Challenge Accepted (Eternal Combat Book 1), page 17
Riley explored his body. She could feel the hard muscles at his waist as she reached beneath the well-worn fabric of his t-shirt, making her own demands. She kissed him hard, and he took another step into her, holding her against him. Lowering her onto his bed, somehow his mouth never left her skin, and Riley didn't try to fight it. She shoved at the heel of one foot with the toe of the other, prying her shoes off while groping his rock hard body like a teenager.
"Logan?" she breathed.
He paused, meeting her eyes. "I'm gonna have you," he whispered.
"Good. Don't fucking stop."
"Oh, hell no," he swore, fumbling at his pants.
Riley pushed him away just enough to reach behind her back and release the clasp of her bra, catching glimpses of his body as she struggled free. His mouth attacked her throat and clavicle, hot and moist against her skin. Now it was her jeans that constrained her, and she pried loose the button before grabbing the edges and wrenching the zipper open. Lifting her hips, she shoved the denim lower.
Logan was faster. His clothes were already scattered on the floor when he caught her, holding her hips up with one hand, the other escorting her jeans lower. His kisses traced a line down her belly, and his eyes sought hers. When they met, one corner of his lip twitched up briefly before he gave in and let her yank him down beside her. She pushed at his shoulder, trying to turn him onto his back, but he resisted.
"Stop trying to win, Riley."
"No." Then she tossed a leg across his hip and pushed him back.
He smiled devilishly. Grabbing her thigh, it only took one tug to settle her across his body. Logan tried to act as if it'd been his idea the entire time.
She could feel him beneath her, so hard, and shifted, enjoying the tease of metal. With one hand pinning down his muscular chest, she shoved him deep inside, knowing exactly how ready she was. Logan groaned in pleasure and thrust his hips up, proving he hadn't given up control.
Slowly, teasingly, she slid away before taking all of him again. Pleasing a man was something she knew how to do. Getting herself off was even easier. Closing her eyes for only a moment, she savored the sensation of that pretty little piece of steel, yet was unwilling to miss the look on his beautiful face. It was like fucking a damned Greek god. Every muscle was outlined perfectly, every angle chiseled. Even more shocking was that he was hers. Her own Adonis, here to make her happy.
And Logan enjoyed his defeat. His eyes slipped closed as he relaxed into the bed, his arms crossed over his head. When he moaned, begging for more, she gave it, riding him hard but slow. Tilting back just enough, she pressed him against that oh so sweet spot inside her, grinding her hips as her hand slid down her body. Brazenly, she traced her own sensitive bundle of nerves. The god beneath her let his eyes open, watching, not daring to stop her while he enjoyed the show.
She was panting hard. Beneath her, he tensed. His abs flexed and he filled her completely. Riley gave in, reveling in her conquest. She had him. For this moment, he was all hers, and she was about to get herself off so hard, but Logan had other plans.
Without warning, he grabbed her arms, shifted, and pushed her onto her back. Before she could resist, he picked up the rhythm she'd set, taking control. One hand twined with her fingers, the other clasped her wrist, holding her against his bed. Her play toy had just changed all the rules. His hips rocked so close, deep, driving against the top of her cleft, daring her to enjoy it. His pelvis ground against her with each stroke, igniting her body in ways that shouldn't be possible. She bit back the need to groan. If this was a challenge, she was losing, but he knew how to make her not care.
He didn't look wonderstruck. He didn't look needy. He looked like he planned to conquer her, and he made no effort to mask it. Logan pushed harder, his muscles rippling against her, knowing exactly what he was doing to her body. His breath was rough and rasping, filling the silence around her muted moans. He had complete control and was taunting her, waiting for her to try and take it back.
But she didn't. It was something about the look in his eyes, wanting nothing more than to give her what she deserved, worshiping every moan, drowning in her presence, that changed everything. He didn't treat her as a prize to win, he treated her like his equal – one he knew could best him.
She pulled free to grab at his shoulders, letting his body tether her mind to her whirling emotions. Logan wasn't fucking her. It was so much more, and it felt so damned good. With every thrust, she held him just a bit tighter, begging with her hands, surrendering a little. Each time, he slid deeper inside her, creating a rift in the imaginary walls she hid behind with agonizing pleasure.
His body stroked her higher. His eyes took in everything. She knew he could see all the vulnerabilities she'd kept hidden, and didn't give a shit. He wanted something else from her. He wanted all of her. He honestly wanted her.
Twining her legs through his, Riley stopped trying to win. She stopped fighting the inevitable. Panting, sweating, writhing, they lost themselves in the carnal needs of their bodies until all she knew was sensation. The sheets beneath her. The sound of his breath. The crisp smell of his skin. The burn of her cries in the back of her throat. Surrendering to the pleasures he created, she held nothing back until she exploded. Coming as hard as she ever had, it was his name that found her lips. Logan buried his face in her neck and thrust again, then again, then one last time, her body locked so close to his as he growled, relishing the intensity of his release.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. All she could do was breathe, trying to understand why being with him was so different. Then he gently caressed her shoulder and shifted. With a satisfied smile on her lips, she accepted her defeat and snuggled close to his bare chest, listening to his heart pound as he withdrew.
"Riley?" he asked as he moved to her side.
"Just take it," she muttered, filled with contentment.
"Yeah," he sighed, pulling her close. "Is it going to be a challenge every time I'm with you?"
She pulled open her eyes and looked at his near perfect lips, her gaze slowly, languidly, working higher. "Maybe," she said softly, "but I don't mind losing to you. I'll learn to stop fighting one day."
He nodded, a tender look on his face, and pulled her close again. "I can wait for that. So what comes next?"
"Mm," she mumbled, enjoying the way his arms felt around her. "You're going to have to help rearrange the living room."
"What?"
"Yeah. And buy a desk. It gets hot in front of that window in the summer."
He chuckled as he held her just a bit closer, then kissed the top of her head. "Are you asking me to move in?"
"No," she admitted. "But we both know it's going to happen, and you did ask what's next."
"I can handle that." He rolled onto his back. "I was thinking PR, but I like the way you think better."
She lifted her head and propped it on her elbow, looking down at him. "Just don't make me look like I'm only in this for a damned man?"
"Never. I want to make sure everyone knows QQ is mine, but I'm not that big of an ass. I can wait."
She giggled. "Winning the game isn't enough, you want to get the girl, too."
"I already got the girl, Riley. You're still not running."
"No, Logan. I'm not." She hoped she never would.
Chapter 20
The sun glared in her rearview mirror the whole way home the next morning, and the eastbound lane was just a parking lot of traffic. Luckily, Riley was headed in the opposite direction. By the time she made it back to her own small town, the sun was well above the horizon. Kitty should have already fed the horses before heading to her classes, taking the truck with her.
Driving up the rickety country road, Riley heard a squeal and wondered if the brakes were going bad. It didn't stop and even got louder when she pulled into the drive. She turned off the car, cracking the door to figure out what it was, listening intently. The whine came again. This time, without the radio drowning out everything behind it, she knew it was an animal.
Phone in hand, she rushed toward the cries. It was coming from her front door! For a moment everything was silent, then it started again, sounding like a dog, but one that was severely hurt. Walking softly but quickly, not wanting to startle an injured animal, she rounded the corner.
Across the door, scrawled in blood, were the words, "Die bitch." On its side, laying under the threat, was a screaming puppy; a huge gash in its side exposed what looked like intestines.
"Hey," she whispered, swiping at her phone. "You're ok, little one."
The dog thumped it's tail and cried again, but didn't show any signs of aggression. Riley scrolled through her list of contacts and pressed the number for the vet, wishing they'd pick up faster with each ring.
"Veterinary Clinic, this is Amanda."
"Riley Andrews. I have an injured dog on my front porch. Looks like possibly a knife wound, goes through the abdominal wall." They knew her name. Riley did enough business there that most of them even recognized her voice.
"Can you bring it in?"
"Yeah, just wanted to give you a head's up. It's not mine, and I have no history on it."
"Ok. You know you'll be responsible for the bill, right?"
"Yeah," Riley said, reaching down to pet the poor things head. It tried to wag and started screaming.
"Oh, that sounds bad. Ok. Come right in."
"Be there in fifteen." She hung up. "Ok, Now we have to get you fixed up," she told the dog, glancing once more at the door.
After snapping a few pictures of both the puppy and the threat, she picked up the poor thing as carefully as she could and hurried back to the car. She lay it on the passenger seat, not even worrying about the blood, then pulled out her phone again. While she backed out of the drive, she sent the pictures to Logan. She rarely texted while driving, but this was something that couldn't wait. The puppy needed help, and she had a death threat on her door!
She was almost at the vet when her phone rang. It was Logan. The puppy was still screaming at each bump in the road.
"Can't talk now, I won't hear a thing you say. I'll call you back in just a minute." Then she ended the call.
At the vet, Riley pulled right to the front of the clinic and turned the car off, leaving the keys in it as she rushed to the other side.
"Hey, little one," she cooed, opening the door.
The poor dog just looked up at her, blood still seeping from its side. Carefully sliding her arms around it, trying not to hurt it anymore than it already was, she carried it toward the clinic. The receptionist opened the door, holding it while Riley passed inside.
"Second exam room, Riley. He's expecting you," Amanda said.
"Thanks!" Riley didn't bother slowing.
She walked around the corner and pushed the door open with her hip, laying the dog on the table. When she pulled her hands away, the puppy tried to lick at her arm, showing its appreciation in the only way it could.
"Where did you find this?" Dr. Ingram asked as he walked in.
"On my porch. Pretty sure it's human related from the message on my door."
"Damn it, Riley. You call the cops?"
She shook her head. "Not yet. You going to be able to save it?"
"Him, and yeah, but it won't be cheap. There's a lot of dog to put back together here. It's realistic to euthanize the poor thing to put it out of its misery."
She sighed. "How much?"
"Eight hundred? Maybe a thousand? I won't know until I'm further in."
She nodded. "Can you give me about thirty days to pay it off?"
"Yeah," he said. "You're good for it. Let's knock him out and see what we can do to make him better. Go tell Amanda. She'll want some information."
"Thanks, Doc," Riley breathed, caressing the boxy little head.
She was just leaving the exam room when her phone rang. She'd forgotten to call Logan! He had to be in a panic. She swiped at the screen, leaving a red mark along it, and answered.
"I just got the pup to the vet," she said as a greeting.
"Are you ok?" He sounded worried.
"Yeah. I found him when I pulled in. They mutilated the puppy to leave a damned threat on my door."
"A death threat, Riley! You call the cops?"
"No," she said for the second time that day. "The door will wait, the dog wouldn't."
"I'm coming over." It sounded like he was already walking.
"I'm fine, Logan, and you have clients." She sighed. "Speaking of that, you think I'll have a payout in thirty days?"
"Yeah. About that. Why?"
"Probably going to cost a thousand bucks for the dog."
He chuckled. "Is it cute?"
"Yeah. And just a damned puppy. Maybe a little pit mix or something."
"You keeping it?"
She huffed out a wry laugh. She hadn't planned on it, but there's no way she'd do anything else. "Yeah. If it lives through this."
"K. Can I talk to the vet people?"
"Vet people? Why?"
"Riley, just hand the phone to whoever is at the front desk and don't be a pain in the ass?"
"My phone is covered in blood. I'm not handing it to anyone!"
"Then text me the number to the clinic?"
"Ok. What are you doing?" she asked.
"Being a fucking good guy. I'll call you back."
The line went dead and she shrugged. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at her, the question obvious. Riley just held up one finger and forwarded the contact number to Logan before she answered.
"My boyfriend, I have no idea, and he's going to call."
Amanda nodded with a grin. "Gotcha," she said as the phone rang. "Veterinary Clinic, this is Amanda. Yes. Riley's dog, yeah. Yeah, she's here. Ok. You sure? Well, I can do that. Yeah. Ok, give me the number." A long pause while Amanda typed something into the computer. "Ok. CCV? Yeah. And expiration? Gotcha. I'll let her know." She laughed and glanced up at Riley, still talking. "No, Mr. Weiss, she won't kill me. I make no promises for you. Yes, sir. Have a nice day."
Riley just shook her head. "He's paying the damned bill, isn't he?"
"Yep," Amanda said. "Told me to tell you that dating a big shot has its privileges, stop complaining, and he's doing it for the dog. I like this guy."
"Yeah," she said, leaning her head on the counter. "Me too. Think Doc's going to have a prognosis anytime soon, or should I just go home and wait?"
"Lemme check." She pushed away from the desk, heading to the back.
Riley pulled out her phone and began to type a message to Logan.
RILEY: Thanks. I appreciate it.
LOGAN: You said it's cute. Thanks for not making me feel like a dick. I'm still coming over.
RILEY: I'm still at the vet clinic.
LOGAN: Ok. Stay there till I get there? Tell Kitty not to go home?
RILEY: K. You think this is a real threat?
LOGAN: Always. I'm heading to talk to Mike right now. Just don't go home alone, ok? Promise?
RILEY: Promise. I need to call Kitty!
She tried but, checking the time, she realized Kitty would be in the middle of class with her phone silenced. Riley sent her a text instead and hoped she'd get it. The realization of what happened was just starting to sink in when Amanda walked back in and handed her a box of baby wipes.
"For the phone. Dr. Ingram wants to know if anyone's at your place."
"No, Logan's coming. He wants me to wait here."
"Yeah. Doc said the same. The puppy's going to make it. He'll probably have a nasty scar. Said he's about twelve weeks old, and he's going to be a big dog. Right around a hundred pounds when he's all grown up."
"Any guess what kind?" Riley asked.
Amanda shrugged. "Hard to be sure. Pit mix, maybe Rottweiler, possibly Cane Corso? Bully breed, that's for sure. You want us to place him?"
"No," Riley assured her. "I'll keep him. He's big enough the drafts won't make him into a pancake, and it's been too quiet around the place since we lost Anvil. I don't think he's very aggressive, either."
Amanda shook her head. "No. That's probably why they picked him. What happened, Riley?"
She shrugged and sank into one of the chairs, then pulled out a wipe and did her best to remove the blood on everything while she spoke. "I don't know. I was at Logan's last night and pulled in to find the dog – and a threat on my door."
"Bad?"
Riley glanced up as she answered. "Die bitch? Could be just teens pranking."
Amanda cringed. "You want to risk it?"
"No," she said. "Logan's freaked, and he's got me all paranoid now."
"Good! You think it's those gamers you hang out with?"
Riley just laughed. "No. More likely horse people than gamers. They tend to be a bit more... I dunno... virtual. If a gamer wanted to ruin me, it'd be on YouTube, not my door."
"I guess that makes sense. Go wash your hands and call the cops. Use the second exam room if you'd like."
"Thanks."
She walked into the room and used the sink, trying to wash up to her elbows. There was blood on everything, from her hands to her shirt, to Kitty's car. It was going to be a pain in the ass to get it all clean! Drying her hands with a paper towel, she sat in the hard wood chair and looked up the non-emergency police number, then dialed.
"Police Department," came the voice on the other end.
"I need to report vandalism, or a death threat, or something," Riley said.
The dispatcher politely took her name, address, phone number, and a description of what happened. She promised to send an officer to the house and asked where Riley was at that moment.
"I'm at the vet. The blood donor was a little puppy and still alive on the porch. My attorney wants me to wait here. Is that a problem?"
"No," the dispatcher agreed. "Is there anything else I should have the officer look for?"
