18. Indie
Chapter 18
Indie
I don’t travel with much stuff. Just a few pairs of clothes, one nice set of clothes, toiletries, and my laptop. That’s pretty much all I have to pack up in the room. It takes me five embarrassing minutes. Five long minutes of imagining Ram’s hands in my underwear. Damn, I’m supposed to be writing an article about them, not fantasizing about what they could do to me. And Ram, when he gets commanding, holy shit. My feminism flies right out the window. He could have asked me to drop to my knees right then and I might have done it.
Maybe.
I don’t think a man has ever spoken to me in that way before, not like that, not with the thinly veiled sensual threat. Was it even a threat? Maybe I’m imagining things. Maybe this is all just a game.
He doesn’t let me carry my duffel bag. He picks it up and makes sure I have everything before we leave the motel room and head for the Chevy dually idling in the faded parking spot outside. Tripp is behind the wheel, Beau in the backseat as usual, and when we come storming over to the truck, Tripp rolls down his window and scowls.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he demands, his eyes hard.
Ram opens the back door and tosses my duffel bag in the backseat. He sets my computer bag in more gently. “She can’t stay here. She’s coming with us.”
“And where is she staying instead?” Beau asks curiously, his brows quirked.
“With us,” Ram says confidently as I stand behind him, my arms crossed because I don’t know what else to do.
“Yes!” Beau says excitedly at the same time as Tripp growls, “Like hell she is!”
“This place is a shithole,” Ram points out.
“Not our business,” Tripp spits. “Put her back.”
“See,” I say, gesturing to Tripp. “It’s fine. I’ll stay here. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone just like I said. Really?—”
“I’m not asking permission,” Ram argues, completely ignoring me.
“She’s not staying in our hotel with us. For fuck’s sake?—”
“Ram, really. It’s okay,” I try again. “It’s not that bad.”
“Well, I’m here for it,” Beau says excitedly, patting the back seat. “Hop on in, little outsider?—”
“Put her back! Or so help me I—” Tripp snarls.
“Enough!” Ram growls, cutting everyone off. He holds the door open and gestures toward the truck. “Get in.”
I narrow my eyes on him. “You can’t just boss me around, Ram. I’m not one of your little club members— Hey!”
I don’t get a chance to finish what I’d been saying. One minute, I’m standing outside the truck, listening to them all argue. The next, Ram has his large arms around me and I’m up in the air. I shriek and grab at him, confused about why the fuck he’s picking me up right now. Still, despite his clear agitation, he’s gentle with me, careful not to hurt my hip worse than it already hurts. He sets me in the back seat of the truck.
“Ram!” I growl, but he slams the door on me. “What the actual fuck?” I try to open the door only to find it won’t open. I flip the lock and try again. Still nothing.
Ram hops in the passenger seat and slams the door. “Child lock. Keeps Beau from jumping out the truck while we’re moving.”
Beau grins sheepishly. “Yeah. I do that a lot.”
“This is bullshit,” I growl. “Unlock the door.”
“We don’t have time to run back to our hotel. We gotta be at the fairgrounds. You got everything you need?” he asks me.
I scowl at him. “This is ridiculous, Ram. Hell, this is kidnapping!”
“Good,” Ram says. “Think of us as your kidnappers then. Now be a good girl and sit back there and behave so we don’t have to tie you up.”
I clamp my lips shut, stunned, and glance at Beau as if he’ll help me.
“Don’t look at me,” he says with a grin. “I’d have kidnapped you days ago if they’d have let me.”
I scowl. “Where the fuck is Bilbo?” I could really use a cuddle right about now.
“Doggy day care,” Tripp snarls as he backs up the truck.
And somehow, despite the situation, the way he says those words makes me laugh. “He’s at what? ”