Reaper's Salvation: A Last Riders Trilogy by Jamie Begley (read a book TXT) 📗

his pelvis. “Should I have asked first which one you would have preferred?”

Ginny rubbed her bare back against his chest. “Nah, this is good.” Reaching for the soap and washcloth, she began to languidly wash her legs.

“Gavin, why is our blanket over the bathroom mirror?”

“Insurance.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a very suspicious nature?”

Taking the soapy washcloth from her, Reaper moved it between her breasts, meticulously cleaning each one with care. “It’s one of the side effects of being kidnapped.”

Ginny turned in the water. “You blame yourself for being kidnapped?”

“I made mistakes, and I paid the price. No one else to blame but myself.”

Ginny angrily snatched the washcloth away from him to smack his chest with it. “I don’t ever want to hear you blame yourself again! Ever!”

Reaper tried to take the washcloth back, and she just whacked him again.

“That’s the most asinine thing I’ve heard out of your mouth! Memphis, Crash, Vincent, and Slate were the ones responsible. Don’t you dare—”

“How do you know who was responsible for my kidnapping?” he asked, his eyes narrowed into slits.

She snapped her mouth shut.

“Killyama told you, didn’t she? She told you all of it. You and all the rest of her friends.” As rage and hurt bubbled inside of him, he placed his hands on the side of the tub to lever himself out.

“Sit back down!” she snarled up at him.

Reaper had no choice but to gingerly sit back down. Why? Because she was clenching his hair in her fist.

“Are you fucking crazy? What if I slipped?” he roared, trying to remove her hand.

“Boo-fucking-hoo. Listen up, wild man. Killyama and I did talk, but that was after she swore me to secrecy. She jeopardized her marriage to tell me, and no, she didn’t tell the other girls anything.”

“She had no business telling you jack shit!”

Humiliated that she knew the facts of his kidnapping, he was glad that Gavin was still locked inside his heart. Reaper could bear the humiliation; he was stronger.

Deciding he wasn’t ready to go bald, he made another attempt to get out of the tub, needing to get away from Ginny and the memories.

He tried to stand, only for Ginny to twist more fully in the water toward him. She moved her leg over his thighs to curl around his waist, laying more fully over him in the tub. His frantic effort had water splashing onto the tile below.

“Fucking move, Ginny, or so help me … Ow!” His ass settled back in the tub, when the back of his head hit the stone and a hunk of his hair came out. “Are you fucking crazy? You nearly cracked my skull open!”

“Good, maybe then you would see some sense. Listen to me!” she screeched. “I was feeling sorry for myself after I came to the clubhouse the day after Trudy’s wedding. I knew you wouldn’t be coming to take me up on my offer for coffee. Killyama had come to the church to see me, to check up on me for Sex Piston … but really, it was for Trudy.”

“What in the hell does this have to do with Killyama disclosing information that wasn’t hers to share?”

“If you’ll sit still and shut up, I’ll tell you.

“Killyama, Sex Piston—all of the crew—knew I was waiting for my soul mate. When I saw you at the wedding, I didn’t know who you were, so I asked Trudy, but she wouldn’t tell me. Neither would Fat Louise or Crazy Bitch. Killyama was the only one who told me when I threatened to ask Shade.”

Reaper went stone still. “Why wouldn’t they want you to find me?” Then, wounded by her disclosure, he started prying her hand out of his hair, uncaring about the resulting pain.

Ginny whacked his head back on the tub. Any idea Ginny was a gentle, compassionate woman who wouldn’t hurt a flea was smashed to smithereens by the volatile spitfire that was determined to be heard. No way was he taking it her easy on her the next time she deserved a spanking. At this rate, though, he would be lucky to get out of the tub without a concussion.

“Are you trying to knock me unconscious so you can drown me?” he accused.

“That little love tap won’t knock you unconscious,” she scoffed, pressing her breasts against his chest to tilt him backward. “You actually have to ask why they didn’t want me chasing after you?” Sliding her fingers from his hair, Ginny started rubbing the spot behind his ear enticingly. “They were protecting you. Each of them knows me well enough to know that I would drive you nuts with my belief we are soul mates. Hell, even Hammer and Jonas know I’ve been waiting for you. They also knew you wouldn’t be receptive to the notion.” Ginny huffed at him. “And boy, were they right.”

Reaper shook his head at her, trying to stop her enticing movements. “That wasn’t all they were worried about.”

“Can you blame them?” Ginny settled her free hand on his chest to prop her chin. “You made no secret about Taylor breaking your heart and that you ignored any overture from any woman in town or at the club. They thought, if none of those women could get to first base with you, I didn’t stand a chance. They were protecting my heart. They didn’t think I had enough courage to fight for you.”

He rolled his eyes at her and asked, “So where does the part about Memphis and Crash come in, then, huh?” Just mentioning their names felt like he was sitting in an ice bath.

“You don’t believe me? They were right. Everyone felt I never made an attempt to heal the breach between me and my brothers, and I pretty much let crap slide unless it involved me taking up for someone else.”

“For instance?” he growled.

“Anyway,”—Ginny went on as on as if he never spoke—“Trudy was on her honeymoon, so she asked Sex Piston, who was at work, so Sex Piston sent