Chapter Twenty Seven

R achel woke up screaming. Ruger rolled over in bed and pulled her down beside him, wrapping his arm and leg around her. She buried her face in his chest and continued screaming.

It was one of many nights that she'd wake up from a nightmare. She'd gone through hell and back at the hands of Los Li.

Today's stress over her brother missing only added to her trauma.

"Sh. I've got you." He pulled the blanket up higher without letting her go. "You're safe."

Hopefully, she'd settle down and be able to go back to sleep. It wasn't even daylight out.

Her body shook. He closed his eyes, hating that she suffered. She wasn't a crier. Even when no one would blame her for crying while in pain, she internalized it all. If it weren't for the nightmares, the shakes, and her clinging to him, he wouldn't know when she struggled.

"They killed him," she whispered.

He kept his breathing the same. "Killed who?"

"Shady."

"Whose they ?"

"The kidnappers."

"Rach." He opened his eyes. "They're dead."

He never talked about that last day. In the back of his mind, he was afraid of bringing it up, in case she'd mentally blocked the murders out. He'd killed them in front of her. At the time, she was in shock, barely holding on. He hoped she'd blacked it out. It wasn't clean or fast. It'd taken everything he possessed to kill four men in the condition he was in.

"There are more of them," she whispered. "You killed the ones who kidnapped me, but other men were telling them what to do. I know how men like that think and act because my family was the same way."

Fuck. She understood more than he'd assumed. As far as he knew, she wasn't aware of the organization out of Mexico that called themselves Los Li. If she knew about them, knew what they were capable of, knew how close she was to losing her life, she would never walk outside again without worrying about her safety.

"Before you found me, they threatened me that if I didn't bring Shady to them, they'd kill him on July twenty-seventh." She raised her head. "That's why I went back to the house yesterday. I wanted him to stay safe and know the dangers, but he was gone. Now, it's too late." Her voice broke. "I think they killed my brother."

He kissed her softly. "There's no sense worrying until there's something to worry about."

"I am worrying. He's missing. Corbin was even looking for him." She sat up in bed. "I think Steven is dealing drugs out of the house. That means Shady is probably mixed into that mess, too."

He couldn't see her face in the darkness. Rolling out of bed, he turned on the light. Neither one of them was going to get any more sleep.

"I mean, what do I do?" She sighed. "My dad isn't here to save him. Shady doesn't tell me what he's doing. What if they killed him? Will I ever know what happened, or will I go on each day wondering where my brother is? God, this is all my fault. I should've told him when I had the chance, but I was so caught up in..."

Her chest rose and fell. She was working herself up into a panic.

He gritted his teeth. She blamed herself for being involved with him, and she forgot about the threat to her brother's life. For once in her short life, she was doing something she wanted.

He sat on the bed and faced her. Taking her hands, he rubbed them between his. She trembled.

"The men who kidnapped you are bad people, Rach." He paused, hating that she would have new worries once he talked.

"Bad?" She scoffed. "They're the devil and would kill their own mother."

He couldn't argue with that. What Rachel hadn't figured out was that if he hadn't saved her, they would've shipped her to Mexico and put her to work as a sex slave. Death would've been preferable to the future.

If Los Li picked up Shady, they'd leave Rachel alone. She was only a pawn in their business dealings.

"I'll see what I can do." He stood. "If Shady's out there, I'll find him."

"No." Rachel sprang from the bed and grabbed his arm. "It's too dangerous."

Yet, she was willing to step into danger for her brother. He exhaled. She was strong. Too strong for her own good.

"I can take care of myself." He smoothed back her hair. "And I'll take care of you. That means you do not leave the house without me. If I'm not going to be around, I can get someone from Havlin to escort you wherever you want to go."

She nodded with no argument. For now, staying away from her old house was important. The cops were swarming around it, looking for Shady.

"Let's jump in the shower." He eyed her wild hair. "I'll make you feel better. Then, we'll both go over to the clubhouse. You can stay there while I check around before I ride out."

She scrunched her nose. He chucked her under the chin. There was nothing for her to do all day at the clubhouse except sit around and worry.

"If you're lucky, Jagger will put you to work in the parts shop." He led her to the bathroom.

"Maybe it'll be better if I stay here."

He turned on the shower. "Either the club or the coffee shop."

She had yet to make friends with the other ol' ladies. Most of the time, she hung around Ruger. Katrina was the only one she wanted to befriend, which was happening slowly.

"I don't know," she murmured.

"Think about it while we shower." He pulled the hem of her shirt over her head and moved to the side, letting her enter the tub/shower combo first.

While she wet her hair, he rubbed his finger between her legs in a circle. It was a small shower. Too small for him to get on his knees and put his mouth on her.

She swayed backward. He wrapped his arm around her lower back. The water rolled down her breasts and fell into his palm. He slid his middle finger into her pussy and used the back of his thumb to rub her clit.

Rachel's legs quivered, and she grabbed his shoulders, the task of washing her hair forgotten. He continued to fondle her as he lowered his head and fucked her mouth with his tongue.

The warmth shot through him. His cock pulsed to life. Holding her, controlling her pleasure, made the differences between them obvious.

She was dainty and soft. He was big and hard. Yet, no matter how he touched her. How he fucked her. How he talked to her. She never backed away in fear. She accepted everything about him.

Her pussy spasmed around his finger. His ball sac tightened. There was no way he could take her in the shower. There was no room unless he held her, but he was afraid of hurting her with his size.

She pulled her mouth away. Her knee came up, rubbing along the outside of his thigh. He looked down. She was trying to place her feet on the rim of the tub. Understanding what she wanted to do, he lifted her and held on as she got her balance. There was a little lip to stand on, with the wall on one side and the glass doors on the other.

It made her taller, allowing him to take the whole tub to kneel below her. He lowered himself to his knees, grabbing onto her thighs to keep her from falling. The determination in her expression turned him on even more.

He spread the lips of her pussy and slipped his tongue between the folds, finding her clit.

Rachel slipped. He caught her.

"I want you." She groaned, trying to get her bare feet back on the top of the tub. "This is so hard.

Fuck. It wasn't the only thing that was hard.

He stood, bringing her down with him, and turned her around. "Grab on to the faucet."

She bent over. He spread her cheeks and placed his cock at her entrance. With his hands grasping her hips, he pulled her back onto him. His cock slid inside her pussy.

He came up on his toes, pushing until he faced resistance, and Rachel groaned. Then, he pulled out and did it again.

Over and over.

With her body soaked and the water spraying against her back, he slid against her skin with every plunge. His balls slapped her. In. Out. In. Out.

Keeping his knees bent to keep from hurting her, he gave her what she wanted and what he needed. Reaching around her hip, he slipped his hand between her legs and found her clit.

Rachel bunked against him. He grabbed her hair, keeping her upright. Pleasure traveled down his spine and settled near his ass.

She panted his name. Her pussy clamped down on him. He ground against her ass and circled her clit harder, more determined to have her come on his cock.

He played her until she lost control of her body. He held her in front of him. The pulsating grip on his cock milked him. He pulled out and shot his load on the floor of the tub between her feet. He hadn't worn a condom.

Out of breath, he pulled her up until she stood in front of him, leaning back against his chest. He let his head fall forward, pressing his lips against her head.

"Sorry." He inhaled deeply. "I pulled out but—"

"It's okay." She leaned over and adjusted the water that was cooling off. "I have the implant in my arm."

Rachel turned around and showed him her inner bicep. "You can feel it."

He ran his finger along the ridge, surprised he hadn't noticed it before. He'd had his mouth on every inch of her body.

"You're okay with me not wearing a condom?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm okay with everything you want to do."

"That's a dangerous thing to promise a man like me."

She cocked her head and frowned. He kissed her lips. She would never understand how much her confidence in him pleased him.

"Finish your hair before the water goes completely cold."

She turned around to grab the shampoo, and only then would he allow himself to smile.