Wild Ride (10 page)

“My friend?  I thought he was your friend.”

“He and I rode in rival gangs.  Apparently, he knows I was an ex-cop.”

“He knows?  How?”  Her eyes widened.  “Are you in danger from him?”

If Killer was a criminal and knew about Rip…

“Nothing like that.  Look, you need to talk to him about this.  It’s his story to tell.”  Rip stood up.  “I know this is a lot to take in.  I’m going back to my friends, but I’ll be back.  We can sit down and I’ll answer any questions you have.  All right?”

She nodded, then watched as he walked away and disappeared around the side of the villa.

She sat for a few minutes, listening to the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore.  Crashing, then washing away.  It helped settle the tumultuous emotions flooding through her.  Relief that she wasn’t in danger from Rip, and never had been.  Anger that she had let fear drive her for so long.

She glanced at the patio doors.  And annoyance that Killer had known that she was in no danger from Rip, but let her go on believing she was.

She stood up and marched into the villa.  Killer sat in a chair in the living room, a book on his lap, but he wasn’t even pretending to read it.

“Why did you bring Rip here?”

“Because you and he have unfinished business.”

“And you felt that throwing us together, in a situation designed to lead to sex, was a good idea?”

He shrugged.  “Why not?  You two were lovers, so I thought it would help warm things up.  And having you immobilized gave the guy a chance to talk to you without you running away.”

She folded her arms across her chest.  “You know about Rip… that he was an ex-cop.  Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wasn’t up to me to tell you.”  He put his book on the table and stood up.  “And I thought it was more important to help you get over the feeling of helplessness you were struggling with.”

“So you’re an expert on what I need.”

His eyes flashed with annoyance.  “Look, I didn’t ask to be saddled with you.  I have issues of my own I’m dealing with and you were an unwelcome distraction.”

She felt the blood drain from her face, and she was afraid she would stumble. 
An unwelcome distraction.

She turned and walked toward the bedroom, anxious to get out of this leather outfit and into something more covering.

Anxious to get as far away from here as possible.

“Wait!”

She stopped in her tracks, automatically following his command, despite her need to flee from him.

He walked toward her.  “Fuck, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean that.”

He grasped her shoulder and turned her to face him.  “I came to this island to be by myself.  To have quiet time to think some things through.”  His amber gaze locked with hers.  “When I said you were unwelcome, I just meant I wasn’t sure how to deal with you and my own shit at the same time.  But what I did… I was running on instinct, but it felt like what you needed.”

He tucked his finger under her chin and lifted, locking gazes with her.  “I do give a shit about you and…”  He stroked her cheek with his finger.  “If you weren’t in love with another man…”

“I’m… not in love with Rip.  I mean, I thought I was.  There’s definitely an attraction between us, but…”  She searched her heart and realized it was true.  “It’s not love.”

“You’re not in love with him?”  He looked doubtful.

She shook her head.  “And he’s not in love with me.  In fact, he’s with another woman.”

Suddenly, she found herself crushed against his body, her lips devoured by his, his tongue gliding into her.  Her breath caught and she melted against him.

“I thought the two of you would reconcile out there on the beach, then he’d steal you away, back into his life.  The two of you would ride off into the sunset and live out your happily-ever-after.”

She gazed at him.  “There’s no happily-ever-after for Rip and I.  We just weren’t meant to be.”

“What about you and me?” he asked, his fiery gaze searing her.

“You and me?”  She shook her head, confusion pummeling through her.

His lips compressed, but he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.  He made love to her, fast and furious, driving her to a sudden, explosive climax.

Afterward, he drew her close to his body.  She barely moved, wanting to savor the closeness of his body, but not wanting to think too much.  The emotional rollercoaster of this day had left her exhausted, so she allowed herself to fade into a deep sleep.

* * *

Killer awoke to a soft hand stroking his face.  He opened his eyes to see Marissa’s lovely, heart-shaped face on the pillow beside him, kissably close.  A smile curled her lips and her soft brown eyes shone brightly.

“Hi,”  she said.

“Hi.”

The intimacy of the situation unnerved him a little.  Here he was, face-to-face with the woman he was falling in love with.

Hell, that ship had sailed.  He was head-over-heels for the woman.  But he didn’t know how she felt about him.

He wanted to start a conversation.  To find out her feelings for him.  To see if there was a chance for them.  But he didn’t know how to have a relationship talk.

“Killer, can we talk.”

Aw, fuck.  Even though she had voiced exactly what he wanted to do, the fact that she started the conversation left him at a disadvantage.  His first thought was that she wanted to end it.  That she’d ask him to take her back to the resort, then she would disappear from his life.  He’d just be a vacation fling for her.

She, on the other hand, would leave an ache in his heart that would never fade.

The desire to distract her by taking control and turning this into a marathon fuck session was nearly overwhelming, but he pulled up his courage to face this head on.

He pushed himself to a sitting position.  “Sure.”

“Rip told me you and he were in rival gangs.”

“But you know he was working undercover.”

She nodded.  “But you… ride with a criminal gang.”

“What’s your point?” he asked, a hard edge creeping into his voice.

He gritted his teeth, not sure why he didn’t tell her the whole truth.  Maybe because he wanted her to accept him no matter what. 

“I guess that means you and I don’t really have a future together,” she said, staring at her hands.

“Because you don’t trust me.”

She gazed at him.  “No, it’s not that.”  She turned to him and stroked his cheek.  The tender touch send tremors through him.  “I trust you totally.  I just…” Her lips compressed.  “I just don’t think I could live that life.  I need stability.  I want to meet someone.  To settle down, have kids one day.”  She bit her lip.  “I realize hearing this probably wants to make you run for the hills, but I have to be honest.  I really want to keep seeing you.  You’re really good for me in so many ways, and I love being with you, but… I need a relationship that at least has a chance at leading to something stable and long-term.”

He stared at her wide brown eyes.  Images of him walking through the door of a home in the country, Marissa waiting for him with dinner on the stove, her belly swollen with his child, sent his heart thumping.

It was what he wanted, too.  Intensely.  But the life he led didn’t lend itself to hearth and home.  To a long-term relationship with a woman and having children.

But he didn’t have to stay in this life.

“Marissa, what if I gave up riding with the gang?”

Her eyes lit with hope.

“You’d do that?”

“In fact, that’s why I came here.  That’s what I’ve been struggling with.”

“You’ve been trying to decide if you should leave the gang or not?”

“No.  Well, yes, but it’s more than that.  The reason I knew that Rip was an undercover cop was because I’m one, too.”

“You’re a detective?”

“That’s right.  When Rip left the force, I was told about his undercover assignment.  Over time it got me thinking.  Maybe I should leave, too.”

* * *

Marissa’s heart pounded in her chest, hope building within her.  She had thought this to be a hopeless situation with Killer.  She hadn’t known him very long but she knew deep inside that she was in love with him.  Maybe it was the magic of this crazy island that everyone talked about, because she never would have believed that someone could fall in love so quickly.  But she had.  And it had seemed hopeless.  She hadn’t allowed herself to believe he might walk away from his chosen life to be with her.

“What have you decided?”

“Rip left the force, and I’ve been thinking about that for a long time, but being a cop is all I’ve ever wanted to be.  It’s important to me.”

“Oh.”  Her heart sank.

“You don’t understand.  Being a cop is important to me.  Riding with a criminal gang… that’s not what I want.”

He took her hand and gazed into her eyes.  “I know you want stability, but would you consider marrying a cop?  Even if I stop being undercover, my job has an element of danger.  There’s always the possibility that…”  He shrugged.  “Can you accept that?”

Her heart swelled.  “Are you asking me to marry you?”

“Well, I…”  He scratched his head and her cheeks flushed at her obvious mistake.  “I wasn’t exactly, but…  yeah.”

“You weren’t,” she stammered, wanting to run and hide in a corner.

“Ah, fuck, I screwed that up big time.”  He dragged her into his arms and pulled her against his muscular, tattooed chest.  “The only reason I didn’t ask is because I didn’t think you were ready for the question yet.  I was going to suggest that I take a desk job, somewhere close to you, then we date for a while, see how things go.”

He drew back and stared down at her.  “And by ‘see how things go’ I mean I intended to date the hell out of you until you were convinced you couldn’t live without me, then I’d pop the question.”  He tightened his arms around her, leaving her breathless.  “And if you said no at that point, I’d probably drag you to my place and chain you to my bed until you changed your mind.”

Her lips turned up in a smile. “So I take it you’ll continue to be a dominating so-and-so.”

His eyes narrowed, but with a glitter of amusement.  “Is that a problem?”

She shook her head.  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

His lips captured hers and his tongue drove inside, as if he were claiming her.

After he’d fully explored her mouth and finally released her, she drew in a deep breath.

She knew it was crazy, that she hadn’t known him very long, but she knew that she wanted him in her life.  Now and forever.

“So can I save us some time and answer your question now?”

He gazed down at her, his eyes growing calm, and a little distant, and he released his tight hold on her.  Then he tipped his head in a single nod.

All at once, it hit her that the big, confident, dominating man who had mastered her so easily, was actually afraid she’d say no.

She almost laughed out loud.  But instead, she stroked his cheek and gazed into his deep, amber eyes.

“If you were to ask me to marry you right now…”  She felt his body tense and she had to stop from giggling, as she tortured him by drawing in a breath to keep him on edge.  “I would say…”  She gazed up at him, and finally smiled.  “Yes.”

She could feel the tension seep from him and his eyes lit up as he grinned.

“And if I wait to ask?”

She tipped her head.  “Well, I don’t know.  A lot could change.”

He laughed out loud, then in a sudden movement, he flipped her onto her back and pinned her hands above her head.

“I’m not taking any chances.  Marissa, marry me.”

Joy surged through her, but she couldn’t help teasing him.  “Is that an order or a question?”

He took her lips in a passionate kiss.  “It’s whatever you need it to be to say yes.”

She smiled.  “Yes!”

* * *

Two days later, Marissa finished the dishes, thinking about the last couple of days they’d enjoyed being together in the beautiful island setting.  They’d spent the days swimming in the ocean, walking along the beach, and going for rides on his big motorcycle.  She loved the wind in her hair, and clinging to his big body as they sped along the winding roads.

She wiped the last dish and placed it in the drainer, then wiped her hands and returned to the living room where Killer continued his book.  He had cooked lunch, so it was her turn to clean up.

“You want to go for a swim?” she asked.

He put down his book and glanced at her with a big smile.  “I’d like to go for a ride.”

“Okay, I’ll go change into my jeans.”  The light sundress she was wearing wasn’t practical for a ride.

Killer had arranged to have her suitcase sent over from the resort.  She turned to head for the bedroom.

“I wasn’t thinking on my bike.”

He stood up and approached her, then glided his hands around her waist and cupped her butt, then pulled her tight to him.  She could feel his erection through his jeans.