Loch held Ainsley close, his body fully awake even if his mind was just starting to wake up. It wasn’t yet morning, not even close since he and Ainsley had just gone to bed, but she must have moved closer to him in the middle of the night, waking up a very important part of him.
A storm raged outside, lightning sparking across the sky with rain and snow pounding the windows. The fact that it was winter didn’t mean anything, Thundersnow was a thing. Every once in a while, thunder boomed outside, and he would wake up, only to tug Ainsley tighter to his side. He hadn’t realized how much he apparently needed her in his sleep, but then again, he’d told himself for so long that he didn’t need her beyond what they had. Maybe he should have known this all along.
After he and Ainsley had talked, they’d gone to bed without dinner, just lying there talking about everything else they hadn’t said to each other before. They’d checked in with Misty and her grandparents again, though his daughter had already gone to bed before he called. Loch missed his daughter so damn much, and he had a feeling he’d be going to pick her up soon, no matter the deal he made with Marnie’s parents. Ainsley was already deeply embedded into his life, and Riker, if he were truly watching as he’d said, would have already seen her. As for his daughter, she might be safer where she was, but damn it, he missed her.
Thunder rocked the house again. Ainsley moved even closer, and all thoughts of Riker and everything else fled Loch’s mind. Instead, he slid his hand down and cupped the woman in his arms between her legs.
Ainsley moaned, and Loch gently bit down on her shoulder.
They were silent as he pulled her pants down, then his so they were skin-to-skin, his cock pressing against her ass. When she wiggled slightly, he grinned, moving his hands from her pussy to between them, his thumb sliding along her crease, dipping in to tease her ass. She froze, then looked over her shoulder.
“Loch?” she whispered.
“Next time.” He wanted that ass of hers, and if she were willing, he’d get it.
She snorted. “Sure, honey.”
He grinned, then bit down on her shoulder again before pulling back to rid her of the rest of her clothing. He slowly raised her leg over his, his dick sliding along her wet heat. She was already soaking for him, ready. He had one hand around her front, cupping her breast, while the other was between her legs, playing with her clit as he slowly worked inside her, then out again, taking his time as they pleasured each other, getting to know one another in the dark—softly this time, rather than the heated and harder times of before.
When he pulled out of her fully, he moved her to her back, then slid inside again as she spread her legs. This way, he had more access to her mouth, her breasts, her.
They came together on a slow build, her breaths quickening as she came on him, and his seed filled her until they were both shaking, catching their breaths, and sweaty.
This was what Loch needed, what he wanted.
He’d wasted so much time being afraid to look at Ainsley this way, even a fraction.
He kissed her thoroughly, his softening cock still inside her as she pulled him against her, her breasts pressing against his chest when she wrapped her arms around him, her hands stroking lazily down his back.
He didn’t want to waste any more time. He couldn’t. Not when Ainsley was in his arms.
In his bed.
In his life.
Just…in him.
Another lightning strike lit up the room and, this time, the thunder followed straight after. The room shook, and then the hall nightlight Loch had for Misty went out, the rest of the house going dark immediately after, and the heat shutting off with a bang as a loud-as-hell sound came from the backyard, like something had exploded right next to his damn house.
“Damn it,” Loch growled, pushing from the bed. Another streak of lightning hit the sky, and he looked down at Ainsley, the look in her wide eyes causing his chest to tighten.
“What was that?”
“I think the storm blew a transformer. I have a generator, but I need to go out and deal with it all. Jesus, I didn’t realize the storm was going to be this bad.” It was Pennsylvania, and where they were on the lower edge of the state, storms often passed over them even if the forecasters called for a blizzard. Sometimes, they stalled thanks to coastal winds and other crap and Loch ended up with a blown-out transformer and a dark house.
And possibly without security.
Fuck.
“I need to check the security system.” He leaned down, kissed her hard on the mouth, and pulled on his jeans that he’d tossed on the chair next to the bed before he and Ainsley had gotten under the sheets. “Stay here with the door locked.”
If possible, her eyes widened even more. “You don’t think Riker has anything to do with this?”
Loch shook his head. “No, but I wouldn’t put it past him to use it to his advantage. Stay here. Stay safe. I’ll be right back.” He kissed her again, then headed out of his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Ainsley wouldn’t do anything stupid. She might be bullheaded just like he was, but when it came to something important, she did the right thing.
The generator didn’t start up, and that worried him since key parts of the house were connected to it, as well as his security system. He knew that Riker hadn’t drummed up the storm as that was impossible and bordering on paranoia, but that didn’t mean the other man hadn’t done something to sabotage Loch’s backup plans. Loch had been so distracted by dealing with everything the night before, he hadn’t double-checked everything like he usually did. He’d made sure the alarm was set, but not his backup. Careless because he’d been wrung out, and Ainsley had needed to lie down, and he wanted to make sure she was safe and warm.
Fuck a dick. He hoped to hell and back that his distraction hadn’t cost him anything because this was not the time to be lazy about the important things—including the safety of the woman he thought he might love more than just a friend.
Loch crept down his stairs, listening for anything out of the ordinary, but with the storm raging, he knew he’d be hard-pressed to hear anything out of place. It was probably something far less sinister than he was making it out to be, but it was the middle of the night, a storm was raging outside, seemingly trying to knock down the house, and a very warm and willing woman was up in his bed, probably scared out of her mind because Loch was overreacting.
Get a grip, he told himself. He didn’t say it aloud in case his worries weren’t, in fact, far-fetched. But, seriously, he just needed to get back upstairs to Ainsley, get a couple of more hours of sleep, then go and pick up Misty. The cops would be able to figure everything out with Dennis and whatever the hell had been going on around him, and he knew he was probably making things a far bigger deal than they needed to be. So what if Riker called and sent a note? That didn’t make the man a murderer. It made him a pest that Loch would ignore as he got rid of his newly acquired company. Things weren’t as dire as his bad feelings made them out to be.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the sound of a window breaking in the living room hit his ears, and Loch whirled around, certain that it wasn’t a branch that had done it. No, he knew he wasn’t alone in the room, but it was too dark to see anything. Damn it. Arms out, body relaxed even though he was tense inside, he calmed his breathing and listened.
There.
He ducked as a fist came at him in the dark, punching out with his own to get the attacker in the gut. He ascertained that the person was a man thanks to the size of the barely perceptible shadow and the masculine groan when Loch made contact. Loch moved to the side as the intruder came at him again, this time catching Loch in the jaw. The guy was well trained, but from the size of the shadow and the skill of his moves, it wasn’t Riker. It was someone else Loch knew from a distant past.
Chris.
Riker’s second. Another asshole.
Chris bent low, going for Loch’s knees, but Loch was faster. He shifted out of the way, knocking Chris down to the ground. Unfortunately for them both, the coffee table was in the way. Another loud crack filled the air as the wood top snapped in two, the weight of Chris’s body too much for it to withstand since Loch had tossed him pretty hard.
Chris rolled to his feet and came at Loch again. This time, the moonlight barely peeking through the clouds and blinds glinted off something metal.
Fuck, the other man had a knife, and Loch wasn’t armed since it was his own damn house and there wasn’t supposed to be an intruder in the place.
Loch lunged out of the way as Chris moved forward, knife held out before him. From what Loch could remember, Chris was even more skilled with blades than he was, and time had seemed to only improve the other man’s abilities. However, Loch would always be better at hand-to-hand than Chris. He’d need to remember that in order to get out of this alive.
Jesus. Had it been Chris all along with Riker just calling to make it sound like it was him? Or were the two working together? Loch didn’t know, and he’d have time to think about it later. For now, he had to try and get out of this alive and make sure no one went up to find Ainsley. Fuck, he hoped to hell Riker wasn’t with Chris now, somehow going upstairs to where Ainsley was. Or even at Marnie’s parents’, trying to get at Misty.
A cold wash of fear and anger settled over Loch at that scenario, and then Loch wasn’t thinking about what-ifs anymore. Instead, he became the man he used to be, the fighter he used to be, and he moved.
A hit to his side, a slice across his arm, a grunt, a scream, and then Chris was down on the floor, the knife skittering across the hardwood that led from Loch’s living room to the kitchen. He hit Chris on the head, and the other man passed out. Loch searched the remnants of his broken coffee table for the zip ties he kept in a compartment that Misty never went into. He was always prepared just in case his past came back to haunt him.
And haunt him it did.
Sirens and lights blared in front of the house in the next instant, and Loch let out a breath, knowing that Ainsley had called the cops when she heard the sounds down below. Then he looked up and saw her at the top of the stairs in his shirt and her jeans, holding the baseball bat that he kept in his closet. Seven years of softball meant his best friend and lover knew how to use it. He was just a little pissed off that she’d come out of the bedroom at all. Not that he’d have been able to stay locked away during all of the noise and fighting either.
“Loch?” Ainsley’s voice shook, but she still sounded strong. Ready.
Was it any wonder he loved her?
He’d think about that thought later. First, he needed to make sure his woman and his daughter were safe.
“Ainsley. You safe?
She came downstairs fully then, the spotlights and flashing lights from the front yard casting shadows over her face. Her eyes narrowed on his arm. “You’re bleeding, so I guess I need to be the one asking that question.”
He looked down at the cut on his arm and shook his head. “It’s shallow, doesn’t even need stitches. Stay where you are. There’s glass and pieces of wood all over the floor, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself. You the one who called the cops?”
She nodded. “I heard the shouts and called right away. Was I supposed to?”
“I’m not in a secret organization or Batman, Ainsley. Always call the cops for intruders. I didn’t right away because my security system is down and I was a little busy knocking Chris on his ass.”
“You know his name? It’s not Riker?”
“I’ll tell you everything later.” A knock sounded on the door, and he sighed. “And I’ll be telling them everything, as well.”
There was no use hiding anything anymore, especially since the connections he’d thought he put together had been flimsy before but were anything but now.
By the time the cops left, Chris in tow, Loch had a headache from hell and a bandage on his arm. Like he’d thought, he hadn’t needed stitches, even though the blood had worried Ainsley. Now, he and Ainsley were sitting on his couch, the place once again clean since they hadn’t wanted to keep any of the debris around after the cops did what they needed to do with the evidence. The power had come back on about an hour ago, and Loch had been able to set up his security system and backup again. Chris had cut a wire to the backup, but that had been easily fixed.
Now, Fox and Dare were in his house, having rushed over when Ainsley called them out of their beds. Loch had been in the middle of getting grilled by Renkle when they arrived, even though this clearly hadn’t been his fault. The detectives seemed to understand that now. Ainsley had known exactly who Loch needed at the house and what to do. She’d also called Marnie’s parents, waking them up to check in on Misty and their house. Somehow, she’d managed to calm them down and not rile them up, making everything sound as if she were just worried about the storm and not something worse. Ainsley hadn’t had much contact with the older couple in the past since things were always slightly strained when it came to his friendship with Ainsley, but that hadn’t seemed to matter when she called to make sure his little girl was okay.
Somehow, he would have to explain to Misty and Marnie’s parents about his new relationship with Ainsley, as well as some of the dangers going on around them. But that time would come, and it would not be at five in the morning after a horrible storm and a break-in at his home.
“This is ridiculous,” Dare muttered from his side, drinking coffee to keep himself awake. All of them were chugging the stuff, though he had a feeling he and Ainsley didn’t need the caffeine, their adrenaline running hot enough for seven cups of coffee. “What does your old buddy have to gain by either using Dennis’s death to his advantage or doing it on his own? You’re not going to give him the company’s contacts because he’s threatening you. If anything, you’d hold them back even more because you don’t take threats.”
Loch shrugged. “I didn’t say the other man was sane or that any of this made any sense. But he comes at my family? My kid?” His gaze flittered over to Ainsley before going back to Dare. “Anyone I care about? It might make me pause. And he knows that.”
“You’re not going to let him get away with this. The cops aren’t either.” Ainsley folded her arms over her chest, still wearing his shirt. His brothers had noticed, but he didn’t care. They knew that he and Ainsley had changed their relationship, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise.
“I know. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but we’ll take care of it.” Loch let out a breath. “I’ll keep you safe. And because I know you’re worried, Fox, I’m not going to cross any legal or ethical lines. The cops can handle the investigation. I’m going to work on keeping my family safe.” And his family included Ainsley, and he knew she knew that. He’d just do his best to make sure she understood the ramifications of it. Because she was his now, and that meant he wasn’t going to let go. She’d said she wouldn’t leave him like the others did, and he’d just have to trust her on that.
Because she was his.
And that meant he had to keep her safe.
And in his life.
No matter what.