Riding Raw by Stephanie Ganon

the way she did, she thought it better to back off, since talking to him while he was this pensive would only lead to a blowout. “I'll get my stuff packed. Let me know when the car is fixed."
    She followed in Bo's steps, confident she was leaving Duff to ponder a world without her in it.
    Lily didn't register the intruder's presence until it was too late.
    She awoke to a hand clamped over her mouth. The other leveled a knife against her throat. He pressed down lightly, trailing a line of blood along her neck.
    "Don't say a word,” Shane Doherty whispered. “You're coming with me, Lily, and you'll do it quietly. I got my gun in my belt just in case you decide to run. So don't."
    Terror knotted her belly as she followed Shane's instructions. He pulled her from the bed, pushing her toward the door.
    "We're leaving through the back so your boyfriend won't hear. If you scream, you'll be dead before he reaches you. Understand?"
    She nodded, already resigned to her fate. She'd been a coward all her life, and she wouldn't begin fighting now. Getting Duff and Bo involved was the last thing she planned to do.
    No. Let them think she'd snuck off as she had before. She would do whatever Shane demanded, anything he desired, if it meant keeping Duff and Bo safe.
    As they moved through the house, her heartbeat was deafening—like a drumbeat sending her closer to her doom. Stumbling through the dark, she bumped into a large flowerpot.
    "Whoa,” he whispered, righting the pot before it crashed to the floor. “Don't do that again, Lily.” Yanking her arm painfully, he pulled her body against him, and they continued their journey.
    "I didn't—” She stopped, realizing her voice was too high. They'd finally made it to the door, so nothing she said would make a difference anyway.
    "Open it. Take your time. I know it squeaks."
    Breathless, she reached for the door with a trembling hand, frightened of what Shane would do if she dared make a sound.
    Pop!
    Lily turned in what felt like slow motion to determine where the sound had originated. Shane lay on the floor. She launched herself backward against the door and tried to make sense of what she saw.
    "You all right, Lily?"
    Bo?
    Her vision began to clear, and she quickly picked out Bo's slight form in the darkness. His black T-shirt had given him cover, but as he approached the door, the light on the back porch illuminated him.
    "Shit.” Duff followed close behind. “Don't know why you're pretending to be dead, Doherty. My man here is a damn good shot, and I happen to know he only meant to scare you.” He flicked on the overhead light, and everything swam into focus.
    Shane remained motionless, filling Lily with both dread and relief. She saw no blood, but that didn't mean he wasn't wounded.
    "Let's see here.” Duff reached down, flipped Shane over, and squeezed the arm he had so artfully fallen upon. He withdrew a bloody hand and wiped it on his jeans. “You all right, Doherty?"
    "Fuck! Goddamn it!” Shane was on his feet instantly. “I'm—I'm gonna call the law."
    "Go ahead. One of my buddies will come down promptly. Then you can explain why you broke into my house and tried to kidnap this pretty lady."
    Shane rubbed the tear in his shirt until his fingers came away bloody. “You tried to kill me."
    "If I had been trying to kill you, you'd be dead,” Bo assured him.
    Shane turned his ire on Lily, his cowardice exceeding any pride he might have. “Did you really think I wouldn't find you? That I wouldn't know the first place you'd go when you decided to run?"
    Lily glared at him. “I'm surprised you can find your own dick. I never could."
    "Oh and this"—he gestured at Duff—"homo's dick makes you come running?"
    "Hard,” she said, and she wasn't just tossing low blows to hurt Shane's poor little feelings. In addition to being a drunken abuser, he sported a less than impressive endowment.
    Duff cleared his throat. “Much as I've enjoyed this reunion, Doherty, it's time for