“You do realize you were shot, right?” Anger bubbles at my man who won’t stay the fuck down.

“Three days ago, Rylie. I’m good.”

Even though the doc said he’d be fine, I still don’t like it. Funny how I saw him fight like hell and get busted up, yet a bullet wound to my man … No, not liking that one little bit. Only a few inches over and it would have hit his heart. I’d be visiting his damn grave, just like my parents.

“Need to go talk to Austyn.”

Placing my hand on his shoulder, I gentle my voice. “She’s still not seeing anyone, except her mom and dad. They have her barricaded at their house, recovering.”

The woman had multiple stab wounds; two that punctured organs that needed to be stitched up. She had blood transfusions and had to have the drugs pumped from her body. Surprisingly, they didn’t keep her in the hospital long. Princess and Cruz took her home, and now she refuses to see anyone. It’s been said that Ryker is camped out on their porch, and even with Cruz telling him to go home, he hasn’t budged.

To me, this is quite interesting. Ryker, the man who talked about getting into my panties the first time we met, didn’t seem to have a soft spot for anyone. But he does her. It’s not my business, but with being around the club the past few days, word gets around fast.

“They’ll let me see her.”

“Why don’t you go see your mom upstairs? She didn’t want to leave until you were feeling better.”

That woman comes off as a soft person, but damn, when she heard her boy was shot, she turned into a lioness, ready to rip anyone and everyone apart. Took everything out of her, and she ended up passing out. But damn, it was fierce.

“Fuck, I hate that she’s doin’ chemo, then hangin’ out here.”

“Babe, do you really think she’s gonna leave you?”

Deke rolls his neck side to side. “Fuck.”

He gets up from the bed we’ve been sharing. I’ve tried to lie on the edge, giving him more room with his shoulder, but he always pulls me to him so my head rests on his chest.

We’ve been staying at the clubhouse because JK got away. Deke didn’t give me all the details, just said we had to stay at the clubhouse for a while, that it was safer. I’m down with safe. Lord knows I don’t need knives inside my body.

“Come on; let’s go up and see Mom.”

Brewer barks as we leave him in the room and shut the door. He’s made quite a home here in the clubhouse. He loves to run outside in the open areas.

Entering the room, Emery runs up to her brother and wraps her arms around him. His back gives a slight jolt in pain, but he gives nothing else away as he wraps his good arm around his sister.

She’s so small against him. I love seeing how much they love each other. Deke deserves this. Deserves his family.

“I’m fine. Everyone’s fine,” he tells her, rubbing her back.

“Austyn,” she croaks out, her body shaking.

Casey, otherwise known as Angel, sits on the bed with tears in her eyes, watching her two children. I move away from Deke and go to her.

“Are you okay?”

She reaches over and grabs my hand. Her grip isn’t very strong, and her face looks as if she’s aged years in the past week. The chemo is doing a number on her.

“All things considered, wonderful. Got my two babies in the same room and his woman. Only thing better would be my man here. It’s great.”

This woman’s strength is admirable. In the face of odds, all she sees are the positives of having her kids together. I’m happy that she has that.

Deke moves to the side of the bed with his sister tucked under his arm. “Wish you could go home and recover, Ma.”

“This is home, Deke. Anywhere my kids and family are, is home.”

My heart hurts at remembering my parents. They loved me, cared for me, and their time was cut short. Deke is getting his time back. So, while I hurt for my loss, I’m also happy for my man.

* * *

“JK and his crew are off radar,” Deke tells me, which is something I’ve been dreading. “Talked to Cruz. He’s sending everyone home. Can stay here if we want, but JK hasn’t shown up in a week and a half now, and Buzz has every computer program running to find him. From what he’s found so far, we know he left the state.”

“Considering I’ve been off work for the last ten days, I really need to get back to my life, Deke. Schade’s been cool, but I need to get back. Princess has been good, too, with you shot and all. Still, it’s time to get back to life.”

He pulls me tightly to his warm, hard, naked body. “Gun on you all the time. You go nowhere without letting me know where you are, and I take you to work and pick you up.”

I begin to refuse, but he squeezes me harder. “You’re my woman; I protect you. Gotta give me this or I’ll have to tie your ass to the bed.”

A smile lifts my lips. “For a little while. I’m not big on being told what to do, Deke. You know this.”

“But you’ll do it because you know I’m keepin’ you safe.”

I let out a breath. “Right.”

“Next, you gotta choice. You either go back to your place, clean it up, and stay there with me. Or, clean it up, sell it, and move in with me.”

“You want me to move in with you?” Inside, I jump for joy like a kid on a sugar high. Holy shit, I care so damn much about this man.

“Ry, we’re together every night. You haven’t left my side for over a week. Fuck yeah, I want you livin’ with me.”

I lift my head, resting it on my hand, my cocked elbow on the mattress, and look down at my man. I want nothing more than to live with him, wake up with him, be with him. “Yeah.”

“Yeah.” He pulls me down to his lips and takes them hard yet sensually.

Deke’s movements aren’t frantic like our times in the past. They are slow and meticulous. Each brush of his fingertips on the skin of my arms sends goose bumps throughout my flesh. I clutch his neck, holding him to me, afraid he could possibly move away. This connection between us in this moment can’t break.

It feels too powerful. Too knowing. Too important.

He continues to take, and I continue to give, rubbing my thumbs along his jaw as we dance with our mouths in rhythm together.

He sucks on my bottom lip, watching me as he does so. Then he rests his elbows on either side of my head, enclosing me, which I love.

Lying skin to skin, his warmth infuses me. He lifts my knee and wraps it around his hip, still kissing me leisurely, like he has all the time in the world and nothing else matters.

He pulls away and looks deeply into my eyes, conveying so much without a word. Then Deke rubs his nose along mine, and I close my eyes, enjoying the small gesture.

“Want you raw, skin to skin. I’m clean. You on the pill?”

“Yeah,” I breathe, wanting to feel all of him, too. Just him and me. Nothing else in the world exists.

He adjusts his body, his cock right at my opening, but he doesn’t press in. No, instead, he tortures me, slipping the head inside and stilling, then kissing me. With slow, meticulous movements of his hips, he enters me inch by inch by inch. Time stays still as an unbreakable bond forms between us with each of his movements.

I don’t move my hands from his neck, wanting everything this is so badly I’m afraid I could lose it if I do move. He’s never given me a reason, but losing my parents marked me. Deke, I don’t think I could come back from that.

I love this man.

Deke continues to lazily move in and out of me, sliding all the way out to the tip, and then back in repeatedly. He stops to watch my eyes, then kisses me once again. The burn is slow building, but the intensity is so heightened, and the roll between my legs smolders.

“Deke,” I whisper, my eyes begging him to move, take me over that edge, give me what I need, what he needs, what we need.

“So fuckin’ beautiful, bombshell, and fuckin’ mine.” Only then does his thrusts increase, but not like normal. These are still way tamed, yet no less intent on serving their purpose.

The spiraling curl hits. I dig my nails into his neck as my back arches off the bed. I feel Deke’s cock grow. Then I feel it twitch as he leashes his come inside my body.

We stare into each other’s eyes, knowing this was more. So much more.

“That wasn’t just fucking,” I breathe up at my man.

A lazy smirk comes across his lips. “No, baby, it wasn’t.” He drops his lips to mine again.

There isn’t anywhere I’d rather be than in this man’s arms.