But Riley stood slightly apart, watching me with wary curiosity as I approached her. My expression must have given something away, because her posture shifted minutely, the casual ease of earlier replaced by cautious tension.
“Everything okay?” Her eyes narrowed as she studied my face, clearly trying to read my expression.
“We need to go,” I told her simply, reaching out and gripping her hand firmly in mine, my thumb brushing possessively over her knuckles as I turned her toward the exit.
She hesitated briefly, uncertainty flickering across her face. “Is something wrong, Ryot?”
“Not here.” I shook my head, my voice low enough for only her to hear. “We’ll talk when we’re alone.”
She didn’t argue, though anxiety tightened her grip on my hand. Riley trusted me enough to follow without pushing further, even if the questions were clearly burning behind hereyes. I guided her outside toward my Harley, my body tense with tightly restrained impatience.
We put on our helmets, and she climbed on behind me without hesitation, her arms sliding around my waist as I started the engine. The warmth of her pressed against my back steadied my racing pulse, and I pushed away thoughts of what we were about to face for the few precious moments it took to get us home.
When we reached the house, I killed the engine and helped Riley off the bike, leading her silently inside, my hand never leaving hers. Once we crossed the threshold, I shut the door behind us and guided her toward the living room, settling her carefully onto the couch.
Her dark eyes were wide and wary, tracking my every movement as I stood over her, tension radiating from my body. I didn’t want to scare her, but I also couldn’t afford to let her pull back now. I knelt in front of her, keeping myself at her eye level, close enough to hold her attention completely.
There was no easy way around this. I had to confront it directly, and Riley had to trust me enough to finally let me in. Whatever had sent her running was about to come out, and I was determined to face it with her, no matter the cost.
My fingers brushed softly over her knuckles, reassuring her, even though my voice came out firm.
“Jax monitors all of our people with alerts set up to let him know if our names show up in any kind of social media, police records, court filings, news reports, whatever. Then we know before anything becomes a problem.” I watched her expression closely as I continued. “Jax got a ping tonight. An arrest warrant was issued with your name on it.”
The color drained out of her face. Her eyes widened, and her entire body went rigid beneath my hands, genuine panic flashing across her features before she could hide it.
“What?” she whispered, shaking her head immediately. “No. No, that can’t—” She broke off and dragged both hands through her hair, looking genuinely blindsided. “They actually issued a warrant?”
The reaction told me more than anything she’d said in the last two weeks. Riley wasn’t reacting like somebody who’d been checking over her shoulder because she knew law enforcement was closing in. She looked shocked. And terrified.
Whatever had put that wary look in her eyes and made her ask about security before comfort, it hadn’t been the police.
Her breathing had gone shallow, her gaze darting around the room as if she was trying to think ten steps ahead and couldn’t find solid ground anywhere. I tightened my grip on her hands before she could spiral any further, forcing her attention back to me.
“Riley, it’s time. I need you to trust me with whatever it is you’ve been running from. I’m done waiting, baby. I need the truth, and I need it now. I can’t help if I don’t know what we’re facing.”
Her eyes widened further, startled by the bluntness of my demand, and her lips parted as she took a shaky breath. She searched my face, anxiety and fear warring openly in her expression. “You—you don’t want to ask me if I did it first?”
“I already know you didn’t do it, baby.” I tightened my grip slightly on her hand, hoping she could feel the conviction behind my words. “What I need are details. Tell me exactly what’s going on so I can protect you. I can’t fix whatever problem you’re dealing with unless I know the truth.”
She blinked rapidly, clearly taken aback by my immediate trust in her innocence. Vulnerability surfaced beneath the careful guard she usually kept firmly in place as she asked, “How do you know I didn’t do it?”
I refused to let her glance away. “Because the woman I fell in love with is honest, kind, independent, and the hardest worker I’ve ever met. You’re strong as hell—a total fucking badass. Someone like you doesn’t need to steal. You wouldn’t even consider it. Besides, with your talent, you’ll never have a reason to resort to something like that anyway.”
Her eyes grew huge at my words, a stunned expression crossing her features, and I realized exactly what I’d blurted out. Heat rose briefly up my neck as the realization hit me fully that I’d just told Riley I loved her in the middle of demanding the truth from her.
But the words were already out there, and there was no chance of taking them back. Not that I wanted to.
Her reaction threw me off completely, though. Her mouth hung open slightly, and she seemed stuck, still processing exactly what I’d admitted.
“You—you love me?” she choked out.
I exhaled, shaking my head in mild exasperation that she would doubt my words.
“For fuck’s sake, Riley, of course I love you.” I leaned closer and cupped her jaw in my hand, brushing my thumb gently along her cheekbone. “You really think I’d practically move you into my house, sleep with you every single night, and fuck you without protection every chance I get if I wasn’t completely gone for you?”
Something cracked open in her then, her breath catching on a sob as her eyes filled with tears. Without warning, she threw her arms around my neck, burying her face in the crook of my shoulder as she finally released the tension she’d carried alone for so long.
I wrapped my arms around her tightly, holding her close as her body shook with emotion, my heart pounding fiercely at the vulnerability she’d finally allowed me to see.
