Chapter Two
Holy shit!
Ryker watched as she made her way into the forest. The Labrador rushed out, and started to follow her. He didn’t know what to do, so he simply watched her curvy ass disappearing.
Sitting on the back step, he ran a hand down his face, and he had so many questions. Her stepfather? Where was he now? She’d cut every single memory of him away, and she lived here, far away from the town.
He’d noticed the way people offered her more of a passing wave without much enthusiasm. He figured she was the weird girl in town as most places had them. Someone would always take pity and be their friend.
Scarlett was different. She was living proof that someone got away with hurting her, over and over again, and no one paid any attention.
She was their living guilt.
He stayed, waiting for her to come back. The day faded and night fell, and still he waited.
When there was movement toward the edge, the back light came on, and he saw her appear with her dog at her side.
“Do you often go wandering the woods alone?” he asked.
“Why are you still here?” She stopped several feet from him.
“I need clothes, and I don’t know how to work a dryer, don’t worry, I figured it out.”
“I thought they taught you that stuff on the inside.” She glared at him, and he had to admit, she looked really cute when she did it.
“They taught us a lot, but drying clothes wasn’t one of them.” He lied, and it was easy to. He wouldn’t be bested by a dryer
She sighed, and once again brushed past him. He followed her, being sure to close the door after her dog entered. Flicking the lock into place, he did the same with the front door, and found her ironing his clothes, which were already dried.
“Just because you’re running away doesn’t mean you have to do it looking a mess.”
She finished his pants and handed them to him. He pulled them on, removing his towel, and he noticed that she paused in what she was doing to look at him.
“Like what you see?”
Scarlett didn’t say anything, and went back to ironing his stuff.
“I take it … he was put away?” he asked.
He noticed she tensed up.
She shook her head. “My dad … I used to go and visit him, and he saw the change in me. He rarely saw me, but he was the only one to see the scars, the bruises.” She took a deep breath. “He … erm … shot him. There was a big scandal, but he killed my stepdad and had my mother arrested. For a long time, I lived with him, and then I came here. I found this place, and knew this was where I wanted to stay.”
“Was this the home where it all happened?” he asked.
“Nope. It was in town. The house has never been sold, and no one wants to buy it.” She shrugged. “It’s in a pretty little street that is supposed to have a lot of memories, and not a lot of bad ones. I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. You’ve got to leave.”
“Sometimes it’s easier to tell a stranger something bad than someone you’ve known for years,” he said.
She shook her head. “I don’t talk about it at all.”
“Did you go see someone to talk to?”
Scarlett laughed. “Yes, I went to see someone, and I was forced to talk about it. For six years my life was a nightmare, and they thought with someone to talk to, they’d be able to understand what was going on. I was repeatedly raped, and people found it hard to understand that I didn’t want to talk about it. That all I wanted to do was to get on with my life, and keep on going because that is the easiest thing to do. Talking about it wouldn’t change what happened.”
He watched her. She finished ironing his clothes and walked toward him, placing them on his chest.
“You can leave now.”
“It’s dark out,” he said.
“Not my problem.”
He watched as she headed upstairs, not even bothering to see if he’d leave. Ryker smiled. It was going to take a lot more than that to get rid of him.
Removing his pants, he left his boxer briefs on, and made his way upstairs. He heard the shower running, so he lay down on her bed, making sure there was enough space at the side of him for her to lie down.
He didn’t have to wait long. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and a large shirt.
“You’re not going to leave, are you?”
“Not yet. I’ll leave someday.” He patted the bed. “Come on, it’s time to get some sleep.”
She rolled her eyes.
He was surprised she didn’t argue as she lay down. She didn’t turn away from him, but he watched as she grabbed a book, ignoring him as she began to read.
“You know that’s rude.”
“So is outstaying your welcome, but I can’t do anything about that.”
He chuckled. “You don’t want me to leave, not really.”
“Would it even matter if I did want you to leave?”
He shook his head. “Nope.” Ryker liked her.
She tutted. “Then I will continue to be rude, in the hope that maybe you’ll leave me alone and I can have some peace.”
This, once again, made him chuckle.
“You’re a lot more fun than any roommate I’ve ever had.”
“Just keep on reminding me that you’ve been inside, and that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” She rolled her eyes, and he watched her read. She was a beautiful woman, and he liked to watch her.
It was refreshing to feel this relaxed near a woman.
****
One week later
Ryker, The Convict, as Scarlett kept referring him to in her mind, still hadn’t left. Sitting on her back porch step, she watched as he mowed her lawn. She’d been heading to do that this morning, but when she got to the job, she found he’d already started. In fact, over the past week, she’d noticed he did a lot of jobs around the house, and she wasn’t ungrateful for it either; far from it.
She could afford to get anyone to come and repair her place. All it would take was a call to her father and someone would be there. That was the kind of relationship she had with her father. He didn’t want to have to deal with anything else, but he liked throwing money at her when she needed it. She didn’t mind as it kept him out of her business. She’d never been close to her father, and hadn’t wanted to start. Of course, he would randomly stop by when he felt like it to see her. The visits were always short, which was why she didn’t mind them.
Oh, well.
It had taken her a great deal of time, but she lived with what happened to her. No one wanted anything to do with her, and she was more than fine with that.
Ryker stopped, and she watched as he lifted his arm up and wiped some sweat from his brow. The way his body looked with his thick, inked muscles, Scarlett was a little startled by the sudden pull within her. Her pussy grew slick, and need coursed through every single nerve inside her. She didn’t know what to do as nothing like this had ever happened before. She’d never been sexually attracted to anyone.
He left the mower and walked toward her. “This for me?”
Words failed her, and she simply nodded.
This man had gone to prison.
He still should be in prison.
No one had come for him, not that she imagined they would. A lot of people ignored her, and chose not to come anywhere near the forest. This was one of the reasons she’d picked this place. The previous owner had said if she was looking for a social life, then she needed to find somewhere else. This cabin home was for people who didn’t like the outside world, and she was more than happy with that.
She’d been part of it, and had gotten burned by it. The last thing she wanted was to stay there. People always looked at her like she was some kind of victim, or like she was going to snap at any minute.
Living with her real father had been a nightmare as he had a guard with her at all times just in case she wanted to try something. There was nothing she ever wanted to try. All she really wanted to do was live her life and forget about the past.
“It’s really hot today,” he said.
“Yep. Last days of summer.”
She sipped at her drink, more aware of him every passing second that he stayed by her side. Biting her lip, she tried not to think about how good it would be for him to hold her. He didn’t frighten her. She didn’t know his life story, and to be honest, she really didn’t care either. If her own experiences had taught her anything, it was that people only saw what they wanted to. They rarely looked for the truth.
“You have a lovely home,” he said.
She smiled, turning to look at him. “Is that why you’ve not left yet?”
“You could just kick me out. Nothing stopping you from doing that.”
“Nope, you’re right. Nothing is stopping me from doing that, but then I’d have to mow my lawn, and fix the few roof tiles, and paint the porch. I don’t suppose you’re trying to earn your keep, are you?” she asked, nudging his arm.
“Not at all. Just trying to be useful, and it looks to me like you could use a man around this place.”
Her smile died a little, and she averted her gaze. No man would ever want her.
Gripping her glass a little tighter, she watched as her dog lay out, rubbing his back along the grass.
“What are your plans for when the winter comes? Snow falls, and you can be trapped up here for weeks, Ryker. It’s not a good place to be if someone is hunting you, or if you want to get as far away from here as you can.”
“I didn’t make plans for what would happen after.”
“Who framed you?” she asked.
“My boss.”
“And you really know how to clear your name?”
“Yep, and all it will take is a visit to a safety deposit box.”
“In a bank?” she asked.
“That’s the one. I got one opened, and that’s where I placed the security tape with my name on it.”
She frowned. “Why didn’t you tell anyone else about it?”
“I didn’t have anyone on my side. He made sure that my case was rushed through, and that they had all the necessary ‘evidence.’”
Scarlett rubbed her temple. “Do you have any plan on how you’ll clear your name with this tape?”
“Yes. I intend to upload it, and show the world that I’m innocent, and while that is happening, I’m hoping my name will be cleared.”
She sipped at her drink, and thought about it. “You’re going to need help.”
“Yep, I am, but I can’t go straight away,” he said.
“Why not?”
“It’s right in the center of the city, and if I’m caught, my ass is thrown straight back into jail, and I’ll do even more hard time for leaving.”
“What do you want to do?” she asked.
“Whatever I have to. I need to stay here for a couple more weeks, a month, maybe two. Enough time for people to think I’ve skipped the country, and then by the time they realize I’m still very much here, I’ll unleash the video, and I’ll be free.”
“I’ll help you,” she said.
“You will?”
“Yes. I don’t like it when people’s lives are ruined by the actions of others.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ll help you, Ryker.”
When he wrapped his arm around her, and she felt so safe within his arms, she closed her eyes and hoped she didn’t lose herself in the process.