Chapter Eighteen Gideon
Chapter Eighteen
Gideon
“I’ll pop in to see Willow before I go back to the house,” I say as I pull up to the farmhouse and cut the engine.
“She’ll like that. She’s missed you,” Ry says as he climbs out of my truck, and we walk to the front door. “We both have. She’s mellowed out a lot since Lena got here. Calmed down. We’ve had some good talks.”
Nodding, I follow him inside, and we hear two women scream.
Without hesitation, I push Ryker behind me and run into the living room, ready to kill an intruder, and then stop short when I take in the scene before me.
There isn’t a rapist or murderer here, hurting my girls.
No, said girls are sitting on the floor, their backs against the sofa, laughing like lunatics.
Ryker steps up next to me and we both cross our arms over our chests, taking them in. Neither of the women has noticed that we’re here, and we share a grin.
Lena’s here. And it looks like she’s having fun.
“Five!” Lena says, trying to catch her breath. “I’ve only fucked five men . . .”
What in the actual fuck? I’d like to hunt down any asshole who’s had his hands on my girl and kill him. Slowly. Painfully.
“Same!” Willow exclaims, hopping up and down on her ass, and Ry growls next to me. Sounds like he shares my sentiments.
“Those five were a miracle,” Lena says, wiping tears from under her eyes. “Well, the first four, anyway. Because my security guys didn’t let men near me. It was like constantly having my dad with me.”
“She’s talking about you,” Ry mutters, and I shoulder check him, making him chuckle.
“You poor thing,” Willow says.
Poor thing, my ass.
“How did you even lose your virginity?”
“I was seventeen—”
“Nope,” I say, loud enough to get their attention. “I don’t need or want to hear this fucking story, Rebel.”
Both women blink at us, and then slowly smile.
“They’ve had sex with more than five girls,” Lena says to Willow, who nods in agreement. “Like, we could combine our numbers, and they’ve had sex with more than ten girls. Each.”
“I mean, look at ’em,” Willow says, gesturing up and down. “The muscles. The tattoos. The broody expressions on those faces.”
“The freaking chiseled jaws,” Lena continues. “How did they both hit the gene pool jackpot with those bodies?”
They’re drunk as fuck.
“And I know for a fact that Ryker’s fucked way more than ten,” Willow says as Ryker mutters fuck. “I’ve seen it firsthand.”
“What?” Lena screeches. “You watched them fuck other girls?”
“No. Ew. I would cut a bitch. Fuck that.” Willow shudders. “Someone sent me pictures of my husband fucking other women, and let me just say right now, you can’t get that shit out of your head.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Ryker mutters next to me. “We don’t need to talk about this.”
“It wasn’t his fault,” Willow adds, slicing her hand through the air. She gets so aggressive with her arms when she’s drunk. “Someone was trying to blackmail him. Anyhoo, hi, guys!”
“Hi, guys,” Lena echoes, giving us a little wave. Her cheeks are rosy from the alcohol, her eyes a little glassy, and that long, dark hair is down around her shoulders. I want to wrap that hair in my hand and kiss the fuck out of her. “Want some wine?”
“How much wine have you had, baby?” I ask. I’ve changed my mind. I want to toss my girl over my shoulder and carry her home, so I don’t have so share her with anyone.
Willow fills both of their glasses, and then they clink them together in a cheers.
“Two and a half,” she says proudly. Both women climb to their feet and wobble, and we rush forward to steady them.
“Hey, big guy,” Lena says softly as she leans in to kiss my chest. “You have really great muscles. We’ve been talking about it.”
“You’ve been talking about my brother’s muscles?” Ry asks Willow, who rolls her eyes.
“Both of your muscles,” Willow clarifies. “We like ’em. It’s unanamisses.”
“Unanimous?” I ask.
“That’s what she said,” Lena whisper-shouts, making me snort. “I helped make lasagna. I don’t think it’ll kill anyone. And I brought Wills a present.”
She called her Wills.
Does this mean that they’re friends now? I fucking hope so.
“You have to see it,” Willow says, directing us into the kitchen. “And we’re having the nonpoisonous lasagna for dinner.”
“You don’t have to love it,” Lena says, rubbing her hand up and down my chest and stomach, and I have to take her hand in mine and kiss it—otherwise, I’ll have to boost her up on the nearest wall and fuck her until she can’t breathe.
“Love what, baby?”
“The present for Willow.”
She suddenly looks nervous, and I kiss her temple. Ryker’s watching me with a grin.
He figured out that we’re sleeping together on our drive today, and he hasn’t stopped giving me shit for robbing the cradle all fucking day.
Asshole.
“Behold,” Willow says, gesturing with her arms and jazz hands at the gorgeous sketch sitting on the kitchen counter.
“Jesus,” Ryker whispers as we both step closer.
My girl, my perfect Rebel, has sketched a picture of Ry, Aiden, and me here on the ranch. The barn is in the background, along with the mountains, and the three of us are laughing. Aiden’s in the middle.
Christ Jesus, this woman. I have to rub over the sudden ache in my chest.
“It’s my men,” Wills says as she wipes away a tear. “She captured you all so perfectly. My guys.”
“You loaned me all those books, and I just wanted to get on your good side,” Lena says, leaning into me shyly.
She hasn’t looked up once.
“Rebel.” I hook my finger under her chin and tip her head up. “This is fucking incredible.”
She bites that delicious lip and then buries her face in my chest. “Thanks.”
“I don’t have words,” Ryker says and then makes a come here motion with his hand. “Give her to me.”
“Fuck you.”
“For real, pass her over.”
“I will kill your stupid ass.”
Lena’s giggling when Ryker takes her hand and pulls her into a hug, making me growl at him.
He grins over her head.
“Thank you. I know it’s not for me, but it’s going to hang in my house, and it’s fucking awesome.”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” Lena says shyly.
“You’re wrong,” Willow says, getting in on the hug action, wrapping her arms around them both. “It’s a big fucking deal. Gid, get in here. Group hug.”
“You’re all weird.”
“Come on.” Ryker opens an arm, and I give in, hugging them for a second and then pulling away.
Seeing them all together, actually welcoming Lena, laughing and talking, has something shifting in my chest.
God, she looks right here. Like she belongs here, with us. Like she should never leave.
She’s going to leave.
But today isn’t that day.
“I’m hungry,” Lena announces, wiggling her way out of the group hug.
“Me too,” Willow says. “We had a lot of wine.”
“You don’t say.” My voice is dry as fuck, but they just laugh at me.
“It’s not like I’m driving anywhere,” Lena says as she leans on the counter. “Or drunk dialing an ex to piss him off or turn him on. Or both.”
I narrow my eyes at her and lean in so only she can hear what I’m about to say.
“I’ve been reminded twice tonight that other motherfuckers have had you, Rebel. I don’t like it. Not even a little. Keep it up and see where it gets you.”
“Yeah, okay.” She snorts.
“I don’t think I’ve seen Gideon possessive,” Willow tells Ry, as if I’m not even in the room. “It’s fascinating.”
“He’s definitely not usually like this. It’s new.” He steals a slice of garlic bread and bites in. “I’ll set the table.”
“So you won the Stanley Cup?” Lena asks him.
“Twice,” Ry says with a shit-eating grin.
“That’s impressive.”
“But has he protected a fucking president?” I glare at my brother, who just laughs. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re both impressive,” Lena says, patting my chest, and I catch her hand in mine, linking our fingers. I fucking missed her this afternoon. “But I don’t know anything about hockey. I know all about your job.”
“Hockey isn’t all that great,” I mutter, and Ryker laughs out loud.
My brother is a dick.
“I was also the MVP. Twice.” He winks at my woman, and now I know he’s just trying to piss me off.
“I wonder if I ever saw you play,” she says, tipping her head to the side. “When I was a kid, before Mom won the presidency, my dad would take me to games. Hockey, football, basketball, pretty much everything. He’s a huge sports fan.”
I didn’t know that.
“Then, Mom went into politics, and we couldn’t go anymore. I loved going with him. It was the only time that it was just the two of us out doing something together. My dad was an attorney, so he worked long hours, but we went to a game at least twice a month.”
“Did you watch together on TV once you couldn’t go in person anymore?” Willow asks, and Lena shakes her head.
“Nah. Things got busy for them after that. Lots of politicking.” She sips her wine, and I dish up a big slice of lasagna for her—she needs to soak up some of that wine—and she takes a big bite. “I don’t really know my parents all that well, when I think about it. God, this is so good.”
Ryker frowns. “What do you mean?”
“The lasagna is delicious.”
“Not that, sweet girl—what do you mean about not knowing your parents?”
I glare at him. Call my woman by anything other than her name again, jackass.
He just smirks again.
“After the age of about ten, maybe eleven, I hardly saw them. I had nannies. I heard my mom talking to a friend of hers once. She said that they didn’t mean to have a kid, but it worked out because it looked better for her on the campaign trail.
More relatable to voters and such. It really helped her family values platform. ”
Willow gasps and Ryker scowls, all humor long gone from his face.
I want to punch a fucking wall.
“Please don’t misunderstand. I have a ton of privilege, and really no room to complain. They love me the best they can. Dad was the softer one, the one who liked to spend time with me, but then things got really crazy.”