Page 45 of Dirty Salvation

Four days, she reminded herself.

Lust didn't come with a time limit, except and only when you were a fucking kidnapped hostage mere days ago.

She couldn’t think this way.

Giving her calf a good rub she heard Rider curse blister the air.

"You can either talk to me or I'ma stand right here and enjoy the sight of you bent over showing me your ass, Icy. Good with me."

Gasping, she was upright in seconds, whirling to glare at him, her cheeks stained and sure enough, he was grinning wickedly, his eyes somewhere south of her body.

"You're a pervert!" she accused. Only his grin spread a little bigger showing even white teeth.

"Yup. But that's not the topic right now. You’ve been hidin’ baby, and I gave you a few days to do that, now you gotta stop that shit before it pisses me off. I told you no one is hurtin’ you here, didn’t I? You’re cowerin’ in my room ----”

“Because you won’t give me my own room!” she burst out.

“----- and I let it go, said nothin’, waited for you to come out on your own, but here you are, lurkin' again. It ain’t gonna work for me, baby.” she noticed he conveniently ignored her statement.

Oh, that made her mad!

“What's going on, Rider? I thought you were running an MC, not a counseling service. I'mfine. Don't buy into women always being fragile bitches who need a man to slay dragons.” Her insides were shaking clenched tight.

“I'm no one's victim now or then. And I wasn’t hiding anywhere, I was staying out of the way, I don’t know anyone, excuse me for trying to be courteous in the face of your assistance. Besides, I thought you’d want me to stay out of the way, don’t want me breaking all the MC rules or whatever. " She paused.

The last person she wanted to see her as weak was him, but it was how she felt. She’d put on so much face these last few days she was exhausted from the pretense.

His shrewd silent stare accused her of lying like he saw through her mask and felt sorry for her. It only caused her spine to tighten, needing to prove to him she was okay.

"I’m fine, not hiding. I did what I had to do to survive. It's been a difficult few days if you didn’t notice. I’m acclimatizing. No one gives you a helping hand, you either take that breath alone or you fucking die. That’s not hiding … just ... look at me, Mister President, do I look dead to you?"

Brave words for a liar, she cited silently but maintained her chin up, held the focus of his eyes. She wished she could read what was on his mind.

She’d completely underestimated the effect Rider had on her.

Four days...a reminder that it couldn't be anything else.

It was gratitude to the guy, that was all it was.

"No. You're too pissy to be dead, but that's good to know. I'm fuckin' glad you survived, baby. Don't care what you had to do to get through that, just glad you're here now. And I'll tell ya. You ever want to quit hidin’ and let me in on what went down those three years, I'll listen. You don't have to be a victim to want to talk to someone about that shit. Far as you're concerned, I’m whatever you need me to be. Counseling service included. If you want me to say it plainer than that, you need me, ever, you come to me."

Zara’s entire body deflated like a lead balloon. Why did he have to go and say something sweet?

She was momentarily stunned by his sweetness, the sincerity on his sharp face, and unwavering eyes tracing over her face, waiting patiently for her to fill in the silence, that churn of nerves felt like butterflies fluttering inside her belly, swelling into heat and-----

Don't fall for pretty words ... until she remembered, with punched clarity, her eyes blanking out, men said what they thought you wanted to hear, to get into your pants anyway they could.

Rider might not use his fists, or force, but he was still a man, her conscious warned, self-preservation in full attack, a man who was looking at her with want in those piercing depths of blue.

Men were pigs. Men were disgusting assholes. Notallmen. But she was past being logical or listening to herself.

Jumping down from the machine, she hooked up the towel she’d brought down with her, dragged the soft white fluff around her flushed face, mopping at the sweat dripping into her eyes and across her collarbone, if only to break eye contact.

His gaze was too devastating to a system that had felt dead for too long.

She hadn't run nearly far enough to escape the crap in her head, but for now, her workout was over until the demons came knocking again.

On the defensive, she attacked first before she could stop herself, the words flying off her tongue like bullets.

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