Page 43 of Riding Bare

Taking another bite of food, I take my time chewing, wondering how I’m going to ask him if this is real when it’s only been a week—even though I’ve been here longer than that. All the while, I’m wanting something that I shouldn’t even be asking for yet.

He’s already given me so much more than I ever expected. So I decide not to say anything. I’m just going to ride this roller coaster. So far, it hasn’t disappointed me, and I can’t imagine it will anytime soon.

“I want you to make a list of all the shit we need for the baby,” Amos announces out of nowhere.

I open my mouth, then snap it closed, because I don’t know how to respond. I don’t know what I need, and right now, I don’t know if I can even think about it. I have to admit that I’m scared and I want to know what is happening.

So I decide to shift the conversation—partially because I don’t want to think about all the things I need, mainly because I have no idea what I actually need, and also because it’s going to drive me insane if I don’t have the slightest idea of what is going on with Samuil.

“Can you tell me anything about what’s happening?”

“Happening?” he asks.

Sliding my tongue across my bottom lip, I nod once. “I know you went somewhere with my dad, and after that, you announced my brother was going to be staying here a while. Can you tell me anything?”

He places the last bite of food into his mouth, slides the fork out, and then sets it down on the plate. Slowly, he shifts his focus. His eyes lift and meet mine. My breath hitches, but I wait.

“Right now, everything is up in the air. We’ve talked to whom we need to speak to. He’s aware of the situation, but I know people can be unpredictable, and so does Cake, which is why Gauge is going to watch over you for a while.”

I open my mouth to protest that I don’t need Gauge watching over me, even if I probably do. He doesn’t let me say a word, though. His lips twitch into a smirk, and his nostrils flare, but he doesn’t break eye contact with me.

“If it were up to me, that fuck would be dead already. But I can’t start a war.”

War.

Just the word sends a chill down my spine. Fear. The last time there was a war, I was a little girl. People died. I don’t know what I would do if my father, my brothers, or Amos died—over me.

I’m not worth it, that’s for damn sure.

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FOUR

DARE

My cock aches to be inside her, but I can tell the conversation was a bit intense tonight. I don’t push it. Instead, I help Chassis clean up dinner, and then we walk over to the sofa and sink down together. Reaching for the remote, I power on the television.

“You wanna watch a movie?” I ask.

I absolutely do not want to watch a movie. The only thing I want to do is fuck my woman. But I’m exhausted. The last few days have taken a fucking toll on me. A good orgasm and about twelve hours of sleep would not be amiss right about now.

“Something old,” she murmurs.

Holding back my laughter, I wonder if her old and my old are the same. I swear to fuck if she asks me to watch some fucking movies from the nineties, I will have some serious questions about what the fuck we’re doing here.

“My Favorite Wife,” she states before she slips the remote from my hand. I have never heard of that movie before, but I watch as she navigates the Max streaming app and then lands on a black-and-white movie.

“It’s Cary Grant and Irene Dunne,” she murmurs.

“You’ve seen it?” I keep my voice low.

I can’t hide the awe in my tone. I can’t believe she likes classic movies from the forties. I have to confess that when I think of old movies, I’m imagining movies from the sixties and seventies, not the forties, but that doesn’t mean I’m not into it. I really fucking am.

The movie begins, and before the opening credits even finish, she’s curled against my side, and her cheek is pressed against my chest. Then her arm slides around my stomach. Lifting my own arm, I curl it around her shoulder and begin to draw small circles on her arm.

I’m not really paying much attention to the movie, not when she’s this close to me. When her scent surrounds me. This woman is going to be my undoing. She is going to make me start a war because I know that piece of shit is going to come after her.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to wait until he strikes first. I might have to kill him before he even does anything, and then the agreement with Rustik will be in breach. I’m not sure how Rustik would take that. If the tables were turned, I don’t think I would be patient or forgiving if Rustik killed one of my men, even if he was causing problems.