Epilogue
Chloe
Six Months Later
“What’s that?” I was sprawled out on the bed, wrapped up in orgasmic bliss with Pike standing in front of me looking like the most delicious, tattooed snack I’d ever laid eyes on.
He dangled an envelope between his fingers, a teasing grin on his beautiful face. “What’s it look like?”
“A bill,” I answered honestly. “Are you charging me now?” God, being with him was so easy that I still couldn’t believe it. Six months later and sometimes it still smacked me upside the head that this was my life. That this man was part of my life.
He knelt on the bedroom floor inside the clubhouse where we’d snuck off for a bit of adult time since Gemma was off on a girls’ day with Faith and crawled up until we were face to face. “If I said yes, what payment would you accept?”
“Just one currency accepted here. Orgasms.” I smiled so big my cheeks ached.
“I always keep one in my back pocket just for you.” His lips skated up my throat and to my chin before they landed on mine. “Possibly two.”
I laughed and arched into him. Momentarily distracting him while I snatched the envelope from his grasp. “So it’s not a bill.”
“No,” he groaned against my jaw. “Not a bill.”
I couldn’t think long enough to ask him what it was, not when his lips moved from my lips and across my cheek before his tongue dipped into the hollow of my throat. “Then what is it?”
“A letter,” he whispered against my skin, kissing the spot between my breasts and then lower. “From Ashley.” He looked up, the move made his scruff scrape against the sensitive skin of my belly. His lips parted in a mischievous smile.
“Wait, what?” I pushed up on my elbows and raised a brow.
“I know,” his tongue flickered against my belly button, but someone banged on the door before we got to the really good stuff. “Goddammit.”
I giggled and fell back against the mattress with a disappointed huff. “Yeah?”
“Need to see you both out here. In a hurry.” Diesel’s serious voice took some getting used to, but it was the same tone he always used, and I never knew if it was serious club business or an impromptu cookout.
“If he wasn’t my Prez, I’d kill him,” Pike whispered, kissing me right on the hipbone before he rolled off the bed with a grunt. “Don’t look at me or we’ll never get out of here.”
I laughed again. “Right back atcha.” I kept my back to him as I shimmied into my jeans and then the rest of my clothes. “Okay, I’m ready. What do you think this is about?”
“No idea,” he shrugged, turning to give me a long glimpse of his shirtless torso, which never got old. Ever.
“We’re going to talk about that envelope later,” I assured him. My smile slowly dimmed as I took in the sight of the two men looking my way. “Shit,” I whispered just low enough for only Pike to hear.
He looked up with a frown. “Sheriff Cross, this is a surprise. What’s up?” How he was able to maintain such cool, surprised me.
The sheriff, a friendly looking older man in a tan uniform, stood tall and broad. He looked capable and not at all uncomfortable around the MC. In fact, he and Diesel stood like they were friends. “Pike. Chloe. We need to talk.”
I swallowed a lump in my throat and nodded. The bar area was empty except for the four of us, which only made my mind spin in a dozen different directions. “Is something wrong?” My heart raced and my throat constricted, wondering what the hell could it be now.
Cross nodded and pushed out the seat beside me. “I wanted you to know that Sheriff Maynard has been arrested for, among other things, conspiracy to commit murder, bribery, witness tampering, crime scene tampering, and a bunch of other shit,” he sounded tired. And angry.
“Holy shit!” I whispered. I shook my head, unable to believe someone like him would finally be held accountable. “What happens next?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. It’s not my case. There is some convincing evidence, but it’ll be hard to prove with most of the Ghost Riders vanished from town. Or worse. The FBI is looking into it.”
I nodded, absorbing his words. Fear snaked through me as another thought occurred. “What about me?” If they were looking into Maynard, they had to be looking into me too, for Victor and Marcus. Right?
The sheriff’s gaze flickered to Diesel and then Pike before settling on me with a gentle smile.
“You’re in the clear, Chloe. The sheer number of DV calls over the years combined with the contaminated crime scene outlines a pretty clear-cut case of self-defense.
That’s if there was anything to tie you to the scene, which there isn’t,” he sighed again and shook his head.
“You’re free to live your life, unencumbered. ”
“Thank you, Sheriff Cross.” My heart still raced, and it was only when Pike’s hand landed on my thigh did I begin to relax.
“All of Marcus’ assets passed to Gemma when you were assumed dead, so you’ll need a lawyer to sort through that mess.
” He turned to Pike and Diesel. “Ashley’s case is still open, but the FBI assumes one or more of the Ghost Riders did it, so whenever they’re found…
” the rest of the sentence faded on the breeze because he knew, the way I did, that they wouldn’t be returning to Red Rock or anywhere else.
“Thank you,” I whispered again. Six months had passed and even though things with Pike and I were great, my life had still been on hold, waiting for the Ghost Riders or the law to come after me for my crimes. And now it was all over.
Over. I didn’t know what to do next or what that meant for my future.
***
After the sheriff left, and we returned to the room, Pike turned to me, “How do you feel, babe?”
I shrugged. “Numb but glad I can reclaim my life, whatever that means. I’ve spent so long going from one day to the next that thinking any further than that seemed ridiculous. And now I can.”
He grinned. “Now you can.”
“We can find something for you, if you’re interested,” Diesel offered.
“Thank you. I might take you up on that. I need to start working. To earn my keep.”
Pike’s expression darkened. “No, you need to start working because you want to and no other reason.”
Instead of cowering at his angry tone, I smiled. “Yeah, sure. That too.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’ll pay for that. Later.”
Instead of scaring me, his words sent a shiver of awareness down my spine. “Good.”
“On that note, I’m leaving,” Diesel said, leaving us alone.
I laughed at his retreating form, waiting until we were alone before turning to a more important topic. “So, the letter from Ashley?” I was burning to know what it said. “Did you read it?”
“Two dozen times. At least,” he shook his head, taking my hand in his. “She thought we were a good fit. Said I could show you that bikers were rough, but we love soft, whatever that means.”
I laughed, leaning forward to wrap my arms around him. “I know exactly what it means, and she was right. You do.” I brushed his hair from his face and held it in my hands. “So she was playing matchmaker?”
He nodded. “Yep. And she was right. The little shit found a way to get the last word. Again.”
We laughed together and it felt really, really good to just laugh.
It wasn’t pent-up tension or delirium, it was just a shared moment of humor.
It wasn’t anything spectacular, this moment, but it was perfect all the same because I didn’t have to worry about someone trying to snatch it away.
It was the perfect moment for something else too.
“I think I know a way you can have the last word.”
He shook his head. “I’m not into seances and shit, babe. Sorry.”
I laughed again. “Neither am I, as a matter of fact. But I was thinking that we name our baby after her. Ashley is perfect for a girl, but we can go with Ash or Ashford if it’s a boy.
” I’d been holding the news in for a few days now, unsure of how Pike might respond.
My mind still conjured up thoughts of Marcus’ reaction, which wasn’t fair to him.
The two men were nothing alike.
He froze but only for a quick second before he smiled so wide that his gorgeous eyes nearly disappeared. His hand went to my still flat stomach and when he spoke, his voice was filled with awe. “You’re pregnant.”
The reverence in his voice threatened to shred my resolve. “I am. Is that okay? Is this something you think you might want?”
“No,” he barked. “I don’t think I might want it, I know damn well that I do! I want you and this baby and Gemma. Our family.”
My heart was so full it nearly burst out of my chest. “Yeah?”
He nodded. “Oh yeah. I just have one request.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A marriage license. I want the new baby to have my name. The old baby too.”
Gemma. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I shook my head. “You want to adopt Gemma?”
“Of course. She’s already my kid and this will just make it official.”
More tears came and his brows dipped, wrapping his arms around me. “I’m sorry, Chloe. Shit babe, I should’ve realized sooner. You want something more romantic than this. Fuck,” he growled. “I’ll figure it out. Promise.”
I shook my head, laughing at his frustration. “That proposal was perfectly you. A little bit bossy and abrupt with a hint of romance. I love it and I love you.”
He waited, still saying nothing, so I rolled my eyes, let out a dramatic huff, and then I put him out of his misery.
“Let’s get married. Soon.”
And then his lips were on mine, hot and searing, he stole my breath.
His mouth devoured while his hands explored my body until we were so hungry for each other that we forgot where we were.
He managed to pull back just before he removed my tank top and laughed.
“Yeah, let’s get married soon babe.” He took my hand and pulled me back to his room.
Our room.
Life has a funny way of working out. I thought I would never love again, and certainly not another biker.
But then Pike happened and at first, he was mean and angry and grieving, but underneath he was everything I needed in a man.
Kind. Gentle. Hot as fuck. Understanding.
And best of all, he preferred his women strong rather than weak.
It was a wickedly irresistible combination that I had no plans to even try resisting.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
Not ever.
THE END