he believed it was impossible for him to ever feel protective of a woman again. It had been a woman who had taken his trust and torn it to shreds just last summer, but at the moment he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about all of the horrific outcomes a fall would bring to this petite beauty.
“I’m scraping paint. What does it look like? Why do you care?” she snapped back, managing to cock her hip and look indignant without wobbling on the narrow ladder step.
“Sweet cheeks, I know what you’re doing, but I don’t understand why? This ladder isn’t nearly tall enough for this project, and neither are you. Not to mention you could have just asked for a hand. Me and Mack—”
“You and Mack? So you’re speaking now? After last night’s show I wouldn’t have blamed him if he never spoke to you again. And why would I bother to ask you for help, Ryker? You made it pretty clear what you thought of me right before I punched you in your face, remember?” Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and her gorgeous face was pinched in a tight frown as she glared down at him.
Risking her wrath, he wrapped his hand around her ankle, and squeezed. “Please, Claudia. I came here to apologize. I’d rather do it face to face. Will you come down?”
For a moment he thought she was going to refuse. Her body remained tense and she twirled the paint scraper in her hand while she thought over his request. When she finally jammed the handle of the tool in the back pocket of her shorts, he sighed with relief.
“I’ll come down, but only because I want to be able to look you in the eye when I tell you to fuck off.”
He didn’t move back as she b
egan to make her way down the ladder, so she ended up in the circle of his arms. She smelled sweet, and now that he was closer he could see the streaks of dirt and sweat on her face, and the tiny curls of hair escaping her bun to dance on the nape of her neck. It was damn tempting to place a kiss there, but the hostility oozing off her told him it wouldn’t be appreciated right now.
“Back up, Thompson. You’re too close.” Her voice was wobbly and breathy, but her tone was determined and he took a step back, letting his arms fall to his sides. She spun around and crossed her arms under her lush breasts, lifting them in the tank top she wore so he got a fantastic view of her cleavage. He had to swallow hard and shake himself when she spoke again, “Well, get on with it. As you can see I have work to do, so I can’t stand around chatting.”
Her hazel eyes were narrowed on his face, but he couldn’t meet her gaze. It was harder than he imagined, but he was determined to apologize. “Claudia, I’m sorry. I screwed up last night.”
When he didn’t say anything else for a couple of moments, she huffed, “You’re damn right you did. You could have killed someone.”
Eyes wide he laughed, “I didn’t mean—well I did, but that’s not exactly what I was apologizing for. I meant about what I said to you and Mack last night. I was angry and I lashed out at you. You didn’t deserve it, and I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.”
“So you’re sorry for hurting my feelings, but not for driving drunk?” she asked, sounding even angrier, “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Shock rocked him on his heels when she spun away from him and marched up her front steps into her front door. Anger warred with confusion in his head, and he followed her flaring temper. The screen door creaked as he went through it and somewhere in his distracted brain he made a note to bring a can of WD40 with him when he visited next time.
Her living room was decorated in bright colors and patterns that made him slightly dizzy, so he followed the sounds of life down the hallway into a small kitchen that had seen better days. The best feature was the top of the line appliances that were obviously just off the showroom floor.
