Epilogue
Six months later…
Emerson
"Happy, baby girl?"
I was sitting on Ace's lap in a chair on his front porch, gazing out at the yard at all of our friends who were engaged in various activities. Ruby and Tanner was chasing after their two little ones and Jonathan, Ginger and Rebel's little boy. Ruby was laughing loudly as the children managed to stay just out of reach, squealing with delight when she got too close. Gabe, Rebel, Heath, and William were standing around one of the grills, beers in hand and conversing while Mike tended to the chicken. Judith and Mark were swinging gently on the porch swing that we'd added specifically for them, cuddling and cooing over their new baby boy, Logan. Ginger, who also had a new baby boy, Justin, was relaxing in a single rocker next to them.
I watched Rod push Cookie on a tire swing that was hanging on one of the giant, moss-covered oaks. Della and Skipper had decided to take a walk down by the water. Lonnie, Sid, and Pete were gathered around a second grill where the vegetables were grilling. Sully and his new girlfriend, Mandy, were sitting on a blanket in the shade, their hands all over each other.
A very pregnant Bonnie was being waited on hand and foot by her new husband. It was fun to watch, because it was so obvious that she was annoyed by his hovering, but he just smiled and ignored her bitching. Every once in a while she'd look my way and give me a wink, which told me that it was all an act. She was actually enjoying his attention. I wondered how Ace would act when it was our turn.
"Did you fall asleep on me?"
I smiled at the humor in his tone, my heart swelling with love for this man. "Just enjoying watching our friends," I responded, snuggling closer against him. "And to answer your earlier question, yes, I'm very happy." I tilted my face to look up at him, telling him without words what I wanted and puckering my lips.
"Oh no, baby," he snorted, lowering his face to mine and pausing right before connecting his lips with mine. "No fucking pecks in this relationship," he growled, crushing his mouth down onto mine.
I'd never grow tired of kissing Ace. He put so much into them. It was more than just the fusing of our mouths. He poured the depths of his feelings into them, he gave and possessed at the same time, causing my toes to curl and my heart to pound, and arousal to blossom in my core like the pedals of a flower opening up beneath the warm sun. I melted into his warm, imposing form with a sigh of contentment, reaching up to curl my arms around his neck.
He shifted beneath me as if he was uncomfortable, but I knew the truth. As our heated kiss continued, he grew hard, and I couldn't resist grinding my bottom against the source of so much pleasure. He groaned beneath my lips, thrusting his tongue roughly against mine. I smiled against his mouth, feeling his body tighten as he struggled to remain in control.
His hand grabbed the hair at the back of my head and he pulled me away far enough that he could glare into my eyes with smoldering orbs and rapid breathing. "You think it's funny that I'm about to lose my shit right here in front of all my brothers and their families?" He sounded angry, but it was really the intensity of his arousal coming through and the fact that he couldn't do anything about it.
My smile grew wider. "I didn't do anything." I innocently batted my eyes.
He snorted. "You keep grinding that cute little ass against my dick and I'm going to take you inside and fuck it hard."
His words caused wet heat to soak my panties, and suddenly that's exactly what I wanted Ace to do, although disappearing inside would probably alert everyone to what we were doing, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to face everyone's knowing smugness when we returned.
"That sounds so tempting," I finally whispered against his mouth. "I love when you fuck me in the ass." He shuddered against me, lifting his hips slightly so I could feel how big and hungry he was. I whimpered. "But we can't ignore our friends." I pulled back and met his eyes. "Do you think you can control that monster until everyone is gone?"
His mouth curled at the corners. "Baby, for you, anything, especially now that you're living here." I was happy to hear the contentment in his voice. Moving in with Ace hadn't been a mistake.
Our friends had moved me in to Ace’s house that very day; it was the reason why everyone was there. I'd donated away my own furniture, pictures, and lamps. None of that stuff had any sentimental value to me, and most of it I'd bought at second-hand shops anyway. Everything else had been boxed up and brought over for me to sort through later on.
We'd decided to have a cookout after the move. The girls and I had got a head start by preparing the vegetables and seasoning the meat. We’d also made sure to fill a cooler with beer and fruit juices.
"Are you sure you're good with me moving in?" I'd wanted to move in with Ace since almost the beginning of our relationship, and so I'd been on cloud nine when he'd finally asked me. It had been six months since my father had been wiped from my life for good, and I wondered if that's why Ace hadn't asked me to move in with him earlier.
"Where the fuck is this coming from?" he growled in a low tone so that no one else could hear. "You know how I feel about you, baby girl. I know how you feel about me. You keep this shit up and I'm going to be forced to spank that cute bottom until you can't sit down."
I snorted. "Then you won't be able to fuck it I'll be so sore."
His brows shot up. "Is that so? Then you don't know me if you think I'll let your red bottom or a little pain keep me from sticking my dick there and filling it with my cum."
Oh, shit! As usual, his filthy words turned me on. I began to squirm against his hard cock. "Just making sure, biker man." My tone had turned husky.
"I wanted to ask you to move in with me earlier," he surprised me by confessing.
That was a surprise to me. "You did?"
He nodded. "Yeah, baby girl. I've wanted you here with me since I stopped being an asshole and claimed your ass."
I snorted. "Newsflash, biker man--you're still an asshole."
He threw back his head and laughed. My heart swelled with how beautiful he was when he let his emotions shine through. The facial hair that he'd recently grown hid a good portion of his scars, but they had never mattered to me anyway. Ace had always been a handsome man to me. Several heads turned our way, but no one moved from their current position.
I hit Ace playfully. "Well, you are."
"Not arguing with you about it, baby. I'll always be an asshole."
"So--" I peered at him shyly through my bangs, "--why didn't you ask me earlier?"
He seemed to consider my question for a moment. "After that shit with your father, I decided we had a long way to go before we'd be ready to move in together."
I nodded with understanding, knowing how Ace had felt about the whole trust issue. "You thought I didn't trust you."
He exhaled loudly. "No, baby girl, I had to learn to trust you. Until then we'd only been fucking. Ruby helped me to see that I was being unreasonable by expecting you to tell me about something horrific that had happened to you in your past so soon into our relationship. She reminded me about her situation with Tanner. Hell, I knew she was right, but I wanted to ride in like a fucking knight and conquer all your fears and slay the dragon for you. I was fucking frustrated that you didn't trust me to save you."
"You did save me." I reached up and cupped his cheek. "Because of you I can let the past go and look forward to the future. I want your babies, biker man. I've got your love."
Something flashed in his eyes. "Oh, yeah? You know that?"
He'd never told me that he loved me, I just knew. "For a fact, Ace. Every time you touch me it comes through in your fingertips. To repeat something Ruby said to me once, you're a doer, not a talker. I get that."
He smirked, casting a brief look toward where Ruby was rolling around in the grass with the kids. "What else did Ruby tell you?"
I shook my head. "Oh, no. I'm not falling into that trap. What we girls discuss on girls' night out or on spa days when we can escape you possessive, overprotective alphas stays our secret." I tugged on his short beard.
He grunted. "You women and your secrets. Gonna land each and every one of you with a sore bottom, because I know my brothers don't like that shit anymore than I do."
"As if you men don't have secrets," I breathed out with disbelief.
"That's different." I rolled my eyes. "You want to argue about it later?"
I giggled. "You just like make-up sex."
He smirked but didn't say anything.
"Hey, brother!" Gabe's shout drew our attention to where he was standing next to Mike. "You're the grill master. Come and make sure this chicken is cooked enough."
Ace released a breath. "Anything to take me away from my woman!" He gave me a nudge to get to my feet.
"Hey, I let you have the night off!" Tanner yelled back.
"I appreciate that!" I called back with a big smile. The Sentinels rode the streets of Daytona every night, and Ace had been on the schedule for that night. Tanner had switched with him so that I wouldn't have to spend my first night alone in his house.
Ace got to his feet. "I'll be right back, baby." He gave my bottom a hearty squeeze before walking away.
I sank down into the chair that he'd just vacated, smiling at his back as he sauntered away. If I got any happier my heart would burst. Everything in my life was perfect now. I knew it was just a matter of time before Ace and I began our own family. We'd already had discussions about marriage and children.
I glanced down at the antique diamond on my finger. The ring had belonged to Ace’s grandmother, and was a large, square-cut stone surrounded by two rows of smaller diamonds on all four sides. The platinum setting was beautiful. It had been the only piece of jewelry that his grandmother had owned, given to her by his grandfather when they'd gotten married. I knew that it meant a lot to Ace, and it meant a lot to me that he trusted me with it.
I glanced over to where Ace had taken Mike's place at the grill. He glanced up at the same time, and our gazes locked. I had no way of knowing what he was thinking, but his expression spoke volumes. The intensity of emotion in his dark eyes was fierce and possessive, and might have frightened a weaker person, but it turned me on to know that it was directed at me. I knew the passion behind that look. I knew his hunger for me.
He crooked his finger at me, a sexy grin spreading across his mouth. He knew I'd come running. The man knew that I loved him silly, and that knowledge was dangerous because he used it against me. But I didn't care, because he loved me, too. And I was going to enjoy spending the rest of our lives trying to get him to say it.
The End
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