Chapter 28
Ryker
He never thought he’d be touching another guy’s jizz, but here he was. In that moment, pushing it inside her was one of the hottest things he’d ever done. Willow definitely loved it too. Maybe it was a little weird, but whatever.
Ryker withdrew and ran his fingers along her spine. Her face was still buried in Ezra’s lap, and the touch made her shiver. Shit, they needed to get back to the cabin. This wasn’t the right weather for fucking in the woods.
“Let’s get your clothes back on, pretty girl,” Ryker said as he untangled her pants that were hanging from her ankle. He ran his hand over her hip to brush away dirt and soothe the scrapes. They shouldn’t have been so rough.
Ezra tried to brush her hair away from her face, but she pressed into him harder. “Willow, did we hurt you?”
Still hiding, she shook her head.
A twisting pain gripped his chest. “Talk to us, baby.”
A sob wracked her body. What the fuck, why was she crying?
“Wi—”
“It was a car crash,” she blurted out, raising her head finally.
Ezra’s eyes flicked to his as they gently turned her over and helped right her clothes. Ryker sat back on his heels as his friend wrapped his body around her to keep her warm.
Ryker stroked her legs in an attempt to soothe her.
Willow’s eyes fluttered at their affection. She took a deep breath, maybe understanding that they knew there was obviously more to the story. Why would a car wreck be such a secret? “I crashed because my boyfriend was hitting me.”
The menace emanating from him and Ezra combined was palpable. “He’s dead,” she continued, “from the crash. I ran a red, and we got hit from both directions. I was pinned with my shoulder dislocated, and he bled out next to me.”
Ezra squeezed her tighter against his chest, sparking a flicker of jealousy since he was the one holding her while she spoke. Ryker ground his teeth together. He needed to keep that in check at least for the moment.
She sucked in another sob. “Only Billy died, but I was considered at fault. I tried to tell them why it happened, but they wouldn’t change anything. I went broke from legal fees and the medical bills. Billy’s dad tried to sue me, but he dropped it.”
“Why didn’t they believe you?” Ryker asked softly. The boyfriend might be dead, but there were others on his shit list now.
Her brows came together as she stared past him.
“No way to prove it. When I told them he’d been hitting me for a while, they just asked why I never reported it.
” She kicked out her foot in frustration.
“I was a fucking idiot and never told anyone. I was embarrassed and… I tried to explain it all away in my head. Our dads were business partners, and when this all came up, mine took his side. Dad said he wouldn’t raise a daughter who would put up with that, so it couldn’t be true.
My mom just goes along with whatever he says.
That’s why I moved away from my hometown and don’t talk to my family anymore. He didn’t want to ruin his company.”
“Willow, can we kill your dad?” Ezra asked, voice laced with hatred.
She let out a soft huff, and the corners of her mouth twitched up. “No. He already regrets it, and I want him to live with that. They try to call me on Christmas and my birthday, but I never pick up.”
Ryker gave her calves a light squeeze. “If you change your mind, we’ll do it. And that goes for any of the other fucks involved.”
“I believe it.” Her smile was warm as she nestled further into his friend’s embrace.
“Is that why you ran from us?” Ezra asked, meeting his gaze over her shoulder.
And just like that, the smile was gone. “I was scared.”
“Why?” Ryker said. “I thought we were past the point of you thinking we’d hurt you.”
She began to disentangle herself from them and slowly rose to her feet.
They followed suit, and he hoped she wasn’t about to stop explaining herself.
“I don’t know how to describe it. I did the therapy, but…
I don’t know. You’re killers, and you were arguing, and I knew I’d fucked up by playing you guys.
It was like I was feeling everything about Billy all over again. ”
They had made her feel like that. How could they make her know she was safe?
She isn’t safe with either of us. Not as long as we’re under Xan’s thumb.
No, they could shield her.
Ryker removed his coat and wrapped it around Willow’s shoulders. Obviously, she was cold from being tackled and fucked on the ground, but he couldn’t help feeling like the gesture was more. They needed to protect her.
She pulled it tight around her and let out a little shiver.
“Let’s get back to the cabin,” Ezra said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You two can make that noodle shit tonight.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s called ramen.”
Ryker smirked. It was too perfect. A girl who liked the same things, and he didn’t have to hide their secret job.
Ez must have sensed the satisfaction because he piped up. “Want to do some fishing today, sweetheart? After we warm you up.”
He shot his friend a look. “What, am I not allowed?”
Ezra shrugged. “Didn’t know you’d be interested.”
Before Ryker could respond, Willow cut him off. “No arguing. I mean it. I still don’t know what this,” she gestured vaguely, “thing is, but you can’t bicker like children.”
He clenched his jaw. “I’m still going fishing.”
The only response Ezra offered was a grunt.
What was this “thing”? They couldn’t really be with her—and definitely not both of them. A threesome was one thing, but what about everything else? He’d never met anyone who tried dating more than one person at a time. Well, not when they knew about each other.
He tried to examine how he would feel about her being with Ezra one-on-one. It had been thrilling to fuck Willow while he was asleep in the next room. And when she’d swallowed him down while he was asleep? Fuck.
But he’d liked watching Ezra take her. Especially the way his taunts drove him to get rougher.
Willow definitely enjoyed it. That look on her face as her eyes went a little unfocused and hazy made her even more gorgeous.
They climbed back into the van, still parked on the side of the road.
This was a weird-as-fuck situation, and they would have to learn along the way.