Harley #2
He reached for her hand, stopping her from saying anything else. “Harley, listen to me. When I came here, it was for you. I came here to get you, and if home for you is Huntsville, then that’s where I’ll be—right by your side. Are you sure that you’re up to making that trip?”
She nodded her head, and her breath caught. “You mean that? You’ll go back with me?”
“Yeah,” he said simply. “You’re it for me now.
I didn’t plan for it, but there it is. And Harley, I don’t plan on going anywhere without you again—got it?
” The tears that burned her eyes weren’t from fear this time.
They were from the way he said everything that she had been hoping to hear from him, with no hesitation.
She leaned forward until her forehead rested against his shoulder. “Got it,” she whispered. I don’t know what I did to deserve you. And for the record, I don’t want to go anywhere without you either.”
Hex chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her. “You told me to get out from behind your bar, and that was all it took. I love a challenge,” he teased.
She laughed then, really laughed, and the sound was almost foreign to her. Harley held her ribs and groaned when the pain set in, and Hex gently pulled her into his arms. “Don’t make me laugh,” she grumbled.
Hex brushed his thumb across her cheek. “Sorry,” he breathed. “We’ll head home in the morning,” he said. “Back to Savage Hell and back to your friends. I’ll call Savage in the morning to let him know and set it up with Ryder to fly up and get us.”
“Our friends,” she corrected, her voice quiet but certain.
His smile was small but real. “Yeah—they’re ours.
” She lay her head against his chest again, and this time, when her eyes closed, she didn’t see the warehouse full of Dead Rabbits or the fear that they made her feel.
Instead, she saw the neon glow of the bar back home, the sound of bikes rolling in, and the warmth of belonging.
For the first time since the nightmare began, she believed in tomorrow and even the possibility of happily ever after.
Two days later, they were home. Ryder had flown up to get them and turned around to take them home after gassing the plane back up.
Being home was like a balm to her soul—one that she didn’t realize just how much she needed.
Savage Hell smelled like smoke, spilled beer, and home.
Harley pushed open the door, and the familiar chaos of the bar hit her senses like a wave, and she stood there like a loon, breathing it all in.
Savage had agreed to let her and Hex stay in one of the rooms above the bar so that she could help keep an eye on the place from her mandatory bed rest that Hex had her on.
Bikers, members, and patrons were there, but everything felt calmer somehow, steadier.
The club had survived her absence, not that she’d ever admit that to anyone—especially not Savage or Hex.
They’d never let her live down such an omission.
Hex was right behind her, his hand on the small of her back, letting her know that he wasn’t leaving her side. “We’re home, Harley,” he breathed, carefully wrapping an arm around her.
“We’re home, Hex,” she said, the weight of the last twenty-four hours making her knees weak.
She let him pull her close, just for a moment, inhaling the familiar mix of leather, sweat, and him.
She was thankful that they were both safe and alive.
It was more than she could ask for after everything that they had been through over the past few days.
She couldn’t help her tremble just thinking about everything they had been through.
“You okay?” he asked, voice low, almost a growl. His hand brushed the back of her neck.
She smiled softly. “I’m better now. All that I need is you having my back, Hex.”
“Always,” he agreed. “Let’s get our bags upstairs and then, I’m going to meet with Bowie and see what needs to be done around here.”
“Okay, I can be ready to talk with him in ten minutes,” she offered.
“Um, no,” he said, “you’re on bedrest until your cracked ribs heal, remember?
” She remembered, but she was hoping that he’d forget.
It was one of his stipulations to let her come home before she had fully healed.
She promised to be on bed rest, and he promised to keep her in the loop when it came to what was going on around the bar.
“Well, how about you join me in bed then and keep me company?” she asked.
Hex chuckled, warm and deep. “Trust me, I thought about it.” He leaned in, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him pressed up against her.
“But you need your rest, and I’ve got to get caught up around here if I’m going to have anything to report back to you.
” Oh, he was good at this negotiation thing.
Either that, or he knew her better than she thought he did.
“You’re good at getting your way, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Now you’re figuring things out. I’m good at that and a whole lot of other things that I’d be happy to share with you once you are properly healed,” he said with a devilish grin.
Harley’s lips twitched. “Maybe I’ll let you show me all the things you are good at when I’m better,” she said, keeping things playful between them.
It was good to feel like her old self around Hex again.
A few of the days that she spent locked up, she worried that he’d want nothing to do with her for getting herself caught by the Dead Rabbits.
She was an idiot for allowing herself to be caught by them.
But he hadn’t pushed her away, and for that, she was thankful.
He smirked, brushing his forehead against hers.
“Good,” he said. “’Cause I’m not letting go of you anytime soon.
” For a long moment, they just stood there, foreheads touching, breathing in the aftermath of chaos, their connection pulsing like a live wire between them, and Harley was sure that neither one of them would last until she was healed—but the game that they were currently playing was fun.
The bar was noisy again with laughter, music, and the hum of life—but all Harley felt was Hex.
She tilted her head, daring, playful, and he responded instantly, leaning in just enough to make her heart race.
“Welcome home,” he murmured against her lips.
Harley smiled, letting the tension melt, letting herself fall into him.
And for the first time in days, maybe weeks, they both knew that the fighting, the danger, and the chaos—it had all led them right back here, to each other.
The electricity between them was undeniable, teasing, intimate, and full of promise. They didn’t need words—not yet. The night was theirs, and so was the unspoken understanding that neither was walking away. Savage Hell had never felt more like home.
The quiet of Huntsville felt heavier than usual.
Harley sat on the edge of the bed in the small room over Savage Hell that she shared with Hex.
They had decided to move into the bar together, and that worked for her since she hated going back to her aunt’s house.
It never felt like home, and in such a short time, their little room had become that for her—home.
Harley was pretty sure that had everything to do with the sexy biker who shared the space with her.
Months had passed since the chaos in Yonkers.
The adrenaline of being rescued had faded, as had her bruises and injuries.
They had both settled into everyday life.
But now, a new fear had taken root. She’d been feeling off for weeks, dealing with fatigue and nausea.
They were just the kinds of little signals she couldn’t ignore.
And now, the evidence was undeniable—she was pregnant.
At first, she thought that she was just dealing with the aftermath of everything that her body had been through, being kidnapped by the Dead Rabbits.
But her ribs healed, as did the rest of her, and she couldn’t go on pretending that the nausea and fatigue were remnants of her injuries.
So, she called Brandi up in Yonkers, swore her to secrecy, and begged her to help her figure out what to do next.
Of course, Brandi told her to go to the pharmacy and pick up a few pregnancy tests.
So, she picked up four two-packs and took all eight tests at once, erring on the side of caution.
Brandi assured her that wasn’t necessary and that eight tests were overkill, but she told her new friend that overkill was her new name.
Of course, they all turned up positive, and while Brandi told her not to panic, she did.
How could she not? Her chest tightened as she thought of Hex.
How would he react? How could she even tell him that she had somehow gotten pregnant during their first night together?
She was on the pill, but being kidnapped by the Dead Rabbits had her missing a few doses, and by the time she got back to Huntsville and her prescription, the damage had been done—if she could consider a baby with Hex as collateral damage.
Harley heard the door to their room open while she was tossing the tests into the garbage can in the bathroom.
She was trying to hide the evidence, not that it would matter just minutes from now.
She tried to steel herself, but when Hex walked into the bathroom, that easy grin on his face, something broke inside her.
“Hey,” he said, leaning against the doorframe. “You look upset. Everything okay? Did one of the guys do or say something to upset you? Because I’ll beat down anyone who’d dare.”
Harley swallowed hard, the lump in her throat making the words impossible to get out. She shook her head faintly. “None of the guys did anything,” she whispered. “I—Hex, I need to tell you something,” she said finally, voice trembling. “I might be—I might be pregnant.”