I feel it beating.
“I love you too,” he whispers to me. “I wanted to say it to you face to face.”
He kisses my lips once, then we fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.
Chapter Twenty
“What’s this?” I ask, peering at the box curiously. Jim smiles at me, his eyes crinkling, and places the box on the table.
“You earned this,” he says as I open the lid and pull out what’s inside.
It’s a cut. One made in my size. On it, it says ‘Property of Sin.’
“You’re the first woman to get one. Ever.”
Dex watches me, his eyes full of pride and sadness. Pride over my actions but sad that I was forced to do it. Sad that I was almost killed, and that others were.
“I didn’t do anything really,” I mutter. “It was all Vinnie.”
Vinnie was patched in the next week, after Mary, Liam, and Trev’s funerals. It’s now been two months since the incident.
Two long soul-searching months.
I didn’t leave my room for the first week. I cried more than I’ve ever cried in my life and then I got mad at Dex. It was his fault I was here, that I was in danger. That our daughter was in danger. Then I felt guilt. I killed a man. I was a murderer.
After that I felt something else.
Acceptance.
It happened. I survived. I was one of the lucky ones.
I had two options in my life. Stay with Dex and live the life, or leave him.
I think Dex knew what I was thinking, so we talked. A lot. About everything. About us as a family. About the future.
And I fell in love with him even more.
There is no way I could leave him.
A lot has changed since then. Dex and I sold his old house and bought a new one. Renee was pissed, but Dex and I couldn’t care less. The clubhouse upped their security. It’s now harder to get into than a maximum security prison is to get out of. There will not be a repeat of what happened that night, not if we can help it.
I touch my rounded belly and smile. “I love it.” I won’t be wearing it out, but I think I’m going to seduce Dex in it tonight.
Wearing the cut and nothing else. Sexy.
Jim lifts his hand and touches my cheek. “Proud to have you in the fam.”
“Proud to be here Jimbo,” I reply, smiling up at him.
He looks to Dex. “Knocking her up was the best thing you ever did Sin.”
“Don’t I know it,” he replies, his lips curving into a cocky smile.
I roll my eyes. “When do you guys head out?” They were going on another run, except this time Dex was staying with me. I don’t know how he talked his way out of that. I don’t even know what they do on these ‘runs’, but I have a feeling it has to do with drugs. Jim doesn’t allow any club members to use hard drugs and I thought it was just good form, until I realized maybe he didn’t want them sampling the wares either. I’ve asked Dex, but he didn’t answer, so I let it go. His expression didn’t let me know if I was wrong or right about the assumption. I know they make good money. They own several different businesses, from a strip club named Toxic to several bars, and the auto mechanic shop Dex works in sometimes.
“Leaving tomorrow morning,” Jim replies, taking a swig of beer. “Cindy is busy organizing the charity event. Why don’t you help her out?”
“Yeah I will,” I assure him.
“Good girl. I’m gonna go spend time with her before I have to leave in the morning.”
“Alright,” I say, taking that as my cue to leave his office. I learnt that his office leads to the room where the men have their secret meetings. Church, they call it. That’s why I was yelled at for trying to clean around there. They probably thought I was trying to snoop. The thought makes me smile.
“You want to go out for dinner babe?” Dex asks as we head to our room. The house will be ready for us to move into in a few weeks. I’m not in a rush to be honest, at least until I give birth. I can’t imagine being alone in a house when Dex goes out on club business, but I can’t imagine living here with a newborn either. I think we will benefit from having our own space; a civilian life, I heard one of the men call it.
I like to think I’m giving my daughter the best of both worlds. A nice house in a good area, but also having good men to look after her for her whole life and an extended family.
Nothing bad will touch her—I will make sure of it.
“Yeah, I’m hungry,” I reply, absently rubbing my stomach.
“You’re always hungry,” he says. “You’re supposed to eat to live, not live to eat.”
“I’m pregnant so you shush,” I tell him, pushing him against the wall in the hallway and slipping my hand into his shirt. I feel the expanse of his smooth, toned chest, then have ideas other than food.
“Sex then food please,” I tell him, wiggling my eyebrows.
“Fuck you’re romantic,” he says sarcastically, grinning down at me. “That line was one for the ages. Some pure Shakespearean shit.”
I slap at this shoulder. “Do not say Shakespeare and shit in the same sentence—”
He cuts off my rant with a kiss. He starts slow, gentle, igniting a fire within me.
“Bedroom,” I say against his lips.
“I want you here,” he replies. Here? As in the hallway? He lifts me up against the wall, careful not to press his weight against my stomach. Running his hand up my thigh, he lifts my dress with it, riding it up until my underwear is bared to him. Sliding down my black lace panties as far as they will go, he frees himself with one hand, kissing me senseless at the same time. His kisses turn more frantic, more desperate. He reaches down and plays with my clit, sliding a finger inside to test if I’m ready for him.
I always am. A hum of approval resounds deep in his throat as he confines me to the wall. He examines my features for a second, leaning his forehead against mine and staring into my eyes.
Sliding himself inside me gently, he groans at the contact. “God, I love you,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Love you too,” I manage to get out breathlessly.
“You’re mine babe,” he says on a thrust. “All. Mine.”
His hands hold my hips up, gripping with each smooth movement. My heels dig into his ass, urging him on as my climax builds.
Then I feel it. That moment you know you’re so close, but you just need... a little more. A little push over the edge. Dex feels it too, he knows exactly what I need. His mouth finds the spot between my neck and shoulder and bites down gently. He knows that spot is sensitive, one of my favourite places to be kissed. It does the trick, and I feel myself explode.
“That’s it,” he whispers. “Come for me Faye.”
I close my eyes and let the sensations take over.
“Show me those pretty hazel eyes,” he demands. “Show me what’s mine.”
I open my eyes, meeting his crystal blue ones. “You’re mine too.”
“Always babe,” he grits out as his release hits him. He never moves his eyes away from mine, allowing me to see him in the throes of pleasure.
It’s a good look on him.
I hear cheering from behind us and look to see Rake standing there. I hide my face in Dex’s neck.
“Get the fuck out of here Rake,” Dex growls at him.
Way to ruin our afterglow Rake.
“Hell no, this is payback time,” he says, chuckling.
I cringe when I remember walking into his room and annoying him and his two house guests.
I sigh, and tap Dex’s shoulder for him to let me down.
“I hope payback is worth the black eye you’ll be sporting tomorrow,” Dex adds, carefully putting me down on the ground. I pull my dress down and slide my panties up, while Dex does up his jeans. We both turn to face Rake, my face red. Dex, on the other hand, looks like he wants to kill him, and I know it’s on my behalf. I don’t think he really gives a shit whether people see him having sex or not, but he knows I’m more shy and private.
“Let’s go have a chat Rake,” he says, grinning evilly.
I puff out a shallow breath. What he really means is, let’s go to the boxing ring and beat the shit out of each other. The ring is a new addition to the compound, and the men like to get in there and show off their fighting skills.
“Not the face,” I tell Rake, pointing a finger at him.