The Last Riders: Winter's Touch Part 8

Winter rolled her eyes, threatening, "I'm going to talk to Beth about feeding this obsession for scary movies of yours."

"Don't you dare! She'll make me start watching The Sound of Music again."

Winter turned off the light before climbing into bed next to her aunt. Halfway through the movie, she was close to prying away one of the pillows behind her back to hide her face. She felt like she was going to heave when one particular zombie tore a screaming woman into shreds in seconds. Meanwhile, her aunt had no trouble watching the gruesome scenes, riveted.

"I'm going to go get you your pie," she excused herself, making sure to keep her eyes averted from the television screen as she escaped from the room.

"Don't be long. He just saw someone hiding in the shed."

"I won't." She had every intention of missing that, especially when she heard a shrill scream from the television.

In the kitchen, she cut her aunt a generous slice of a pie, but her stomach was too queasy from the gore to eat one herself. Then she put the pie back in the refrigerator and took out the whipped cream. She placed a big mound on top of the slice then squirted a large dollop on her finger, lifting it to her mouth.

A large hand reached out, latching on to her wrist.

Winter gave a bloodcurdling screaming, turning around in terror, her hands reaching out to claw the intruder's face. She paused, her heart pounding in her ears.

"You idiot! I could have hurt you!" She fell back against the counter in relief.

"How? With whipped cream?" Viper laughed.

"How did you get in here?"

"Beth gave me her key. I thought you'd both be sleeping."

"You should have called instead of scaring me to death."

"And have you tell me not to come? I don't think so." He lifted her whipped cream-covered hand off his chest, licking the sweet substance off before she could jerk her hand back.

"We were watching a movie. I didn't see the alarm light go off." Her aunt had one of the controls to the alarm by her bed so she could check whether or not she had set it before she went to sleep.

"I keyed in the code when I came in the door. You must have been too busy playing with the whipped cream to notice," he teased, picking up a dishtowel to wipe away the cream on his s.h.i.+rt.

She ignored his teasing, still trying to get her heartbeat back to normal after having the h.e.l.l scared out of her.

"You missed a spot." Winter pointed at the side of his jaw.

"Lick it off." The sensual twist of his lips brought an ache to her p.u.s.s.y, one she was going to ignore.

"Text Sasha and have her come lick it for you." She turned, picking up the pie plate.

"Tsk, tsk. Is that any way for a wife to talk to her husband?" He reached out, taking the plate and fork from her. He took a huge bite, his eyes practically rolling back into his head.

"That was for my aunt." She stared in dismay as Viper ate the pie in three bites.

"I'm starving," he replied. "It was Jewell's turn to cook."

"Not a fan of Sunday leftovers?"

"No. I've got to hire a new cook as soon as we have those new suppliers dealt with. Hiring one is my top priority. The only leftovers tonight were from Friday's Hamburger Helper and Sat.u.r.day's soup." He sniffed the air appreciatively. "What did Beth cook?"

"Lasagna, and I made garlic toast."

"Any left?" His eyes scanned the counters as if they would magically appear. He was being deliberately obtuse to the fact that she was still angry with him.

"Cut another piece of pie for Aunt Shay, and I'll make you a plate," she caved, when he looked inside the empty oven.

"Deal."

Winter pulled out the pie again, handing it to him, before she took out the lasagna.

"You want me to take it to her?" He added a small mountain of whipped cream to the pie.

"Not unless you want to kill my aunt. She would have a heart attack if you walked into her bedroom during that movie. I'll take it to her when I put your plate in the microwave."

"What's she watching?" Viper eyed the pie as if he would demolish it before she could take it to her aunt.

Starting the microwave, she picked up the plate, holding it protectively. "Zombie Doomsday." Her heart swelled when she heard his laughter as she left the kitchen.

She went to her aunt's room, seeing she was still engrossed in the film.

"Viper's here. I'm making him a plate. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Take your time," Aunt Shay said, not looking away from the ma.s.sacre taking place on the screen.

Viper was pouring himself a gla.s.s of iced tea when she came back into the kitchen.

Opening the microwave when the timer went off, she took out the hot plate and put it down on the kitchen table then went back and brought him a fork.

He dug into the food as if he were starved.

"Didn't you eat today?"

"I had planned to eat breakfast with you, and you weren't there. I missed lunch, because I was in a meeting with a buyer from an outdoor chain store who needed to get back to Chicago tomorrow. We finished up at eight, and no one wanted the leftovers that were still there. Most of the Last Riders went to eat at the diner."

"You should have gone with them." She shook her head at him. "When you're done, put the dishes in the sink and let yourself out."

"How's Aunt Shay doing?" he asked, ignoring her dismissal. His dark brown eyes traveled from her bare feet to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s that were pressed against her tank top.

Self-consciously, Winter crossed her arms over her chest. She'd had the top since she was in college and usually only wore it when they were alone in their bedroom because it was too tight.

"She's doing much better. I took the remainder of the school year off."

Viper nodded. "I know. The school board approved Tracy Ross to replace you."

"Why, so you can get rid of me longer?" Winter responded bitterly, dropping her arms to her sides.

The fury emanating from him was palpable. Her instincts screamed at her to run. Instead, she froze as if she had been cornered by an angry bear.

"Go back to your aunt's room. If you stay here, I'm going to give you a spanking you'll never forget." He went back to his food, not looking at her. "I'll turn the alarm on when I'm done."

Winter blinked back her tears. After nodding her head, she fled before Viper changed his mind, practically running to her aunt's bedroom then crawling beside her on the bed.

"Did Viper get plenty to eat?" Aunt Shay asked her absently, her attention on the movie.

"Yes, he's done."

After her hateful words, she was sure Viper was done with her, too.

9.

"Did he save me some pie for tomorrow?"

Winter gave her a mirthless smile she couldn't see in the dark. "Yes, enough for lunch and dinner."

Sightlessly, she stared at the television. She no longer worried about Sasha destroying her marriage; she was doing it herself.

The red light on the alarm lit up beside her aunt's bed, meaning Viper had left and reset the alarm.

She made up her mind to call him. They needed to talk so they could figure out where their marriage was heading. The thought of it ending was unbearable, yet living in the same house and seeing Sasha constantly as a reminder of his infidelity was just as intolerable. If he hadn't been unfaithful, then she had made a terrible mistake and her own insecurities were to blame. She had let her emotions get the better of her since finding out Viper had given Sasha the vote she needed to get in the club. Instead, she had escalated the tension between them, rather than trying to find out why he hadn't told her.

Winter checked to see if her aunt had fallen asleep. Then she turned off the light before slipping out of the dark room. After turning the light off in the kitchen, she went upstairs.

Her hand was on the doork.n.o.b to her bedroom when an arm circled her waist.

She kicked her feet backward as she was lifted up, pressed against a hard chest.

"Calm down. It's just me," Viper drawled, as he opened the bedroom door.

"If you want to get rid of me, just divorce me," she snapped, struggling to free herself. "I don't want my aunt to be the one to find my body when you scare me to death."

"I've had more than enough of your bulls.h.i.+t," he growled angrily.

Winter expected him to toss her angrily on the bed. Instead, he tossed her over his shoulder then strode out into the hallway and down the stairs. She beat on his back, too angry to care if he dropped her.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and she twisted to see what he was doing. She saw him turn off the alarm before he carried her into the living room.

"What are you doing?" She stopped fighting, becoming frightened of Viper's intentions. Still, she didn't want to yell and wake her aunt. If Aunt Shay awoke to see her husband had lost his mind, the woman would die of fright.

He didn't answer. She felt how angry he was with every step, mainly because, with every step, he spanked her a.s.s.

"Stop that!"

"Pretty girl-"

Viper grunted when she sank her teeth into his back.

Winter heard him opening the sliding gla.s.s door that led out to the pool. The sound of the door sliding shut had her blood pumping in panic.

"You need to learn to have some respect for your husband."

One second, she was biting Viper, and the next, she was flying through the air before the water enfolded her in its lukewarm embrace.

She kicked herself to the surface.

The backyard patio was dark, but the light he turned on in the living room bathed him in eerie shadows as he paced back and forth beside the pool.

"I knew men in the service who would p.i.s.s on themselves when they made me mad. I've killed men who showed me more respect than my f.u.c.king wife does! How do you think I became President of the Last Riders? By being a p.u.s.s.y?" he ranted, while Winter doggie paddled as he let off the anger that had boiled over to a point he could no longer control it.

He squatted down beside the pool. "In the years we have been married, have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?"

She pulled damp tendrils of hair out of her mouth to answer him. "No."

"No," he emphasized. "Then where is this c.r.a.p coming from? Because of Sasha and a f.u.c.king text?" Viper stood up to begin pacing again. "If I was worried about you seeing my texts, why would I have given you my f.u.c.king pa.s.sword?"

"I thought it was because you know I don't usually read your texts."

He stopped to glower at her. Winter had never seen her husband so angry.

"You thought wrong." His cold words. .h.i.t her like a whip. "Just like the other bulls.h.i.+t you keep spouting off over. I have never been unfaithful to you, nor have I wanted to. Sasha came back early, because a search warrant had been served on the clubhouse thanks to the mayor's interference, and she didn't know where to go. I found out when I came back from taking Ton home. Sasha and Moon tried to call me to tell me that she was on her way back, but I was too busy dealing with p.i.s.s-a.s.s drunk Ton to answer my phone, which is why I didn't answer your calls. When we were outside, we were talking. I hired Diamond to help her out of her tough situation. She has an ex-boyfriend who blames the Last Rider's for their breaking up, even though they ended before she started hanging out at the club. He accused her of stealing some jewelry she sold. He pressed charges against her, saying it was his mother's and she stole it when she visited. His mother is, of course, taking his side. The cops are pressuring the Ohio members to give her up. I was going to tell you she was there when I went upstairs. When I gave Sasha a chance, I made it conditional, that she had to earn your vote, or she couldn't stay in Treepoint. Once Diamond can get the charges dropped, Sasha can go back to the clubhouse in Ohio, and she can stay there until she earns your vote. Do you have a problem with Sasha if she stays in Ohio?"

"No." Winter's conscience was stricken. Viper had been dealing with Moon and Sasha's problems, as well the Last Rider's business. All the time, the accusations she had been throwing at him had only made matters worse as he tried to keep her happy.

Viper's anger didn't lessen, as he barked, "You've known me long enough to understand, if I wanted you gone, I would divorce your a.s.s and tell you not to let the door hit you on the way out!"

Winter silently listened to her husband's scornful words, feeling droplets of water trail down her cheeks.

"I had your name tattooed on my chest, and you've got my name on you. Do you see anyone else's name on me?"

Through trembling lips, Winter answered, "No."

"I put my ring on your finger. If neither one of those things show you how much I love you, then you're just s.h.i.+t out of luck. I'm not going to kiss your a.s.s to prove my love to you. If you wanted a marriage like that, then you should never have married me."

Viper toed his boots off, taking his T-s.h.i.+rt off at the same time before unb.u.t.toning his jeans and yanking them down.

Winter treaded water away from him as he began stalking her from the pool deck. Her husband reminded her of a wolf, determined to catch his prey.

"You think you can outswim me?" he taunted, as he walked to the edge of the pool.

His threatening stance made her s.h.i.+ver. She now understood how he kept men like Shade, Razer, Knox, and the rest of the Last Riders under his control. He was terrifying.