Chapter Twenty-Four
T aylynn woke slowly . Light streaming in the window told her it was morning, not the middle of the night. She’d slept all night without nightmares or having to get up for one reason or another. She didn’t know how long it had been since she’d slept through the night, but it had been longer than she cared to remember. She wondered if the warm body pressed against her back, or the arm wrapped around her middle holding her there and making her feel safe and protected was at least partly to thank for the first full night’s sleep she’d had in months.
She wanted to lie there, safe in his arms for as long as she could, but her bladder was screaming at her that it needed attention. She tried to ease out of bed but the arm around her middle tightened, then tugged her back where she’d begun.
“Where you going? I’m not done with you.”
“I need to use the restroom, or I’ll be making a mess. I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t be too long or I’ll have to come after you.” Raven released her. She scooted out of bed and turned to take him in. His long hair was mussed and spread out on the pillow, he had his face buried in the pillow. As she stood watching him, he turned his head and opened one eye.
“I thought you had to go? If you’re just going to stand there and stare at me, I’ll drag you back in with me.” The low rumble of his voice tempted her to crawl back in with him, but her bladder reminded her again what she was doing so she hurried into the restroom. While she was there, she brushed her teeth, then went back and joined him in bed. As she slid back into bed, Raven hooked an arm around her waist and tugged her against him, this time facing him instead of spooning.
“Why do I get the feeling you don’t want me too far away from you?” she asked as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Taylynn couldn’t help but smile to herself at the way he snuggled against her and made her feel important to him.
“Because you’re smart. You’re right. I want to keep you close.” He took a deep breath and shifted his position. He moved so he lay on his side facing her instead of laying face down on the bed like he’d been while he’d been sleeping. He propped his head on the palm of one hand and watched her for a moment before speaking again. “Taylynn, you’re free. The Demons are gone. You could go anywhere you want. But I’m hoping you’ll agree to stay with me.”
“Stay?” her voice trembled despite how bad she wanted to project strength. “You want me to be a mama for the Angels?” Her chest tightened and spots flashed in her vision. How had she misjudged things here so badly? How had she landed right back where she’d started?
“Fuck no.” Raven’s arm tightened around her. “There’s no way I’d ask you to do that. Not after everything you’ve been through. Taylynn, little one.” He stopped talking, waiting until she looked up and met his gaze. “I’m asking you to be my old lady. I want you to be the queen of this club, baby. But only if that’s what you want.”
“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say. She looked away, trying to process his words. This was the last thing she’d expected. His old lady? She knew enough about club life to know that was as good as being his wife. But how would that work? Did she want that? She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated—what if he didn’t know the answer? How would she ever feel like she could stay? No point in wondering and never asking so she spit out the question,
“Are you sure it’s safe for me to stay? The Demons won’t find me and take me back there?” She looked at him, aware she was probably wide eyed and crazy looking.
“They’re gone. The Demons’ clubhouse blew up early one morning a few weeks ago. From what I’m hearing, the police say they had a meth lab in the basement and detonated, taking out the entire club.”
Taylynn frowned. She’d been in that basement ... she didn’t remember a lab of any kind down there. But maybe she’d missed it. She’d only gone down there a couple of times, with one of the Demons watching while she fetched some case of liquor they were after.
“When?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper. “All of them?”
“A couple of weeks ago, at least. It was all over the paper. I thought someone would have mentioned it to you.” Raven brought one hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushed across her cheek. “I was waiting to see if any stragglers surfaced. Any possible Demons who weren’t at the clubhouse when it blew, before I told you. No one has been seen in weeks. I have no doubt they won’t be coming for you. But if you’d rather leave, I’ll send you wherever you want to go. I’d rather see you happy, even if that’s not here with me.”
Taylynn’s chest ached at the thought of leaving. She liked these guys. She liked even more that they treated her like a human being, not a toy to get what they wanted from then throw away. They seemed to care what she thought, what she wanted, and even if she didn’t always get what she wanted, they made sure she had what they could give her. Did she want to leave? To risk losing what she’d found there, and what she was still discovering with Raven, on the chance that there might be a Demon who had escaped whatever had happened to the rest of them. A question popped into her head and she thought she knew the answer, but she had to ask.
“What if one, or more, of the Demons survived? What if he comes after me?”
“Then we’ll do everything we can to protect you. If you’re mine, little one, you’re family and we protect our family.” His hand still rested on her face, his warmth comforting her despite the unpleasant topic.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” he frowned, “You’re going to have to be more specific what you’re agreeing to.”
“Okay, I’ll stay. I’ll be yours.” She moved closer, turning her head to press it against his chest. His arms went around her, making her feel precious and safe in a way she couldn’t remember feeling anywhere else. Not ever. There was a lot she would give up to keep feeling this way. “I don’t know how or when but somehow over the last few weeks, I’ve fallen for you.”
“Oh, little one.” His chest vibrated as he spoke, sending those vibrations through her with every word. “I know exactly when I fell for you. It was when I walked into the front room and found you standing behind the bar beating your tiny fists against Dax’s chest. You were still bruised and healing from something you’d been lucky to survive but there you were, standing up and fighting back with everything you had. I knew then and there that if you’d have me, I’d make you mine.”
Taylynn tilted her head up and stared at him. “Really?”
“Really, little one. Now, I’m hungry. It’s time for my breakfast.” He pushed Taylynn on to her back then threw the blanket back and moved to settle between her spread knees. “I’m going to make you come a couple of times, then we can go out and get some food.”
Taylynn started to say something but when Raven blew a soft breath against her heat, then followed it with a long swipe of his tongue she forgot what she’d been about to say. By the time he was done, she’d forgotten everything, even her name, for a few minutes.