Abby walked out and pulled the door closed behind her, leaving Lydia to ponder how she was going to explain her near-death experience. Lydia slid her legs off the side of the bed. A shower did sound refreshing, but the first chance she got she wanted to check in on Rick. She needed to see him with her own eyes. She wouldn’t be able to rest until she was sure he was safe.
Lydia walked into the sparkling clean bathroom. A pair of her blue jeans and her emerald top hung on the back of the bathroom door. Briggs or one of her sisters had thought to bring her clothes. Lydia grinned. Her heart felt full. No matter how annoyed she was that her family had whisked her away at such an important time, she was just glad that she had family that cared. Lydia ran her fingers through her knotted hair as she started the shower. She stripped and stepped underneath the spray of the warm water and closed her eyes.
She was thankful this nightmare was over; at least she hoped it was over. She’d find out if Rick was all right, and she’d send him packing. Just being associated with her tended to put people in danger. The psycho would use him as a bargaining chip, something she was no longer willing to take a chance on. No matter how fabulous their sex was or how much he’d come to mean to her, she wouldn’t risk his life again. It had been selfish of her that she’d kept him around as long as she had. Lydia hurried through her shower and dressed. She pulled open the door to her room, and her mouth dropped open. “Rick?”
“Alive and in the flesh, thanks to you.” Rick pulled Lydia into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. He kissed a path from her lips across her cheek to her neck. Lydia leaned into him as if pulled by an invisible force. She tilted her head, giving him better access for his sensual caresses. He had a way of making her melt in his arms. It was one of the things she would miss most. “Next time, you need to let the other guys handle it. You could have gotten yourself killed.”
Rick’s comment brought Lydia out of the sexual haze she’d felt herself falling into it. Lydia tapped on Rick’s chest and stepped out of his embrace. “I think you’re right.” Lydia sidestepped him and turned in the hall toward what she hoped was the kitchen. “I think you need to leave.”
Rick came up behind her and stopped her in her tracks. He pulled her back against his solid chest. “You don’t mean that, Red.”
He pushed aside her auburn hair and placed a kiss on her neck. “You need me as much as I need you.”
Lydia wiggled out of his hold. “You’re wrong.”
She knew what she had to do. It was just going to kill her to do it. She needed to make sure he understood there was no chance for them. She could barely protect herself, much less anyone else, and the longer he was around her, the more danger he was in. She needed to convince him that being together wasn’t a good idea.
She turned toward Rick. “The only people I need are my family and the team.” She waved her hand between them. “There is no more us. It’s better that way.”
“You don’t mean it.” Rick took a step toward her, and she put up her hand, halting his advance. “I think you should leave.”
Rick took her hand in his. “I’m not leaving you to deal with that psycho alone. You don’t know what he’s capable of, and he won’t stop until he has you.”
Lydia felt her pulse quicken, not sure if it was from Rick’s touch or the threat. She knew he spoke the truth. “I know. That’s why you need to leave. It isn’t safe for you either.”
Lydia pulled her hand from his and spun around to find the kitchen. She needed that cup of coffee now more than ever.
Rick followed on her heels as she turned the corner and found her sisters and Mike sitting around the bar of the kitchen. “You can’t be serious.”
Mike stood. “Serious about what?”
Lydia glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes before she turned back to her siblings. “I told him he needed to leave.”
Abby walked over to her and handed her a cup of coffee. Lydia took a sip of the steaming brew and pulled out a chair at the table.
The fine lines on Claire’s forehead creased. “Why would you want him to leave?”
Butch walked up behind Claire and rubbed her shoulders. “It’s okay, angel. We’ll figure all of this out, and if Rick did something to upset her, then we’ll all kick his ass.”
Lydia cupped her coffee mug in her hands and leaned against the table. “Slow down, Butch. He didn’t do anything wrong. It’s my fault.”
Mike pulled out a chair at the table and sat. “I doubt it, sis. You just need to tell us what happened.”
Lydia let her head fall forward. She didn’t want to do this in front of her family. She’d meant to have this conversation with Rick in private. It wasn’t anyone’s business but hers and Rick’s. Mike crossed his arms over his chest. “If you don’t want Claire to read your mind, I suggest you start talking.”
Lydia glanced over to Claire. She shook her head “I wouldn’t dare. Don’t believe everything Mike tells you, Lydia.”