Page 14

Laken

He was here. Ryker was really here, sitting next to me, eating a meal that I had cooked.

Part of me was panicking, and the other half was just thrilled to see him again.

But why had he returned? I still didn’t know for certain why he’d left.

Had he been called back to Hades Abyss? Or had he left because of me?

I had so many questions, and I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to ask.

Mostly because I didn’t know if I wanted to hear the answers.

If I was the reason he’d left, my heart would likely break a little more, and I wasn’t certain there was much left of it.

When I’d found out he was gone, had left without saying goodbye, I’d felt completely shattered.

The way Flicker was watching us didn’t help matters any.

I wanted some alone time with Ryker. I needed answers, and I didn’t think Ryker would be very forthcoming with Flicker hovering.

I didn’t think big brother was going to let that happen, though.

He’d made it no secret that he didn’t care for Ryker, and I doubted that had changed in the past month.

If anything, he probably hated him even more, with the way Ryker had taken off and left me.

“I guess we don’t know much about each other,” Ryker said. “You’re a good cook. I’m going to assume the flowers and gnomes out front were your doing. Do you enjoy gardening?”

“I do,” I said, smiling. “I like mixing different colors of flowers and finding cute things to accent the garden and yard. Makes the place feel more like a home and not just a house.”

“Maybe you can do something with my place,” Ryker said.

I set my fork down and stared at him. “Your place?”

He nodded. “A little house down the road a bit from here. Torch is letting me use it. I’m now the liaison between Hades Abyss and the Dixie Reapers.”

My mouth dropped open a little. Did that mean he was here to stay? Torch wouldn’t have given him a house if this wasn’t a long-term thing, right? But the question was whether or not Ryker had been forced to come, or was he here for me and the baby? Did he actually want us in his life?

“You have a house here?” I asked, not sure I’d heard him correctly.

He nodded. “It’s a three-bedroom, two-bath. Not as big as this place, but I think it has potential. I’m shit when it comes to decorating and gardening, though. Think you might want to come check the place out? Give me some pointers?”

“You want me to decorate your house?” I asked softly.

“I want you to make it a home,” he said. “Maybe a home you’d like to live in one day.”

I swallowed hard, and my hand shook as I reached for my fork.

I couldn’t look at him, not without giving away all of my feelings.

I wanted that, so very much. But I was afraid that if I reached for that dream, he’d change his mind.

I didn’t just want a father for my baby, I wanted Ryker.

No one had ever made me feel the way he did, and yeah, we might not know a lot about each other, but there was a spark between us.

Maybe that was enough.

“The last time you were alone with my sister, you nearly killed her,” Flicker said. “Why would I let her go to your house?”

I glared at my brother.

“I never meant to hurt Laken,” Ryker said. “That’s the last thing I want to do. If she’ll give me a chance, I’d like for us to start over. Get to know each other, spend some time together. When it comes to Laken, I don’t just want sex. I want to have something more with her.”

I melted a little at his words, but Flicker didn’t look pleased, if the tic in his jaw was any indication.

I wasn’t certain that Ryker would ever be able to win over my big brother, but as far as I was concerned, he was saying everything right.

Something bothered me, though. Ryker wouldn’t have just invited himself over.

At least, I didn’t think he would have. So who had asked him to come to dinner?

“Danny,” I said softly, drawing his attention my way. He lost a little of the hard glint in his eyes as he looked at me. “Don’t chase him off. Please.”

“He’s not good enough for you, Laken. He goes through a different woman every night, sometimes more than one a night,” Flicker said.

“Not anymore,” Ryker said. “That’s the old me. Since my first night with Laken, I haven’t been with anyone else.”

“Really?” I asked, looking his way.

“I don’t want anyone but you,” Ryker said. “Whether you believe that or not, it’s the truth. All it took was one taste, and I was hooked on you. But it’s more than that. I don’t just want another night in bed. I want all of you, Laken. The good and the bad.”

Flicker shoved his plate away and stood up. “I can’t stand to listen to this shit. He’s going to hurt you, Laken, just like he did last time. I won’t keep the two of you apart, but I don’t like him being on Dixie Reapers’ territory. And I sure as fuck don’t like him being with you.”

“Danny, please try to get along with Ryker. He’s the father of your niece of nephew. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” I asked.

Flicker shrugged. “I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up.”

He stomped out of the room, and I heard the front door slam a moment later.

I winced, hating that I’d chased him out of his own home.

Ryker reached over and took my hand, giving it a squeeze, and I smiled at him.

My brother was always an ass, so I didn’t know why it should be any different now, but my hospital stay was still a bit of a blur.

If anything had happened between them to make things worse, I didn’t remember it. Had Ryker and Flicker gotten into it?

I’d lost my appetite and stood up, gathering my plate and Flicker’s before heading over to the sink.

I heard Ryker’s chair scrape as he stood.

I’d expected him to leave his plate, then take off, much like my brother did most nights.

But he didn’t. He hip-checked me to scoot me over, and he took my place washing dishes.

I’d never seen a man wash a dish before, and if anyone had ever asked, I’d have said it was a myth that such a thing ever happened.

But there was Ryker, scraping and scrubbing the dirty dishes, then handing them to me to place in the drying rack.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said.

“You cooked dinner, then you served everyone. You shouldn’t have to do the cleanup too,” Ryker said.

I was a little surprised. Danny had never thought to wash the dishes for me, and I didn’t think it was something he’d ever think to do.

It made me wonder if Venom or Torch ever did the dishes for Ridley and Isabella.

Did men do housework too? Maybe I should have trained Flicker better.

I felt sorry for whatever woman ended up with him.

He was a complete slob. My brother had a heart of gold, at least when it counted, but he definitely had a lot of rough edges.

We finished the dishes, and then Ryker took me by the hand and led me into the living room.

Now that Flicker was gone, I felt a little more at ease around Ryker.

As I sat down, he claimed the spot next to me, but he didn’t release my hand.

It felt right, sitting here like this with him.

But Ryker wasn’t the same as before. He’d always been a little arrogant, and dare I say smug, but I didn’t see that when I looked at him now.

“You seem different,” I said.

“I missed you. I never meant for things to end up the way they did, and I’m sorry I left without saying bye.”

“Why did you?” I asked.

“I thought I was doing the right thing. I never wanted to hurt you, and I was worried that if I stayed, something bad would happen. Flicker told me to leave the hospital and not come back. I guess I just figured it would be better if I left town altogether.”

“I didn’t want you to leave.”

He squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry, Laken. And I’m really damn sorry for the way I reacted before your accident.”

“The accident wasn’t your fault,” I told him. “It was no one’s fault. It’s why they call it an accident.”

“If you’d died… if you’d lost the baby…”

“But I didn’t. I’m fine, Ryker. I have headaches sometimes, but even those will go away.”

He slowly reached over and placed his hand on my belly. “You’re sure the baby is okay?”

“They used a special monitor at the hospital to check on the baby. Everything is fine.”

“Can I go to your next appointment with you?” he asked.

“I’d really like that.”

“I should go, and let you get some rest.” Ryker stood, but I clung to his hand.

“Take me with you,” I said. “Flicker will be gone for hours, maybe even all night. I don’t want to be alone, Ryker. And… I just got you back.”

He pulled me to my feet and placed his hands on my waist. “I’m not going anywhere, Laken. Not as long you want me here. But I don’t want to take things too fast either. We did that already, and I made a mess of things.”

“Ryker, please. Take me home with you. I’m a big girl, and I know what I need and what I want.”

He smiled a little. “All right, but I brought the bike. I’m not sure you should be riding on one while you’re pregnant, especially after a head injury.”

“You’ll be careful, and you can go really slow,” I said. “It’s not like I’ve never been on a motorcycle before.”

His eyes narrowed a little. “You better have only ridden with Flicker.”

I bit my lip. Maybe the caveman side of him wasn’t completely gone after all.

Was it wrong that I got a little thrill that he was a bit possessive of me?

Maybe he really did care about me. I could hope anyway.

He seemed sincere and like he’d changed.

The Ryker I’d met at the bar had been a total playboy, but the man standing with me now? He was different, and in a good way.

“Come on,” he said, tugging on my hand. “I’ll take you to my place, but don’t expect much. I haven’t even checked the kitchen to see if it’s stocked with food and drinks.”

“We could take one of the trucks and pick up a few things,” I said. “Anyone can use them. You’d just have to take me to the clubhouse on your bike. They keep the keys behind the bar.”

“Any place around here that sells furniture, towels, and food?” Ryker asked.

“There’s a twenty-four hour store not too far from here. They have everything. Well, except live animals, but they have a gardening section, furniture, kitchenware, food, movies, clothes.”

“Sounds like the perfect place.” Ryker smiled. “All right. But if you get tired or start getting a headache, you let me know, and we’ll come back.”

He led me out to his bike, and I swear there were snails passing us he was driving so damn slow.

It touched me, though, that he was trying to be careful with me.

When we reached the clubhouse, he left me in the parking lot with a promise to wait for him.

I wasn’t sure if I should be amused or upset.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have a clue what went on inside the clubhouse, but honestly, part of me was glad I didn’t have to deal with the club sluts.

It was sickening, watching them hang all over the bikers I considered family.

Ryker returned a few minutes later, keys in hand, a smudge of lipstick on his neck.

My eyes narrowed as I stared at those lip prints.

The color was rather distinct too, so I knew just who had left it there.

I brushed past Ryker and stormed up the steps and into the clubhouse.

After scanning the room, I found just who I was looking for.

Bambi. I still didn’t think that was her real name, but it’s what everyone called her.

I shoved my way through the crowd and walked up to her. She looked me over, then dismissed me, but that was a huge mistake on her part.

“Hey, bitch!” I snapped at her. “Keep your nasty ass lips off my man.”

She smirked at me. “ Your man?”

I felt a hand at my waist and a hard abdomen pressed against my back.

“She means me,” Ryker said over my head. “And I’d have to second what she said. Stay the fuck away from me.”

“Oh please, honey. Like that mousy little girl can give you what you need,” Bambi said. “When you’re ready for a real woman, you know where to find me. And I promise, I will do anything you want.”

I lashed out at her, my hand cracking across her cheek, and making the room go dead silent. The footsteps of half a dozen bikers drew closer.

“What the fuck is going on?” Zipper asked.

“This slut insulted my woman, so Laken decided to teach her a lesson,” Ryker said.

“Your woman, huh?” Zipper asked, smiling a little. “That means I’ll be doing some ink soon?”

“Ink?” Ryker asked.

“Dixie Reapers ink their women,” Zipper said. “Hades Abyss doesn’t do that?”

I felt Ryker shrug behind me. “Never had a woman before, and my dad never really claimed my mom. I have no fucking clue what Hades Abyss does for their old ladies. I was gone more than I was there. There are some brothers with old ladies, but I was never around when those women were claimed.”

“Come see me when you’re ready to make it official,” Zipper said. “I’m the resident ink slinger.”

“I want her gone,” I said.

“You can’t throw me out, you whore,” Bambi said, practically spitting at me.

“I’m the whore?” I asked. “You’re the one who fucks anyone who crooks a finger at you. I’ve been with one man. And he still wants me. I wasn’t a fuck and dump like you are.”

Bambi screeched and lunged at me, but Ryker spun me out of the way. Before he could retaliate, I heard Bambi slinging curses at everyone as the Dixie Reapers dragged her out of the clubhouse. Zipper patted me on the shoulder.

“You okay, darlin’?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Thank you for taking out the trash, though.”

He chuckled. “No problem.”

“Come on, sugar. Let’s run to the store, then I’ll show you my new home. You can figure out how you want to decorate it.” Ryker kissed my cheek. “That was pretty fucking hot, seeing you go all savage on her.”

I smiled and let him take me back out to the parking lot, then we got into the truck and went shopping. And shopping with Ryker was way more fun than I’d ever had before.