Without warning, I was back in Bear’s arms, being held up high in the air above his head. I loved the sight of his muscles flexing under his tight shirt and cut as he manhandled me like a littledoll.
He set me down gently after making sure to kiss me from my forehead to my lips. “Get ready, sweetheart. The guys are waiting for us so I can deal with that douchebag of a customer forthem.”
“Let me just brush my teeth and then I’ll be ready to headout.”
I ducked into the bathroom with the clear plastic bag from the hospital that contained my few belongings. After scrubbing my teeth and washing my face, I ran my fingers over my hair and recoiled from my hideous appearance in the mirror over the sink. I had scrapes and greenish-yellow bruises all over my face and down my neck. Looking down, I saw the same injuries were covering most of my legs and arms. Up until that point, I hadn’t cared because I was hidden from the general public at the hospital, where it was normal to be injured and grotesque. Now, though, I was going to have to go into public, meet Bear’s friends, possibly run into someone I knew. A sinking feeling took over my stomach as I tried to composemyself.
I slunk out of the bathroom with my hands covering myface.
“What is it now?” Bear asked while peeling my fingers away from myeyes.
“I’m hideous,” I whined with the slightest hint of a giggle laced in the words. I knew how ridiculous I sounded, but I couldn’t help it—I felt utterlyghoulish.
“Psh.” He tucked me into his side as he walked me out of the bedroom. “I don’t think that could ever bepossible.”
“I don’t know if I should go out in public like this. People might think you beat me.” It came out as a tease, but I was dead serious. It wasn’t the craziest notion in theworld.
“I’ll just tell people you fell down thestairs.”
I stood with my feet planted firmly in the dirt next to Bear’s Harley. “Are you sure you don’t mind being seen withme?”
He rolled his eyes and put a helmet on me. “I promise I do not care what you look like. I am going to be showing you off to everyone that will listen to me.” After fastening the chin strap, Bear pecked mylips.
“Okay. That’s the end of it, I promise, but on our way home, can we stop and at least grab some makeup so I can cover this black eye that refuses to goaway?”
“Yes, of course,sweetheart.”
Bear got onto his hog then helped me get on the back. I hadn’t ridden on the back of a motorcycle since I tried to teach Jasper how to ride when we were first dating. He was awful, and after two lessons, I refused to let him on my bike ever again. All his friends teased him for years, saying his girl was more of a man that he ever could be. I used to think they were just being jerks, but they were definitelyright.
I hated that Bear didn’t even ask about what I had wanted to tell him, but I knew he was distracted by work and had no idea how big of an issue I had built the situation up to being in my head. I reminded myself that I would get another chance to talk with him about everything, but it kept gnawing at the back of mymind.
* * *
As Bear pulledinto the parking lot of the shop, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. I slammed my eyes shut and buried my face deep down into Bear’s back, praying Jasper hadn’t seen me from the front seat of his car, which was parked out in front of thegarage.
“Pull around the back,” I was finally able to scream toBear.
“What?” he yelled back over hisshoulder.
“For the love of all things holy, pull into the back of the building.” Iscreeched.
Thankfully, Bear was able to hear me and parked the bike behind the largebuilding.
“What is going on?” He threw out the kickstand and twisted to look atme.
“J-Ja…” I stammered a few times. “Jasper is in the fucking parking lot. How did he findme?”
Bear pulled me off the back and into his lap with little effort. “Take a deep breath, darlin’. You have to breathe and tell me who the hell Jasperis.”
“He’s my husband.” My head fell onto Bear’s shoulder as I started to sob in hisarms.
Bear whistled at an ear-piercing volume and within seconds, two men in cuts were running around the corner to ouraid.
“Scarlett, which car is his?” Bear’s hands were gripping my shoulders as his eyes locked withmine.
“The blue sedan parked in the far corner,” Imuttered.
“Are you positive it’shim?”