Authors: Angela Verdenius
Swearing, Brand staggered back. “You bitch! You and my bastard brother! Well, you go! You go and stop being such a bloody drag on mine and Dad’s life!”
Simon’s hands fisted and he started forward, stopping only when Lora called out, “No! No more.” She took a deep breath, lifted her chin. “This is over. It’s all over.”
“Yeah.” Jason looked at Dee out of his blackening eye. “It’s all over.”
Why did that sound so cryptic?
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for coming.”
“Yeah.” He took a breath, winced.
“You need to get to the hospital.” Ryder looked down at Dee. “We need your car. He shouldn’t be walking.”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t long before they were at the A & E, Simon and Ryder helping Jason inside, his mother hovering nearby. They all waited as the doctor checked Jason over and then sent him for x-rays.
Dee sat with Lora in the waiting room. She really didn’t know what to say. What did one say to a woman who’d left her abusive son and husband? So she simply sat beside her.
Lora broke the silence. “Brand won’t take this further. I guarantee you.”
“Okay.” Dee nodded.
“Jason’s a good boy.”
“Yeah. He seems to be.” Truthfully, Jason had been a prick growing up but lately he’d done a few surprising things. Maybe he was changing. She looked sideways at Lora. “I’m sorry about…you know.”
“Not as much as I am.” Lora clamped up and said nothing further, her whole body giving off a very audible ‘don’t touch’ vibe.
Dee didn’t know what to do, she wasn’t the comforting kind and Lora plainly didn’t want comforting. Man, she was way out of her depth, there was no use pretending. This was definitely a time when she wished Ash was with her, she’d know what to do, what to say. All Dee could do was give Lora a tentative smile when the woman looked once at her, offer to get her a drink and something to eat which was brusquely refused, and then simply sit in silence. She hoped her presence was a little supportive, but she had her doubts.
An hour later, Dee stood beside Jason’s bed while his mother went to find a room at the local motel with Simon’s help.
Looking down at the bruised, battered face as he lay propped in the bed, she sighed. “You’re a bit of a dumb arse.”
He grinned crookedly and a little painfully. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was kind of meant to be. Thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“No worries.” He went to shrug, only to curse and grit his teeth.
“I guess three broken ribs makes shrugging hurt like hell.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
She studied him. “You and your Mum are really leaving?”
“For now.”
“Where are you going?”
“Not sure. Head for the city first, get a job and a place to stay.” Jason glanced around the room. “Wasn’t planning on stopping here for several days first.”
“You need more than several days to heal.”
“I’ll be okay.”
She hesitated, wanting to ask.
“I can hear your brain ticking,” he said.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Never known anyone to be able to stop you.”
Well, that was undeniable, so she forged onward. “Brand basically said the problem between you two was because of me. What did he mean?”
Jason was quiet for so long that she thought he wasn’t going to answer, but then his one good eye slid her way. He regarded her soberly. “You’re a good woman. That’s enough.”
“Jason-”
“I’m tired.” His gaze slid over her shoulder. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Ryder’s warmth was suddenly against her back, his big hand on her shoulder. “You’ve got my thanks, mate. You stepped in when my woman could have been hurt. I’m not going to forget it.”
“It was nothing.” Jason kept his one-eyed gaze on Ryder.
Ryder looked back at him for several seconds before he nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
“What?” Knowing she’d missed something, Dee looked from Ryder to Jason and back.
“Men’s business, babe.”
“Are you kidding me?” She was insulted.
“Not this time.” Stepping up beside her, he slid his arm around her shoulders, turning her to face the door. “Let’s go, the man needs his rest.”
Dee looked over her shoulder at Jason to find his eyes closed. “Okay. But I still want answers.”
“Later.” Ryder walked her out the door.
Looking up at him, she snuggled closer. “You’ve got a bruise on your jaw.”
“Attacked in the line of duty.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep. Fought over my woman and won.” He tucked her in closer. “I deserve a reward.”
“I think I can manage that.” She smiled up at him. “Your place or mine?”
“Mine.” He cast her a slightly sheepish look. “I need to be home. Jezebel’s been nesting a lot more.”
“She still in the birthing box?”
“Been in there ripping up the newspaper and rearranging my old shirt.”
“Told you an article of your clothing would work.”
“I’m still not sure about having the box close on my side of the bed.”
“It’s the only way she’ll stay in it. Suck it up, be a man.”
He grabbed a handful of her bum cheek and squeezed, making her squeal before she slapped a hand over her own mouth. “I’ll show you what a man I am.”
“Promises, promises.”
“Oh babe, you have no idea.”
~*~
Three in the morning.
Bleary-eyed, Dee looked at Ryder. “When you said I had no idea, you were right.”
He looked across at her with sparkling eyes. “What?”
“I had no idea I’d be sitting here playing midwife to your cat.”
“Yeah, but babe, I’m a father.” He paused. “Grandfather?”
“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
“Laugh. You’re the kittens’ mother. Or grandmother. Have to be grandmother, ‘cause Jez’s the mum. Guess that makes me the grandfather.”
Good grief. Dee rolled her eyes.
Ryder shifted to kneel beside her, his arm sliding around her shoulders. “Babe, look at them. Admit it, you’re glad you were here.”
“To watch you go all ga-ga?”
“To keep me sane.”
“That’s so sad.”
He grinned widely at her.
Dee couldn’t help but grin back up at him. “You dumb arse.”
“Yeah, but you love me anyway, right?”
“Yep.” She looked down at Jezebel stretched out in the birthing box on Ryder’s clean shirt, the other shirt and soiled newspaper having been relegated to the bin.
Four tiny kittens of varying colours suckled at her nipples, tiny paws kneading Jezebel’s stomach. Her contented purring filled the air.
Dee looked back at Ryder. “Yep, I surely do love you. You and your hussy of a cat and her four kittens.”
“We come as a package deal,” he said smugly.
“Is that right?”
“Six for the price of one.”
She eyed him with sudden suspicion. “You have no intentions of re-homing these kittens, do you?”
“Are you insane?” He was horrified. “Take her babies from her? No!”
“You’re an idiot.”
“These are Jezebel’s babies!”
“And a moron.”
“It’s all good, babe. I’ve got it all worked out. Jezebel’s getting sterilised as soon as she’s ready, then the kittens will all be done when they’re five months, and all is good.” He practically beamed at her. “All good. See?”
“One big, happy family, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“You, me and five cats.”
“Yeah.” He relaxed, leaning into her, dropping his head so his breath brushed her lips, eliciting little shivers through her.
“Are you trying to seduce me into agreeing?” Those shivers were steadily progressing deliciously through her body.
“Yeah. How’s it working?”
“You’re shameless.”
“Yeah.” His eyes glinted wickedly. “How’s
that
working?”
“I’m admitting nothing.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips, light, fleeting and oh, so warm.
“Okay, maybe I’ll admit a little bit.”
Another kiss, a little firmer.
“You can keep them all.”
Another kiss, a little tongue.
“I already agreed,” Dee pointed out, quite happily leaning into his kiss.
“I know.” His lips tickled hers. “I got my way on the kittens, I never doubted it.”
“My, doesn’t someone have an ego.”
“Now I’m going to have my way with you.”
That made her knees weak, especially when he tipped her backwards onto the carpet.
“Do you think we should be doing this in front of the mother and the newborns?” A fissure of pleasure went through her as his hand snaked under her shirt while he leaned over her, dropping hot little kisses on her neck.
“Jez’s busy.” Ryder kissed the pulse that was starting to pound in her throat. “The kittens’ eyes are shut, they can’t see us.”
“What if you make me scream? We’ll disturb Jez.”
“Shit.” Ryder lifted his head, glanced at the box beside them. “Okay, new plan.” Pushing lithely to his feet, he held out his hand, pulling her up when she grabbed it.
“Where are we going?” Breathless, tingling in all the right places, Dee allowed him to pull her from the bedroom.
“Spare bedroom.” He pulled her inside, turning expertly so that he was backing her across the room.
The backs of her knees hit the bed and she tumbled down onto the soft mattress.
Ryder fell on top of her, bracing his hands either side of her to stop his full weight from hitting her.
“So Jezebel won after all,” Dee murmured, her eyes closing dreamily as he started kissing her neck again. “She got your bedroom.”
“She won that battle.” Ryder stopped kissing her. “But I won this one.”
At the change in his tone, the teasing replaced with seriousness, she opened her eyes to find him gazing down at her. The expression in his eyes had her breath catching.
“I won your heart, babe,” Ryder said softly. “I’m keeping it. I’m never letting it go.”
The love in his eyes was crystal clear, making her so warm, feel so cherished as one of his hands lifted from the bed to rest on her ribcage.
“Babe,” he said softly, “Mar-”
“Marry me, Ryder,” she interrupted.
His mouth fell open.
She smiled widely up at him.
After several seconds his mouth closed. “What did you say?”
“Marry me.”
“Woman, that’s
my
line.”
“Yeah, I kind of wrested it away from you.” She dimpled up at him. “So what’s the answer?”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to control me?”
“Can anyone control you?” She batted her eyelashes at him. “Really?”
“No.” He paused, grinned. “But you can make me weak at the knees.”
“I hope that doesn’t affect your performance.”
“Never.”
“Because you kind of made a promise back at the hospit-”
He cut her words off with a kiss, hard, deep, plundering, leaving her breathless, her nipples pebbling.
Within minutes he had them both naked, both hot, both on fire.
Right before he slipped into her, he stopped, looking down at her out of dark blue eyes made even bluer with the ardour burning in them. “Babe.”
“Yeah?” She wriggled under him.
“The answer is yes.”
Like she could think clearly now. “What?”
“No going back.” He sank into her.
Jesus, he made her eyes practically roll back into her head, he felt so good.
He stilled, resting deep inside her, shaft hard and thick, filling her so decadently full.
Man could drive her mad. Often did. “Ryder-”
“I’m going to marry you. You’re mine.” He started moving slowly in that way that promised a relentless love making that would leave her limp and deliciously sated. “No getting out of it, babe. All mine. Now and always.”
Her response was instantaneous, heartfelt, everything she had and wanted to give to him.
Reaching up, she wound her arms around his neck, pulling his head down so she could whisper hotly into his ear, “I love you, Ryder. That’s no lie. I love you so much.”
“Love you right back, babe.” Turning his head, he caught her lips in a soft, moist kiss. “Love you right back.”
####
Angela Verdenius lives in Australia where she is ruled by her cats, adores reading, and thinks a perfect day is writing and drinking Diet Coke, followed by reading or a good horror movie.
To date, she has written numerous novels in sci-fi romance series and BBW contemporary romances, 2 novellas, and several short stories, one of which is a zombie story she had great fun writing. Her books have won many reviewers’ awards, as well as having been on the Fictionwise best-seller list and winning the Golden Rose Award.
For more information about Angela’s books, visit:
Visit her website at
http://www.angelaverdenius.com/
The lighter side of life on her blog
http://angelaverdenius.blogspot.com
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And her Author Page at
Amazon.com
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