I scratched the back of my neck. “Uh, about that...I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay here. It’s still early, but as of right now, they don’t know if the fire alarm and the shooting were related or completely separate incidents.”
“Okay, so where am I supposed to stay?” she asked.
“My place—”
“Oh, hell no,” she answered immediately.
“Hear me out. Your mother and her boyfriend or whatever haven’t been picked up yet. My place is the last place they’ll look. You can park your car in the garage, and no one will know you’re there. I have an alarm system and cameras that have already saved your life once, and it’s close to the hospital,” I explained.
While she was thinking it over, I added, “You’ll have your own bedroom and bathroom. Plus, I work days, and you work nights; we’ll hardly see each other.”
She blew out an exasperated breath. “Fine. I guess I’ll stay with you until I can move back into my place.”
I grinned and pulled her along behind me by her uninjured wrist. “Wait! Where’re you going?”
“Home,” I said over my shoulder and continued toward my bike.
“But my stuff,” she protested.
“I’ll have someone bring it over. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to be,” I confessed. Copper could speculate all he wanted, but regardless of intent, any time a gun was fired in the direction of people, it should always be assumed that someone would be hit. Since we weren’t, I didn’t want to push our luck any further.
When we reached my bike, River held up her car keys and jingled them in front of my face. “I’ll follow you,” she announced smugly.
Her jaw dropped when I snatched the keys from her and tossed them over her head. “No, you won’t. One of the boys will drop it off when they bring your stuff. Now, quit stalling and put your fine ass on my bike,” I growled. She had about two seconds to move before I placed her on it myself.
She stiffened and shot me a scathing look, but silently climbed onto my bike. I didn’t have a spare helmet with me, so I pushed mine onto her head and climbed on in front of her. Grabbing her thighs, I pulled her forward until her thighs were snug against mine and her hot little pussy was pressed against my lower back. “Put your arms around me and hold on,” I ordered but didn’t wait for her to comply, because I knew she would the moment I pulled onto the road and the bike lurched forward.
Fuck. I was hard as a rock by the time I pulled into my garage, and there was a large part of me that didn’t care if she saw it. But, the part of me that did care tapped her thigh and let her get off first while I discreetly readjusted myself.
She stayed silent as I escorted her into my temporary home and showed her to her room. “Bathroom’s through that door. There should be plenty of towels and toilet paper in there. Help yourself to anything that’s in the kitchen. Good night,” I said and went to my bedroom, closing the door behind me and my hard dick. Fuck, maybe having her stay with me wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Chapter Twelve
River
Surprisingly, Jonah was right; we didn’t see much of each other. However, it wasn’t because of our work schedules, or at least not mine. I hadn’t been scheduled to work since I’d been staying at his house. And it looked like I would be there for a few more weeks before I could move back into the rental house next door.
Spending the better part of a week pretty much alone with little to no interaction with any humans whatsoever had just about sent me over the edge. So, I was more than happy to be returning to work.
I tried to take a nap in the afternoon, but never fell asleep. After growing more and more frustrated, I finally got up and started getting ready for work. After my shower, I put on a pair of panties and a camisole and spent the next fifteen minutes drying my hair and doing my makeup. By that time, I was starving and went to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. Since I knew Jonah wouldn’t be home before I left for work, I didn’t bother putting on any other clothes.
So, when I walked into the open part of the house to find a woman wearing what could only be described as material masquerading as a dress sprawled on the sofa, I was shocked to say the least. Before I could ask her what in the hell she was doing, my eyes shot to the fifty-inch flat screen mounted on the wall and all words left the building. Why? Because this barely dressed woman was watching porn. Hardcore, fetish porn. In Jonah’s house.
While I stood gaping at her trying to formulate words, she got to her feet and had no problem speaking. “Who in the fuck are you?” she asked in an annoying nasally voice.
“The woman who is supposed to be here. Who the fuck are you?” I shot back, happy that my brain and mouth were finally in sync.
“I don’t think so, honey. I’m Judge’s girlfriend, and I can assure you, I’m the only one who’s supposed to be here. Now get your skank ass out of here before I bash your snot-nosed face in,” she screamed, slowly advancing toward me.
I snorted and rolled my eyes at her ridiculousness. “Okie dokie, Imposter Barbie,” I said and crossed my arms. I was in no way, shape, or form intimidated by her in the slightest. She was wearing five or six-inch heels, and she was unnaturally top heavy; with one good push, she’d hit the floor like a sack of bouncy balls.
Moments later, she proved to be dumber than I originally thought when she tottered closer and slowly cocked her arm back giving me full warning of what she was about to do. She swung her arm in a wide arc aiming for my face. My left hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist stopping her momentum while I bashed her snot-nosed face in with my right fist. Her arm was ripped from my grasp when she flew backward off her spiked heels and landed with a plop on her ass.
“Ahhhh! You broke my nose, you crazy bitch!” she shrieked.
I shook my hand out and momentarily regretted hitting her so hard. But then she got to her feet and came at me again. What happened next wasn’t my fault. Not entirely.
Jonah came through the front door as she was charging me and I was gearing up to knock some teeth out. He grabbed me by my waist and swung me around with the intent to move me out of her path, I assumed. I used it for the opportunity it was and kicked my foot out, making contact with her jaw. She hit the ground with a muffled scream.