“Andi.” There was a warning in Ridge’s voice, but she ignored him.
Walking past the rear end of her car, Andi headed up the wooden stairs to the balcony of her apartment. Sticking the key into the lock, she slid the door open and immediately closed it behind her. She kicked off her shoes, tossed her bag on the small countertop next to the door, and headed straight to the bathroom.
She turned the knobs and waited a few moments as the water heated. When it was perfect, she placed the stopper in the tub and added a splash of her favorite lavender bubble bath, and then headed back out to the kitchen for the bottle of red wine she knew was chilled in the fridge and the largest glass she could find. Taking both, she headed back to the bathroom and stripped out of Ridge’s shirt.
She poured herself a full glass of the fruity liquid and stepped into the tub. Andi slid under the bubbles the second she turned the water off and then used her foot to tap the button on the wall that controlled the jets. She sighed as they started to beat against her skin and aching muscles. Her entire body hurt. That was the problem with a forced change, it zapped every bit of energy and left her drained – mentally and physically.
Sipping her wine, she tried to relax, but inside, her animal whined and moped. Andi tried to block her out, but she couldn’t. The animal wanted its mate.
He won’t leave without us. Hurry up and go back to him.
No.
Yes. We need him.
I don’t care! Andi shouted at the beast in frustration. Mate or not, I am not spreading my legs to a stranger. Hello! Have you forgotten Bruce?
He wasn’t our mate. Plus, Bruce was an idiot.
Ya think? At least in that regard, Andi and her panther agreed.
Our mate will be good for us.
So is this wine.
Mentally, her cat rolled its eyes, again.
This was a normal thing for them. They rarely agreed on anything and at some point, her cat’s eyes would do a full three-sixty in her head.
It wasn’t that she was completely against the mating thing. Not at all. Since meeting Emily, Andi had known that somewhere out there was someone for her. The issue was, why did he have to be a biker?
Not all bikers are the same.
Andi knew that, logically.
But the fact remained that Bruce had left a bad taste in her mouth, and so had his entire club. People she trusted. People she thought were her friends. And they had all lied to her. How could she just let that go? Forget about it? She couldn’t.
Salvation helped you. Helped us, her cat reminded. Lux was nice, too.
Can we just not talk about this right now? Andi asked. I just want to soak in this tub and then crash.
Fine. But we aren’t finished with this discussion.
Andi sighed.
With her second glass gone and the water starting to cool, she toed the plug free and tapped the wall to turn off the jets. There was no point in staying in the water any longer. Whatever relaxation she thought she would get, wouldn’t come.
Standing, she set her glass on the counter and stepped out of the bathtub. Reaching for her towel, Andi wrapped it around her and opened the bathroom door. However, she didn’t get more than two steps before her scream filled the room as a dark figure stepped out of the shadowy corner.
15
Ridge
The glass fell from her hand and shattered on the floor. He hadn’t meant to scare her.
After she’d walked away from him, Ridge took a few minutes to calm himself before he’d gotten off his bike and walked up the stairs. He’d tried to knock, but she hadn’t answered. So, he’d let himself in and waited for her to get out of the bathroom.
“It’s me,” he said, stepping forward so she could see him. “Calm down.”
“What are you doing in my apartment?” Andi replied, her hand now clutching the top of the towel.
“If you aren’t coming to my house.” Ridge shrugged. “Then I guess I’m staying here tonight.”
“What?”
He didn’t understand why this was such a big issue. They were mates. They both knew it. So, why was she trying to get away from him?
She’s scared. She’s trembling.
Ridge tried to see through his animal’s eyes. He let his leopard share his body and suddenly, he could smell her fear. And he didn’t like it. Neither did his cat.
“Andi, I won’t hurt you.”
She just stood there, staring at him.
How do we get her to understand? Ridge asked himself.
It will take time. Someone has hurt her.
That thought made Ridge want to demand the details. He wanted to hunt down anyone and everyone who had ever hurt his mate – and end them. But he knew that wasn’t what she needed.
When Andi stepped forward, around the glass, Ridge snapped out of his inner dialogue. “Stop.”
Andi froze.
“Where’s the broom?” he asked. “Let me get that cleaned up before you step on it.”
Not waiting for an answer, Ridge turned back toward the kitchen and opened the pantry, but the broom wasn’t there.
“Next to the refrigerator,” he heard her say quietly.
Grabbing it along with the dustpan, Ridge hurried over to where she stood and quickly started to sweep up the glass. He thought about what his leopard had said and if it was right, and Andi had been hurt in the past, it meant Ridge would have to be careful.
Tread lightly, his leopard cautioned.
Ridge sighed.
“I can clean it,” Andi said, reaching to grab the broom.
“No.” Ridge shook his head. “This was my fault. I’ll clean it.”
The closer he got to her, the more he could smell the sweet, floral scent that was coming from her skin. Wanting to commit it to memory, Ridge inhaled deeply. For a
