"I'm fine," he said, and came inside, shutting the door behind him. "I'm fine now."
His lips came to mine, and I held back, thinking of his cut, trying to be gentle, but he pulled me to him, his kiss hard and hungry, the faint taste of blood on my tongue.
I laced my arms around his neck, fingers in his hair as he swung me back against the wall, hands pushing up my nightshirt, fingers hooking in my panties. Then he paused, breaking the kiss, panting slightly as he whispered, "I need you."
"Yes," I said.
--
Afterward, we were on the floor, half in the front hall, half in the kitchen. Ricky lay on top of me, catching his breath. He glanced up as something snagged his attention.
"Hey, TC," he said.
I craned my head back to see the cat, sitting there, staring at him.
"Probably not the best way to make his acquaintance," Ricky said.
"It's not you. I swear, the first night Gabriel stayed over, TC sat on the couch and stared at him all night. He's assessing the situation. Determining how likely you are to steal his food and his blanket."
"I'll leave him to his bed and find my own." He started to rise. "Your room's through there?"
"It is." I pushed up on my elbows.
"Uh-uh. I got you out of bed. Least I can do is get you back there." He scooped me up.
"Mmm, impressive," I said.
He laughed, and I reveled in the sound, the look in his eyes, relaxed and centered now. He carried me to the bed and set me on it while he stood at the side.
"You okay with me staying tonight?" he said.
"I'd be more concerned if you finished your booty call and scrammed."
"It wasn't a booty call."
"I know," I said, reaching for him. "I was teasing. Come to bed. Talk to me."
He stripped off his shirt and socks and slid into bed.
"You told your dad about us," I said.
"Yeah."
"And . . ." I touched the purpling bruise on his jaw. "He wasn't happy."
"Yeah." A pause, then his eyes widened as he made the connection. "No. He didn't--" He shook his head. "Definitely not. He's never laid a finger on me. That was . . ."
He took a deep breath and propped himself on his side, facing me. "We had some shit to do earlier. Territory issue. New guys. Not bikers--just punks with bikes who fancy themselves a club. They want territory, and they've decided, since we're the smallest club, they'll take ours. We've been trying to stomp them without causing serious trouble. Dad doesn't like trouble. It's bad for business. Anyway, we went to have a conversation, and the asshole in charge decided to come at me instead. He figured he had ammunition. That picture of us in the Post."
"Ah."
"Yeah. So he's trash-talking you, and usually I'm good at ignoring idiots. But he stepped over the line, and I went off on him. Hence . . ." He pointed at his jaw and lip.
"Bet he's feeling worse."
I smiled when I said it, expecting he'd joke back, but his eyes clouded. "Yeah. I . . . really went off on him. I'm not like that. I can fight, obviously. I have to. But my dad and I don't get into it the way the other guys do. Part of that's how we are, but part of it's a choice, too. Let the guys get down and dirty while we stay above that. We stay in charge. Never lose control. I lost it tonight."
I must have looked worried, because he hurried on. "In some ways, it probably helped. The guys respect my dad even if he doesn't mix it up. The old-timers have seen him mix it up, before he took over. Me, though? I've never done that, and I think some of them figure maybe I can't. The college boy. Smart, but . . ." Another shrug. "A little soft. So, yeah, they were impressed. My dad, though . . ."