Cut Too Deep(46)

Her heart caught in her chest, her eyes filling with tears but for a different reason this time. “You love me?”

He nodded. “More than anything I’ve ever cared about in my life.”

She nodded and bit her lip, trying to hold back a sob. “I love you, too,” she managed.

He touched her mouth with his, a gentle, sweet kiss. “Then you can’t leave.”

But she shook her head. “I don’t know what to do, Ryker. The idea of leaving terrifies me, and the idea of staying frightens me even more.”

“We found each other. We’re meant to be together, I know it with every fiber of my body. If you left, you’d only have two men trying to track you down instead of one.”

“You couldn’t do that. You have Mikey to think about.”

Ryker sighed, and she knew she was right. “So don’t put me in that situation.”

She’d never been so torn. She didn’t want to leave Ryker, but by staying she would be putting him in danger. She’d hurt him if she left, and he might get hurt if she stayed. But a broken heart would heal. He would meet someone new, though the thought hurt so bad it was like a physical pain. If Garrett killed Ryker, there was no coming back from that.

But she didn’t want to argue with him, not now. He’d told her he loved her, and she would try to soak up every minute she had left to spend with him. She’d imprint every second onto her heart, every touch, and word, and kiss, so she could call upon the memories when she was at her most lonely.

Jenna wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight, burying her nose against his throat. “I’ll stay for now,” she whispered against his skin. “But I can’t promise forever.”

He nodded, his lips pressed against the top of her head. “I guess that will have to do me for now.”

She didn’t want to broach the topic again, but she needed to know. She let him go and stepped away from him. “My car will be ready by tomorrow, though, won’t it? It’s been a few days now.”

Ryker glanced away, and turned to busy himself with the dishes. “Oh sure. I’ll get Sam to work on it tomorrow, first thing.”

“Okay, thanks.” She frowned. “What about you? Don’t you need to go in and do some work?”

“Yeah, I do, but making sure you’re safe is at the top of my list of things to do. The garage can wait another day or two.”

If her car was ready, he wouldn’t need to stay away from work to take care of her.

Mikey appeared in the doorway, drawing their attention. “I’m going to bed,” he announced.

Ryker glanced over at him. “Don’t play on your tablet too long. You’ve got school in the morning.”

Mikey rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night,” said Jenna, feeling awkward.

“Goodnight.”

They waited until his feet had pounded up the stairs and the bedroom door slammed shut. Ryker turned to her and pulled her back into his arms. He leaned in and nuzzled her neck. “How about you and I get an early night, too?”

She smiled. “I thought you were never going to ask.”

He reached down and caught her behind her legs, lifting her into his arms. She stifled a squeal of protest, remembering Mikey upstairs.

Thumping him on the shoulder, she said, “Put me down! You’ll break your back.”

“Bullshit.”

He carried her up the stairs, but the bedroom door was shut. Ryker fumbled unsuccessfully for the handle, so Jenna reached out to open the door and he staggered into the room, both of them trying to hold back their laughter. He planted her on her feet and closed the door behind them.

Ryker turned to her, the laughter fading. She caught the look in his eye and it wasn’t one of humor. She bit her lower lip in mock coyness as his eyes raked up and down her body. He took a step toward her, pushing her back into the wall behind. His movements were rough and urgent, grabbing at her clothes to yank her t-shirt over her head while she fumbled at the button of his jeans. He pressed her body up against the wall with the length of his own, kissing her hard, his fingers laced in her hair. His kisses were hard enough to leave her lips bruised, but she returned his urgency, their tongues meeting and sliding together. The silver ball of his piercing grated against her tongue, sending shivers of desire through her body. She wanted to get her hands on his naked skin, and she needed to do it right now. She couldn’t stand the idea of any clothing separating them.

They broke the kiss just long enough to pull t-shirts over their heads and rid each other of their jeans, Ryker losing his shorts with the denim. He grabbed her wrists with one hand, pinning them above her head against the wall behind her, while his other hand delved down, into her panties.