Raising my arms over my head, I stretched and caught Miley’s gaze. Her eyes were drawn to the tug and pull of my muscles, and from the expression on her face, it was apparent she liked what she saw. I was in pretty good shape, but was getting as stiff as a board from sitting in this damn chair. With a mischievous grin on my lips, I lowered my arms and flexed my biceps showing her the guns. A telling pink flush instantly stained her cheeks.
“You ass.” She mouthed with a grin. I chuckled and gave her a wink, drawing a curious look from Sierra.
“All right, young lady, time for bed.” And instead of Sierra making a big fuss as one would expect, she started picking up the cards. I decided to help and reached for the ones in front of me, stacking them. Sierra was on her knees in her chair and leaned across the table handing me the box and the remainder of the cards.
“It was fun,” she said with a wide smile.
“It sure was.” I shuffled the cards and then placed them back into the box. “You tired?” I asked, since I’d seen her yawn twice in the last few minutes.
“Her bedtime is at eight-thirty,” Miley said. “I know it seems a little early, but by the time we brush teeth, read a story, and get settled in, it’s after nine.
“Princesses need their beauty sleep,” Sierra explained, and I couldn’t help but smile at her explanation. Miley stood and pushed in her chair. Sierra came around the table to stand beside me. With a hesitant glance at Miley, who shrugged her shoulders at me, I looked at Sierra.
What did the kid want?
Before I could even speak, tiny arms tried to wrap themselves around my neck. At her touch, I froze; helpless against her simple gesture. When she climbed the rest of the way into my lap, my hands automatically curled around her waist steadying her before she fell. She pecked a kiss against my cheek then climbed down just as quickly as she’d come. It was hard to swallow past the sudden lump lodged in my throat.
“Goodnight,” Sierra said, but I refused to look at her or at Miley. Instead, I stared straight ahead and focused on the lone magnet stuck to the front of the refrigerator door.
“Nate.” I heard Miley call my name, I chose to ignore her. Vaguely, I noted her taking Sierra’s hand in hers.
I couldn’t do this. I just couldn’t
. When I looked around, they were gone. I was all alone. Even Hank, the traitorous bastard, had deserted me. My heart thudded painfully in my chest.
What in the hell had just happened to me?
“Fuck!” I slammed my hands down hard onto the table and shoved myself up from my chair.
I had to get out of here!
BY THE TIME
I’d finally finished with inventory, everyone had already left for the night. It was past time for me to do the same. When I arrived back at the house, all the lights were out except for the one on the front porch. The sky was dark. There wasn’t a single star in sight. There was a rustling in the bushes. I didn’t think too much of it since Hank ran off all of the wildlife. From corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of him, and he was running straight toward me.
“Hey, shithead,” I said as he jumped up on me. I rubbed his thick coat. He was panting hard. The dampness from his front paws wet the denim of my jeans. I’d bet ten to one, Miley had let him out to take care of his business before bedtime and the fucker wouldn’t come back. He was good for that.
Without making a sound, I opened the front door. In the darkness, I made my way across the living room to the couch and sat down to tug off my boots. I was tired, but I couldn’t quit thinking about the events of the day, about Miley and Sierra. When I left, I didn’t even tell them goodbye. That had been an asshole move on my part.
With a defeated sigh, I headed upstairs with Hank hot on my heels. The hall light was on and the door next to mine cracked open. As if drawn by an invisible cord, I entered the room as quietly as possible and walked over to the bed. They were both sound asleep.
As I stared down at them, unwanted emotions squeezed my heart. Miley lay resting on her side, her cheek nestled in her palm. Her full lips were slightly parted in sleep. Long strands of strawberry blonde hair were spread across her pillow. With her delicate features, she reminded me of an angel. A slim arm lay draped across Sierra’s waist. Even in sleep, it seemed as if she felt the need to protect her. The sleeveless white gown she wore rode high on her thighs displaying silky skin that glowed like satin in the dim lighting from the hall. My hands itched with the need to touch her. Before I could stop myself or even think, I was trailing a finger along the firm, supple silkiness of her skin.
Taking a deep breath, I took a step back and shook my head realizing what I’d done.
I didn’t want to feel this way.
I would help her get rid of her crazy ass ex and then we all could go back to living our regular lives. I had nothing to offer them. There was no room for her or Sierra in my life. It would have been easier for me if Miley were some random stranger, but we had a history. She was a part of my past.
On the nightstand beside the bed, I spotted her phone. She didn’t have a password set so I quickly programed my number into hers then sent a text to my phone. Earlier, we’d forgotten to exchange numbers. It wouldn’t happen again. Whenever Miley was around, I couldn’t keep a straight thought in my head. With another glance at the bed, I forced myself to turn around and walk from her room. I decided to leave the door open just in case either of them needed me during the night.
Of course, Hank was lying in my bed, sprawled in my spot.
That sorry son of a bitch
, I thought as I yanked off my clothes and pushed him aside. “Move,” I grumbled, and he finally gave in, but first, he had to stretch before crawling the remainder of the way onto his side of the bed. With a grunt, I laid down and crossed my arms behind my head to stare up at the ceiling as I listened to Hank softly snore. I willed my mind to go blank, but it was no use. All I could think about was her. Thoughts of the woman in the room next to mine were enough to keep me awake the rest of the night.
The next morning when I opened my eyes, Hank was licking my face. It was obvious he needed to go outside. I was tired as hell. In the early morning hours, I’d finally managed to drift off to sleep. The last time I remembered looking at the clock it had read 3:54 a.m. Hank crowded against me.
Impatient fucker.
I pushed him aside and climbed out of bed, then grabbed my pants from the floor. After tugging them on, I headed down the hallway with Hank following right behind me. For most of the night I’d tossed and turned, preoccupied by my thoughts. The sooner I found Ryder Blade the better.
Looking in, I saw Miley and Sierra were still sleeping. It was embarrassing the way I’d behaved last night, and I didn’t want her to catch me in her room. She would probably think I was as big of a creeper as her ex. After letting Hank outside, I grabbed a quick shower, got dressed, and headed for the kitchen. I needed caffeine. I was waiting for the coffee to perk and staring out the window when my phone began to ring.
Who in the hell was calling me this early in the morning?
My phone buzzed near the edge of the counter, ringing loudly within the quietness of the room. I needed to adjust the damn ringer. Just in time, I managed to snag it from the counter before it fell to the floor. Absently, I noticed the number on the caller id.
“Hello.”
It was the Sheriff. He informed me that a couple of his deputies had picked up Ryder Blade on some bogus charge and were bringing him in for questioning concerning a recent theft in the area. In regards to Ryder’s record, he’d been clean since his release from the pen six months ago. There were no outstanding warrants. The Sheriff said that he wouldn’t be able to hold him for long, and informed me if I wanted to speak with him I needed to get my ass down to the station pronto.
When I arrived at the Crawley County Police Department, Ryder Blade was there and he was waiting for me. He smirked when I walked in then grinned at the officer who had been trying to question him. “I know my rights.” I heard him say, and I was pretty sure he did since he’d spent the last three and half years locked away in the Hurley County State Penitentiary on a possession charge.
“Long time, no see,” he sneered. I ignored him and nodded to the officer who in turn casually walked away from the desk leaving the two of us alone. Ryder started laughing. It was all I could do not to grab the slimy piece of shit and bash his head against the corner of the desk.
“What are you doing in town?” I asked, cutting to the chase. “Why are you harassing Miley Triton?”
Cool blue eyes regarded me inquisitively, and then he grinned even wider displaying straight white teeth. “Well let’s see… hmm.” He tapped a finger against his chin as if he were thinking. “Oh… it’s a free country the last time I checked, asshole.”
Rage bubbled like acid in the pit of my stomach. I clenched my hands and tried not to let my temper get the best of me. “You need to listen, you little shit. Stay the fuck away from Miley. You only get one warning. Leave town and go back to playing the little bitch for your MC. Leave her the hell alone.”
He laughed out loud, his chest shaking. “You this torn up over a piece of pussy, man?”
It was then that I lost it.
His head snapped back as my knuckles connected with his chin. It was pure reaction. Adrenaline coursed through my body. There was a roaring in my head, and the urge to rip him limb from limb consumed me so I hit him again. He was a big man, but not as big as me. He grabbed me around the waist, but I managed to keep him pinned in the chair and slammed another punch to his face. With a growl, he bucked like crazy and ended up landing a shoulder to my stomach. The sudden blow combined with his weight threw me off balance. I gripped his leather jacket and struggled to stay upright, but he lurched backwards. The next thing I knew, I was pitching forward. Everything happened so fast. The chair tipped and we both toppled onto the floor.
Ryder grunted near my ear, but I jerked my head away. I wouldn’t put it past him to try and bite me. “Payback’s a bitch,” he said, grinning. Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth. His teeth were tinged pink. I’d had the good fortune to land on top of the fucker, and don’t think I didn’t take advantage of it. I drew back my fist once more, barely dodging his. When I got through with him, he’d never put his filthy hands on Miley ever again.
A sucker punch to the gut took me by surprise and knocked the breath from my lungs. Sharp pain erupted in my left side when an elbow jabbed directly into my ribs. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sheriff Burke roared; suddenly I was being dragged away.
“You punch like a bitch.” I spat at Blade while watching as two of the officers moved to assist him up from the floor.
“What in the tarnation do you think you’re doing in my station, Nate Lucas?”
“I’m sorry, Will,” I said, only realizing then that I’d not only overstepped my bounds, but had put an old family friend of my gran’s in a bad position.
“You do know that he can file charges against you?”
Will stood there staring at me like I’d lost my mind.
Maybe, I was crazy; fucking felt like it.
“Yeah!” Ryder yelled. “Lock his ass up!”
Sheriff Burke turned and gazed around the station. Every officer present was watching on with idle curiosity. “Did anyone see what happened?”
Anxiously, I stood waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’d let my damn temper get the best of me again. I’d fucked up royally this time. My ass was probably going to jail for assault. It was a rookie move; goaded into attacking and it made me even more pissed that I’d let the little shit get to me. If I hadn’t listened to Miley and insisted she go to the hospital, Ryder would be sitting behind bars right now instead of getting ready to walk out of the station scot-free.
When no one said a word, I breathed out a huge sigh of relief.
“I’m letting you both off with a warning. You’re free to go, Blade,” he said, and stepped around me to pick up the chair still lying on the floor. To leave, Ryder had to walk past me. I glared at him hard and clenched my hands as he walked by. His grin was pure smugness as he eyed me.
“See you around, asshole.”
“Lucas.” I heard Sheriff Burke snap when I started to take a step toward him. If I knew for certain that Miley and Sierra were safe, it would be worth going to jail for. “Have a seat. You’ve got some explaining to do.”
Thirty minutes later, I was back on my Harley breaking the speed limit and headed to Hawk Mountain. When I called, Miley hadn’t answered her phone. I had no idea where in the hell she was or where Ryder Blade was at the moment. For all I knew, he could already have the both of them in his clutches.
My heart hammered and I accelerated, blowing through a red light as I headed out of town. I was almost at the turn off for the house when my phone began to buzz in my back pocket. I pulled off onto the shoulder of the road and quickly answered it.
“Where are you?” It was Miley.
“Well, what crawled up your ass and died?” she asked.
It was so good to hear the sound of her voice that, for a second, I forgot all about being angry. If she wasn’t careful, that smartass mouth of hers would have her flat on her back in my bed. I should just fuck her and get her out of my system once and for all. Kick this obsession I had with her square in the ass with one time between her thighs.
“Ryder Blade is what’s crawled up my ass.” The line went silent at the mention of his name. “Where are you?”
“I took your truck and dropped off Sierra at daycare. I’m at the Piggly Wiggly now.”
Some of the tension eased from my body. For now, she was safe. “Why did you leave the damn house?”
“Listen,” she said, and from the tone of her voice I could almost imagine her standing before me with her hands cocked on her hips, wearing that sassy expression of hers while those sky blue eyes were shooting sparks. “I am not your prisoner. You got that. Sierra wanted juice boxes. There is no juice in your refrigerator, Nate.”