Chapter 17
Buse, Nevada
Bishop
We arrived back at the Clubhouse just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. When I went inside my room, Evie was snuggled in my bed, wearing only my t-shirt and a pair of my boxer shorts.
I smiled, seeing her look so peaceful and serene. After all of the horrors I’d participated in tonight, her innocence was like a breath of fresh air that I wanted to breathe deeply into my lungs. I didn’t just want this woman in my life. I needed her here.
Walking over to the bed, I sat on the edge of the mattress. Evie stirred and awoke. Her lovely green eyes blinked away the sleep cobwebs as she slowly sat up.
“What time is it?” she asked, clutching the covers to her chest.
“Early,” I replied, running my hand across her cheek.
Evie pulled my hand close and inspected it. My knuckles were already turning black and blue from the countless times I’d used and abused them tonight.
Kissing each one, Evie queried, “Is this from the exhibition match?”
I shook my head and pulled her closer to me, breathing in her unique, sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar.
Accepting my silent admission, Evie wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight like she always did. “I’m sorry I was the one who had to tell you about Bomb,” she spoke, sounding close to tears. “I hope everyone doesn’t hate me now.”
Pulling away, I gazed directly into deep, mossy green pools. “Let’s get something straight, Babe. What Bomb did had nothing to do with you. Nobody in this Club is upset with you, and you don’t have anything to apologize for. Shit, it’s us you should be upset with. We put you in harm’s way. This sin is on our hands.”
A tear slipped down Evie’s cheek. In a small voice, she asked, “Is it over then?”
I didn’t know how to explain it to her. My innocent little doe who’d been through so much already in her short years and had somehow remained untouched by the filth of this world. In truth, if she chose to live this life with me, the violence and danger were never really going to be over. Despite that, I’d do everything in my power never to let it touch her.
Tucking a stray curl behind her ear that had escaped her ponytail, I said, “Babe, I’m not going to lie to you. If you want to be my Old Lady, this isn’t an easy life. But, if you trust me and we always tell each other the truth, we can make it the best goddamned one there is.”
Standing, I went over to my desk and fiddled through the top drawer. Pulling out the flash drive Pipe had given me, I walked back over to the bed and handed it to her.
“What is this?” she asked, a confused look crossing her stunning, heart-shaped face.
“It’s all the information my Brother, Pipe, assembled about you for me,” I told her honestly.
Startled, Evie looked up at me with a wounded expression. “What’s on it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I kept telling myself I should look, but I never did. I realized that looking would have been a violation of your privacy and I didn’t want to learn stuff about you that you didn’t tell me yourself.”
The freckles on the bridge of her nose scrunched up in that adorable way I loved. “How come?”
“Because I want to find out about my girl the old-fashioned way,” I explained. “I want you to share that stuff with me when you trust me enough to share it. The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
“I want that, too,” Evie said, her words sounding thick from emotion.
I smiled reassuringly. “So, what do you say? Do you want to be my Old Lady, Evelyn Wild? Do you want to share our lives, love, and our hardships, together?”
Evie nodded excitedly. “I do,” she whispered, tossing the flash drive onto the bed and throwing her arms around my neck.
Flipping her petite frame onto her back, I straddled my Old Lady and dragged her arms up and over her head. “Let’s start with you getting naked and me finding out what makes you blush. The bad stuff can wait for another day.”
Giggling, Evie agreed. “I have a few things in mind,” she returned, moaning already when I reached between us and slipped my fingers under the waistband of her sleep shorts.
Nipping her neck, I used my free hand to loosen my belt and drag down my jeans. “I’m sure you do.”