My soul ventured out into the sunlight as Ryker held my gaze and warned me of forever. I nodded. "As long as we end up in hell together, then I can handle your darkness." I laid a palm to his cheek. "I promise."He turned his lips to my palm, pressed a kiss to the center. "Then the rest will come." He walked down the hallway to my front door. His driver was standing there, a soft smile on his face. "Thank you for driving us," I said as Ryker carried me through the door. "My pleasure, Ms. Chase.""Call me Willow, please. I'm not as stuffy as some people." I flicked my gaze at Ryker's head.The driver's lips twitched. "And I'm Baxter, Willow." He dipped his graying head.I smiled at him. "You might as well stick around for a bit, Baxter. I need to get some food ordered. If you could go pick it up, that would be great.""Of course, Mr. Penn. Happily." Baxter smiled at me, shot me a wink over Ryker's shoulder. I kept my mouth shut, filed away the questions I wanted to

I held my breath as I waited for his answer. Watching him battle his personal demons had almost crushed my heart. I knew intimately what it took to stay here, in the now, in the present. That this oversized, handsome man struggled in similar ways broke my heart. He licked his lips as he looked up at me. "I don't know, cupcake. I hope not. Even if I didn't want you like a flame needs oxygen, I also don't think we could be with other people. Not and be happy. Not and have our baser needs met. Not and feel seen and accepted for exactly who we are."I nodded. His words resonated in my soul. Spoke to my heart. Never before had I felt so noticed. As if he saw the deepest, ugliest parts of me and still decided he wanted me. "So, if I do touch you, it can be your hands and forearms?" I asked. I needed to focus on the now. The here. I didn't think I could examine those deeper parts of myself right now. Even with him here. Maybe because he was here. He smiled, although it looked tinged w

"WILLOW CHASE!" an unfamiliar voice shouted from my front door. Beside me, a giant-sized lump jackknifed straight up in bed. A low growl sprang from his throat as he got to all fours in front of me, taking the blankets with him. "What the fuck, cupcake?" he whispered without looking at me. I shook my head, shivered in the cool air. Realized he wasn't watching me. "I have no idea. I don't recognize that voice." And I was stuck, flat on my back. I flung my hand out, hoping to catch my phone. Shit. I still didn't have mine back from the hospital from when my legs got crushed. The burner I'd had in Ethan's maze was long gone as well. I sighed. I really needed to get my priorities straight. Like an angry lion, Ryker slid from the bed. His muscles moved with fluid grace as he reached for something at the foot of the bed. He came up quickly. His hands cradled a matte black piece of metal that was both very sexy and very scary at the same time. Ryker flicked a look at me quickly

"Help me get a dress on," I said, trying to will him into faster movement. The man was a slug in molasses on a cold day. I wanted to grab his shoulders, tug him in the right direction. But his shoulders were out of bounds. He stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face. "All of this freakout is over her parents? Are they horrible people who hurt orphans or kill vagrants?"I jerked back. "No! They're the salt of the earth. Very loving and cuddly." A smile pulled at my mouth. "Especially Momma. But you don't want to get on their bad side. I don't want you on their bad side. And if they find out that you were here last night, you'll never crawl out of the bad side." I cradled his cheeks between my palms. "They're important to me, Ryker."He leaned forward, pressed his lips to mine. "Then I'll do my best. But they better not come down on you for anything. That I won't accept. You're a grown ass woman capable of making her own decisions about what she does with her body. They don't g

I couldn't help but respond. Even knowing Momma and Papa were outside my bedroom door. It meant nothing. Not when Ryker overwhelmed me. When he took his pleasure from my body. When he gave me mind-blowing sensations in return. I'd almost come off the bed and Superman punched Momma in the throat for attempting to touch him. Let alone the fact that he was mine, he didn't like to be touched. No one would be touching him but me. Not if they wanted to keep their hands attached to their bodies. With the slightest tilt, Ryker somehow managed to push his tongue even deeper inside my mouth. I sucked on his tongue. Reveled in his groan that vibrated through our joined flesh. My arms were getting tired, and I didn't want to accidentally touch him again. Not after everything else so far today. It wasn't even lunch time and I felt like the day had been as long as a month. I tried to pull back, to put some space between us. He growled and pulled me closer. Bossy, possessive jerk. M