Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Sometime after my third orgasm, Ryker unties the bandana from around my wrists, kissing the slightly pink skin beneath before sliding my clothes back into place. I am boneless and drenched in sweat, but I’ve never been more content.
“You were right,” he says with a massive grin, throwing the spare shirt he cleaned me up with onto the floor before buckling my seat belt. “I feel a whole hell of a lot better.”
Chest buzzing and brain fuzzy, I wiggle in my seat, wincing while I struggle to find a position that doesn’t hurt my butt.
Ryker’s grin falters, then he reaches over to gently cup my jaw. “Was I too rough?”
“No, you were perfect,” I say honestly, because he was. There’s something about putting myself entirely at his mercy that’s freeing and powerful. Something about the sharp sting of his hand against my bare ass that makes my head quiet and calm. I feel incredible… Burdenless .
…Until I realize that once again Ryker’s pants never came off. If he hadn’t been dry humping the bench seat as he tongue- an d finger-fucked me, I might doubt how into it he was, but each time I came, the sounds he made had me falling apart all over again.
A pronounced frown settles across my lips. I don’t want to dwell on this but, thanks to Isabel and Jenny , I’m well aware of Ryker’s reputation at college. Now, all I can think about is why he’d be holding back with me…
“Why are you making that face?” Ryker asks, expression drawn as he gestures to my closed-off posture.
“What about you? Shouldn’t we have…” My eyes drop pointedly to his groin.
Ryker laughs, the sound deep and infectious when he leans over and kisses my temple. “That was about me. This was the best afternoon of my entire fucking life, even if this morning was one of the worst, so you can go on ahead and tuck that pouty lip away.”
Heart twisting inside my chest, I set aside my insecurities and unbuckle myself to scoot closer. “What happened?”
Above us, dark clouds blot out large portions of the previously blue sky, casting Ryker in a kaleidoscope of shadow and light as he hangs his head.
“My lawyer’s not sure there’s anything I can do to prevent Beau from getting Charlie back. He’s got a job, he’s got a support system with his family, he’s attending his parole meetings?—”
“He’s an alcoholic abuser,” I say incredulously.
“Not in the eyes of the system. He’s her father and I’m just the half brother who dropped out of college. It doesn’t help that I’ll be stuck in training for the next six months.” Ryker can’t even pick his eyes up off the floor, and while I know there’s nothing I can say to make this better, I still want to offer him some sort of comfort.
I put my hand on his, and to my surprise, he turns it over and kisses my palm before intertwining our fingers and resting them on my thigh.
My heart gallops painfully against my rib cage.
“It’ll work out,” I say, squeezing his hand. “Beau will fuck up at work or get a DUI. ”
Ryker’s jaw hardens. “I won’t let him hurt her. I’ll kill him before I let that happen.”
My lips tug down at the sides. People say all sorts of things when they’re angry, but there is no question in my mind that Ryker meant what he said. He’d kill Beau to protect his sister.
A shiver runs up my spine, followed by the low thump, thump, thump of blood rushing through my ears, growing louder with each beat of my heart until it feels like the whole truck is vibrating.
Ryker leans forward to glance out my window. “Is that a helicopter?”
I turn, bringing my hand to my brow to shield my eyes. Cold dread settles across my shoulders when I spot the red helicopter in the distance, the one Dad only calls in for serious accidents our local hospital can’t handle.
“That’s an air ambulance,” I say, voice trembling as I realize whose property it’s hovering over. “They’re landing at Crowe Ranch.”
Dad is already waiting on the porch of the big house at the ranch when Ryker skids to a halt in the driveway. I immediately throw open the door and pile out.
“What happened?” I screech, tripping over my feet as I bound up the steps. “Is it Elanor or Old Man Dan?”
Several of the ranch hands mulling about eye me cautiously before removing their hats and making themselves scarce. My stomach sinks, my hands shaking while a thousand possibilities filter through my mind.
Dad scuffs his boots, waiting until the porch is empty before clearing his throat. “There was an accident. Old Man Dan’s in a bad way.” His blue eyes are bloodshot, his voice low and thick as he drives a fence post straight into my gut.
“What happened? Where’s Elanor? Is she okay?” I scan the living room windows, taking a single step toward the door, but Dad stops me with an outstretched hand.
“Dan had to be transported to a specialty hospital in Austin for a head injury. Elanor went with him.” His eyes drop to the floor.
“I don’t understand. What kind of accident? How did he hurt his head?” Stomach twisting painfully, I wrap my arms around my middle to quell the ache. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Dad takes a deep breath, averting his gaze. “We’re not sure, kiddo. Dan and a few others were out rounding up cattle for the sale. He went after a stray calf and one of the ranch hands found him in a field about an hour later. He was unconscious and unresponsive. By the time the air ambulance took him, he still hadn’t woken up. It looks like his horse might have gotten spooked and thrown him…”
Shaking my head, I take a step backward.
When my father finally meets my eye, the growing pit of dread in my gut nearly swallows me whole as my own skepticism is reflected back at me in his blue-gray gaze. His lips thin, and he slowly nods, like he’s thinking the same thing I am.
In all his years of riding, Old Man Dan has never been thrown from his horse.