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Trying to push him away emotionally, she blurted a question her gut already knew the truth of. "Tell me again, how do I know you aren't mystalker?”
"Baby, I take what I want. If I'd wanted you, I'd already haveyou."
His words hurt. He'd left which meant he hadn't wanted her. She lashed back, "You mean liketonight."
He didn't like her analogy, but barked back. "Exactly liketonight."
"So I have two stalkers," she reasoned, trying to staycalm.
The grasp on her hair tightened, hurting her so good. "Princess, I'm not a stalker. I'm the Big Bad Wolf who's gonna keep yousafe."
At her core, she recognized his words as the truth, but had to press. "And who will protect me from you?" When he didn't answer, she asked the question she wanted the answer to more than anything. "Why now? Where the hell have youbeen?"
Her vulnerable question of, 'Why did you leave me?' hung silently in the air between them. His face softenedslightly.
"It's not important where I've been. I'm here because I was at Black Light. Davidson told me you were in trouble. That someone was trying to hurt you." He paused before adding vehemently, "I'm not going to let thathappen."
Her body almost collapsed with relief, recognizing the truth in his words. As fucked up as things were, she knew deep down he spoke thetruth.
Awareness of her near nakedness made her blush as the room filled with a sexual electricity she only felt in his presence. From the expression in his eyes, he felt it too. She tried not to be disappointed when he stepped away from her, moving to the tub to start the water, liberally pouring in bath oils as she forced herself to brush her teeth one-handed, pulling the bodice of her gown higher to hide as much of her torso as possible with her otherhand.
He was at the door when she finished brushing herteeth.
"Have a nice soak. When you're done, throw on the robe on the back of the door and come back out to the kitchen." Their eyes met in the mirror before he finished. "We have a lot to talkabout."
He was gone then, leaving her truly alone for the first time she could remember. It might be for the first time since she'd been alone at her apartment back in NYC the week before. She welcomed the unexpected solitude, desperate to have time to mull over all of the events of the last fewweeks.
Khloe stripped naked, flipping the switch to turn on the many jets in the now full tub before stepping in. She let the water run until it grew almost too hot, refusing to douse the fire that had started burning between her legs at the sudden appearance of her long-lostlover.
Lover. That felt like the wrong word. They'd been intimate to be sure, but she reminded herself it had only been a twisted game to him. The debauched medical examination–the time in the medieval torture chamber, the intimate blowjob on her knees in the shower. He'd probably played the same game with a dozen women in the months they'd been apart. The thought that she was jealous of even that possibility wassobering.
It was hard to stay focused on anything for long, though. Weeks of sleep depravation closed in fast as her body relaxed in the knowledge that she was safe, at least for now. She fought to keep her eyes open, eventually giving in to the temptation to close them. She'd take a short nap to help fortify her for the certain argument ahead with the bossy man she could hear rummaging around out in the cabin'skitchen.
Chapter 12
The feelof fingers massaging her calf felt heavenly, easing her slowly from the haze of sleep. She'd been having a wonderful dream, but her mind was clouded, unable to recall the details. Snippets of a sexy Ryder dressed in leather refused to be pushed down by her exhaustion, and intensified when the fingers moved higher to her thigh, massaging what felt like slippery soap across her skin. She heard the distant sigh, not immediately recognizing she'd made the softsound.
It wasn't until the mystery fingers of her dream moved higher still, grazing against her pussy before applying swirling pressure to her hooded gem that slumber was pushed out by sexual hunger. The reality of the last few hours poured in until she shot upright, moving the now cool water so hard a wave sloshed over the edge of the tub, splashing the grinning man still touching herintimately.
Unperturbed by the water, Ryder released her long enough to pull his now drenched T-shirt over his head, flashing her with a muscular chest covered with a smattering of chest hair. Like the salt and pepper hair on his head, shades of silver woven with dark hair, reminding her he was all man. Her mouth felt dry and her heart hammered in her chest as she gawked at hisperfection.
For the first time, she wondered how old he was, begrudgingly acknowledging she was secretively happy he was older than her. She was sick and tired of being pursued by boys like Dean who were too self-absorbed to know the first thing about how to treat awoman.
"You should take a picture. It'll last longer." The sexy grin on his face made him lookyounger.
Despite the cool water, Khloe felt her body heat from embarrassment, caught red-handed gawking at Ryder's body. She grabbed for the bath sponge in his hand, needing to get busy doing something that would distract her from hisproximity.
"Hand me that. I can wash myself," shequipped.
Releasing the sponge, he threw his wet hands up as if to surrender. "Little Miss Independent," he teasedher.
"Yes, you can get lostnow."
Reaching for something on the floor, he came up with a paddle hairbrush. For a split second, she saw a feral desire in his eyes before the icy blue cooled. "You'll have your hands full getting the tangles out of your hair. Let mehelp."
Her protest died on her lips as the brush made contact with her scalp, finding a growing nest of knots as he raked through her long locks. As gentle as he was, her hair pulled at her scalp, wrestling a moan of pain and pleasure from herlips.
"We'll put your hair up in the helmet next time we ride to avoidthis."
