Thirty-One
R yder joined them over at the dining table, and it looked serious. I could hear them, even though they probably thought they were keeping their voices down.
Stitch had been urging Reacher to butt out of their sex lives, and I was with him on that, mostly… I didn’t like what they were doing, because it could hurt them. Only because of that. But I’d almost lost my love, and I knew how it would kill them to lose what they had too.
“Brother, I don’t agree with what you’re doing, or how you’re doing it…”
Ryder groaned, holding up a hand.
“We’re trying to-”
“Shut up and listen,” Stitch muttered, shoving Ryder’s hand down again.
“As I was saying, I… we … don’t agree with it, because it’s dangerous, but… Jesus … but it’s your business. You and your old lady. Just promise me, if something goes wrong, you guys ask for help, yeah?”
Ryder was struck dumb, staring at Reacher.
“Seriously?”
Stitch laughed, slapping him on the back.
“Get the fuck out of here, before we change our minds.”
Ryder was up in an instant.
“This… is this really happening?”
Reacher stood up too. “Just bear in mind that the fewer people who know about this, the better. Discretion is vital, okay?”
Ryder nodded, backing away from them.
“And the lab stuff?”
Stitch glanced at Reacher, and they both groaned in unison.
“We don’t want to fucking know. Just, like Reacher said, if anything goes wrong, don’t hide it. Ask for help.”
He ran a hand over his hair, looking from one to the other.
“Thank you. Honestly, just… just fucking thank you.”
Stitch followed him out, and Reacher returned to me, sitting down heavily on the bed.
“It was the right thing to do.”
He cursed, rubbing his beard.
“I hope so. I mean, Stitch is right. Their sex life is none of my fucking business. It’s just… I mean, the safety of my club members is my priority, and this could put him at risk, but it’s not my place to deny him his woman, right?”
“Damn right… I mean, you don’t want them dictating to you about whether you can fuck me in all the wicked ways you do. So you can’t do the same to him.”
“What has this got to do with the way we fuck, woman?”
I reached for him, and winced, hearing him cursing.
“Will you please stop trying to do things you’re not ready for? I don’t want you injured forever because you’re a stubborn damn woman.”
I leaned back. “I want to get married.”
Reacher blinked, rubbing at his face.
“You want what now?”
Reacher
I didn’t see that one coming. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m gonna fucking marry her, in every way possible, but this doesn’t feel like a declaration of undying love.
“I thought you wanted me,” she whispered, her eyes dropping to stare at the thin blanket over her legs.
“Dammit, woman.” I tilted her chin up, so she had to look at me. “Of course I’m fucking marrying you. As soon as we’re well enough.”
“No. It has to be now.”
My stomach clenched, and I moved closer, gripping her chin in a tight grip now.
“What the fuck is going on? Is there something wrong? Are you fucking dying on me or something?”
Her breath caught in her chest, and she shot me a glare.
“Of course not, but… dammit, Reacher. We’re not getting any younger, and let’s be realistic, we may not have years together. I don’t want to waste a fucking minute. We both nearly died recently. Isn’t that enough of a reason to marry? Now? Before it’s too late?”
Holy fucking shit. “So this is about rushing things, so we don’t lose another minute together?”
I glanced down at her hands, clenching and twisting together.
“I’m scared, Reacher.”
I moved up beside her, and dragged her carefully into my lap, cradling her against my chest.
“Talk to me, woman. Tell me your fears, and I’ll kill every last one of them.” I hated seeing her like this. Where was my sassy, dangerous woman? Where was my feisty, quick-to-anger, fucking goddess? Had that bastard broken her this time?
She shuddered, pressing tight against me.
“When he told me you were dead, I wanted to die too. I didn’t realise until then, and I fucking should have. You’re mine. You’re the only reason I still want to exist, so why the hell would I want to go on without you?”
That sounded intense, and unlike her, but her words warmed my soul like a flash of burning heat.
“Hell, woman, I am yours. And you’re fucking mine, you hear me?”
She shuddered and pressed closer to me.
“Can you handle it if we marry, but you can never claim me as your old lady? I don’t want us to put things off until we manage to convince them.”
And that was the whole point, right? Why the fuck would my brothers, my family, want to keep me away from the woman I need to be with.
“I’ll figure it out, woman. Trust me, yeah?” I knew the exact moment she fell asleep in my arms, because her body became heavier, and more supple against me. And I knew that the moment I could step away from her for five minutes, things were going to get fucking sorted, once and for all.