Remember Ramsey by Cynthia Eden

Chapter Ten

Observation notes: I think someone followed me today. It was strange. I felt this prickle in the back of my neck, and I kept looking back, but no one was there.

I know the people at Ramsey’s are dangerous. I’d be a fool not to know that. I also know that Ramsey put out an order of protection for me. No one is supposed to so much as touch me while that order is in place.

I asked him how long the order would last. He said…forever.

So why do I feel like someone is after me?

***

He lifted her against him. Her legs curled around his waist. The delicate fabric of her pajama shorts rode up, and she could feel the rough denim of his jeans against her thighs. He pulled his mouth from hers. Began to kiss a heated path down her neck as she arched against him.

We’ve done this before. The knowledge settled fully within her, and it made her want him all the more. Her heart raced, her body quivered, and she wanted to rip off his clothes and jump him, right there.

Considering the way that her legs were clamped around his hips, maybe she was jumping him and…so what? She wanted this. Wanted him.

He carried her back into the house. Took her to his bedroom. Lowered her carefully onto the bed. He loomed over her and braced his hand near her head. His eyes were so dark and deep, and Whitney could not look away.

“You need to be sure.” His voice was guttural. “I let you go once. I can’t have you and do it again.”

There it was. The possessive edge in his voice. And when he kissed her once more, the possessiveness was there, too. His mouth was harder, more dominant, pulling out a response she was only too eager to give him.

His left hand slid between their bodies. Easily undid the small line of buttons on her pajama top and opened it.

But when his fingers pressed to her skin, she jolted.

“Whitney?”

“I…” Her body was different now. Breasts bigger and more swollen. Waist and stomach expanding.

“I’ll be careful,” he promised. “I swear, I won’t hurt you.”

She hadn’t thought he would. Before she could say anything, he was pulling back. He stripped her with careful, tender motions. There were faint calluses on the tips of his fingers, but somehow that small bit of roughness just aroused her all the more.

He stared at her body when she was naked. He still had on his jeans and t-shirt, and she wanted those gone. A flash of vulnerability hit her as she lay spread before him, and his eyes slid over every inch of her body.

He’d see the changes from the pregnancy. No baggy clothes could hide her. No—

“You are beautiful.” He leaned forward. Pressed a tender kiss to the curve of her stomach. Another.

Tears pricked her eyes. She was just emotional. Hormones. That was why she had to blink so quickly and not because…

I missed him.

His hands slid between her legs. Pushed her thighs farther apart. “I missed you.” His words, but for a moment, it seemed he might be echoing her.

No, no, I didn’t say my words out loud. I didn’t—

His fingers teased her core. Stroked over her clit and had her breath sawing out. “Ram!”

“Love the way you say my name.” He was on the bed. Between her legs. And then his head lowered and his mouth took her.

Her ankles dug into the mattress as a surge of heat flooded through her whole body. He licked and savored her. Lapped her up even as his fingers dipped inside of her. His tongue teased her clit, working her over and over again, and his fingers were ever so careful as he stretched her and pushed into—

Pleasure erupted. She shoved her hips up against him as the orgasm ripped through her. It was wave after wave of release that surged and surged, and she felt the powerful release in every inch of her body.

When she could breathe normally and when she could open the eyes she’d tightly squeezed closed, she looked at him.

He stared back at her with an expression that was absolutely savage. “Now,” Ramsey demanded, “you choose.”

She did what? Uh, hadn’t she already made a choice? She was naked and quaking in front of him.

“I can’t have you and let go again. If you give yourself to me, there is no going back.”

What was she going back to? The emptiness of not knowing what the hell had happened to her life? Whitney shook her head.

His jaw locked. His lips thinned. Pain flashed in his eyes. “I understand.”

He climbed from the bed.

Her hand flew out and curled around his wrist. “I don’t think you do.”

He stared at her hand. A shudder worked along the length of his body.

“You need to choose,” Whitney told him. “I already made my choice. That’s why I’m the naked one. Seems like I tend to get naked with you a lot while you stay all prudish and dressed.”

His eyebrows flew up. “Prudish? I just had my mouth on your clit, baby. And I want to eat you up again and again.”

She flushed. He wasn’t going to distract her. Okay, he is, but… “You give yourself to me, and there is no going back.” Those had been his words. Now they were hers. “You don’t get to pull away because you think you’re too dangerous or because you think you know what’s best. We start over because that’s what we have to do. You remember, I don’t, so we just go forward, and we see what works and what doesn’t.” She rose to her knees. Faced him. “Maybe we’ll be amazing. Maybe we’ll be tragic. But we both agree to try and see how this thing ends.”

He took a step away from her and broke the grip that she had on his wrist. Whitney bit her lip and waited.

Ramsey whipped his shirt over his head. His muscles flexed and tensed with the movements. His hand went to the front of his jeans. He yanked open the button and hauled down the zipper.

His dick was thick, long, and bobbing toward her. She wanted it in her. But…

Her gaze rose back to his chest. He closed the distance between them, and her fingers reached for one of the long scars that sliced over his skin. “From a knife?” She thought it was. That one, as well as the others she saw on him. Except for the round one near his side. That looked like a bullet wound. And he had tats on his chest. Different swirling tats. Beautiful and dark.

“Doesn’t hurt me anymore, baby.”

She was stroking one of his scars. Whitney leaned forward and brushed her mouth over it. “I hate someone hurt you.”

He sucked in a breath. “That’s exactly what you told me before.”

It was?

“No one but my brother ever gave a shit if I hurt or not…until you.” One hand slid under her chin and tipped her head up. “We won’t be fucking tragic. No one will hurt you. I swear it. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again.”

His mouth swept over hers. His tongue thrust into her mouth, and she closed her eyes because she wanted him to be right. She didn’t want anything bad happening to either of them, but the truth was…

The world was full of bad things. Good things, bad things, and everything in between. Safety wasn’t promised for anyone.

He released her, and she slid over in the bed to make room for him. But instead of reaching for her once more, Ramsey stretched out on the bed.

She crouched beside him as her knees pressed into the mattress.

“I want you on top.” His voice was a sensual rumble. “I don’t want to go too hard or deep. You show me what you want.”

He kept worrying about hurting her. “My doctor said sex was fine. Normal.”

A low laugh came from him. “Sex between us is never just fine.”

No, she didn’t think it was. Based on the release that still sent little aftershocks through her, Whitney thought that sex between them might just be mind-blowing.

“Come here,” he ordered. He tugged her toward him.

She climbed on him. Straddled his hips. Felt the wide head of his cock push toward the entrance to her body. Her hands pressed against his rock-hard abs as she tried to brace her body.

“Take as much as you want, sweetheart,” he growled. “I’m yours.”

If only.

The thought was fleeting and caused a pang within her. But then she was slowly sinking onto him. He was filling her, inch by delicious inch, and there wasn’t any more time for deep thoughts. There wasn’t time for anything but the raw need and passion that stirred between them. More and more and more…she took. He held himself still beneath her. All heat and strength. She rocked her hips as she took ever more. Her head tipped back, and a pleasure-filled moan escaped from her because he filled her so well.

His hand moved down. His fingers pressed over her. Strummed her clit.

Whitney’s movements became harder. More frantic. She took even more of him.

Her knees pushed into the mattress as she kept rocking up and down. His guttural growls urged her on, and there was no stopping or holding back. Pleasure snapped through her as a second orgasm rocked her and she choked out his name.

He erupted right after her. A long surge spilled inside of her even as she greedily clamped her inner muscles around his cock. He roared her name, and she collapsed on top of him.

Their hearts were racing together. Breaths panting. His arms closed around her, and he held her against him, and it all just felt so right.

Maybe…maybe it could be. Maybe they could be.

“Did I hurt you?”

She smiled but he couldn’t see it. “No.” Though she might have given him lots of scratches. He was still inside of her. Still, um, getting hard again?

“I missed you,” he said.

She squeezed her inner muscles around him once more. “I can tell.” He’d said there hadn’t been anyone else since she vanished. Her head lifted. She smiled at him. “How can I miss someone that I didn’t remember?”

His expression…Ramsey? For just a moment, there had been something else there. But when he’d realized she was looking at him, it had vanished. She could have sworn that she’d just seen—

Longing?

“Easy enough to do,” he rumbled. “I missed you my whole life and we’d never even met.”

She sucked in a breath. Stared into his eyes and said, “You do that.”

“Do what?”

“You say sweet things that I don’t expect from you.”

He smiled. “Want a secret?”

I want every single one you possess.

“I’m only sweet with you. With everyone else, I’m a complete bastard.” His hips pushed up.

Pleasure shot through her. “Why…why am I the lucky one?”

His eyes gleamed. “You’ll figure it out. Soon enough. But for now, I want to fuck you again.”

“Excellent plan.” She licked her lips. “Genius.”

“So glad you think so…”

***

She’d eventually fallen asleep in his arms. He’d drifted off, too. And he’d been as close to heaven as a guy like him could ever hope to get.

She didn’t have any other moaning dreams. A pity. But then again, he’d had her doing plenty of moaning before she’d fallen back to sleep.

He had Whitney back in his bed. In his life. He didn’t plan to let her go anytime soon. Or anytime at all. He’d started making arrangements yesterday, as soon as he’d learned about the baby. It wouldn’t be easy, but in the end, Ramsey would have what he wanted.

He just had to take care of a few bloody details first.

Carefully, he slipped from the bed. The glowing clock told him it was nearing seven a.m., and they’d be having a visitor soon. He needed to go over duties and details. Then Ramsey would have to break the news to Whitney. She would be having a bodyguard when he wasn’t around. Her safety had to come first.

After a quick shower, he dressed, and his gaze only darted to Whitney’s sexy form in the bed about a dozen times. She looked as if she belonged in his bed.

Then again, she always had.

She was the only woman he’d ever brought to his house. She was also the only woman who’d ever gotten into his heart.

When Jag knocked on the door ten minutes later, Ramsey was ready for him. He waved in his right-hand guy and ignored the worried glances that Jag kept giving him.

“Got a new assignment for you today,” Ramsey told him. “And I cannot stress to you just how important this job will be.”

Jag straightened. “Who the hell are we taking out?” A tigerish grin slid over his face. “Is it that jerk Malles who thinks he’s going to take over territory in—”

“I want you guarding Whitney Augustine.”

“What?” Jag frowned at Ramsey. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“Because I’ll be paying you to do that.” Jag was one of the best fighters he knew. The man was brutal to enemies. A true force to be reckoned with. And he was one of the few people Ramsey trusted. Well, semi-trusted. “I want you and Darius on this. When you’re not tailing her, he will be.”

“We’re the best two men you’ve got!” Jag’s face mottled.

“Absolutely.” That was why he was giving them the job. “Now keep your voice down.”

“What? Why the hell would I keep—”

“Because Whitney is sleeping, and I don’t want you waking her up.”

Jag gaped. “Sleeping? Here?”

“Someone torched her house last night.” He’d filled Darius in on the details already. Darius was currently meeting with the PD—the cops that Ramsey had an, um, working relationship with—to get the latest intel. “She was inside at the time. So was I.”

“Damn.” Jag plopped down on the couch. “What dumb bastard are we about to kill?”

“Darius is working on that right now.”

Jag dragged a hand across his face. As always, he was completely clean shaven. “You didn’t see anyone? You don’t have any suspects?”

“There’s someone I’ll be talking with this morning.” He inclined his head toward Jag. “That’s why you will be staying with Whitney.”

“She doesn’t remember me, man. I saw that at the bar. Not a flicker of recognition on her face. I’m not thinking she’ll be real comfortable with a stranger dodging her steps.”

“I can deal with her lack of comfort. I can’t deal with someone hurting her. Whitney will remain safe.”

Jag glanced around. “So, like, are the two of you an item again?”

“Yes.”

Jag’s wide gaze jumped back to him. “That was fast.”

“We are one hundred percent an item. You can let that word spread.” This time, it would not be a secret. This time, everyone would learn he’d destroy the world for her. “You can also make sure that everyone knows that any insult to her is an insult to me.”

“Uh, Ramsey…” Jag frowned. “I thought you were staying away from her. Pretty sure you told me that was the plan not even a week ago when you were slamming down shots as fast as I could line them up.”

His hands went to his hips. “The plan changed.”

Footsteps padded down the hallway. Shit. Be dressed. Don’t be in those sexy pajamas. But, hell, her clothes hadn’t been delivered yet and—

She came into the den. Saw him and a wide smile spread across her face. Her green eyes gleamed.

She’s happy to see me.

No one was ever happy to see him. Most people ran when they saw him. Not Whitney.

“Hope you don’t mind,” she said, a little bit shyly, “but I borrowed your robe.”

The robe swallowed her. And she still looked sexy as hell. “You can have anything of mine that you want.” He meant it.

“Ahem.” Jag cleared his throat. Twice.

Whitney’s eyes flared and her gaze flew toward him.

She hadn’t even realized he was there. Normally, Whitney was a whole lot more situationally aware.

“Uh, hello.” She tucked her hands into the pockets of the robe even as a faint blush stained her cheeks. “You’re the bartender, right? I, uh, saw you at Ramsey’s.”

“Jag is one hell of a lot more than just a bartender. He’s been with me for years. Knows my business inside and out. And he’s the dirtiest fighter you’ll ever meet.”

“Aw, you say the sweetest things,” Jag mocked.

“I tell Ramsey that very thing, too.” But Whitney wasn’t mocking.

Ramsey actually did say sweet shit to her. When it came to Whitney, he couldn’t help himself. The woman deserved to hear those kinds of things.

Jag frowned at her. “You tell him what?”

“That he says sweet things—”

Yeah, time to divert the conversation. “Jag is going to be your bodyguard when I can’t be close. He and another associate of mine, Darius, will switch out so that you aren’t left alone.”

Anger flashed on her delicate features. “Ramsey! We talked about this.” The full force of her gorgeous glare was on him. “I told you that I can’t have a bodyguard trailing around while I’m working on campus. That’s just not an option—”

It was the only option. “I called in Jag because he knows how to keep a low profile.”

“The lowest,” Jag assured her. He’d risen to his feet. He did give her a quick smile.

She didn’t look reassured by it. Probably because it was still tigerish.

“Jag can blend,” Ramsey tried to reassure her. “He can stay in the periphery, and if he spots trouble coming, he can step into action immediately.” Just like Darius could. They’d watched his back and saved his ass plenty of times over the years. “He and Darius have been my bodyguards, and they’ve kept me alive.”

She took three hurried steps toward him. “When were you in danger?”

“Oh, that’s cute,” Jag said. “He’s always in danger.”

Ramsey sent him a hard stare that clearly said not now. “This isn’t a negotiable point,” Ramsey explained as he turned back toward Whitney. “Until I find out who torched your place, you will have protection.”

“And neither one of us actually believes it was War.” She huffed out a breath.

“War?” Jag’s shoulders straightened. “Tell me we are not talking about that jackass War Channing. Prick always thinks he’s so freaking perfect.”

“That would be the jackass in question,” Ramsey stated flatly. Jag was right. War always did think he was perfect. Drove Ramsey up the wall.

“And we think War is involved in what went down at her place?” Jag made a fist and then drove it into his opposite palm. “Please let me question him. It can be my early Christmas present or something.”

“I’ll be questioning him.” He’d already said where Jag would be heading.

“I need coffee before dealing with this,” Whitney announced. She turned on her heel and marched for the kitchen. “With that really good cream you keep for me.”

Wait. She remembered that he kept that cream for her?

Curious, he followed her and was aware of Jag trailing behind, too. “I could go for coffee,” Jag muttered.

Inside the kitchen, Ramsey halted. Whitney had just opened the cabinet that contained the coffee mugs. She plucked three down, then reached for the drawer with his spoons. She pulled them out before snagging the specialty coffee grounds that he kept sealed inside—

She stopped. Swallowed. Her gaze rose to meet his. “How did I know where everything was?”

He smiled at her. “Guessing my place seems familiar, huh?”

Hope lit her gaze, and it was a beautiful thing. No, she was beautiful.

“My memory is coming back.” She put down the coffee, ran for him, and tossed her arms around his neck. “My memory is coming back!”

His arms closed around her.

***

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Jag demanded as he followed Ramsey down the stairs that led to the beach.

Ramsey had a backpack slung over one shoulder. In the bag? Whitney’s laptop. Her clothing and essential supplies had been delivered, and when she’d gone to shower and change, he’d slipped the laptop into his bag. He had an appointment to keep—several of them—so it was time to be on his way. “She agreed to protection.” Reluctantly, she’d agreed. “When she’s ready, you take her to work. You stay in the background, but if you see any danger, you rip the threatening sonofabitch apart.” Seemed simple enough to him.

“No, man, I’m talking about you. The way I saw you acting in there…” The lines near his mouth deepened. “You’re doing it again.”

His shoulders stiffened. “It?”

“Getting all wrapped up in her. I don’t get it. I mean, sure, fucking is always fun—”

He lunged forward and grabbed Jag around the shoulders. “Watch the mouth. Now.”

“What? Since when is fucking a bad word—”

“You don’t say anything negative about her. No one does. Thought I’d made it clear before that she was off-limits. In case you were confused, let me repeat…Whitney is mine. No one says or does anything that causes so much as a flicker of unease to come into her life, got me?”

“What the hell, Ramsey? Why are you threatening me? I’m one of your best friends!”

He didn’t let Jag go.

“Fine,” Jag spat. “Got it. I will use only soft words and my sweetest voice with your delicate flower, is that good enough for you?”

Ramsey smiled. “That’s just fucking wonderful.”

Jag’s eyes narrowed.

Ramsey let him go and turned for his motorcycle. He’d be picking up a new ride before he returned to Whitney’s side.

“So if she’s not supposed to have even a flicker of unease, how does that measure with the shit that happened to her before?” Jag’s curious voice drifted after Ramsey. “The people who hurt her are in jail, but if you’re telling the world she’s your lady and you don’t go after them, you let them just sit behind bars, it’s gonna make you look weak.”

Now it was Ram’s turn to smile. He glanced over his shoulder so that Jag could see his face—and his intent. “What makes you think I don’t plan to go after them?”

“Uh, Ram…”

“Killing is easy, and it’s certainly something I have considered.” He’d even gotten in the jail. Stood outside their cells and thought about how simple it would be to kill the people who’d hurt her. “But you know what’s worse than death? Losing everything that matters in your life. Staying behind bars until you die. Waking up each morning and knowing that the other prisoners are going to come for you and that today might be another day when they beat the hell out of you.” His cold grin stretched ever more. “That’s worse. That’s what they deserve.”

“But…how do you know…are you sure they’ll be convicted?”

“They’re not getting away.” There was more than enough evidence to hold them. He knew. He’d seen every bit of it. And once they were in prison…there were plenty of people behind bars that would be happy to help Ramsey make their lives miserable.

“You are a cold bastard, you know that?”

“Thanks for noticing.” He climbed onto the bike.

“Does she know that?’

His fingers tightened around the handlebars. Ramsey didn’t answer. He drove the hell away as his motorcycle’s engine snarled.