“He was waiting for me,” I said. “Told me that Leo Shea wants to see you tomorrow. Or else.”
“Or else what?”
I downed the rest of the bourbon before answering. “Yeah, that’s when he pulled a knife.”
Ryker was beside me in an instant, taking the glass from my hand and turning me toward him. “Are you all right?” he asked, anxious. His hands lifted to brush back my hair, inspecting my neck.
Tears clogged my throat, so I just nodded, swallowing them down. “He, ah.” I cleared my throat. “He seemed really serious. Said if you didn’t go, that you’d have a … dead girlfriend.” Bitter anger filled my belly. I didn’t want to be scared.
“I was afraid this would happen,” Ryker said. “Any kind of weakness, Leo exploits it. He’s not happy until everyone working for him is under his absolute control.”
“But you don’t work for him,” I protested.
“I used to. And I was good at it.”
“What did you do?”
Ryker hesitated, his hands dropping from me. “I was his enforcer. Kept his people in line. It was an ideal undercover position for gaining his trust and knowing everyone and everything that was going on.”
And it sounded incredibly dangerous.
“How did you get out?”
“We made it look like I was killed,” he said.
“So seeing you the other night must’ve really been a surprise,” I said. “If he thought you were dead.” No doubt an understatement, and helped explain why Leo had looked so pissed.
“You could say that,” Ryker replied.
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I don’t have a choice, if he’s threatening you. I’ll have to go see him tomorrow, see what he wants.”
I nodded. I didn’t see another way out either, especially if scary-knife guy knew where I lived and worked.
“Listen,” he said, taking my hand in his and tugging me toward him until our bodies touched. “I’m sorry. About tonight. You … bring out my possessive side.”
“I just can’t keep having this same argument, Ryker,” I said. His dark hair was tousled and I reached to push my fingers through the strands. “I’m with you. Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course I trust you,” he said. “I don’t trust him.”
My mind whispered that maybe he had a point, especially considering the things Parker had said and done the past few days, but I pushed the thought aside. “It takes two,” I said. “And while I may not have said it outright, I wouldn’t be with you—not like this—if it wasn’t something more for me, too.”
I still couldn’t say the L-word, but maybe this would be enough. Yes, I needed to work through whatever it was I still felt for Parker, but my feelings for Ryker were real. He was a gorgeous man who oozed danger and Bad Boy from his pores, who had a decent job and was a good guy … and he wanted to be with me. Megan was right. I didn’t want to screw that up.
He smiled, a full wattage complete with dimple, and it made me weak in the knees.
“Does this mean we get to have makeup sex now?” he asked, his eyes twinkling at me.
I raised an eyebrow, hiding my relief. “I’m not sure. Did we really fight? I mean, there wasn’t any yelling or screaming involved.”
Without warning, he swung me up in his arms and I squeaked in surprise.
“Oh, I’ll make you scream,” he said. “I promise.”
Hoo boy.
*
“I don’t want you to go to work today.”
I looked up from where I was pouring coffee into two mugs. Ryker stood in the kitchen, shirtless and wearing just his jeans, which were zipped but not fastened. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching me. I pulled my brain out of the stupor seeing him like that always put me in.
“I have bills to pay, which only get paid if I work,” I replied, determined to not get in another fight with him. I knew where this was coming from. He was worried. I couldn’t blame him. If I was honest, I was worried, too. But I wasn’t about to let that asshole Leo Shea keep me cowering in my apartment for the foreseeable future.
“Like your dad wouldn’t help make ends meet if you need him to?” Ryker asked.
I shook my head. “That’s not the point and you know it. I know why you want me to stay home, but that’s not going to happen. We should be worrying about you and what your plan is.”
“I’ve already been on the phone with my chief,” Ryker said. “We have a plan.”
When he didn’t elaborate, I said, “Care to enlighten me?” My dry tone made his lips twitch.
“I’ll tell you later,” he said. “For now, let’s get you to work safe.”
“The bus is safe,” I pointed out, but he was already shaking his head.
“No way. I’m taking you.”