Sexy Bastards Anthology: Bad Boy, Biker, Alpha, Motorcycle Club, Contemporary Romance Collection (25 page)

Chapter 7

Oh no. Oh Lord. Willow curled up in the back of the closet, trembling as she waited for someone to come and rip her out of the room. Force her to face Greg and feel the blows on her skin. Oh God, what had she done? She should have jumped last night. Before Greg could find her. Or run this morning when she had the chance.

No. She wouldn’t have gotten to know Cash as well then, and she didn’t want to miss that. He was different. She needed to know there were men out there like him. She wanted to spend more time with him, to get to know him even better.

Hell, he was something the world needed more of – a good and strong yet caring man. Someone ready to protect the weak and defend the innocent and take on the bullies of the world.

But he was too damn naïve. The bullies of the world were people like Greg, and they weren’t normal. They didn’t think like other people. They were sly cheaters and would get back at her when least expected.

Cash
might
handle Greg and he
might
succeed in dealing with this mess right now, but Greg wouldn’t forget and neither would he let it go. Even if it took years, he’d get back at Cash.

She had to protect Cash. He didn't know what he was dealing with.

The sounds abated in the living room. Were they gone?

No. Footsteps strode down the hallway toward her. They came straight to the closet and stopped.

“Willow, you can come out now,” Cash said in a calm voice, but she could hear the tension threading through it.

She clambered out from the back, shoving the clothes out of the way, and stared at him. “Is he gone?”

Cash nodded “He’s gone, but he will be back.”

“He won’t let me go,” she whispered.

“He will. He just has to believe that his life is better without you.”

“And how is that possible?" she cried. "He should be in jail.”

“Did you go to the police over all the beatings?”

She shook her head violently, the action sending her neat twist of hair at the back of her neck to fall down around her shoulders.

“No, I couldn’t. I couldn’t get to a doctor either,” she admitted. “Last night is the first time in a long time he let me out of his sight.”

“So you ran?”

She nodded. “I tried to escape before…” Her voice broke and she had to swallow several times to regain control. “He always caught me.”

Cash reached out and grasped her arms. “Not anymore. If you won’t go to the cops, then we have to do something ourselves.”

“You don’t understand. If he believes I’m here, he’ll be back, and he’ll be back soon. With friends.”

A distant look in his eyes, Cash nodded. “I’m going to need some help.”

“Oh Lord.” This was going to get bad. Most of Greg’s friends were of the same ilk. They’d laugh over her taking a beating. They’d also laugh over Greg’s losing her. That would make him madder and even more dangerous. But they were always ready for a fight. Greg would have no trouble getting knockheaded muscle friends to come back with him.

She had to be gone before it happened. “I have to leave.” She spun around, looking for her stuff, and then stared down at her bare hands. She had no stuff. She wore the only clothing she had left to her name.

Except her shoes. She had shoes somewhere. She ran to the front door looking for them and saw them on the living room floor. Where all the men could have seen them. Clear and easily identified as hers.

Shit.

“They saw these earlier. They are the only pair I’ve owned for years. I always wear them.”

“So they know you are here.” Yet his voice was calm. Controlled.

“No,” she corrected gently. “They know I
was
here.”

He stared at her for a long moment then stepped back. “So you’re leaving? Running away?”

“Not running away, but I can’t be here when they come back,” she cried. “They’ll kill you.”

"What?" He shook his head as if trying to clear it. “You’re trying to protect me?”

“Of course I am. You don’t know him.”

“No, I don’t know
him
well, but I know his kind. I know what he is. A coward.”

“Maybe, but he’s the dangerous kind of coward. If he knows that you helped me he’ll be furious, if he thinks you touched me he’ll be livid, but if he thinks I’d rather stay with you than him, then it will send him over the edge.”

Cash smiled a boyish smile. “And do you?”

“Do I what?” She wished she understood him.

“Do you want to stay?”

“Oh God, I so want to stay.”

The smile fell off his face to be replaced with calm contentment. “Then stay you will.”

He was really proud of her. Once she’d come out of shock – and maybe she was still in it for a different reason – she was really opening up and changing, growing.

Given another week or two, he could just imagine how unfettered she’d be. He wanted to be there for her. Wanted her in his life – if she wanted to be there.

He knew she wanted to stay because she was safe. Because this place was a haven compared to her old life. Here she had a future. There she’d be dead in a year. Greg wasn’t quite the same as his mother’s last boyfriend, who’d finally broken her body so badly. That man had escaped the law too, but he’d died in a car accident only days later. Cash had always regretted not being the one to cause it. The bastard had deserved a two by four across the head until there was no head left. But it had been a good lesson about looking after yourself and letting the rest happen in its own time. Not everyone got justice immediately – but they all got justice eventually.

Seeing that justice happened wasn’t his job. Looking after the people left in its wake – now that was something he could do. No one could do everything. So one had to pick and choose where one’s talents lay. He was done with his schooling and practicum and actually had two job interviews at the same hospital where he currently worked. It looked good.

He’d like to think he could help the victims live again. Helping those who couldn’t help themselves.

Like Willow. She had so much ahead of her. So much to give but had seen only the worst men had to offer. He wanted her to heal. To move on and help others. He wanted her to be the best she could be. And he wanted her to
want
to be with him. If it didn’t happen, then he wanted her to move on and find out the perfect answer for her.

And he was a fool.

He’d let her get to him, and she had the capacity to hurt him in a big way.

Therefore, he had to help her heal and let her make a choice.

Greg was no choice.

And he’d have to be dealt with eventually.

Chapter 8

Willow didn’t know what to do. She sat on the edge of the huge bed and stared blankly at the wall ahead of her.

The thought of Greg touching her after being free – in more ways than one – terrified her. She’d found so much away from him that she knew she’d forever pine and search for another way to leave him. And Greg would know. He couldn’t trust her again.

She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t chain her in the house. He’d often threatened to. Now, well, he’d believe he had no other option. Her back straightened. Maybe he had none.

Because there was nothing she wouldn't do to leave him again.

The situation would go past ugly into deadly in no time.

He’d kill her this time.

And she couldn’t let that happen. Was it only yesterday she’d been contemplating suicide? Now she was in a far different place, and all because of Cash. She couldn’t let this man be hurt because of her. She wouldn’t allow it. He was all good things she’d never known existed before. She had to save him. She stood and rotated in a slow circle. Her gaze landed on the bed, the place where he’d held her close all night long and cared for her as if she were a child. No one had ever treated her so kindly. Her gaze shifted to the edge of the bed. That’s where he’d kissed her and opened up a whole new world for her. She was desperate to go there again.

“What are you thinking?”

She started at the sound of his voice and decided to tell the truth. “I’m thinking about last night. What kind of person am I that I went from the water to your bed, even if we didn’t have sex? I lay in your arms, nude, all night long.” The bed sagged beside her. She refused to look at him.

“Part of that was the emotional awakening from almost having died and how close you came to wanting to make that your reality. Your defenses were blown apart and things happened that you wouldn’t have normally let happen. Everything in your world is different now.”

He laughed lightly, then added, “Now for that sex comment, you were in my bed and I doubt there will be many more nights before we do have sex. But sex is natural. It’s fun, it’s healthy, and when two people care about each other, when emotions are involved even if only in gratitude for being alive, it’s more than that.” He reached out and stroked her cheekbone. “I’m just not sure you have ever experienced that before.”

She smiled. “Now that sounds like a new twist on an old pick up line,” she scoffed.

He gave a snort of laughter. “Nice! And maybe. But maybe not. I do want to take you to my bed and let you experience all you have yet to experience, and I’ll get that. But not until you are willing.”

“And if I said I was willing?” she challenged. “Then would you make love to me here and now?” Although if he was as good as she hoped he would be, she might stay here forever. The man was dynamite. And built and tugged at her in so many ways. Combine those to one hot sexual package and she’d be lost forever. Damn, she wanted that. But she didn’t dare.

If Greg found out… well, Cash would be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.

“No.” He grinned at her confusion. “Not yet. It would need to be your choice. You’re not a prisoner nor are you in my debt. We’ll only make love when you’re ready.”

She could feel his gaze assessing her. Inside, she was still dealing with a major disappointment. She really wanted to have sex with him.

“And if I said I was ready?” she reiterated her previous statement with a slight twist.

He laughed. “Are you?”

“Yes,” she said forcefully, surprising herself. What happened to worrying what Greg would do if he found out? But this was for her. In case there were no other opportunities. She wanted this. Badly.

“Good.” He leaned flat on the bed. “Prove it.”

And he opened his arms.

She stared down at him, confused. “Prove what?”

“That you’re telling the truth. That you want to make love. That you’re doing this because you want to. Because you want me.”

Confused but willing to give it a try, she lay down beside him and waited to see what he’d do. Nothing. She rolled over and faced him. She did want him, but this was awkward. Not like she’d expected.

“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered.

“Do whatever you want to do,” he said, his voice neutral.

A long, shaky breath escaped. “What I
want
to do? I have no idea.” What a novel concept. So what did she want to do? Run? No. Get up and leave the house? Maybe but… not really. In truth, she wanted to spend time with him. He was safe. He made her feel safe. Not that safe was a desirable outcome, but it was the journey to that outcome.

“What do you want?” he asked in a serious tone of voice.

She turned her head to look at him, her answer instinctive. “To be happy?”

And was rewarded with a brilliant smile. “Good answer.”

“Is it? I don’t even know what happiness is,” she cried. She propped herself up on her elbow to stare down at him. “Before, I was just trying to survive. To stay alive. To not make him mad. To get through the day. Then the night. And then the day.”

He reached up and put his hands under his head. “And now?”

“Now… I don’t know.” A shiver went up her spine. “I still want to survive. I still want to be alive. I still want to not make him mad. I still want to get through the day and the night and then the next day.”

“Of course, but those are now going to happen without you having to focus on them. Those worries, they can slide into the background and become a distant noise. There are no absolutes in life. No one can guarantee that you’ll survive today or tomorrow. You can only do the same as the rest of us do and hope you get to live a long, happy life. But now that you are in this new reality—"

“Am I though,” she argued. “Greg is still out there. He’s still mad. And going to get madder.”

“Maybe, but he is no longer your problem. He’s mine.”

She stared at him. “It’s not that easy."

“Yes,” he said firmly. "It is that easy.”

A long shuddering breath slid out. Was it that easy? Could it be that easy? Would Cash be able to handle Greg? He’d handled everything so well. But Greg was a whole different matter.

“In your mind, he’s a huge scary monster.” Cash reached out and stroked her arm gently. “With good reason. He used fear and pain to control you. And it worked. You stayed with him even though he terrified you. But you can change that now. You’re safe here. You’re free here.”

She sat up and looked down at him. “You’re confusing me. One minute you say I’m a prisoner and the next you say I’m free. One time you say I can’t leave until I’m no longer a victim and the next time you say I’m free to go.”

A rich chuckle rolled out. “It’s not contradictory. It depends on where you were mentally.” He sat up, leaned over, and kissed her joyfully on the lips. “You have come a long way in a day.”

“A day?” She searched his features, looking for the truth in them. “It’s really only been a day, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, and look what you’ve done. Survived a fall off the bridge, left Greg, found a safe place to land, and now you have options. But more than all of that, there are signs of you having thrown off some of the mental shackles, too. You are still scared and still uncertain of me, but you are moving forward in leaps and bounds.” His gaze warmed even more. “I’m really proud of you.”

Proud? Oh my God. Had anyone ever said that to her before? Had anyone ever thought of her in that light? She didn’t know what to say. Overwhelmed by the string of emotions that had wracked her system this last day, she blinked back tears and tried to formulate a coherent response.

Just when she thought she had one, the emotions peaked and she burst into tears.

“Hey, that’s not what you’re supposed to do when you get a compliment.” He tugged her into his arms and cuddled her close. “I mean it though. You’ve done so much so fast that it’s been awesome to watch.”

She shook her head, her hair flying around and clinging to his shirt. “I haven’t done anything. There’s nothing to be proud of.”

“Stop. You’ve been dealing. Processing. Doing the best you can do. That’s all anyone can do.”

“It’s hardly enough.”

“Again, hear the words –
doing the best you can
. Making the decisions you make based on the information you had is all you can do. It’s all any of us can do. If you’d known that I was there to save you after a fall off the bridge and give you a haven from the hell in your world, then you might have done that a year ago. But did you know? Of course not. So you couldn’t have made that decision.”

“That sounds a little too easy.” She realized suddenly that he was lying on his back and she was stretched across his chest. Willingly. Easily. Comfortably.

Somehow the mood had become sultrier. The air more sexy. It felt good. Great even. He was so damn sexy and she didn’t know what she felt about him, but he moved her in ways she hadn’t known were possible.

But sex to her wasn’t a joy or a release. It was a relief in the sense of keeping Greg happy and he’d be nice to her. Never more than that.

She'd never been able to say no to him. That wasn't allowed. Ever. What Greg wanted, Greg got. And she wouldn’t be okay with that anymore. She vowed that deep in her heart. No matter what the bastard did, she wasn’t going to have anything to do with him. What she'd had with him wasn’t sex and it wasn’t making love.

It was surviving.

“So the question once again is what do you want?”

“I want you to kiss me again.”

She gasped in shock at her words. His eyebrows shot to his hairline and he grinned. “I’m very glad to hear that.” Then he lowered his tone to liquid velvet and murmured, “Climb up closer so I can reach you.”

Feeling self-conscious, she scrambled higher up the bed, her heart slamming against her chest. Lord, she hoped she knew what she was doing. She was so damn out of her league with him.

He tugged on her good arm so she was sprawled across his body again, her lips coming to a stop just a breath from his.

His lips curved and he gave her a small kiss. Not like the one he’d given her before, more of a peck on her cheek type of kiss. Then he did it again on her chin and then on her jawbone. He slid his fingers through her hair, grasped a handful, and pulled her head toward him. This time when he kissed her, he kissed her.

Oh Lord did he kiss her.

By the time he released her, she was trembling so bad she knew he could feel it. If not that, with the way her heart was slamming against his ribs, there was no way he could miss her reaction. She sighed happily and lay her head down beside his. “That was nice.”

“Nice?” he said in mock outrage. “I’ll have you know that was more than nice.”

She giggled, then froze, the sound so foreign, so unusual she barely recognized it.

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight and whispered, “Yeah, it was nice.”

She laughed.

“I’ll have to do better next time.” He rolled over partly, her still squeezed in his arms. “So get ready.”

Her eyes opened wide. “Ready? For what?” she squeaked, but the light was blocked as he lowered his head again. This time the shock waves slid down her body right to her toes. She moaned as her body surged to life in ways she’d never known. She had no idea what this was. She wanted to find out.

His tongue slowly outlined her lips then stroked inside her bottom lip then back along the soft ivory of her teeth. He sucked her tongue, causing a tugging sensation between her legs. She was already wet and willing, and he’d done that only by his kiss. “Lord, you are lethal.”

“Is that a bad thing?” he breathed, kissing her cheeks, blowing warm air across her closed eyelids, drawing his tongue down the bridge of her nose and across her cheekbones. She shivered, her hands moving restlessly along his back, kneading his muscles, stroking his skin. She couldn’t stop touching him. It felt so good to feel how different he was from her.

Greg was flabby where Cash was hard. Greg was pasty white whereas Cash’s tattoos fascinated her. Greg had tattoos too, but they weren’t the same. They were repulsive. Dead bodies and decapitated heads. Greg loved them, but she hated them. They scared her. Then she knew that was what he was inside – one chilling dude. If she were realistic, he wasn’t much of a man. He was doughy, not heavily muscled. He was weak where Cash was strong.

The big difference was the psychological aspect. There was something off about Greg. He was likely a psychopath who got off on other people’s pain.

She didn’t know what the correct clinical term was and hated watching shows about people like that. She had read an article about a woman held in a box for years once. See, that was a Greg thing. He’d joked about it once. She knew he’d do it if he got the chance. A sex slave was another thing he’d love. And he had no patience for children, especially not babies. He’d kill them off in a heartbeat.

Whereas Cash…

Cash lowered his head to her neck and she gasped, arching her back and tilting her head to give him better access. With every movement, her body shivered and shifted underneath him. “What are you doing to me?” she cried out. “I don’t know what this is.”