Every action he had taken and every word he had said had indicated he was trustworthy. She knew that in her head.
She just couldn’t get her heart to catch up.
“That’s better. Deep breaths,” Riser said.
She rested her cheek on his chest and concentrated on the way it rose and fell with her. He wasn’t a soft pillow, he was hard-packed steel—steel she could count on standing strong beside her. At her back.
Laney knew that no matter what she did or how hard she tried, she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. The worry for Lily would drive her mad. She shuddered, her emotions too raw to contain.
Somehow, she got her sobbing under control, ratcheting it down to slow, shuddering breaths. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She didn’t know anything.
The only solid thing in her life right now was the man holding her in his strong arms.
Chapter Nine
The need to soothe Laney was killing him. What could he do? There’d been a hint of hysteria in her voice, and he knew there was no logical argument he could make to contain it. He didn’t blame her for feeling that way. She was taking a big risk with her daughter’s life, no question, but Riser would ensure that risk wasn’t wasted. The soft quaking of her body against his chest made him want to kill anyone who hurt her.
And yet, God help him, he was aware of every single, soft curve pressing into him, knowing the only thing covering her skin was a small towel. All he had to do was tug it off, and she would be gloriously naked in his arms.
He could hold her soft breasts in his hands, test their weight, tongue her nipples. He was hard as a rock. Laney had to feel it digging into her stomach.
She didn’t need his lust right now; she needed his comfort.
Only a bastard would try to take advantage of a woman in her state. And if he did any of the things his body was screaming out for him to do, he would be that bastard. He should have never entered the bathroom. He should’ve known better. But the sound of her heart-wrenching sobs through the door had drawn him to her. She had awakened some dormant part inside his soul that was drawn to her like metal to a magnet. He couldn’t stay away, even though he knew he should.
Riser tucked his face against her silky, damp hair and drew in a deep breath. God, she smelled sweet, like fresh flowers on a rainy day when the soil was fresh and the grass was green.
And he wouldn’t be the man responsible for trampling any other part of this woman.
Pulling on his reserves, Riser took a step back. The bereft look on Laney’s face nearly made his knees buckle. But if he stayed in here another minute, holding her nearly naked in his arms, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from taking her. From burying himself inside her. He was a man, not a saint.
“Put on my shirt, come to the kitchen. I’ll find some food and water. I think it will help you feel better.”
And it would give him a minute to stand in front of the open refrigerator and cool himself off before he was burned alive with need.
He went to the refrigerator and pulled it open, not expecting any healthy food or beverages to magically appear. The few times a year he managed to make it out here, he didn’t waste hundreds of dollars stocking up on fresh supplies to waste away. His pantry held soup cans and MRE’s, not exactly tasty food for offering. There was a case of bottled water at the bottom, at least. He grabbed one, twisted the top off, and handed it to Laney, who now sat all sexy in his T-shirt on his barstool.
The cool blast of air hadn’t had a prayer of cooling his desire.
She took the bottle and set it right back on the counter without taking a sip.
Her delicate features had the same mutinous set they’d had the entire ride. She wasn’t talking. She wasn’t anything, except staring into space with a worried expression he longed to wipe clear.
“Are you hungry?”
With eyes cast down to the counter, she answered, “No.”
“When’s the last time you ate?”
He’d be willing to bet it was earlier today. If Lily had been sick enough for Laney to risk a hospital visit, she probably hadn’t taken a step from her daughter’s side to provide nourishment to her own body.
“I don’t know,” came her equally deadened response.
Damn, he did not like to see her like this. She seemed almost defeated.
And the battle hadn’t even started yet. “Laney, I don’t have much, but let me fix you something. You’ll need to keep up your strength.”
In an unexpected flash of movement, Laney jumped up from the stool and slapped the bottle of water from the counter, her light-brown eyes blasting fury. “Why are you asking me about food? I don’t care about eating. I shouldn’t have come here.”
It was about damn time she showed some kind of emotion. Careful not to rip the stitches down his side, Riser crossed his arms and leaned casually against the counter. “And what would you have done when your husband showed up with his buddies, ready to handcuff you and haul you off?”
The fire in her eyes didn’t die, and in fact, her cheeks flushed and her breathing quickened. “I would have fought him; I would’ve laid down my life to keep him away from Lily.”
“And what exactly would that have accomplished? Right now, you’d either be dead or locked up, leaving Lily without a mother.” Riser was careful to keep his voice calm and reasonable, even though his insides were churning at the pain he saw etched in her features.
As if he’d poured a five-gallon bucket of water on her fire, all those raw emotions on her face extinguished. Her shoulders drooped, her chin dropped, and her lips trembled. “I left her.”
Riser released the sigh he’d been holding in and slowly pushed off the counter and went to her. He did not ask for permission, he just did what felt right—and that was to take Laney into his arms and tuck her head against his chest. He had at least a foot on her. She was as fragile as she felt; a man half Riser’s size could easily break a bone if he hit her hard enough.
Cold rage seeped through him and he embraced it, setting his chin on top of her head, as she sobbed silently in his arms. Any man who would do this to a woman deserved to die. More than anything else in this world, Riser wanted to go back to that hospital and beat that bastard to within an inch of his life. Maybe even more.
And every heart-wrenching sob Laney cried made him want to pound another nail in the man’s head.
Even though Riser didn’t have a child of his own, he could understand how she felt. The ambush to his team two years ago was a true test of their faith to one another. A test they’d failed by leaving one man behind. Despite the fact they’d been left without a choice, Riser’s teammate died. Leaving him with a guilt that was present every waking and dreaming moment of his life.
A guilt compounded by Caroline Cotter’s kidnapping. Worse, she was still missing.
Riser would give anything to go back in time and right those wrongs. But since that wasn’t possible, he’d have to settle for never allowing a mistake like that to happen again. And if Laney went back to that hospital without his protection, and without a warrant, she’d be walking into a death trap.
It took Riser a moment to realize that while her breathing still hitched every now and then, her sobs had quieted. The feel of her cheek pressed against him, of her soft curves fitting against his hard body and her arms around his waist, pulled him out of the darkness of his past. They pulled him into the present moment, with this woman.
She was thin, more so than any woman he’d ever been attracted to, but right now, she felt perfect. If she shifted her elbow down a couple of inches, she’d scrape directly across his wound, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to let her go.
“Laney?”
She jerked, her elbow hit his wound, and Riser hissed in a breath. She backed away from him; her hands pressed to her mouth and her eyes wide. “What’s wrong?”
He did his best to try to keep a casual expression, but it felt like she’d stabbed him. In his stab wound. “J
ust a little scratch. That’s why I was in the emergency room.”
He lifted up the edge of his shirt to show her the white bandage.
“What happened?”
Riser shrugged and said, “Just a guy who had too much to drink.”
She reached out a hand, as if to touch the flesh below the wound, but hesitated. “It looks terrible.”
Riser tensed, anticipating her touch. But then she dropped her hand, and he had to fight not to show his disappointment. He let his shirt fall before answering, “You should see the other guy.”
Laney smiled up at him through watery eyes. “I hope you made him pay.”
Oh, he’d made the guy pay all right. The bastard had snuck up behind him, behind him, sliced a side of Riser, and thrown a punch. As for Riser’s part, well he’d made sure the guy wouldn’t be able to walk for the next couple of days. “I don’t think he’ll be picking fights any time soon.”
“Sit down, you shouldn’t be standing. Let me get you something to drink—” Laney stopped abruptly and her eyes widened at the sight of the now half-empty bottle and puddle of water against the kitchen wall. “Oh, Riser, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I did that.” Laney rushed around him, going for the loose roll of paper towels on the counter. She tried to rush past him, but he snatched the paper towels out of her hand.
“I was trying to get a rise out of you. I didn’t like to see you looking like that.” Riser shifted uncomfortably. Admitting to his feelings didn’t come easily to him.
As a matter of fact, emotions weren’t something he was used to having. Ever. And yet that look in her eyes had been enough to slay him. He got down on his knees and started mopping up the fluid. “Anyway, it’s okay.”
Rather than let him do the work alone, Laney knelt down beside him, offering another couple of paper towels, and helped mop up the mess. This close he could practically feel the heat popping off her satiny skin. He chanced a glance out of the corner of his eye, but she was focused on the floor, not him. Had he misread her? Or was he just a horny prick, thinking about a battered woman that way when her daughter was in the hospital?
Probably the latter.
Chapter Ten
“Riser—”
Laney leaned back and he stopped mopping, his gaze lasering in on her lips as she licked them. Her soft hair fell in satin tendrils around her shoulders, framing her perfect petite face. Everything about her screamed at him to take her into his arms, but he held back, determined to treat her with the respect she deserved.
“Yes?” He prompted when she didn’t finish her sentence.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth and he hardened instantly. The thought of her sweet skin touching his had him longing for a cold shower.
She licked her lips and he almost groaned. “You have to stop doing that.”
“Doing what?” Her cheeks darkened despite her innocent question. He could practically feel her body responding to his.
“Laney, I’m trying to be a gentleman here. But if you don’t stop licking those sinful lips I won’t be able to hold my self back any more.”
Her gaze flicked to his, desire deepening her eyes to chocolate. “I don’t want you to hold back,” Laney said a second before her lips touched his and Riser’s resolve shattered. And when her tongue parted his lips, any thought of stopping dissolved. He wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her hard against his chest. Laney tangled her hands in his hair, tugging furiously as if she were trying to crawl inside him.
The hard crush of her mouth over his felt better than anything had in his damn life.
He cupped her butt, slipping below the hemline of his long T-shirt. The feeling of her silky, naked flesh beneath his hands tugged a groan out of him. His cock was so hard, it felt like it would explode in his pants.
He knew he shouldn’t be doing this; he should be a gentleman and stop. Laney’s actions were those of desperation.
And yet…she clearly needed to forget for a while. Who was he to deny her that comfort?
He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about getting inside her all night, and when Laney moaned and locked her arms around his neck, he knew he would be very soon.
His entire being was so focused on the woman in his arms, he was barely aware of the hard floor digging into his knees. He was the one who finally broke the kiss long enough for them both to suck in air, but as soon as they had, he slanted his mouth over hers once more. He cupped her, holding her against his hard length, loving the tiny sound she made in the back of her throat.
But taking her mouth wasn’t enough, and it never would be.
He broke the kiss and yanked his shirt off her body. No matter how much he liked seeing her walk around in his clothes, he wanted to see all of her.
He wanted to take a minute to savor the perfection of her body, but the raw edge of heat clawing its way through his veins wouldn’t allow him that pleasure. He needed to feel her against him, beneath him, around him.
Riser ripped off his shirt and wrapped an arm around her waist, dragging her to him. Her breasts pressed into his naked chest, and the sensation of her tight, rosy nipples digging into his skin nearly caused his eyes to roll back in his head. Those tiny pinpricks were begging for his tongue. He speared his fingers through her hair, tilted her head to the side, and kissed the hollow in her neck, drawing her skin roughly into his mouth.
He should probably be gentler, but damn if he had any self-control left where this woman was concerned. And from the way her nails were digging into his shoulder, she liked it just as much as he did.
He was making his way up the length of her neck, biting down on her earlobe and savoring her, when she cried out.
“Riser.” Her body arched against his, her cries driving him on.
Fuck, he needed to make this good for her, but he ached to be inside her.
He cupped her breasts and dipped his head, drawing her nipple into his mouth. They were already tight, but they hardened even more beneath his ministrations. He wanted to drive away her pain, and make her feel the way she made him feel. He nipped her harder, loving it when she yanked on his hair, silently begging for more.
With a trembling hand, he reached between her legs, and Laney immediately spread her knees. When he touched her wetness, he was overcome by the need to taste her. Riser stood abruptly, lifted Laney in his arms, and deposited her on the small kitchen table nearby. He put a hand on her chest and forced her to lie back, leaving her legs hanging over the edge of the table.
He put his hands on her knees. “God, woman, you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to see you this way.”
Laney spread out before him, her slick folds glistening and begging for his mouth. Dammit, if that wasn’t the sexiest sight he’d ever seen. Kneeling in front of her, Riser put his hands on that silky juncture and spread her wide. He looked up at her as he darted his tongue over her clit.
Laney’s answering moan and the way she gripped the edges of the table, like her life depended on it, filled him with pleasure. “Is this what you need, Laney? My tongue on your clit?”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly, her hips arching in search of his mouth.
Riser’s tongue curled, lapping her with long strokes. God, she tasted so good, he never wanted to stop. He lashed at her like that, until her moans turned to cries and her hips bucked reflexively. If he stayed at it just a little longer, he’d make her come. And then he could go right back at it and make her come again. But his cock was throbbing painfully in his pants. He could feel his balls tightening, and a drop of cum leaked out.
He wanted to bury himself inside her right now, or he might come in his pants. He hadn’t done that since ninth grade.
With fumbling fingers, Riser yanked his pants down and stood. He wrapped his hands around Laney’s hips and pulled her to the edge of the table, lining up his cock with her entrance.
He should take a couple of steps back, give her a chance to think this through logically and decide if she wanted to back out. “
Wait, I need to grab a condom.”
Laney’s hips lifted again, and her core caressed his tip. “On birth control. We’re good.”
“Riser,” she said, “Now.”
White-hot electricity shot through him, and he sucked in a breath. Fuck. He couldn’t stop now if the world was coming to an end. Holding himself in one hand, he guided his cock into her entrance. She wrapped herself around him, and he went to his elbows on the table, caging her beautiful face between his arms.
“Jesus, you feel good,” he ground out and inched forward.
He’d always been big, but Laney’s small size made him almost afraid he’d hurt her. He gritted his teeth and reached for control, vowing to move into her slowly.
She was so slick, she easily took him, stretching as he plowed forward.
“Riser!” Laney wrapped her legs around his waist, impaling herself fully, and clawed at his shoulders. Riser’s back arched involuntarily and he buried himself to the hilt. Sweat formed and dripped off his temples, the thin edge of control he maintained was almost nonexistent.
“I’ve been dreaming about being buried inside you all night. But this is better than any dream.” With a measured withdrawal, Riser backed out, until just the tip remained inside her. Without quarter, he drove into her again. Laney cried out and the table shook beneath the force of his thrusts. Fuck.
No matter how much restraint he practiced, he wouldn’t be able to last long. He had to make sure she came. Riser took her mouth in a burning kiss as he slowly pumped in and out of her tight core. Laney moaned in his mouth, whimpering with each thrust. The sound urged him to increase his tempo, something he’d promised himself not to do.
Instinct took over and the primal need to completely dominate her wrapped around his body. He leaned back and grabbed her hips, pounding steadily into her.
“Oh, God, Riser, please—”
Brotherhood Protectors: Riser's Resolve: Men of Mercy (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 6
