I needed more than a ten-minute ride to clear my head. Leaving the Warehouse, I hadn't been able to shake Jesse's words or what I'd implied in claiming Nikki. It was more than just getting her out of the current situation. I never wanted her in danger again. I didn't even want the stench of the Union to rub off on her, and the only way I could ensure that was by having her at my side. But I'd stayed clear of relationships with women my entire life. Not because I batted for the other team-hell no. If the day ever came where one won me over, the game of life in Dacon ended. I had too many connections to the Silvanos, and any female in my life would be tethered by those ties as well. It was a greater burden than a help. Yet from the moment I'd laid eyes on her, I couldn't shake the need to protect her. She'd fought it. Hell, she was still fighting that shit until I had shown up at her apartment tonight. If I'd had to give an account of what took place once I had knocked on the door

The buzz of my alarm continued in my dream until I realized I wasn't asleep. I just didn't want to get up. I'd slept like the dead for what little time I'd actually logged. I silenced my alarm and peered down my nose at the dead weight settled on my chest. Neither Nikki nor I had moved all night. Her hair flowed over my arm and spilled onto the mattress, and her tank top had ridden up, exposing the skin on her waist. I wished I had the time to stop and explore all the milky flesh that taunted me, but as it was, I would be late if I didn't get going. I managed to slide my body out from under the goddess in my bed without waking her. Even with dark hair, she looked like an angel as peacefully as she slept. The urge to touch her, to make sure she wasn't a figment of my imagination, was strong, so I settled for a kiss to her forehead. She rolled to her back, and I felt like a pervert watching her tits move with her. The swell spilled out the sides, and at the hint of a nipple, I adjuste

My mouth watered, and my heart raced. I shouldn't want him, not after what I'd been through last night, but damn, I was desperate to be caught in his web. No matter how hard I tried to drag my eyes from his skin, I couldn't let go. Ryker snapped his fingers to get my attention. "Nikki...""Huh? Yeah." That was hardly a recovery to be proud of. "What's up?" At this point, I would look like a moron regardless of the turn this conversation took.He didn't bother to reach into the drawer to grab clean clothes. Instead, he sauntered toward me. As much as I wanted to meet his eyes, to get lost in their hypnotic gaze, I couldn't stop staring at the package between his legs. And the longer I looked, the bigger and harder and more erect it got...until it lay flush with his stomach, and he was close enough for me to feel the warmth of his breath. His fingers met my chin and lifted it. Reluctantly, I tore my stare from his sex."You were apologizing?"I'd forgotten that was what I'd in

His silverware clanked on the plate, and he wiped his mouth with a paper towel. "What did you misunderstand about what I said in there?" He used his thumb to point over his shoulder toward the bedroom. "None of that meant you wanted me to move in." It kind of had, but I needed to hear the words because I was a girl, and girls needed copious amounts of confirmation."I told you I wanted to wake up next to you, go to sleep next to you. How is that going to happen if you live somewhere else?" He had a valid point, but I still needed more. It couldn't, although I wasn't ready to concede since I hadn't gotten what I wanted. "I don't know."Ryker turned toward me, and with his hands on my hips, he angled me to face him. "I know it's unconventional, and I'm probably out of my mind for suggesting it, but it's not like my life has followed the straight and narrow. I want you here. Every day. In my bed. In my home." That was hot as hell and almost had me convinced."And what am I sup

Nikki missed graduation the following day, but I didn't think there was a single piece of her that minded. Although, when my parents left the hospital, I couldn't help but notice she seemed a bit somber. It was possible that she was tired or that the glow of giving birth had started to wane, but I still needed to check. "Babe, you okay?" I had just thought pregnancy was sexy. Seeing Nikki holding my son was hands down the hottest thing I'd ever witnessed. I could stare at her with Graham for hours and never tire of it.She smiled as she gazed at Graham, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I guess I had thought my mom would stop by." Nikki had tried several times over the last few years to get help for her mom, but Nikki couldn't force Tabitha into treatment, regardless of the number of carrots she had dangled in front of her. Nikki had believed the birth of our son-her mother's only grandchild-would get Tabitha to surface, even if it was just briefly. I'd done my best to keep her fr