Page 49 of Jerry's Passion (Insurgents MC Romance)
The nurse came in to replace Ricky’s empty IV bag with a new one. She smiled at Kylie. “He’s a lucky man. Are you his girlfriend?”
“No, we’re just really good friends. I’m so glad those hikers came across him. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost him.” She didn’t add that what had happened was her fault because her stalker thought she had something with Ricky. She couldn’t let the asshole get away with it. Being raised with a dad in an outlaw club, she knew the guy would slither away for a while. He hadn’t planned on Ricky surviving, so he’d lay low. She’d even bet he was long gone from Crested Peak.
“Your friend is going to be fine. A couple days in the hospital for observation and to get his fluids back, and he’ll be able to go home.”
She nodded. The nurse made some notes on a clipboard that hung on the foot of the bed, and then left the room. Kylie stood up and stretched her arms above her head. Leaning over, she placed a kiss on Ricky’s forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” she whispered.
As she gathered her purse and car keys, a couple in their forties entered the room. The dark-haired woman had Ricky’s eyes and mouth. Kylie guessed they were his parents, so she extended her arm. “Hi, I’m Kylie. I’m a good friend of Ricky’s.”
Mrs. Lanning shook her hand and scanned Kylie’s face. “Ricky speaks highly of you.”
She blushed. “The nurse just left, but she said he’s doing real well and will probably leave the hospital in a couple days. I’m so glad.”
His mother nodded as his father cleared his throat. “Do you know who the man is who hurt our son?”
“No. I wish I did. I’m sure the past several days have been rough for both of you.”
“You can’t even imagine,” Mrs. Lanning said as she stroked Ricky’s forehead.
An awkward silence spread around them. “Where are you staying?” Kylie asked.
“The Silver Spruce Motel,” Mr. Lanning said. Kylie bit the inside of her cheek to keep her wicked smile from her lips. “It’s very nice.”
“I heard it is.” Kylie slung her purse over her shoulder. “I was just leaving. It was nice meeting you. I’ll be by in the morning to see Ricky.” She walked out of the room and made her way to the elevators.
Back in her dorm room, she updated Taylor on Ricky’s condition. When she told her who’d done this to him, Taylor’s mouth dropped open. “Girl, if you don’t tell your dad, I will. This is some real scary shit like you see in the movies, only this is real life. What a sick fuck. It’s a damn good thing school’s almost out. At least you’ll have the distance for the next three months.”
“I know. And I’m calling my dad straight away. I just have one more week then I’m home. Ricky’s parents are here, so they’ll take him back to Denver when he’s released from the hospital.”
“I wonder what’ll happen with his finals. The whole thing sucks.”
“The school is giving him an Incomplete in his classes for now, and he can take the finals when he feels better over the summer. What a fucking drag. I’d invited him to come see me in Pinewood during the summer. I hope he will. And you have to come see me too.”
“I plan to. I’m taking it easy this summer. What’re you doing?”
“I’m looking for a job. I want to earn my own money, and I’m still not all that comfortable with Belle being my stepmom. It still seems weird, but I pretend it’s cool for my dad’s sake. I mean, itiscool—for him. I’m happy he found someone. He’s not as grumpy.” She laughed.
“It took me a long time to get used to my stepdad, but now we get along fine. He’ll never replace my dad, but he doesn’t want to, and when I really understood that, everything just fell into place. Give it some time.”
“I am. It’ll be nice when the baby comes. I never thought I’d be a big sister.”
The two girls chatted well into the late-night hours. Later, as Kylie lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, she let herself be happy. For the past several days, anxiety took center stage, but Ricky had been found, so she could cherish and linger on the memories of her awesome night with Jerry at the motel. It was the happiest she’d been in a very long time. She felt a deep connection between them, and the way she’d catch him staring at her when he didn’t know she was looking told her he felt it too.
She was beginning to fall hard for him, and she knew that was dangerous. She’d been around bikers her whole life, and they were “fuck ‘em and leave ‘em” type of men. Kylie was lucky to have a wonderful dad who’d never cheated on her mom, and she knew he would be true to Belle, but he was quite the anomaly in the outlaw biker world. The way the men played musical pussy with the club women made her head spin. She had no business even entertaining the notion of falling in love with Jerry. He was a runaround, a man who liked easy sex and a lot of it. She was his fantasy come true, just like he was hers. But after the novelty wore off, he’d move on.
Her insides lurched when she thought of him with the club girls. She’d hoped he wasn’t screwing them, but she didn’t have any claim on him. He was a free agent.Stop doing this to yourself. You’re having a great time with him. Take it for what it is.Kylie covered her eyes with her arm.But I want more. I want all of him. I want him to fall hopelessly in love with me, and never want anyone but me. Stop it! You’re acting like you’re still in high school.
Jerry was a womanizer, and she’d given her body to him—and was loving every minute of it. But she was determined not to give him her heart so he could trample on it.
After all, she knew how bikers were with women.
Chapter Nineteen
“This fucking deadman drives a purple Corvette and, according to Kylie’s friend who this asshole beat up, he has a big-ass cobra tat on his right arm. He’s been scaring my little girl, and the way he’s acting tells me this isn’t some random shit. He’s targeted her, and I want the fucker dead, but not before I have a ‘talk’ with him.” Banger’s blue eyes flashed, waves of anger emanating from him.
“How long’s this been going on?” Jerry asked tightly. He tried to act pissed in the same way all the other members were, not in the way a man crazy over a woman would be. He was one step ahead of Banger, because he was gonna cut the sonofabitch’s balls off and stuff them in his goddamned mouth.
“Apparently for about a month or so. I wish Kylie would’ve told me right away. The fucker would be nothing more than dust. Damn, she should’ve known better than to keep this to herself.”
