Breaking the Rules (Roaming Devils MC #1) (10 page)

Chapter Eight

Ella curled up on her sofa with Netflix playing, planning to binge watch the afternoon away. She tested positive for strep, so she couldn’t work until she wasn’t contagious anymore. She felt like a fire-breathing dragon and crunched ice cubes to keep her throat from drying out. It hurt to swallow, but she’d survive.

A fist pounding at the door made her cringe. She didn’t want visitors, not that she normally had a lot. Ever since her father got out of the hospital, he and her mother stopped by each time she refused to answer her phone. They didn’t quite get that she was a busy doctor with a non-stop work ethic, but thought she carried on a regular nine-to-five job like everyone else. She got up and opened the door, smiling at her mother, who held a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup and a piece of chocolate cake.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, coming in and heading straight to the little kitchen.

“I’m okay.”

“You don’t look okay.” Her mother reached for her forehead. “You have a fever. You need to be in bed.”

“I’m fine, Mom. Really.”

Her mother didn’t listen. “Come on. I’ll tuck you in and let myself out so you can rest. Do you want me to get you some medicine?”

Ella wrapped her arms around her mom, calming her down. She rested her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes. Her mom squeezed her and smoothed her hand along her back.

“I love you, Mom. Thanks for bringing me chicken noodle soup.”

“Anytime, sweetie. Are you okay by yourself? You can come home with me. Just until you feel better. Or I can stay with you. Daddy won’t care.”

Ella smiled. “No. I’m fine. I had an antibiotic shot earlier. It’s kicking in, so I should be fine in a couple of hours.”

Her mother brushed her hair from her face. “You can always call me if you need me. Any time of the day or night.”

“I know.” She walked her mother to the door. “I’m probably going to watch TV and go to bed. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Her mother hugged her one last time, kissing her cheek before she moved away. “Call me if you need me.”

“I will.”

When she finally left, Ella took a deep breath and pressed her forehead against the closed door, not bothering with all five locks. She didn’t want to tell her mother that she felt drained. Her energy was wiped out and she felt horrible. After getting the bowl and the cake, she carried them to her coffee table and curled up on the couch.

She watched a few episodes of a new series before deciding to go to bed. She felt horrible and the thought of moving, even the short distance between the sofa and the bed, was too much. She didn’t pull off her sweats as she fell face-first onto the mattress. The softness gave her instant comfort. She closed her eyes and curled up with her pillow.

Sometime later a knock at the door woke her. She groaned and got up. She undid the one lock and frowned when she saw a Roaming Devils member on the other side.

“You’re Ella, right?”

“What do you want?”

“It’s Ryker. He’s hurt. Knife wound.” The guy glanced around. “Can you help him?”

Ella stared at him, trying to process what he had said. Ryker was hurt? Her heart sped up as panic set in. A million scenarios ran through her mind, with varying degrees of injury. A small part of her wondered why they didn’t go to the hospital. She knew that he liked to avoid questioning. It should have made her feel used, but the idea that he trusted her enough to take care of him made her feel anything but. “Of course. Where is he?”

The guy whistled and she watched as two of the Roaming Devils rushed up the stairs with a bloody Ryker in their arms. They took him into her apartment and put him on the table. The gaping wound had bled through his white t-shirt. He held his hands over it, groaning in pain. He closed his eyes, avoiding her.

“Do I even want to know what happened?” Ella walked over to him, still feeling horrible from her own sickness. The least he could do was tell her what had happened to cause him to bleed all over her kitchen table. After everything, some explanations would have been nice.

“No.” Ryker groaned.

“Another member didn’t like his change in rank,” the one member said. Three Roaming Devils she didn’t know stared at her, obviously untrusting.

“Look, I’m sick. Stop staring at me. I don’t normally look like this.”

Having no contact for a while was bad enough. He consumed her thoughts, and when she finally stopped thinking about him every second of the day, he showed up on her doorstep, needing her help again. She yanked up his shirt and inspected the gash. The first step was to stop the bleeding. There were so many precautions she needed to take in an effort to keep from spreading disease, but her mind barely comprehended those steps. She needed a mask and gloves. The thought of how he’d gotten stabbed floated through her mind even though relief filled her that he was okay.

“Good to see you’re still alive,” Ella remarked. “It’s going to need a few stitches. I think I have a suture kit. I had to get some from the hospital to take to the clinic.”

She rubbed her sweaty forehead, feeling feverish. Her throat ached and she knew the infection was kicking her ass right now. “Will one of you get me something to drink?”

“Yeah. Sure.” One of the men left her and disappeared into the small kitchen. She moved to the bag she had next to the door and grabbed a suture kit, mask, and gloves from it. When she came back, she snatched the floor lamp from behind the recliner to assist her.

“Here.” The guy handed her some ice water and she thanked him for it.

“Uh, what you’ve got … it’s not contagious, is it?”

“It’s strep.” She swallowed. Her throat was on fire. She sipped from the ice water, then set it aside. “I’m fighting a fever. It’s highly contagious, which is why I’m trying to combat this the best I can.”

Ryker stared at her. “We shouldn’t have come. I told you this was a fucking bad idea.”

“It’s fine.” She pulled the mask on, then the gloves. After dabbing at his wound with gauze, she opened the suture kit. It only took her a few minutes to sew him up. Fortunately, the knife hadn’t sliced any vital organs. “You’re as good as new. You’ll probably be sore for the next few days.”

“Thanks.” Ryker sat up, groaning. The guys helped him off the table while Ella cleaned up the trash. He glanced back at her. “Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look well.”

“I feel horrible.” She tossed the trash and went to find some fever reducer. “I’m fine, though.”

She really didn’t want to talk to him. With him stopping by, she didn’t even know what to think. He hadn’t spoken to her since he’d broken down in her arms at the club. He didn’t appear to be high or struggling with drugs at the moment, but she couldn’t really tell. Ryker sent his friends outside and hung around, waiting for her to come back to the living room.

“What?”

The compassion in his eyes surprised her. “Thanks.”

She nodded and swallowed her pills. “Shut the door on your way out.”

“Yeah. Okay.” He walked to the door and opened it.

Ella climbed back into bed, shivering. She closed her eyes. The next thing she felt was a hand stroking her back. She rolled over and stared at Ryker. He’d come back in and was making himself comfortable on her bed.

“You’re not okay.” Ryker pulled her blanket tighter around her. “I don’t think you should be alone either.”

“And you think I want you here?” Incredulity filled her tone. He was the last person that needed to stay with her.

“Maybe not.” Ryker swallowed. “But considering your state, there’s not much you can do to get me to leave.” He kissed her clammy cheek. “Get some sleep. I’ll stay on the couch.”

He left her for the couch and she found herself not caring. She closed her eyes and drifted off.

Throughout the night, she battled with her fever. She shivered no matter how many blankets covered her. Ryker watched her from the sofa for a while before he finally got up. She didn’t know what he planned to do with stitches in his side, but he moved in behind her, pulling her body against his. The heat was an instant comfort. He smoothed her hair back and tucked the blanket tighter around her. It was an odd gesture from him. Bikers didn’t normally take the time to care for others and she didn’t expect him, out of everyone in her life, to be the one willing to put his life on hold to make sure she was okay. When she thought she knew him, he surprised her. Her throat burned every time she swallowed. Believing something else went on between them was dangerous. The longer she entertained the fantasy of them being together, the more she’d convince herself that it was possible. He didn’t say anything, but simply held her, letting his body heat seep into her skin.

When Ella woke the next morning, Ryker was on the sofa, shirt and shoes off, watching TV. She sat up and frowned. “I thought you were a dream.”

Glancing away from the TV, he studied her a moment. In a gruff voice, he said, “No. Sorry.”

Part of her wanted to jump into his arms. Deep inside she knew that he’d hold her. He’d comfort her and shelter her. It was a damn good feeling too. But the other part of her wanted to kick him to the curb. Trouble followed him wherever he went and after their last meeting, she had no business allowing him to get so close to her. She had no business wanting to be that intimate with him. Standing, she walked past him to the bathroom. So what was she going to do? Her mind ached from the constant juggling of her thoughts. At some point in time, she needed to make a decision and stick with it.

Ella stared at herself in the mirror. Maybe his compassion came from how awful she looked. If she found herself looking like she did, she’d pity herself too. Her blonde hair was messy and needed to be washed. Dark circles had formed beneath her eyes, which definitely didn’t convey a come-hither look. Not that that was what she really went for. Her nose and forehead looked like she’d smeared baby oil on them.

Almost immediately, she felt stupid for even caring that she looked the least bit unattractive to him. It shouldn’t have mattered. Fatigue filled her blue eyes and she wondered how long Ryker planned to stay. Her energy level plummeted and she knew that doing even simple things would take a bit of effort. Sagging against the vanity, she depended on it to hold her up. The cool basin of the sink felt good against her feverish skin as she gripped it. It would be so embarrassing if she had to ask him to help her.

After using the facilities successfully on her own, she went back to the living area and stared at him. “How do you feel today?” he asked before she could say or do anything.

“I’m still freezing.” She rubbed her arms. “I haven’t been sick in so long. I forgot how horrible it is. My throat is burning like the pits of hell.”

He patted the sofa next to him. “Have a seat. You don’t look like you feel that great.”

She walked over to him and sat down. He pulled the afghan off the back of the couch and tucked it around her. She caught a whiff of his scent and it made her stomach do a flop. Afterward, she watched as he stood, leaving her for the kitchen. He got her some crushed ice and water before grabbing a bottle of pills to help reduce her fever.

“You didn’t have to stay with me. I can take care of myself.”

“Maybe.” Ryker dished out the pills and handed them to her along with the water. After she took them, he settled beside her and pulled her against his body, rubbing her chilled arms. “But I did it anyway.”

She closed her eyes, letting him comfort her. “Who stabbed you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He kissed her forehead, feeling too good to push away.

The thought scared her. He was a kind and considerate person outside the club. He was a completely different person when he was with her. She tried to convince herself that her father was right, that they were all the same, but Ryker kept proving that theory wrong. She seriously doubted anyone in the club would have treated her as well as Ryker had. She wasn’t even sure why Ryker was treating her so kindly.

Ella pulled away from him and laid her head on his thigh. She curled up in the blanket and closed her eyes. It took a long time, but the moment her fever broke they both knew it. She sweat through her shirt. Her clammy skin felt like she’d been in a sauna for an hour. She pushed away from him, deciding to change.

“Don’t look.” She pulled out a tank top from her dresser. “I don’t have enough energy to walk to the bathroom and I’m not wearing a bra.”

He looked toward the kitchen. “You say that like I haven’t been inside you before.”

“Yeah, well, that was in the past.” She changed her shirt and turned to find him staring back at her. “Are you still using?”

“No.” Ryker ran a hand over his face. “Do you want some breakfast? I’m kind of hungry.”

Despite having been stabbed, he looked good. She watched while he grabbed his phone and dialed someone, placing an order of food from a local fast food restaurant. She doubted that he’d give her any answers about the club, but she wanted to know what had happened. When he was through he set the phone on the coffee table and went back to watching the TV show he had on.

“Aren’t you going to get in trouble by being with me?”

He snorted. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want.” He glanced over at her. “Unless you don’t want me here.”