Shameless (6 page)

“Holy fucking shit!  This guy has a big
dick.”

I smacked him lightly on the arm.  “Roman,
now is not the time.”

He studied Riley’s body as I threw his
clothes into the garbage bag.

“Seriously, girl, I’m beginning to see why you
banged him that night.”

“He’s not that big,” I paused, “Is he?”

“Are you kidding me?”  Roman asked. 
“Sweetheart, I’ll cut you some slack because the only dick you’ve seen before
this guy’s was Jordan’s but unless Jordan is built like a goddamn elephant,
this guy’s dick is fucking epic.  I can’t believe you fucked him.  I love cock
but I would have run screaming from this monster.”

“I didn’t exactly see it before he - you
know…”

“Fucked the bejesus out of you?”

“Yeah.  It hurt a little,” I admitted.

“I bet it fucking did.  Could you take all
of him?”

“Yes.  I mean I think so.  It felt like I
did – hell, it felt like he was splitting me in two – but, uh, maybe I didn’t.” 
I was suddenly, ridiculously, nervous that I had disappointed Riley when we
were fucking.

“Christ.”  Roman’s eyes lit up.  “We should
measure it.”

“Roman - focus!  We are not measuring it!” 
I said.  “He’s been shot, remember?”

“Right.”  Roman pulled the covers up to
Riley’s waist as I gave him a nervous look.

“Is he going to die?”

“I don’t think so.  There’s always the
possibility, especially with this much blood loss, but his pulse is strong and
his respiration is normal.”

“Thank God,” I breathed as we left the
bedroom.

“Thank you, honey.  Really.”  I hugged
Roman tightly and kissed his cheek as he returned my hug.  “I’m sorry to call
you so late.  Go home and get some sleep, okay?”

“Nope.”  He shook his head.  “I’m not
leaving you alone with him, Mads.”

“It’ll be fine, Roman.  Riley won’t hurt me
and besides, he’s too weak to do anything.”

“I’m still not leaving you alone with him. 
What if the people who shot him followed him to your place?  Have you thought
of that?”  Roman asked.

“No.”  I glanced uneasily at my front
door.  I hadn’t considered that possibility.

“You shouldn’t be alone.”  Roman said. 
“I’ll stay the night.  He’s stable right now but that could change and do you
really want him dying on you in the middle of the night?”

“God, no.”  I shuddered before giving Roman
a weak smile. “I’ll make up the guest room.  Thank you, honey.”

“You’re welcome.  Maybe you should stay in
the guest room with me.”

“I can’t.  He might wake up in the night
and need me.”

“He’s not going to wake up.  I gave him a
shot of pain relief and that combined with the alcohol will keep him out for
the night.”

“Should you have given him that?”  I asked
worriedly.

Roman shrugged.  “It’s not a great idea but
I also didn’t want him screaming and thrashing around in pain in the middle of
the night and ripping open his sutures.”

“I’ll feel better if I stay in my room,
just in case he does wake up,” I said.  I double checked the lock on my front
door before turning off the lights and following Roman to the guest room.

R
iley

I climbed the stairs slowly, dread filling
my body, as I watched the bedroom door grow closer.  I was dreaming, the same
dream that had plagued me off and on for the last three years. Although I
wanted to stop - I knew what was beyond that door - my feet propelled me
helplessly forward. 

I almost hadn’t gone over when ma called,
worried about the noise she could hear upstairs.  A creaking, she had said. 
She was worried it was rats in the walls again and the real fear in her voice
was what finally got my ass off the couch and heading over to my childhood
home.

I moaned softly and tried to stop my dream
self from reaching out to turn the doorknob.  My body betrayed me and my hand
grasped the knob and turned.  The door opened with a soft squeal and I swallowed
down the sobbing scream that wanted to burst from my throat when I saw her feet. 
She was barefoot, she had always hated wearing shoes, and her feet swung back
and forth in the heavy, cold wind that was blowing in from the open window.

I tried to back away, tried not to look up
at her swollen and black face, and made another harsh, sobbing moan.  I didn’t
want to see her again, I would go crazy if I did and I tried to turn and run as
a burning pain shot through my side.

“Andrea,” I whispered her name as more pain
flooded through me.  “No, please God, no.”

The pain and the sorrow was filling me up,
I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, and I really was going to go crazy.  I would
end up just like her and there wouldn’t be a single person to mourn my death. 
I wouldn’t –

“Riley, it’s okay.  Stop moving, honey.”

Her voice, warm and familiar, spoke in my
ear and I reached out for her like a man drowning.  Her hand clasped mine, our
fingers linking together, as I fought to swim out of the darkness that
surrounded me.

“Shh, honey.  You’re okay.  It was just a
dream.  Go to sleep.” 

I wanted to see her, wanted to look into
those dark eyes that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for three long
goddamn months, but I was so fucking tired and my side throbbed and burned with
a pain that made me sick to my stomach.

Her hand, delightfully cool, stroked across
my face and her mouth pressed against my ear.  “Go to sleep, Riley.  You’re
safe here.”

I squeezed her hand and drifted into the
black.

* * *

Her hand was on mine again, their fingers
pressing against my pulse, and I opened my eyes with effort, blinking at the
bright light and staring at the unfamiliar ceiling.  My eyes wanted to close
again, I was tired and weirdly weak, but I rasped, “Hello, kitten.”

I turned my head to smile at her, the smile
changing to a grimace at the sight of the large dark-haired man sitting next to
me on the bed.

“Hello yourself, pussy cat.”

Adrenaline pumped through me, lighting up
my tired body, and ignoring the pain in my side I reached up with my other hand
and wrapped my fingers around the man’s throat.  I squeezed tightly as the
man’s eyes widened and he dropped my wrist and clawed at my hand around his
throat. 

“Where is she?  What have you done to
her?”  I squeezed again and the man made a gagging sound.

“Riley, no!  Let go!”  Maddie was suddenly
kneeling on the bed beside me.  She yanked at my arm.  “Let him go, right now!”

I released the man, my arm falling to the
bed with a weary thud as I stared at Maddie.  Her long dark hair was loose and
its softness brushed against my bare shoulder as she stared worriedly at the
man.

He staggered to his feet, coughing and
gagging as he rubbed at his throat.

“Roman!  Honey, are you okay?”

A surge of jealousy went through me.  The
prick wasn’t her fiancé so who the fuck was he?

“Just fine,” the man said hoarsely before
giving me a wary look.  “Jesus, he’s fucking strong.”

“Don’t fucking touch me again,” I growled.

“Riley, stop it!  He saved your life.” 
Maddie frowned at me before reaching out to touch Roman’s face.  “Are you sure
you’re okay?”

Another surge of jealousy went through me
and I scowled at the man as he nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine, Mads.”

“Good.”  She breathed a sigh of relief
before staring down at me.  “Riley, how do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been shot.”

She smiled at my pathetic joke and touched
my shoulder tentatively.  “Do you think you could drink some water?”

I nodded.  My throat was as dry and dusty
as a desert, and I struggled to sit up.  Pain shot through me and I was
helpless to stop the groan from escaping my lips.

“Don’t do that!”  Maddie said in alarm as I
fell back against the pillows, panting harshly.

“You can’t move, not yet, okay?”  She
smiled her thanks at Roman when he brought her a glass of water with a straw in
it.  “Take small sips.”

I sipped at the water, grunting angrily
when she pulled it away, and she patted my shoulder lightly.  “You can’t have
too much at once.”

“How long have I been out?”  I asked as the
man named Roman pressed a stethoscope to my chest.

“Day and a half.”  She smiled tentatively
at me and I studied her until she blushed.

“What?”

“Thanks for saving my life.”

“I didn’t.  Roman did,” she said solemnly.

I stared at the man listening to my heart. 
“You a doctor?”

“Luckily for you, yes.”

Roman smiled at Maddie.  “Mads, can you go
and warm up some water.  I don’t need it boiling, just warm.  I’m going to
clean Riley’s wound.”

“Of course.” 

She slid off the bed, my eyes dropped to
her ass automatically, and walked out of the bedroom.

“Is she in danger?”

“What?”  I frowned at Roman.

“Is Mads in danger?”  He spoke slowly. 
“The people who shot you – are they going to come after you and now her as
well?”

I shook my head.  “No.”

“Are you sure?”

I glared at him.  “Yes, I’m fucking sure.”

He didn’t cringe away from my angry glower
and I felt a tinge of respect for the man.  “Are you fucking her?”

“Excuse me?”  His hands, which were peeling
back the bandage on my side, paused.

“Are you fucking Maddie?” 

She had a fiancé but hell, that hadn’t
stopped her from fucking me.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but
no,” he said.  “We’re friends, nothing more.  Hold still.”

“You seem like you’re more than friends,” I
muttered sullenly.

He grinned.  “Trust me, handsome.  I’d be
more interested in fucking you than her.”

A dull blush crossed my face and Roman
laughed.  “Aww, I’ve embarrassed the big bad biker.  I take it there aren’t a
lot of gay men in your circle of friends.”

I shrugged and hissed lightly when he
peeled the bandage from my side.  I stared at the neatly-sutured gash.  “Thanks
for saving my life.”

“You’re welcome.”  He was examining my side
carefully and I grunted when he probed at it with his fingertips.

“Sorry,” he said cheerfully.  “I bet it’s
fucking sore, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“You got lucky.  The bullet went right
through.  You’ll have to take antibiotics for another week or so but it should
heal nicely.”

He reached into a bag on the floor and
pulled out a bottle with clear liquid and a syringe.

“What is that?”  I asked suspiciously.

“Pain relief.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Don’t be a hero, pussy cat,” he said. 
“You need this - trust me.”

“I don’t need it,” I insisted as Maddie
came into the room carrying a large bowl.

“Don’t need what?”  She placed the bowl of
water on the nightstand and handed Roman a cloth.

“Never mind,” I said.

“Your biker babe here doesn’t want his pain
relief,” Roman said as he cleaned my side.

Maddie frowned at me.  “Riley, you need to
take it.”

“I’m fine.” 

I didn’t want my senses dulled around
Maddie.  I only drank occasionally and despite what I did for a living, I never
actually used drugs.  Who the fuck knew what I would confess to her if I was
high on meds.

“You’re not fine,” she scowled.  “Give him
the meds, Roman.”

“Don’t, Roman.”  I scowled back at her. 
“You don’t get to speak for me, Maddie.”

“When you’re lying in my bed helpless as a
baby, yes I do,” she said.

“Fine, I’ll leave.”

I tried to sit up and groaned harshly when
pain speared through my side.  I bit my lip as sweat broke out on my forehead. 
I was already starting to feel nauseous from the pain and a dismaying weakness
was settling into my limbs.

Maddie pushed gently on my chest and I
collapsed against the pillows, glaring at her, as she smiled smugly.

“You’re taking the meds, Riley.”

“I don’t – “

“Are you afraid of needles?”  Roman
interrupted.  “Maybe you should hold his hand, Mads.”

“Shut up.  I’m not afraid of needles,” I
snapped but it was too late.  Maddie had already moved around to the opposite
side of the bed and climbed on to it.  She sat cross-legged beside me and
picked up my hand.

“Just look at me, Riley.”

“I’m not afraid of needles,” I said through
gritted teeth.  Jesus, but it was bugging me that she thought I was afraid of
something stupid like a needle.

“It’s fine if you are.”

She gave me another smug little smile and I
squeezed her hand before deliberately dropping my gaze to her tits.  She was
wearing a loose t-shirt that did a disappointingly good job of hiding them but
I let my eyes wander over her chest anyway. 

I didn’t flinch when I felt the sharp sting
of the needle and gave her my own smug smile when I finally raised my gaze to her
suddenly-flushed face.  “Have you missed me, kitten?”

“I - I still have your jacket,” she said.

“I’ve missed you.  I’ve especially missed your
sweet little pussy.”

“Jesus, dude.  I’m right in the room,”
Roman said.

“Maybe you should leave then,” I said.

“Maybe you should be a bit more respectful
to Maddie.”

“You going to make me, tough guy?”

He rolled his eyes.  “Really?  You’re lying
in bed weak as a fucking kitten and I have shit in this bag that could kill you
with a single dose.”

“Is that a threat?”  I growled.

“Oh for goodness sake!”  Maddie snapped. 
“Roman, stop threatening to kill Riley.”

I grinned arrogantly and Maddie smacked me
lightly on the leg.  “And Roman’s right – be more respectful or I’ll dump you
in the street.”

I wanted to reply with a smartass comment
but a weird numbness was starting to course through my limbs and my eyelids
were incredibly heavy.

“What the fuck did you give me?”  I
slurred.

“I told you, something to help with the
pain.”  Roman grinned and I snarled weakly at him as I struggled to keep my
eyes open.

“Don’t fight it,” he advised.  “You need to
sleep.”

I could feel the bright edge of panic
biting at the numbness.  I didn’t want to sleep.  With sleep came the
nightmares and, over the years, I had gotten used to getting by on as little
sleep as possible.

“Maddie,” I mumbled and with great effort
tried to squeeze her hand.

“You’re fine, Riley,” she said soothingly
as she stroked my forearm.  “Go to sleep.  Everything’s fine.”

* * *

M
addie

I watched as Riley’s eyes closed and his
body slumped against the bed.

“He’s not exactly Prince Charming, is he?” 
Roman said dryly.

“I told you he was rough around the edges.”

“Rough around the edges?  Sweetheart, the man
is dangerous.”

“No he isn’t,” I defended him vigorously,
even though I wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t dangerous.

“Don’t let an amazing body and a giant dick
cloud your judgement, Mads.”

“I’m not,” I said.  “Riley isn’t
dangerous.”

Roman glanced at his watch.  “My shift at
the hospital starts in an hour.”

“Go.  I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not sure I should leave you alone with
him.”

I sighed impatiently.  “He’s not going to
hurt me, Roman.  If he wanted to hurt me, he would have that night at the bar. 
He saved me, remember?”