Shameless (11 page)

This was the part where I was supposed to
offer to sleep in the guest room but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“Then let’s go to bed,” she said.

She shut off the lights and we walked
slowly to her bedroom.  I brushed my teeth and used the bathroom before taking
off her robe and easing carefully into the bed.  Maddie had already disappeared
into the bathroom and I tucked my hands behind my head and stared at the
ceiling as I listened to her hum softly to herself.  She came out of the
bathroom ten minutes later and shed her robe before climbing into the bed
beside me.  She leaned over me and studied me carefully. 

“You okay?”  Her breath smelled minty and
her soft skin gleamed in the light from the bedside lamp.

I nodded and she hesitated before reaching
for her iPad and lying down.  I stayed where I was for nearly five minutes
before sliding closer and rolling to my side.  I nosed under her arm like a
goddamn dog looking to be petted and molded my body against hers. 

She smiled tentatively at me and stroked my
hair as I buried my face in her neck.  I cupped one firm breast through her
nightgown and she tugged lightly at my hair.  “Behave, Riley.”

“I am,” I muttered. 

“Riley?”

“Yeah?”

“If you give me the address of your place,
I’ll go over tomorrow and pick up some clothes and personal items for you.”

I stiffened against her and she made a soft
soothing noise under her breath.  There was no fucking way I wanted Maddie
seeing my shithole of an apartment in the bad part of town.  Besides, I was
behind on rent and by now my landlord would have changed the locks and tossed
my shit.  Not that I cared.  None of my stuff was worth anything.  The only
thing that ever meant anything to me was Andrea’s necklace and that had been
buried with ma.

“No,” I said. 

She frowned at me.  “You must want some of
your stuff, Riley.  I don’t mind.”

“No,” I repeated.  “I don’t live in a good
neighbourhood.  It’s too dangerous for you to go there alone.”

“I can take Roman with me,” she said. 

“I said no, Maddie,” I snapped.  “I don’t
need anything from there.”

“You can’t walk around naked or in my robe
forever,” she said quietly.

She wasn’t going to let this go.  “I’m
behind on rent and my landlord will have changed the locks and threw away my
shit, okay?  There, are you happy?”  I said angrily.

“Why would that make me happy?”

“I don’t know,” I said wearily.  “Jesus,
Maddie, do we have to talk about this right now?  I’ll just buy some new
clothes.”

With what, I didn’t know.  I had maybe
fifty bucks to my name, that asshole Frank had taken most of the proceeds from
our drug deals and funneled it back into the club, but I would slit my own
goddamn throat before I admitted that to Maddie.

“Okay,” she said quietly. 

Although there was nothing in her voice to
suggest she was hurt by my anger, I gave her a guilty look.  “Fuck, I’m sorry. 
I didn’t mean to snap, I’m just really tired and my side hurts.”

“I know,” she said.  “Go to sleep, Riley.”

I was bone tired and the heat of her body
felt a little bit like heaven.  Her hand traced lazy circles on my bare back as
she read, and I tucked my face into her throat and closed my eyes.  For the
first time in my life I was cuddling with a woman and actually enjoying it.
Hell, I was fucking loving it.  I really was going soft.

“Good night, Riley,” she said softly.

I was already half asleep and I squeezed
her breast before muttering drowsily, “Good night, Maddie.”

* * *

M
addie

“Mads?  You decent?”  The front door
slammed and Roman’s voice called down the hall.

“Yes, I’m in the kitchen,” I shouted.

Roman strolled into the kitchen and sniffed
the air.  “Oh my God, you’re making French toast, aren’t you?”

I nodded and flipped the piece of bread in
the pan.  “Yes, sit down and help yourself.”

“You’re the best, Mads.”  Roman kissed me
on the cheek before grabbing a plate and silverware.  He stabbed a piece of
French toast from the stack on the table, pouring a liberal amount of syrup on
it, before stuffing a piece into his mouth.

“Delicious, Mads.  Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“How’s your biker babe feeling this
morning?”

“Better I think,” I said.  “He seemed to
sleep better last night.”

Roman eyed me carefully.  “It doesn’t look
like I can say the same for you.”

I shrugged.  “I’m just not used to having
someone sleep in the bed with me.  It’s been a few months since I shared my bed
with Jordan and, even then, he always slept on the far edge of the bed.  Riley
likes to, um, sleep close.”

That was the understatement of the year. 
Riley had clung to me the entire night, his body wrapped around mine, and the
man was as warm as a damn furnace.  I had woken up at one, sweaty and too warm,
but when I had wiggled free of his tight grip, Riley had frowned in his sleep
and followed me across the bed.  I was back in his arms and plastered against
his hard body in less than thirty seconds.  If he kept that up, I’d have to
sleep naked just to keep from overheating.  My face flushed a little as I
thought about my bare skin pressed against Riley’s firm, hard flesh.

“Aww, the big bad biker likes to cuddle,”
Roman said with a laugh.  “Who would have thought?”

“Keep that to yourself,” I scolded.

“My lips are sealed,” Roman snagged another
piece of French toast.  “Where is your biker babe anyway?”

“In the bathroom, I think.  What time does
your shift start?”

“Holy shit,” Roman said softly.

I turned and followed his gaze.  Riley,
wearing my short pink robe again, was standing in the kitchen doorway.

“That is way fucking hotter than it should
be,” Roman said.

Riley flushed and tugged self-consciously
at the hem of the robe.  “My eyes are up here, buddy.”

Roman grinned at him and Riley flushed
again before studying me carefully.  “You look tired.”

I added two more pieces of French toast to
the stack on the table. “I’m fine.  Sit down and eat.”

“Feeling better?”  Roman asked.

Riley nodded and helped himself to some
food.  “Yeah, actually.  Best I’ve felt in a few days.”

“Good.  Once we’re done eating, you can
untie your pink robe and I’ll check the wound.”

Riley glared at him and Roman grinned
cheekily.  “Don’t look at me like that.  I like the robe, and I think you look
stunning in it.  It really goes well with your colouring.”

Riley’s mouth twitched upward and he
glanced at me as I joined them.  “That’s what I told Maddie but she didn’t seem
to think so.”

“No, I told you that,” I protested with a
grin.  “As lovely as my robe looks on you, I’ll run out and get you some new
clothes tomorrow.  I’d go today but considering I’m supposed to be home sick,
it’s probably best if I don’t leave the house.”

“You called in sick?”  Riley said.

I nodded and he scowled in disapproval. 
“You didn’t need to do that.  I’m not a complete invalid.”

“I don’t mind,” I said.

“I don’t want you getting fired because of
me,” he said heatedly.

“I won’t,” I assured him.  “I’m allowed
sick days and I think this might be the first one I’ve taken in two years. 
Stop worrying about it.  Besides, I’m going to do some work from home.”

“I’ve got a short shift at the hospital
today,” Roman said before popping the last piece of his French toast into his
mouth.  “I’ll buy Riley some clothes and bring them by later this evening.”

Riley shook his head.  “I don’t need you to
buy me clothes.”

“Why not?”  Roman asked.  “Listen, this is
going to sound cliché as hell but I have an amazing sense of fashion.”

“He does,” I said.  “He helped me pick out
all my work clothes.”

Roman eyed Riley thoughtfully.  “You’re in
serious need of a makeover, dude.”

Riley gave me a look of panic and I
giggled.  “He’s just kidding, Riley.”

Roman shrugged.  “Maybe I am and maybe I’m
not.  Anyway, I’ll pick you up some nice dress shirts, a few pairs of khakis
and – “

“I just need a couple pairs of jeans and a
few t-shirts,” Riley said a bit desperately.  “Nothing else, Roman.”

“Are you sure?  Maybe you could branch out
a little and try wearing a shirt that buttons,” Roman said teasingly.

“T-shirts and jeans,” Riley said firmly. 

“Fine,” Roman sighed.  “Write down your
sizes after breakfast and I’ll pick up your boring clothes.”

“Where’s my wallet?”  Riley asked me.

“It’s in the nightstand,” I replied.  “I
can grab it for you.”

Roman shook his head.  “Nah, don’t worry about
it.  You can pay me back later once I have the total cost.”

Riley scowled.  “Nothing too expensive. 
Just hit a Walmart or something.”

I almost laughed out loud at the look on
Roman’s face.  My best friend had particular tastes and I doubted he’d ever
purchased a single item of clothing from Walmart.  My urge to laugh faded when
I caught the look on Riley’s face.  He had an odd combination of shame and
anger on his face and his hands were clenched into tight fists.  Before Roman
could say anything, I changed the subject hurriedly.

“Roman, maybe you could take a look at
Riley’s wounds now.  He was a bit restless yesterday afternoon and I’m worried
that he might have, I don’t know, stretched the stitches?”

Roman laughed.  “You can’t stretch
stitches, Mads.  Stand and drop your robe, Riley.”

Riley stood and untied the robe, holding it
a bit self-consciously around his waist as Roman, suddenly all business, peeled
away both bandages.  He studied the wounds before nodding with satisfaction.

“Damn, I do good work.  It’s looking good,
big guy.”

“It feels better,” Riley said.

“Good.  I think we can do without the shot
today, what do you think?”

The look of relief on Riley’s face was
unmistakeable.  “Yeah.”

“You can take Tylenol or Advil for the
pain,” Roman said.  “If it’s not enough, just let me know and I’ll prescribe
some Tylenol 3.  Still taking the antibiotics?”

Riley nodded and Roman clapped him on the
back.  “Good.  Make sure you finish the bottle, even if you’re feeling fine.”

He bent and studied the neatly-sutured
gashes again.  “I think we can leave off the bandages as well.”

“Can I have a shower?”  Riley asked as he
shrugged into the robe and belted it.

Roman nodded and Riley immediately turned
and started out of the kitchen.

“Hey, give me your sizes,” Roman said. 
“I’ve got to get to work.”

Riley recited his clothing sizes and Roman
tapped them into his phone before nodding.  “Okay, good to go.”

Riley hesitated before holding out his
hand. “Thanks, Roman.”

Roman shook it firmly.  “You’re welcome,
man.”

“Towels are in the closet next to the guest
room,” I called as Riley left the kitchen. 

I smiled at Roman.  “Thanks for picking up
some clothes for Riley, honey.”

Roman nodded.  “Just out of curiosity, why
aren’t we just going to his place and picking up his clothes?”

I glanced at the doorway of the kitchen
before lowering my voice.  “Riley told me last night that he was behind on his
rent and his landlord would have changed the locks and tossed his stuff by
now.”

“So the guy’s homeless?”

“Yeah, I guess.  I get the feeling that he
doesn’t have a lot of money.”

“Kind of odd for a drug dealer, isn’t it?” 
Roman asked.

“I don’t know.  He’s the only drug dealer I
know,” I said peevishly.

Roman frowned.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I sighed.  “I’m just tired.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded.  “Anyway, I don’t think he has a
lot of money and he’s embarrassed about it so don’t go crazy with the clothes
purchases, okay?”

“I won’t,” Roman said.  “I’ve got to run. 
I’ll see you tonight.”

“Come for dinner,” I urged as he kissed me
on the cheek.  “I’m making chicken stew.”

“Sweet,” Roman said cheerfully.  “Thanks,
Mads.  See you later.”

M
addie

My fingers hovered over the keyboard of my
laptop and I cocked my head and listened carefully.  Faintly I could hear the sound
of the TV.  After taking the world’s longest shower, Riley had retreated to the
living room and I had gone to my office to do some work.  That was nearly three
hours ago and, honestly, I hadn’t accomplished much.  I hesitated and then
quickly typed a few sentences into Google.  It didn’t take long to find what I
was looking for and I clicked the news link, my breath catching in my throat as
I stared at the title of the article.

Local Bike Gang Gunned Down in Drug Deal
Gone Bad

I skimmed the article, my gaze drawn
repeatedly to the pictures that were scattered throughout. 

Jesus, that’s Frank
, I thought as I stared at a large-bellied man, his long white hair
partially covering his face, sprawled on the floor.  A dark pool of blood was
under his body and nausea swept through me.  At least a dozen men were lying
dead on the floor of the very bar I had stumbled into a few months ago. 

That could be Riley lying there
, my mind whispered, and I shuddered all over.  How the hell he had
escaped, I had no idea.

I forced my gaze away from the pictures and
started to read the article in detail.  Before I made it past the first
paragraph, Riley’s drawn-out cry had my blood freezing in my veins.  I jumped
up and ran to the living room as his cries grew louder.  He had stretched out
on the chaise and had obviously fallen asleep.  His face was pale and his hands
plucked restlessly at the blanket that covered him as he moaned loudly.

I hurried over and wedged my chunky body
next to his on the chaise.  “Wake up, honey.”

I rubbed his chest and patted his face as
he made another sharp cry of fear.  He sounded like a wounded and trapped
animal and I winced – God, I hated hearing him sound like that – and shook him
lightly.

“Wake up, honey.  Open your eyes.”

He woke up abruptly like he always did and
clutched at me as I rubbed his chest soothingly.  “Just a bad dream, Riley.”

He shifted to his uninjured side, flinching
and making a grunt of pain, before flattening his broad body against mine.  He
rested his head on my breast in a mute plea for comfort and I held him close
until his shivering eased.

“Better?”

He nodded and I kissed the top of his
head.  “Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head and I squeezed him
lightly.  “I think you should.  It’ll help, Riley.”

When he remained silent, I rubbed his back
soothingly.  “It will, honey.  You can’t keep having nightmares like this. 
Talk to me.”

He took a deep shuddering breath before
nodding.  “Yeah, okay.”

I held my breath and waited, more anxious
than I would admit to hearing who Andrea was.  To my surprise, he cleared his
throat and said, “Frank was smart and could read most people but for whatever
reason, he didn’t have a fucking clue how crazy Richie was.”

“You were dreaming about Frank?”  I
whispered.

“Dreaming about the night I got shot,” he
muttered.

I held him a little closer as he sighed
deeply.  “Richie and his, I guess gang for lack of a better word, were some of
our regulars.  Only, he had started to lose it, you know?  He was doing too
much coke, not sleeping, starting to get real paranoid.  The guy had money to
burn, some family inheritance I think, and that blinded Frank to how dangerous
and unpredictable he was becoming.  The night before we were meeting up with
Richie, I tried to convince Frank to call it off.  Tried to make him see how
fucked up the guy was, but Frank refused.”

He scrubbed his hand across his face.  “Our
club wasn’t doing well financially - Frank wasn’t great with money - and he had
big plans for us.  He wanted to expand our distribution, as he called it, and
for whatever reason he believed that Richie was the key to making that happen. 
I think he thought he could bring Richie in as a silent partner or some shit
like that.”

He fell silent and I rubbed his back for a
few minutes before whispering, “What happened?”

When Richie got there he was already high
as shit.  He was talking crazy shit and Frank tried to calm him down, got him
and his boys a few drinks and tried to talk to Richie about his business
proposal.  I don’t know exactly what Frank did or said to piss him off but the
next thing you know, Richie and his guys were pulling out fucking automatic
weapons and just – just started killing us.”

“How did you survive?”  I asked in a
horrified whisper.

He grinned in bitter amusement.  “I had to
take a piss.  I was in the bathroom when they started shooting.”

He swallowed, I could hear the dry click in
his throat, and continued.  “When I heard the gunfire, I ran out of the
bathroom and down the hall.  There was an emergency exit near the bathroom but
I was going back for Billy.”

“You were close with him?”  I asked.

He shrugged.  “I guess.  Billy was just a
kid and I had been trying to convince him to leave the club.  His mama lived in
Alabama – Billy’s stepdad kicked him out when he was thirteen – but I guess he
had died and his mama wanted him to come home.  They were starting to text and
shit like that and she was talking about sending him some money to take the bus
home.  Billy hadn’t started doing the hard drugs yet.  He could still get free,
you know?  Frank wouldn’t have bothered to look for him.”

“Riley?”  I patted his back lightly until
he raised his gaze to mine.  “Do you do hard drugs?”

He shook his head vehemently.  “No.  I’ve
never done anything stronger than weed.”

He gave me an oddly vulnerable look.  “Do
you believe me?”

“Yes,” I said immediately.  “I do.”

A brief look of relief crossed his face
before he laid his head back on my chest.  “I didn’t make it to the main part
of the bar to find Billy.  One of Richie’s men came into the hallway.  He had a
gun and he shot me.”

“Oh, Riley,” I whispered.

“I tackled him.  I knew I had been shot but
there wasn’t any pain.  We wrestled on the floor and I got the gun away from
him.”

He fell silent and I said, “What happened
then?”

“I shot him in the head, and then I turned
and ran like a goddamn chicken out the back door, got on my bike and got the
fuck out of there,” he said flatly.  “I threw the gun in the east river.”

His hand was squeezing my hip compulsively
and his voice was hoarse when he said, “You want me to get the fuck out of your
house now, or wait until its dark so the neighbours don’t see me?”

“Why would you say that?”  I asked.

“You got a murderer living in your house,
Maddie.”

“I don’t,” I snapped.  “Killing a man who
was trying to kill you isn’t murder, Riley.  It’s self-defence.”

His tense body relaxed a fraction and he
blew his breath out in a harsh rush.  “I haven’t watched the news or checked
online.  Maybe Billy made it out of there.”

“He didn’t,” I said gently.  “I’m sorry,
honey, but I was just looking online and there were no survivors.”

“I shouldn’t have ran out of there like
that.  If I hadn’t been so – so afraid, Billy might still be alive,” he said in
a low voice.

“You would have died in that bar if you had
tried to save him, Riley,” I said quietly.  “You did the right thing by
leaving.”

He grunted in reply and we laid on the
chaise in silence for a few moments before he said, “You’re right, Maddie. 
Talking about it helped.”

“Good, I’m glad.”  I gathered my courage. 
“Who’s Andrea?”

His body stiffened and he eased away from
me.  “How do you know that name?”

“You cry her name during your nightmares,”
I said.

“No, I don’t.”

“You do.  How else would I know her name?” 
I asked.  “Was – was she your girlfriend?”

“I don’t want to talk about her,” he
snapped.

“I think you should,” I said.  “It’ll
help.”

He shook his head and glared at me.  “No,
it won’t.”

“Riley, you just said that talking about
the shooting helped.  Tell me about Andrea.  It’ll – “

He suddenly cupped my head and pulled it
down until my mouth was pressed against his.  He kissed me hard, pushing his
tongue past my lips until I was breathless and making small moans.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he
muttered before kissing me again. 

“Riley,” I gasped, “we can’t – “

“We can!”  He said angrily.  “I need you,
Maddie.  I need this.”

His pushed up my shirt and sucked on my
nipple through the lacy fabric of my bra.  I moaned again, my hand clutching
helplessly at his head as he bit my nipple lightly.  He pulled the cups of my
bra down and made a harsh noise of approval at the sight of my naked breasts. 
His lips tugged at my nipple, sending shivers of need down my spine, and I
arched my back as he teased and tormented both of my nipples into hard peaks.

His cock was hard and heavy against my
stomach and I gasped loudly when he shoved the silky material of the robe aside
and rubbed the head of his cock against my bare flesh.  It was already leaking
precum and I stared at the smear of liquid on my stomach as he slid his hand
past the waistband of my pants and into my panties.

“Riley, wait.  You’re still injured and…”

My voice trailed off in a soft moan when
his hand cupped my sex.  His rough fingers parted the wet lips of my pussy and
I cried out when he rubbed my swollen clit.

“You like that, kitten?”  He panted against
my breast before slicking his tongue across my nipple.  “You like having my
fingers touching your sweet pussy?”

“Yes,” I moaned.  The flex of his fingers
had my body on fire and I pressed against him eagerly.  His cock, trapped
between us, rubbed against my smooth flesh and he groaned harshly before
kissing me again.  I returned his kiss, sucking at his tongue and his lips as
he rubbed my clit.

“You’re going to come all over my fingers,
kitten,” he rasped, “and then I’m going to lie on my back and you’re going to
ride my dick with that tight pussy of yours.”

“We can’t,” I gasped.  “You – you’ll rip
your stitches.”

“I won’t.”  He tugged on my clit, grinning
fiercely when I cried out and nearly climaxed.  “We’ll just go real slow,
kitten.”

“Oh God,” I whispered.  “Riley, you’re
driving me crazy.”

“Good,” he replied.

I closed my eyes and arched my back as
Riley sucked and pulled on my nipples with his hot wet mouth and his fingers
rubbed my clit firmly.  I was so damn close, my body shuddering with the need
for relief and my brain temporarily short-circuited by the feel of Riley’s hard
body against mine.

“Oh,” I said loudly, “oh God, Riley, I –
I’m so close, I – “

The sound of the doorbell nearly jarred me
from the chaise.  I teetered on the edge before grabbing on to Riley’s broad
shoulders for balance.  He winced and I gave him a horrified look.

“Fuck!  Riley, are you okay?”

“Just fine, kitten.”  His fingers were
still pressing and stroking my clit and he bent his head toward my breast
again.

“There’s someone at the door,” I whispered
as he circled my nipple with the tip of his tongue.

“Ignore them,” he grunted as the doorbell
rang again.

His fingers pinched my clit and I clapped
my hand over my mouth to muffle my moan of pleasure.  “Riley, I think – “

“Stop thinking, kitten,” he said before
kissing between my large breasts. 

The doorbell rang for a third time and I
tugged at Riley’s arm.  “Stop, Riley.”

He sighed in frustration and pulled his
hand from my pants before glaring at me.  I ignored it and scrambled off the
couch, tucking my breasts back into my bra and straightening my shirt before
walking unsteadily out of the living room.  I wiped my hand across my lips,
they were swollen and sensitive from Riley’s kisses, and cleared my throat
before opening the door.

“Tim?  Wh-what are you doing here?”  I
stared in surprise at my co-worker.

“I heard you were sick and I thought I’d
stop by during lunch and bring you some chicken noodle soup,” Tim said
cheerfully.

He held up the brown paper bag.  “Can I
come in?”

“Oh, um…”

He shouldered past me and handed me the bag
before taking off his jacket and hanging it on the hook.  “Do you have a fever,
Maddie?  Your face is really red.”

I blinked in surprise when he pressed his hand
against my forehead.  “You’re warm.”

“Tim,” I tried again, “it’s nice of you to
drop by but you shouldn’t have wasted your lunch like this.  I’m fine, just a
bit of a stomach bug I think.”