Sothe guy had a name. Not that it mattered. He hoped to never see him again. Ridge wished Shadow would be done with this place. He didn’t need it. Shadow had him. Anything he craved—no matter how depraved—Ridge would make sure he got it. He had no problem getting as dirty as Shadow needed. He loved everything about Shadow. His twisted side was sexy as fuck, but he got the feeling Shadow hid a lot from him.
Ridge got Shadow strapped into the passenger seat. He quickly made his way to the driver’s side and jumped behind the wheel. Ridge turned the heat up on Shadow’s side of the vehicle. He went as far as to turn on Shadow’s heated seat. There was no missing the way Shadow shivered. Ridge drove home, walking a fine line between getting there as fast as possible and not jostling Shadow toomuch. Shadow was sound asleep by the time they pulled into the garage. He gently lifted Shadow from the vehicle.
Scout appeared from nowhere and closed the SUV’s door for him before rushing ahead to open the door heading into the house. “Whoa. He really looks awful. Should I get Austen?” Scout said the words quietly, obviously trying his best not to wake Shadow.
Ridge seriously considered it before tossing the idea away. “Thank you, but no. I’ve got him.”
Scout nodded. “I know. You have no idea how happy everyone is to see you two together again. There’s no one moremeant to be.”
The words moved Ridge more than he could express. “Thank you for that. He’s always owned me.”
Scout didn’t laugh at the claim, but Scout had always been overly quiet and serious. Only when he was drinking did he brighten.
Ridge stood just inside the doorway and eyed Scout for a moment. “Are you okay? Why were you hanging out in the shadows?”
A smile lit Scout’s face, making him look even younger. “You know me. I’m my best self in dark corners. Actually, I was waiting for Clay to get home. I remembered I promised to teach him how to shoot the way I do—fast and accurate.”
“No one can shoot like you do.”
Scout made a dismissive gesture. “Foster can, but everyone has their thing, I suppose. After all, it was definitely beaten into us. I’m curious if I can teach my method without the pain.”
“Baby?”
Ridge dropped his gaze to Shadow, eyeing his pale face. There were dark circles under his eyes. “I’ve got you.”
“I’m cold.” A shiver ran through Shadow, as if proving his claim true.
Ridge met Scout’s stare again. “It was good talking with you. I have to get him under an electric blanket.”
Scout nodded. “When he’s lucid, let him know I’m thinking about him.”
Ridge gave him a sharp nod. “You’ve got it.” With nothing left to say, Ridge hurried to their bedroom.He wanted to hold and kiss his baby. Truthfully, he never wanted to leave their bedroom again. His heart needed the time with its other half. Life had been too damn hard. For both of them.
Chapter Seven
ThemomentShadow’seyesopened, he found Ridge staring at him. He was the best sight to wake up to, but he didn’t look happy. Dread rose inside Shadow. He was too warm and comfortable to fight. No doubt Ridge was still pissed about Shadow being at Club Affinity. He imagined it looked very much like he had run to Zeus the first free moment he had. Still, no matter how much he hated it, Shadow couldn’t dodge the problem.
“How long have you been staring?”
“All night.”
Damn, that didn’t sound good. “What’s wrong?”
“You ran away the moment I left you alone.”
Shadow started to argue.
Ridge kept going, cutting him off. “It makes me wonder why you started going to that place to begin with. What do you find there that you don’t think you can get from me? I’m obviously failing you in some way that’s more important than your health and life.”
Every word he said was ridiculous, but Shadow was too tired to argue, so he went with the truth. A sad smile touched his lips. “Last night, it was totally me doing a favor for Clay. I didn’t lie about that. There’s no way he knew I felt as bad as I do. You know me; everyoneelse is always first. I can’t seem to stop that. But if you need to know why I have a membership to begin with, I got invited by Zeus to take a tour.” In his weakened state, everything felt heavier. He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Then I was there, and no one looked at me like I was either the enemy or pathetic. No one is judging anyone there. They’re just being their authentic self. That’s what I couldn’t find anywhere else. The moment we burst free from that training camp, and everyone learned the truth about everything that went down in the dark, it was over. Everyone looked at me like I was pitiful. I became a victim in their eyes. Rain was the only one who understood. He was the only person who still looked at me the same. We leaned on each other, but still. Sometimes, I’ve neededsomething more. It’s not something I can make you understand.”
“I get it. From the moment I saw Commander Kuznetsov enter your room, I looked at you differently. Maybe you got so used to seeing my hatred, you stopped looking at me. That made it impossible for you to see the love that stared at you every day. I guess I was just worried I’m not fulfilling something for you sexually. When I saw where you were last night, my heart dropped. I wondered why I’m not good enough. Don’t worry about it. I just…” He shrugged.
Damn. Ridge could literally be the absolute worst fuck on the planet, and Shadow would still want him more than anyone. “I hate that this thing happened right when we were getting back on course. Now I can’t make you seeexactly how much you turn me on like nothing could.” Even Shadow heard the lust dripping from each word. Even half dead, he wanted Ridge.
Shadow bit his bottom lip. He felt his expression turned sultry. His gaze slid down Ridge’s body. It didn’t matter he was underneath a pile of blankets. Shadow knew exactly what that body could do for him.
“Damn. You know I can’t resist that look.”
