Page 13

Ryian

“I Need You Most Of All” — Stephen Sanchez

“See you Monday! Have a good weekend,” Myrah called out as she walked to the next row over where she was parked. Brian and Esther had parked on the other side of the lot and had already branched off in that direction as we left the building.

“Bye!” I replied as I dug around in my tote for my keys. “Why the hell don’t I ever remember to put those fucking things in one of the outside pockets?” I grumbled to myself.

Impatience wasn’t helping. I couldn’t wait to get to Dalton’s. He promised me he had dinner waiting, and after Anson went to sleep, he’d run me a bath. Again. He was spoiling me.

For once, I didn’t have to feel guilty about leaving my mom alone. Uncle Bowie had some things going on in town, so he was staying at Mom’s for a few days.

It was getting harder and harder to keep myself from giving in to Dalton. There was nothing I wanted more than to move myself and Anson in with him. Not only because I was madly in love with him, but because I wanted us to be a family in every sense of the word.

Yet, I was so afraid to leave my mom. When I’d moved back from Chicago to help her out, I hadn’t known the extent of what was going on with her. All she’d told me was that she was getting harassed “a little” at the store. She wouldn’t really elaborate, and I assumed maybe some little punk kids were stealing or causing trouble, but thankfully, I hadn’t seen them since I’d been back.

Once I’d returned to New Orleans and it was confirmed she had breast cancer, I’d gone through a bit of an internal panic. It was one thing to be a nurse and take care of patients with a myriad of medical issues—but when it was your mom?

Totally not the same.

“Ah-ha!” I triumphantly whispered to myself when I saw the glint of my keys in the parking lot light. I pulled them out, and with the smile still on my face, I walked around to the driver’s side, only for that same smile to fall as I stopped dead in my tracks.

“What the fuck?” I furiously shouted as my work bag fell off my shoulder and dropped to the ground next to me.

Carved into the side of my truck in huge letters was “I’M SPREADING STDs.”

I was so fucking mad that I was shaking as I got my phone out of my scrub pocket and called Dalton.

“Hey, gorgeous. You on your way?”

Ordinarily, his version of hello would’ve had me smiling. Instead, I burst out crying, which was so unlike me. Yet I was tired from a long shift, upset that my truck I’d worked hard for was trashed, and confused as to who could’ve done such a thing. I was so damn angry.

“Babe, talk to me. What’s going on?” Dalton’s voice remained calm, and my emotions fed off of that and clung to that sound.

“M-M-My truck,” I angrily stuttered out as my chest heaved. “W-W-Why would s-s-someone d-d-d-do this?”

“Ryian. What happened?” he firmly demanded. When I explained what was going on, I heard him cover the phone. Then he was back. “Babe, don’t touch it. Stay on the phone with me.”

“I need to call the police,” I insisted.

“No. Dallas just contacted your uncle. He’s on his way.”

“What? No!” I didn’t want my uncle getting involved in this.

“Don’t argue. Dallas and I are on the way too. Anson is going to stay at the house with Dexter. I’m getting in my truck now,” he insisted, and I could hear when it switched to his Bluetooth.

It seemed like mere seconds before I heard the roar of a familiar bike. He’d obviously been in the area. When my uncle pulled up next to me, I pinched the bridge of my nose.

He was quickly off his bike, his gaze sweeping the area, then he gently gripped my arms as he looked into my eyes.

“Little gator, are you okay?” His childhood nickname for me almost had me crying. He hadn’t called me that in ages.

Still holding my phone to my ear, I nodded. “Uncle Bowie, I’m fine. I’m just mad.”

“Ryian? I’m gonna let you go since your uncle is there,” I heard Dalton say.

“Okay.”

“See you soon,” he promised, then ended the call.

“I think you guys are making a bigger deal out of this than you need to,” I told my uncle as I sighed. “I’m pissed, but now that I’ve gotten over the initial shock, it was probably a disgruntled patient that we denied narcotics to or something. It doesn’t make it any better, but I’m okay. I’ll just call the police and file a report.”

“No, we’re going to take care of it.”

“Uncle Bowie,” I argued, but he slowly shook his head. I rolled my eyes. “I need to be able to file a police report to get it repainted.”

“I’ll talk to Boom, and we’ll get Spook to repaint it. He’ll do a better job and get it done quicker than a body shop anyway,” Bowie insisted. Then he gave me a huge hug.

“I can’t afford to pay for it out of pocket,” I muttered into his leather cut.

“You don’t worry about that, sweetheart. We’ve got you.”

A vehicle stopped behind us, and my uncle released me. I turned to see who it was, and my heart ached when I saw Dalton climb out of his truck and rush to me. I threw myself into his arms. It wasn’t to cry on his shoulder or because I was afraid—it was simply because being close to him calmed me and made me feel at peace.

“You okay?” he quietly asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Irritated that someone could be so petty, but it could be worse.” I buried my nose in his neck and breathed him in. His strong arms wrapped tighter around me, then he released me. I stepped back to see Dallas walking around my truck.

Was he… sniffing it?

“Anything?” my uncle asked him as he came back around.

I was so confused.

“Yeah, but I don’t understand it,” Dallas finally muttered as he absently ran the tips of his index and middle fingers over his lower lip.

“Would someone tell me what’s going on?” I demanded in exasperation.

Yet before any of them could answer, a big black truck towing a flatbed trailer pulled up. A guy got out that I recognized as having been to the hardware store with my uncle before.

“Hey, Spook. Thanks for coming out so quick,” my uncle said as the man approached, and they shook hands.

“VP,” he greeted my uncle and then nodded at Dalton and Dallas. He gave me a half smile before he ducked his head and walked around to the back of the trailer to drop the ramp.

“Keys, kiddo,” my uncle prompted as he held out his hand. I gave him my key ring, and he quickly started it, backed it out of the parking spot, then pulled it up onto the trailer. They all made quick work of stretching a cover over my truck, then they secured the truck to the trailer and the cover to the truck.

Tears welled in my eyes at the thoughtfulness of these gruff men.

“Let’s go home. Anson is waiting for us. You can drive my truck until yours is ready,” Dalton whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. His lips brushed my neck and made me shiver.

When I grabbed the door handle to the backseat, Dalton stopped me. “No, baby. You get up front.”

“It’s okay, Dallas can ride up there,” I insisted.

“He left already,” Uncle Bowie cut in.

Confused, I glanced around with a frown. Sure enough, Dalton’s brother was nowhere to be found. I opened my mouth to ask where he went, but then snapped it shut again. By then, I was too tired to question anything. Also, there were some things with my uncle’s club that I simply didn’t want to know.

“Do you need anything out of your truck before I take off?” Spook jingled his keys in his hands. His gaze darted from my eyes to my neck, then away. His cheeks went pink, and I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.

Aww, was he nervous around me? He was cute, but I was very taken. Then again, maybe my uncle made him nervous. Bowie being the vice president was probably a little bit of a big deal. Though to me, he would always be simply my Uncle Bowie.

“Oh! Anson’s car seat,” I gasped, suddenly remembering.

“Already in Frosty’s truck,” he quickly replied.

I wanted to giggle at them all calling Dalton Frosty, and I needed that at the moment.

Now that I knew my truck was going to get fixed and I wouldn’t be driving around looking like someone who had given an STD to a disgruntled partner, I was better. Still wasn’t happy about some loser doing that, but in the grand scheme of things, I was lucky. I guess there had been a nurse who had actually been assaulted in the parking lot by a patient who was angry and blamed her for the doctor not giving them narcs.

That was one reason they’d added more lights in the parking lot. There were supposed to be cameras, but I knew that if whoever did it was smart, they stayed hidden. The side of my truck they keyed faced away from the hospital.

“Thank you again,” I told him as he backed away and got into his truck with a wave to everyone.

My bottom lip protruded as I watched my baby disappear around the corner on the trailer.

“You need anything else?” Uncle Bowie looked from me to Dalton.

“I’ve got her,” Dalton promised in response to my uncle’s unspoken question.

“Then I’m going to take off. I have a friend I need to swing by to see. I’ll be staying at your mom’s tonight if you need anything,” my uncle told me before getting on his bike, and then pulling his helmet on.

“Don’t tell Mom about this,” I begged him. “I’ll be by tomorrow with Anson to visit, but she doesn’t need more things to worry about.”

Bowie nodded.

Dalton opened the passenger door and guided me up into the seat. He closed the door, put my bag in the backseat, then walked around and got in the driver’s seat.

Only then did my uncle ride off.

“I can just ride my bike to work, if you don’t mind dropping Anson off with my mom on those days, that is,” I muttered as my head fell back to the headrest and I closed my eyes.

“Babe, there’s a chance of rain for the next week.”

“So you’re gonna ride your bike in the rain instead?” I arched a brow at him and crossed my arms.

He chuckled. “Wouldn’t be the first time. But tomorrow you take my truck, I’ll take my bike. You wanted to take Anson to see your mom, and I have an early morning appointment at the studio. I can meet you at your mom’s. I’ll either leave my bike there with yours and ride home with you or follow you back to the house when we leave.”

“Fine,” I huffed. Over the weekend, maybe I’d convince him to just drop me off at work, then pick me up. I didn’t like the thought of him riding in the rain, though I’d done it a million times myself.

We arrived back at his house, and I took a quick shower while he heated up my dinner. Wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe I’d left at his place, I inhaled my food, then read a book to Anson and put him to bed.

My heart clutched as I watched Dalton lean down and place a kiss on the dark blonde head of our son. Though Dalton’s hair was a bit darker now, their texture and the cowlick at the front were identical.

He stopped toe to toe with me in the doorway. He tapped the end of my nose. “Let’s go to bed,” he whispered, and I nodded in agreement.

“A week until Valentine’s Day,” Dalton announced in a sing-song tone, making me giggle. He knew I loved Valentine’s Day. I’d already bought his gift, and I’d barely been able to contain myself. He was going to love it.

I tossed the robe over the footboard, and I heard Dalton groan. A glance over my shoulder as I was climbing into bed found him standing there, shirt in hand, jeans unbuttoned, and his eyes glued to my ass.

“Why do you have to look so fucking cute in those little shorts?” he bemoaned.

A wicked grin unfolded on my face, and I hooked my thumbs in the waistband. “Well, here, let me take them off so you don’t have to be so distracted by them.”

Slowly, I slid them over my hips until they dropped to where my knees rested on the bed. I watched his gaze darken as he groaned. Then I cupped my tits through the thin, matching tank top.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath before he dove at me, tackling me to the bed as I laughed. He chuckled and growled as he pretended to be attacking me by biting my neck and shoulders.

Our hands made quick work of our remaining clothing before he gripped my legs behind the knees and spread them. His mouth locked on my pussy, and my back arched off the bed as he licked through my slit before circling around my clit. When he sucked on it, I grabbed his hair in one fist and the bedding in the other as I bit my lip to keep quiet.

He took one of his hands and pushed my shirt up to cup my tit.

“Yesss,” I whispered as he pinched my nipple and nipped my pussy lip. Then I lost myself to how good it all felt. Time stood still, and I just floated in the heaven that he was creating with his mouth.

Right when I could feel my orgasm creeping up, he stopped. I whimpered, and I was sure I heard him chuckle as he crawled up and settled over me. The hot tip of his cock nudged my opening, and I wiggled my hips to help him coat it in the wetness he’d made. Then he slowly started to push it in, and I sighed in contentment at the perfect way he filled me. I loved how he knew to pull back out to gather more of the natural lube he’d created by feasting on me. Bit by bit, he worked himself in until he was deep inside. My breath caught. It was like he was made for me.

Thissssss.

This was what I craved.

When he started to move, he stared into my eyes. There were no words. Some things needed none.

As his pace increased, I clutched his arms that braced him above me. He shifted and lifted one hand that he wrapped around my throat.

“Fuck, baby, you feel so good.” Slow strokes followed that had me wrapping my legs around his in agreement.

“Please,” I begged as I held the forearm connected to the hand around my neck.

Knowing what I needed, he tightened his grip ever so slightly. Enough that it was more difficult to breathe, but never enough to hurt me. I fucking loved it.

He owned me.

“You like that?” he whispered.

“Yes,” I rasped in reply.

“You like that cock inside you?” he asked as he drove that thick length into me over and over. The amulet on his chain swung and bounced off his chest as he moved.

“Fuck yes.”

“Good girl.”

Those two words… I exploded, shamelessly soaking the bed.

“I’m gonna come. You ready?” He fucked me hard, fast, and deep. His rhythm was faltering, and I knew it wouldn’t have mattered if I said yes or no.

But I was ready. I was always ready for him to come in me.

“Yesssss.”

He released the hold he had on me, threw my legs over his shoulders, and went deeper than I thought possible as he fucked me with animalistic abandon. Finally, he softly chanted, “I’m gonna come, fuck yes, fuck yes, I’m coming.”

I welcomed every drop into my body, and when he collapsed to his elbows and buried his face in my shoulder, I held him. A light sheen of sweat coated every inch of our skin. Our heavy breathing was the only sound in the quiet room.

When he slowly withdrew and rolled over, I snuggled into him for a moment. Then I got up, cleaned up, and came back to bed. I thought he was sleeping, but he reached out, dragging me into his side and pressing my head to his chest.

When I was with him, I was whole.

Content, I drifted off to sleep with a smile.

***

When I woke up, it was to find his side of the bed cold and empty. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked again. There was a single red rose on his pillow with an envelope. My name was scrawled on the front.

A sleepy smile lifted my cheeks as I reached over and brought the deep red, velvety petals to my nose. I inhaled deeply, my smile growing by the second. The scent was intoxicating.

Using my thumb, I tore the seal of the cream-colored envelope and pulled out the card. There was a hand-drawn picture of two little kids in silhouette, with the boy giving the girl a heart-shaped balloon.

I opened it and immediately laughed. Inside, it read, “As long as I have a face, you have a place to sit. Happy Almost Valentine’s Day. Love, Dalton.”

I grabbed his pillow and breathed it in like I had the flower. Though I knew he said he had an early appointment, I pouted to myself. I missed him already. Then I got up, set the card up on the dresser, showered again, and dressed.

A peek into Anson’s room showed he was awake and on the loose somewhere in the house. My steps moved faster until I heard him laugh, followed by his uncle’s chuckle. I followed the sound into the kitchen.

“Mommy!” Anson shouted when he saw me. Syrup dripped from his chin onto the plate in front of him.

Dallas glanced over his shoulder from where he was cooking. “Pancakes?” he asked, pointing to the pan with his spatula.

“Please.” I pulled a tall glass from the cupboard, filled it with water, then placed the rose in it. I positioned it in the center of the table as I sat down.

Dallas set a stack of the fluffy deliciousness in front of me, along with a big mug of coffee, and I dove in. Anson prattled on about whatever he’d been talking about before I came in the room. With each bite, I woke up a bit more.

Once I was finished, I took my plate, washed it off, and put it into the dishwasher. “You ready to go see Gigi?”

“Yes!” he shouted.

I laughed. “Go brush your teeth and get your shoes.”

“Thanks for breakfast and for taking care of the little beast until I woke up, Dallas.”

“No problem. Anytime.” He grinned.

“You’ll make some girl very lucky one day,” I teased.

He scowled. “Don’t you put that bad juju on me.”

Anson came back as I was chortling at getting Dallas’s feathers ruffled. I helped him put his shoes on, though he kept telling me he could do it himself.

“See you later, Dallas!” I called out as I grabbed Dalton’s keys, and we went outside into the overcast morning. I buckled Anson in and then went around to get in, but I stopped short with a confused frown. Dalton’s bike was still parked next to his truck.

I looked back to the house, but I knew he wasn’t inside. A shiver skated over me and down my legs. Then I looked up at the dark rolling clouds and realized he must’ve gotten a ride with one of his buddies at the shop.

That actually made me feel better anyway.

I backed out and drove toward my mom’s house. I parked in the covered area behind the building where my mom had two spots. As I was opening the door, my phone rang. It was my uncle, so I answered it, then tucked my phone between my shoulder and ear as I went around to unbuckle Anson.

“Hey,” I said as I helped my son out.

“Is Frosty with you?” he asked.

“What?” It took me a second to realize he was talking about Dalton. “Oh, no. He got a ride with someone.”

“Uh, no he didn’t. His client has been waiting, and he’s not here. Jinx said he didn’t come in. Crypt said he wasn’t at the house. I thought maybe he was going to drop you off with your mom since the weather looks bad.”

“But his bike was at the house, and he wasn’t. He had to have gotten a ride,” I insisted. That shiver I’d experienced earlier hit me again but harder. Something wasn’t right.

“Call me if you hear from him,” he said and then ended the call.

As I walked up the stairs to Mom’s, I was already calling Dalton’s phone. It rang several times, then went to voicemail. I called again. Same thing. Mom opened the door with a smile, and Anson ran into her arms. I held up a finger and stepped away from the door, farther down the balcony. I called again.

And again.

And again.

This time it immediately went to voicemail.

I left a message, but an uneasy feeling settled in my gut.