Epilogue

A month later ~

Wayne held Clara, cupping her ass, keeping her snug against him in her bed. She loved the way he never let her go when they were alone. She trailed the back of her hand along his jaw, letting his whiskers scratch her skin. The raspy sound made her smile.

His lips found hers again. The pleasure so piercing soulful, tears came to her eyes. He was not only good for her, but for Gracie. Whenever she suggested that it was unfair of her to always ask him to stay at the townhouse, he'd shush her. The fact that he understood her need to be close to Gracie while she slowly gained her independence again meant the world to her.

His patience paid off, and Gracie made great strides since she'd asked Wayne back into their lives. This was the second time her and Gracie had come to his house on their night off.

She hooked her leg over his hip. Her body trembled with need, making it hard to keep her gaze on him. She wanted to watch what was happening between them. To tangibly grasp the love they shared.

Wayne lowered his gaze to her breasts and sucked in his breath. She rotated her shoulder, calling him to her. In a short move, he lowered himself down the bed and placed a kiss on the sensitive skin between her breasts.

“Perfect.” He raised his gaze.

She smiled. "Only because you're with me and make me feel wonderful.”

He cupped her breasts, his thumbs strummed the tips until her nipples tightened in pleasure, and then he stroked them with his tongue. She arched closer, gasping, as he kissed the erect nipple, sealing his lips over the taut flesh. Rhythmic pulses spread through her body with the suction of each pull. She threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him to her.

“Wayne.” She pressed her pelvis against him, hooking her foot behind his knee. "I need you inside me.”

He raised his head, rolled to his back and stretched his arm toward the nightstand, grabbing a condom. Within seconds, he had his cock covered and had settled between her legs.

He slid his hand between their bodies and his long finger filled her. His mouth latched onto her nipple. She arched off the mattress at the deep pull that shot straight to her core. Her whole body warmed, tensed in anticipation.

He slid his finger out of her, circling, stroking, and bringing her higher. The absolute closeness she shared with Wayne had exceeded anything she'd ever experienced before. Everything hit her at once. His mouth, his finger, his body, his love, and her insides coiled tighter than she could control. Her body, desperate to hold on, hovered at the edge of an orgasm.

Continuing to stroke her, he pushed to his knees. She peered down her stomach to his hardness jutting out of his body, impatient and impressive. Wayne's steel gaze held hers. Her chest quivered, suspended on a high, waiting for him.

"This. Right here." His jaw clenched. "I want it for the rest of my life."

"Yes." She nodded erratically, caught between sitting up and throwing her arms around his neck and coming. "Me, too."

He removed his hand from between her legs. Slow, gentle, and with the skills of a professional lover, he slid his hardness into her pussy, eliciting a moan from her with one deliberate stroke of his cock.

She struggled to keep her legs wrapped around him, and he grabbed behind her knees and pulled her legs up, spreading her more. She latched her ankles around his waist. His weight came down fully. Then he pulled back and slid into her harder.

She tingled all over. "Oh, God."

Back and forth. Fast and hard. He repeatedly filled her. She reached up and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, lifting her upper body, and kissed him. Her tongue clashed with his, and he ground his pelvis against her with each stroke of his hardness.

He sped up, handing her everything she needed. Frantic and caught in the explosive feelings they created, she desperately thrust her hips off the bed meeting each stroke. He growled, and she added her moan into his mouth. Her orgasm left her lower stomach and gushed throughout her. She hung on to him, loving every deep pulse rallying inside of her.

He tore his mouth away from hers and buried his face in the nook of her neck. His body hardened under her hands, on top of her body, inside her pussy, as he groaned his release.

She came down from the orgasm gently with him cradled in her arms and his soft, short strokes of his cock. Her head tired and she sank down into the pillow, smiling lazily up at him. She roamed her hands down his sides and exhaled softly.

"I love you," she whispered. "With all my heart."

Wayne was her everything. Strong, dedicated, a hero. He wore his own uniform that included a black, leather vest, black boots, and a pistol hidden next to his body. He rode a fine line on his motorcycle between lawful and justice, right and wrong, but for her, for Gracie, for St. John's, he gave everything to make their world a little safer.

"I'm going to have to get up." He kissed her neck, drawing a loud smack with his lips. "I turned the barbecue on before we snuck in here and there are burgers to grill if we want to eat."

"Gracie's probably finished going over next week's schedule for work. She's taken over your kitchen table trying to cut checks before tomorrow." She sat up on his bed and hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm so glad she decided to come over with me again. It's good for her. While she goes to the bar now, she hides away in the office and doesn't want to be around the customers."

"She'll come around. Give her time." He zipped up his jeans and tossed her shorts she'd left on the floor to her.

Gracie's therapist had told Clara there was no time limit on her sister's recovery. Healing could happen in a month, or it could take a lifetime. It wasn't up to anyone else, but Gracie, when she could once again trust the world around her. Then, he'd suggested Clara not slow down her own life for the sake of her sister. The best thing for Gracie was to see that her sister, her twin, was capable of moving on past a traumatic crime.

That's why she'd agreed to move in with Wayne in six months. They'd finally set a date. Until then, they'd hop from one house to the other house, because Wayne was a part of their family now.

Clara stood, kissed him, and found the rest of her clothes. "Go check on the grill. I'll bring out the burgers after I get dressed."

"You hummed." Wayne patted her ass. "Just Breathe."

"Pearl Jam?" She laughed and quickly sobered. "Yeah, Just Breathe."

He walked out of the room chuckling. She used the bathroom, finished dressing, and went downstairs and found Gracie clearing her things off the table.

"Good timing." Gracie stacked the last book on the pile. "I'm all done."

"Perfect. Want to help me get things ready for dinner?" Clara opened the fridge and removed the tray with the hamburgers on it. "You can take these to Wayne for me while I get everything ready."

"Sure." Gracie whirled around carrying the tray on her shoulder.

The moment her sister left the kitchen, Clara hurried over to the window and peered down into the backyard. As of yet, Gracie hated spending any time outside. When they came to Wayne's or went to the bar, she walked straight from the vehicle to the door. She hoped today, Gracie would be able to sit outside in the backyard and eat with them.

Wayne's head came up. A split second later, he walked toward the house disappearing out of Clara's view. She sighed. Gracie had gone to the door and had made Wayne come to her.

She stepped over to the fridge and took out the fruit salad she'd made earlier, and the tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese that were needed for the burgers. Instead of taking everything outside, she made the plates in the kitchen.

Gracie returned and grabbed the barbecue flavored chips and opened the bag. Clara grabbed a stack of napkins.

"You want cheese on your burger, don't you?" asked Clara.

"Oh, yeah." Gracie chewed a chip, and when Clara walked by her with the tray of plates, her sister grabbed hers. "I'll just eat in here."

Clara stopped. "Are you sure?"

"Yep." Gracie popped another chip in her mouth.

"I'll bring up your hamburger when it's finished," said Clara.

Disappointed that Gracie wouldn't be joining them outside, she walked through the house and out the back door. Smoke rolled out of the grill. She inhaled deeply, hungry after having sex.

"That smells so good." She set the tray on the small table and walked up to Wayne, putting her arms around him from behind. "Make sure you cook the meat all the way through for Gracie and me."

"Got it." Wayne reached back and patted her hip. "Thad, Chuck, and Glen are stopping by in a couple of hours."

"Something big going on?" She rubbed his stomach and stepped to the side of him.

"Thad thinks he found an address for Rich. Whether it's a current one or an old one, we need to check online and see what we can find out. This time, the address is from Spokane, Washington." Wayne scooped up the first hamburger and checked the doneness. "Hand me a plate."

She stepped over and grabbed Wayne's plate. "That's a good thing, right?"

"It's not the first time we thought we were getting warmer on finding Rich." Wayne put the burger on the bun. "If he doesn't want to be found, we won't find him."

She rubbed his back. "People change, but they never forget. Don't give up hope."

"Never." He took the last hamburger off the grill.

Clara carried Gracie's plate into the house and met her in the hallway. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Gracie spun around and headed back to the kitchen.

Clara let her go, wishing with all her heart Gracie could be fully happy again. She returned to Wayne and sat in the lawn chair beside him. The backyard now shaded with the sun going down, she kicked off her shoes and dug her toes into the grass. Eager to eat, she picked up her hamburger, enjoying every bite, until she only had two bites left, then she passed her plate to Wayne who finished for her. Stuffed, she lounged in the chair and looked over the top of the neighboring houses at Mt. Hood in the distance.

Wayne laid the paper plates on the ground. She reached over and slipped her hand into his. "I need to go pick up the license plates for my new car tomorrow before work."

"Go to the DMV on Hayden Meadows rather than the one in Portland or plan to be there most of the morning." He stretched out his legs. "This next weekend, remind me to check the fluids and oil. Sometimes on brand new rigs, after they've been driven for a week, they need to be topped off."

"Okay." She yawned.

"Tired?"

"Not really. Just relaxed." She looked at him. "And, happy."

"How happy?"

She laughed softly. "Do you want me to spell out all the ways you bring a smile to my face?"

Wayne tugged her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of her knuckles. "Not necessary. I wouldn't know what you're spelling anyway."

She stood from the chair and climbed into his lap. "I love you, Wayne Shaw."

"Love you, too." He kissed her softly and cupped her ass.

Feeling Gracie near, she looked over Wayne's shoulder and found her sister standing at the edge of the grass, several feet away from the back door. Gracie dipped her bare toes into the grass.

Clara smiled and tapped Wayne's shoulder, lifting her chin for him to look. Wayne glanced behind him and turned back around, giving Gracie privacy to explore on her own.

He whispered in her ear, "She's going to be fine."

"Yeah, she will," she whispered back.

They were all going to be fine. Together. Forever.