“Blue has scars, too,” Kiss said. “When he worked for Bullet, he used to sneak me into the massage parlor at night to keep me off the streets, to keep me away from my demons.
“The last time I relapsed was because Blue was hurt. I couldn’t see him like that. I couldn’t face him, so I ran right back to heroin.” She brushed her lips against the top of Rosie’s head. “I have so many regrets. Not being there for Blue when he needed me. For dragging him into my world. For choosing heroin over him.” Sheblinked tears from her eyes. “For hurting the people who mattered when nothing else did.” Her voice lowered. “Other people are still paying for my mistakes.”
Levi smiled softly at Kiss. “You’re good now.” She turned back to me. “What we’re telling you is that it’s okay to be scared, but you won’t change Ryatt,” Levi said. “If he rides with Hellers, he’s going to fight alongside them. We’ve all been there. You’re going to have double trouble with both Cruz and Ryatt.”
“I know.” Ryatt needed the Hellers as much as Cruz did. I’d fallen for two broken bikers. Hellers were family by choice and that was the only family Cruz would ever want. Ryatt wanted more.
The door opened. Romeo entered first to clear the path for Cruz and Ryatt. I scrambled off the bed. They were here. I couldn’t distinguish between my feelings for Cruz and Ryatt. They had both become everything to me.
Cruz had one arm wrapped around Ryatt’s hips.
“Ryatt.” I breathed the word. I drank in the sight of him through blurry vision. Tears slipped onto my cheeks as I rushed to him. His piercing gaze focused on me as he pushed away from Cruz and pulled me close. His fingers tangled in my hair, holding me too tightly. He was going to make his injuries worse.
“You’re hurt,” I whispered. “Let Levi look at you.”
“Not yet.” He buried his face in my neck, his body trembled, and he breathed deeply of my scent. I carefully banded my arms around him. His shirt was damp, his sweats were filthy, and his face was bruised, but he was here.
His arm wrapped around my neck, keeping his face tucked into my hair, and he wiped tears from his face.
“I’m going to wait in the chapel,” Kiss said. She rested a hand on Ryatt’s back as she passed him.
When he softly touched his lips to mine, my eyes slid closed, I weakened with relief, and a sob broke from my lips.
“I’m sorry.” His gravelly voice whispered against my flesh.
“It isn’t your fault.” I put a bit of space between our faces. “Please, let Levi look at you.”
He glanced at Levi and nodded.
She pulled on latex gloves. “Put him on the bed.”
“Undress him first,” Cruz said.
“You haven’t seen enough of me?” Ryatt grumbled and flinched as he lifted the hem of the T-shirt. The ratty sweats were filthy.
“My bed, my rules.” Without a shirt, and looking smug as hell, Cruz leaned against the wall with his ankles crossed. I recognized the shirt on Ryatt was the one Cruz was wearing earlier.
“Let me help.” My palm grazed the chilled flesh of his abdominals as I tunneled my fingers under the shirt and peeled it up his torso. Threads ripped as I stretched the fabric over his arm and shoulder.
Oh my god. The flesh over his ribs on his left side had darkened to a deep purple. Blood coagulated in the lacerations marring his skin. The wounds weren’t deep. There were so many bruises and gouges. Several symmetrical lines of dark marks peppered his pectorals. I gently ghosted my fingertips over his injuries. Those assholes hit him with more than their fists.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be touching me,” he mumbled. “I may have arrived here in a truck they call the hearse, but I’m not dead.” His lips twitched at the corners. “Not everything on me is broken.”
I snatched my fingers back and glanced at his groin.
Ryatt chuckled, flinched, and then groaned as he wrapped his arm around his ribs. “Baby, don’t look down. Ah fuck. It hurts to laugh.”
“Then don’t laugh. And don’t move.” I spun around, grabbed the edge of the comforter and pulled it off the bed.
Cruz stepped forward. “I got this.” He took the blanket from my hands, positioned behind Ryatt, and draped it over Ryatt’s back.
Tucking my thumbs into the waistband of the sweats, I lowered them over his hips as I dropped to my knees in front of him.
Cruz pressed in closer, glanced down at me from over Ryatt’s shoulder, and whispered to Ryatt. Knowing Cruz, he was exploiting my position, telling Ryatt exactly what he’d prefer I be doing while on my knees.
Liquid heat slipped through my veins and warmed my belly. We might not have planned this, but we were architects of our relationship, building something that worked for us.
I’d become as possessive over Ryatt as I was to Cruz. They were both mine. And to my core, I was theirs.
