Page 55 of What He Wants

“Get cleaned up, babe.” She slipped off my lap and I got to my feet. “I’ll wait for you in the living room.”

I kissed her forehead and turned to leave, stopping at the bathroom to flush the used condom.

Chapter 23

Daisy

He kissed my forehead.My forehead!

I wondered if Big John realized that big, tough, outlaw bikers didn’t do something as tender and sweet. Long after he’d left, I could still feel the pleasant tingle of where his lips had touched my flesh. When I got to the bathroom I cringed, looking at my ruined face. Crying definitely left behind unflattering results, but I had to admit that I felt better. The fact that Big John had just held me and let me fall apart meant a lot to me. His big, powerful arms and his warm body had been a calming balm to my frayed nerves.

Who had shot at us? And in broad daylight? Even if I did live in the country off a quiet road with no one close by. Paul crossed my mind, but I dismissed the thought. Paul had too much to lose by doing something so rash and stupid, and he was not a stupid man. Granted, he hated to lose, and the end of our marriage had been a huge failure to him. He liked total control in all aspects of his life. But trying to kill me? I couldn’t wrap my head around that. No, it had to have been someone else.

I carefully stripped, rolling my clothes up into a ball to take them outside and shake them out later. Then I went to the bathroom and carefully combed my hair to rid it of any remaining glass. Only a few shards fell into the sink. I gave my head a vigorous shake, and fluffed my hair until I was satisfied that I’d gotten it all out. I got a quick, hot shower, conscious that Big John was waiting for me in the other room. I’d almost expected to see him in the shower before I finished, and I was a little disappointed when he didn’t show.

I understood why he hadn’t when I entered my bedroom and heard the muted sound of voices coming from the living room. Apparently, the brothers he’d been expecting had shown up. I quickly slipped into long, stretch-like pants and an overlarge cashmere sweater that hugged my body. I slipped on my pink, furry slippers and grabbed a hair clip on my way out the door.

“No sign of it, brother,” I heard as I was walking down the hallway. “A few of us took off right after you called, divided up and went down several side roads and met at the intersection. They could have gone anywhere, and you know some of those side roads don’t connect.”

“How many people around these parts drive a fucking Cadillac?” I heard Big John swear impatiently. “That’s twice I’ve seen it in this area, and now we know why.”

“We’ll get Fox on it,” someone else said. “You didn’t get a look at the plate?”

The silence following that question was telling, and I could just imagine Big John’s look. I wondered what he was going to say.

“I was a little busy, brother,” he finally said. His gaze shot to me when I entered the room. My arms were up as I clipped up my hair. His eyes filled with smoky heat, dropping down my body and back up again, leaving behind a pleasant tingle. At that point I was certain that everyone in the room knew what he’d been busy doing.

“Hi,” I said to his brothers, Rock and BK. The three of them were standing in the area between the entrance door and the kitchen. “Would anyone like coffee?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Rock replied, giving me a smile. “It’s colder than hell out there on our bikes.”

Big John came to me, putting his hands on my shoulders. “Babe, Charlie made an interesting comment back at Willy’s about your ex, indicating that he wasone of the men we’d killed.Want to explain?”

My eyes rounded. “You think Paul did this?”

I could see that he was struggling to remain patient. “Babe, what did Charlie mean?”

I’d known that he would eventually ask. I glanced at Rock and BK, who both stood by quietly, waiting for me to respond. “The restraining order I had on Paul expired, so I went in yesterday to file another one. She was there, and we just kind of became instant friends.” She laughed softly. “Considering the circumstances, when she saw me at the diner she thought thathe might be involved.”

His brows drew together in a fierce frown. “Why would she think that?”

“Paul contacted me−”

“And you didn’t think it was important to tell me?” His brows drew together in a frown.

“He only called me the other night, and I did the first thing I could to protect myself against him the very next day. Paul’s always respected the law. I knew once he was served with a new order that that would be the end of him bothering me.” He released a deep breath, his expression taut. “Let me make coffee.”

He let me go, but I could tell that he wanted to say more. The men began talking, lowering their voices so that I couldn’t hear what they were saying. By the time I’d poured them each a cup of coffee, they’d moved to the living room and had sat down. They weren’t sitting back relaxed, but on the edge of the furniture, hands on or dangling between their knees, conversing in low voices. They glanced up when I entered the room.

“Thanks,” BK said, reaching for one of the cups I’d set down on the coffee table.

“Sweetheart.” Rock’s gaze drew my eyes to his as I sat down next to Big John on the sofa. “Tell us what your ex said when he called.” It wasn’t a question. The demanding quality to his tone set me back a little, until I reminded myself of who I was dealing with. Being assertive and bossy seemed to be a trait with the men of Phantom Riders. I also realized that they were just trying to get to the bottom of who’d shot at Big John and me. “Did he threaten you?”

“Yes.” I could feel Big John stiffen next to me.

“In what way?” he barked.

“His usual way. He refuses to accept that we’re divorced.”

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