Witness Protection (The Witness Series) (20 page)

“You bet. Come on.”

“I won’t be here when you get back.” Ryder mutters.

“Whatever.”

He sighs and walks over, gripping my shoulders. “I wish to
God
you would just trust me.”

“You don’t make it easy. If you are fucking her Ryder, do me a favor and tell me so I stop wasting my time.”

“I told you I am not fucking her.” He snaps.

“Fine.”

He kisses my head with a loud, smacking kiss. “Call me if you need.”

I sigh, part of me wants to just run and the other part wants to cry. He is begging me to trust him, telling me he isn’t sleeping with her and I don’t
know
how I feel about that, but I do know this, I don’t want to be without Ryder.

“Ok.” I whisper.

“Come here.”

He leads me down the hall to his room and shuts the door. He turns and takes my face in his hands.

“Listen to me, I know it looks bad but I am telling you, and I swear with my whole body and soul it isn’t a lie, I am not fucking her. I have no intentions of being with Janelle
again,
I have no interest in it. I want you baby, you know I want you. I wish I could tell you what is going on and when the time is right, I will but please, just trust me.”

“I do.” I whisper, meeting his gaze.

“Then stop giving me those pained eyes.”

“I just don’t want you to go.”

“I have to, I have been with you a few days now and I have things to take care of.”

I sigh.
“Fine.”

“You want me to make it worthwhile?”

I give him a little glare. “Maybe I am still mad with you.”

“Maybe, you need me to fuck you until you aren’t mad anymore.”

“I thought you had to go.”

He tears his shirt off and drops it to the ground. “Ever had a quickie?”

“Um, no.”

“Come here.”

He grips me and slants his lips over
mine,
dragging me in for a long, hot kiss. I whimper as he pushes me against the door and shoves my shorts down. When I have nothing on the bottom half, he yanks at his jeans, lowering them just enough to release himself. He lifts my legs and hooks them around his waist and presses me firmly against the door.

“Just like this, no foreplay?” I breathe.

“No baby, just hard and fast.”

“Oh.” I clench at the thought.

He slides into me and I whimper, his pace goes from slow to hard in a matter of seconds until he is thrusting into me with such frantic strokes my back slams against the door.
Holy crap.
The pleasure shooting through me is
intense,
he growls and bites down on my neck, causing me to cry out. I drag my nails across the skin on his back and throw my head back, letting him suckle and nip at the flesh on my neck and chest.

“Ryder.” I cry.

“Come for me baby, come for me.”

I clench around him and let off a ragged scream. He follows seconds behind, shuddering as he explodes inside me with a feral hiss. When he slows, he lets me down and helps me pull up my shorts.

“Well then.” I say, shaking my head.

“That
baby,
was a quickie.”

“Oh.”

“Did you want foreplay?”

I shake my head. “Oh no, that was sufficient.
I…just…wow.”

He kisses me again,
then
strokes his thumb over my bottom lip. “Behave yourself tonight.”

“I could say the same.”

“Believe
me,
my dick isn’t coming anywhere close to getting out of my pants.”

“And your mouth.”

“Not going to touch a woman.”

“I hope so Ryder.”

“I am a lot of things, but I don’t cheat. I have only one sandwich I wish to unwrap each night and it’s you.”

“How flattering.”
I pout.

He kisses me again. “I gotta go, be good.”

“I won’t.”

He gives me a hot look and smacks another
kiss to my lips
.
We
head out
pick up Sandy and by the
time we get home, Ryder isn’t there
. I feel
an emptiness
inside and it aches. I love him, I didn’t want to, didn’t intend
to but I do, I love him with every ounce of my body and soul. Sandy and I rent a few movies and get a few bottles of wine, then curl up on the couch with Stroganoff. Nate plonks down beside us.

“So where’s hot stuff?” Sandy asks.

“He is out.”

“Oh?”

“Long story, tell me what you have been up to.”

“Oh you know, school, school and more school.”

I laugh.
“Sounds fun.”

We laugh and chat, giggle and snort
throughout
the movie. When bed time comes around, we both curl up in my bed laughing like little girls. I have missed my sister so much, and we curl together like we used to as kids when we were afraid.

“I miss you.” Sandy says.

“I miss you too, little sis.”

“I am glad I am here.”

“Me too.”

CHAPTER
8

That one worked a darned treat, the looks on their faces when they pulled up.
Priceless.
Her trembling lip as she saw all those nasty words, poor Maya. I wish I had of seen her face when she got that newspaper. That will show her. It was so ea
sy to
do,
stupid blonde reporter
took my money and the picture with no questions.
Idiot.
I should have snatched her, just for a bit of fun but she was too old.

Amy squirms beside
me,
I turn and grin down at her. Her big baby blues are wide and frantic. Oh Amy, I have plans for you my little cherub. You are the next scare on the list before the final touchdown.
I didn’t plan on taking another victim but my idea changed a fraction. S
oon she will be in my grips pleading and begging for release. That cop lover thinks he can save her but he can’t, no
no
he can’t. I am going to make her life a living hell, oh yes, and it will be
divine
.

“Please.” Amy whimpers.

I turn and glare at her. “Speaking without permission, that is a bad girl.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Oh Amy, you know they all say that don’t you? Why me, what did I do wrong? It’s simple really Amy, so simple. You breathe.”

“Please, I will do anything, if you want sex, you can have it.”

Well now that just makes me mad, I slap her face so hard I hear her jaw crack.

“Stupid Amy, now you have just made things worse for yourself. I was going to fuck you nicely, but since you are begging like a pathetic whore, I might have to change that.”

I look around the room and spot the knife, well well, won’t this be fun. I wonder how much she will want to be fucked, when it is done with this.

* * * * * *

“My hair looks awful.” I mumble, adjusting my hair angrily.

“It looks gorgeous.” Sandy fusses.

“I will look incomplete next to him, to them.”

“Never, you are gorgeous Maya, believe it.”

I glance in the mirror and my long, soft curls. My eyes are shadowed with silver colour and mascara. My lips are red and rosy. My dress is red and clings to me in ways no dress should
, it is revealing
. The hemline touches the floor and it has a sweeping back, so low it touches my hips.

“I feel stupid.”

“He is going to die when he sees you.” She breathes.

I turn and sit on the bed, pulling on some heels. I am going to a police charity ball tonight with Ryder and Nate, and I am dead nervous.

“Ready?” Sandy asks.

“No.” I grumble.

She takes my hand and tugs me out the
door,
when I see the two men, decked out in suit and tie I just about faint. They look gorgeous, so beautifully gorgeous. 
Ryder’s
eyes widen and he makes a strangled sound.

“Holy Christ.”
He breathes.

“Well fuck, you look stunning Sweetheart.” Nate says, taking my hand and kissing it.

Ryder pulls me close and breathes in my scent. “You are beautiful, so beautiful.”

“You look good
yourself
GI.”

He grins and tugs his tie. “I don’t do ties.”

“You look amazing.”

“Shall we?”

“We shall.”

The ball we arrive at is upper class. Women in gowns and dresses so
exquisite
, I want to melt. Men, all decked out in suit and tie look simply stunning. The huge hall is set up with fine china and crystal
chandeliers
. Red velvet carpet lines the floor. Ryder leads me in and Nate is swooped off in seconds. Keeping my arm through his, Ryder takes me and introduces me to everyone he knows.

“Dance?”
He breathes into my ear.

“Please.”

He pulls me onto the dance floor and crushes me to his
chest,
the moment is intense, amazing and beautiful. We hold each other, gazing at one another with all the love in the world. He lowers his head and brushes his lips against
mine,
I tangle my hands in his hair.
I can’t imagine my life without Ryder in
it,
he is my whole heart and soul now.

“Maya?”
He murmurs into my ear.

“Yeah?”

“I…” He hesitates. “I am in love with you.”

I
tense,
whoa did he just say that? I pull back and look at him, unable to speak.

“Speechless, finally.”
He whispers, moving a stray piece of hair from my forehead.

“You are in love with me?” I stammer.

“I am in love with you.”

“Oh.” I squeak.

He drags me into a deep, hot kiss that I melt into. When the dancing is over and my heart has stopped fluttering with his confession, I excuse myself and make my way to the bathroom. I pat my face down and catch my breath. I feel like a fool, I said nothing, I just stammered like an idiot. I turn and am about to head out when Janelle walks in. Well goody.

“Oh Ali, how nice to see you.”

“Stop with your bullshit Janelle. We both know you know my name and we both know you dislike me.”

She puts her hand over her heart. “I never said…”

“Cut the shit and get it out. You followed me in here for a reason, what is it?”

“It’s not my place, really.”

“Look, whatever shit you
are
trying to pull, stop. Ryder is with me, he just told me he loves me, you can say whatever the hell you want, we both know who he is with.”

“Oh how sweet, he told you he loves you. Did he tell you he has been with me all those nights he is away, with our
family.
”

“Excuse me?”

“He didn’t tell you did he, tell you about our daughter.”

My blood runs cold and I flinch. “I beg your pardon?”

“He comes and stays with us, playing with her and taking us on outings. Why I have a picture of them right here.”

She shoves her phone at me and I glance down at the picture of Ryder w
ith a beautiful little blonde girl
. I blink rapidly and look back up at her.

“I don’t…”

“He didn’t tell you. I can’t see why, if he loves you so much?”

“You are just trying to break us up, for all I know that is his damned
niece
.”

“Oh, you insolent shit. He told you I cheated on him didn’t he? He didn’t tell you why though did he? The two men you cherish most in your
life,
are keeping a massive secret from you.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about!” I snap.

“He never told you about the three of us did
he
, about him, Nate and I? Never told you how we all used to fuck.”

I am heaving now, gripping the bench. “You are lying.”

“Aw, no, I wish I was. It used to be quite an
occurrence
, all three of us. Nate loved it, considering how much he loved Ryder. He started the taste for it, but didn’t like it when I tried it with another two men.”

“Liar!”

“Go and ask him, go on. Why do you think he took that newspaper clipping so
badly.
Face it, you are far out of your
league
, you will never be
enough for a man like him. You are just a petty child.”