Ride to Restoration (Ride Series Book 2) Read Online Free

this time, pushed me to the brink. And I know you don ’ t want me on the brink. I
can ’ t
think of a better way to prove your sincerity than to make love to me … like you used to. ”
    What is it with men and
their penile thinking? That having sex will make everything all better,
regardless of how tumultuous the state of the relationship might be, I asked myself before
answering, “ I meant what I said in Calgary, Joseph. Much has happened
while we ’ ve been apart. I ’ ve changed; you ’ ve changed. It ’ s important for me to take
it slow this time around. Be the man I fell in love with. You may be ready to
jump in the sack with me, but I ’ m nowhere near ready to jump in it with you. I ’ m sure you ’ ve had your share of sluts — I mean girls who ’ ve satisfied your daily
urges. Go hook up with one of them if you need to get off so bad right now! ” There he goes, hanging his head again.
    “ Damn you, Joseph, you still don ’ t get it. I see that hurt
puppy dog look in your eyes. I want to be courted. I want to be wooed. I want
you to feel special again. Go buy a motorcycle. I ’ ll ride with you, ” I caught myself saying aloud, dreaming fondly of the
memories I made with D, not him, not ever. “ I want you to convince me by
your actions, that, unlike before, you want me for me, not just as an avenue to
get closer to my family. Besides, you ’ ve got to prove to me that
you will keep your end of the deal and leave D and Victoria alone. They deserve
to be happy, without continually looking over their shoulders for you or anyone
else. We ’ re splitting the ten million already. Surely you don ’ t need to worry about
collecting that ridiculous bounty that Standford put out on D? Or do you? ”
    “ I guess that all depends on you, sweetheart, ” a rather familiar indignation of times past rising in his
voice. “ If
you really created this whole ruse to retrieve the ledgers for us, I guess not.
Only time will tell if we ’ re on the same page, or if you ’ re blowing smoke up my ass.
Let me tell you straight up, baby girl, your family be damned. If you screw
with me, you ’ ll not like the results. But hey, ” he laughed, “ if you keep your end of the bargain, I ’ ll gladly keep mine. ”
    Threats ... He ’ s threatening
me in the same breath, through the same lips that wants to make love to me
tonight? It ’ s
not happening! “ Go away, Joseph, it ’ s late. I ’ m going to ride with Gio and
Mile to Mom ’ s. We ’ ll continue this conversation tomorrow. ”
    Climbing into the sullen,
black Suburban with Gio and Mile, I replayed over and over, the absurd promises
I made to Joseph in Calgary to keep him from harming D and Victoria. What was I
thinking? Leaving D with Victoria was like leaving an injured lamb in a cage
with a ravenous lion. What else could I do? D called, Victoria dropped
everything and came with reinforcements. That ’ s loyalty, love or lust. Or
possibly some combination of the three. D has a way with women and men too,
that ’ s
for sure, me included.
    “ Candice, you OK? ” asked Gio, while Mile expressed the same question to me
through her eyes. “ D, he good guy, you see. He save me, he fix leg. You wait,
he come for you. ”
    “ I ’ m no good for him. Look at all the trouble I ’ ve brought him and the two
of you for that matter, ” I
stated factually, while the tears I ’ d bravely held back for so
long, unleashed.
    Mile
handed me a tissue from her pocket, while Go continued undaunted, “ You wait. I tell your Momma,
he, how you say, special. He care for you. I know it. You know it. We fix it. ”
    “ He did, before I sold him out and got on the plane with
Joseph. ” I couldn ’ t tell him what I had to do
to protect him. If I did, he would have never let me get on the plane. Bodies
would have been scattered everywhere. I did what he taught me to do, put others
needs before my own. What a difference a few months makes. When he met me, I
was