Page 70 of Wild Ride

I shouldn’t have said the wordkidnap.

Briana’s eyes widen, and I think I blink too quickly because, without a doubt, her head spins around on her shoulders. Then she leans forward and screeches a single word.

“Kidnapped?”

Oh. Shit.

“It’s okay, Bishop saved me,” I say quickly, not giving her a chance to completely blow her top. Briana’s gaze flicks from mine to his, then back to mine, before shifting back to meet his. “He found me and brought me back here. We’re engaged.”

Why I decided this was the moment to blurt that out, I have no idea. But I did it, and now, the second those words leave my lips, I’m regretting it. Sucking in a breath, I hold it, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Briana won’t freak out.

“Engaged?” she whispers in disbelief.

“Engaged,” Bishop decides to confirm.

Her eyes focus on mine, and she searches them. “We need to have a conversation, me and you, alone.”

Bishop snorts. “I don’t fucking think so. You come here with some badass attitude, and now you want to talk to my woman alone? So you can fill her head with bullshit? I don’t think so.”

“Bishop, I think we do need to have a conversation. Briana came all the way here from Oregon because she was worried about me. I think I should assure her that there’s nothing to be worried about.”

Bishop does not want to relent. I can tell by the look on his face and the way his jaw is set, but I don’t care. I’m going to have a conversation with Briana, and he’s just going to have to not like it.

“Go up to my room. I got shit to do here before I can take you to the motel. There are some clothes up there, and you can take a shower if you want,” Bishop grinds out, but he doesn’t look away from Briana.

Turning to him, I lift my arm and place my hand at the center of his chest as I tip my head backward and look up into his eyes. “Thank you, Bishop.”

He tears his gaze away from Briana’s to find mine and then, as if a switch is turned off or on inside of him, his entire face softens. He dips his chin and touches his mouth to mine before he speaks again.

“After this, we go home, baby,” Bishop murmurs against my lips, and my entire body sways.

Home.

Together.

Wherever it may be, it doesn’t matter as long as we are together.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

DAKOTA

Briana looksaround the bedroom as I close and lock the door behind me. I need a shower and to brush my hair and teeth properly, too. Although I’m not sure if I’ll be able to brush my teeth since I have no toothbrush here, then I decide I’ll just use Bishop’s. His mouth and mine have been everywhere a mouth can be on one another’s bodies.

“I’m going to take a shower, then we can talk,” I promise.

Briana is focused on something. I’m not sure what. Although in this mess of a room, it could be a number of things. She hums and lifts her hand to motion me away. I walk into the bathroom, close the door behind me, and debate locking it, but I decide against it.

After starting the water in the shower, I take a moment to study my reflection in the mirror.

My.

God.

No wonder Briana freaked the hell out. My face is pale, not just a little pale but sickly pale. There are purple half circlesbeneath my eyes that look like I’ve been punched in each eye. Then there is my hair. My normally, at the minimum, combed hair appears to be a whole nest of tangles.

I know I wasn’t gone long enough to have deteriorated this much, but no wonder she panicked at the sight of me. I would have, too. I stare at myself long enough for the mirror to become hazy with the steam that fills the room.

The water is hot enough.

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