Chapter Six

Viper

Lord, she's fucking beautiful. It's been ten years, but time has done her well. Her hair is longer, her skin glows, and she has the cutest wrinkles on the side of her eyes. That smile, though. That smile hasn't changed a bit.

I realize shortly after we've kissed, that I don't know if she's still married, but I'm not sure it matters at this point. Right now, I'd take her home with me whether she is or not. Right or wrong, there's no way in hell I'm walking away from this day without this woman. That said, it would be nice to know what I'm dealing with.

We're in the parking lot behind the shops on Main before my brain thinks to ask any questions. With my hands on either side of her face, her beautiful eyes staring up at me, I say, "Tell me you're not with that asshole anymore."

She grins. "I'm not."

Relief washes over me. "When did you leave him?"

"Six months ago." She looks away then back again. "I'm a complete idiot. He'd been living a double life."

"How so?"

Her eyes widen. "He had a family. Another woman, including kids," she laughs. "He had the whole damn thing with someone else." There's pain in her voice as though she hasn't healed from the betrayal yet.

This guy doesn't fucking matter now, but still, I want to kill him. Not only for hurting Clementine, but because he's the reason we stayed apart. He didn't even appreciate what he had. I should've known he wouldn't. I should've come back and taken care of him right then.

"Fuck." I pull her against my chest, breathing in the scent of her body as though the craving is finally being satisfied. "I knew I should've come after you."

"You wanted to?"

I huff. "Hell yeah, I wanted to. I thought about you every day." I kiss her lips again, softly this time, lingering on the taste of strawberries on her tongue. "I've done a lot of asshole things in my life, but fuckin' with another man's wife seemed over the line, despite the fact that I fuckin' hated him. I figured you knew what you wanted."

"I thought I did." She swallows down a lump in her throat. "I guess that's the scary part. I was so gullible. I'd have believed anything he told me."

I brush my thumb against her cheek. "You're human. You should be able to trust your husband."

"I know." A slow smile stretches onto her face as she looks toward me, as though she's genuinely happy I'm here. "How is this happening? Do you live here on Rugged Mountain? I know you said you came in town for the rodeo every once in a while. I kinda looked for you, like every year."

"Fuck. The guy I worked with stopped sending me when Waylon opened his ranch up here. They had enough guys to handle the show. Only reason I'm here now is cause I joined a local MC from a group I was riding with out in Kansas City. They dissolved, and these guys picked me up for some bounty hunting. How the fuck have I not run into you? I've been here about a year."

Her eyes widen. "A year? Oh my God. Well, if you don't have pets, you probably wouldn't have. I'm practically a hermit these days."

"Pets? Are you a veterinarian?"

She nods. "Yeah. It's the one good thing I did for myself. The funny thing is, I almost talked myself out of it. I'm so glad I didn't. So do you usually go for coffee this late?"

"No. I've never been to that coffee shop in my life. I was at the bar next door with a buddy. The only reason I went tonight was because I needed something to keep me awake on the ride back up the mountain.

"I can't believe you're here. Like, really here ." She holds me tighter. "That night, when you left, I was feeling so much but I didn't know how to tell you and still be ‘ good.' The second you left, I bawled my eyes out. For days I just cried randomly for no good reason. I don't know what it was, but I always wondered if you felt the same."

I groan low in my throat and hold her tight. "Absolutely. I've kicked myself every second of every day since that room door closed. I hated leaving you in that place, and I've thought about you in ways… fuck … in ways I shouldn't have been thinking about a married woman.

She stares up at me and grins. "I've thought about you like that too."

My cock presses against my zipper and an urge to claim her rattles through me.

It's too soon for sex. I want to take this slow, get to know her for real, make sure she's mine before I make her mine, but my mouth works faster than my brain. "What kinds of things did you think about?"

She sighs. "God. That bike ride… with my back against your chest, and your voice low in my ear." She presses her thighs together. "The way you held me when I was crying. The way you saw me… I've never felt so understood in my life, Abe." She smiles. "Or should I call you Viper? I didn't notice this on your vest the first time we met. I'll blame that on whiskey."

I grin. "Abe sounds less intimidating than Viper, anyway. I'm not sure you'd have lusted after a Viper for ten years."

"I would have." She grins. "Promise."

Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she lifts the screen to look at the name before rolling her eyes and tucking it away again.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's… it's nothing."

"No. It's something. You can tell me."

Her lips pinch together. "I don't want to meet up for the first time in forever and lob all my issues on your lap. I want to enjoy this."

I tip her head up until her gaze meets mine. "You're not a problem. I'm here now. I want to make everything better. What's going on?"

"Craig still contacts me."

Rage boils my blood. It's instant, like the sound of his name alone is enough to set me off. "Why?"

She shrugs. "It's like the second I left he wanted me back, which is hilarious because he was so absent for years. Now that it's over, suddenly he's at my doorstep constantly, begging me for a second chance. That alert was my security system telling me he's there. I've begged him to leave. I've called the cops. He was hauled off twice. He just keeps coming back. I'm gonna get a restraining order. I have an appointment with a lawyer on Monday."

My fists ball at my side and the anger that was in my muscles has now traveled to my stomach, forcing a tightness that ensures an explosion is coming.

"I can handle him. I'll stay somewhere else tonight."

I draw in slow, steady breaths as my teeth grind against one another. I've acted like a rational man, but I'm not a rational man. I was born a fighter. I've lived my life as a fighter. Deep down, that will never change.

This piece of shit ruined enough of Clementine's life. He robbed me of ten years with her. He stole the only woman I ever gave a damn about and took it for granted.

"I'm going home with you tonight," I say, brushing her hair back away from her face. "I'm going to make him go away."

She drags in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Abe… I don't want you to get involved. The lawyers will handle things on Monday, and I'll get a restraining order. He's usually a reasonable guy, so I'm sure that'll scare him away."

I laugh under my breath and hold her closer. "Look at me, little angel."

She does as I've asked and glances up into my eyes.

I groan low in my throat as energy passes between us. Energy I haven't felt since the day I walked away. "Tell me you want this too. Tell me again how you've thought about us. Tell me you've thought about me pulling you over my shoulder and spanking that little ass of yours until my marks are all over you. Tell me you've thought about me sinking into that tight, little pussy over and over again until you're full of my babies."

She pants and hangs her mouth open slightly. "It's all I thought about for years."

"So it's safe to say you want this then?"

She swallows hard. "Yes, I want this. I want you. You're all I've ever thought about. How fucked up is that?"

I shake my head. "If we're fucked up, then we're fucked up together, little angel. End of story. You okay to ride my bike home?"

She nods and leans her lips against my neck and kisses me gently, and I know right now I'm never letting her go again.