Chapter 42
“Ican’t believe it.” Peyton nurses Mia in her arms and shakes her head in shock.
I’m sure my explaining what happened with Greaser will be triggering for her; it wasn’t long ago she was lying on a bed expecting to be raped herself.
Lucky for her, Raze saved her. I can’t imagine how she must feel, knowing he’s not there anymore.
“I can; the pair of them were insane.” Freya drapes her arm around me and pulls me closer. “You did so well. You must have been terrified.” She tries to make me feel better, but explaining it all to them has made me relive it and caused it to feel more real.
“I just can’t think about what might have happened.” I look at my tiny, innocent girl and hate myself for not protecting her better.
“Don’t do that to yourself. Look at her; she’s fine, you had her checked over at the hospital before you came here, and as for you, you're gonna be fine too. We’ve all experienced shit that shouldn’t have happened to us, and we’re all here for you,” Freya reminds me.
“Maybe you could speak to my councilor?” Millie suggests, with a brave smile on her face. She’s an inspiration to everyone. The way she’s managed after what she went through is incredible.
“And we all have our own strong, handsome biker to get us through, too,” Eden reminds us as the door to the meeting room opens, and one by one, our men start making their way over.
“Is everything okay?” I ask Vike, knowing they will have been discussing what happened to Greaser and his mom.
“Sasquatch, Rocco, and Tawk are heading over to Bakersfield to clean up now,” he explains, nodding his head at Tawk as he passes, on his way out.
“You're not going with them?” I check.
“No, I’m staying here with you; my girls have been through a lot today. I wanna get ya home and take care of you, like you deserve.”
“Ya good, Alicia?” Wrath squeezes my shoulder.
“I am now.” I smile up at him, grateful for all the people around me. Freya is right, I couldn’t ask for better people to be here for me, and although everything is raw and it’ll take some time, I know I’ll be okay. They wouldn’t have any other way.
“We still don’t know who killed Raze.” Peyton looks up from Mia and glares at Wrath like she’s mad at him for it.
“No, but we’re gonna find out, Pey; I fuckin’ swear it,” he promises her, looking just as mad at himself. It’s obvious how hard Wrath’s been working lately; he looks worn out. Raze was like a father to him, and I know he’ll want to find the man who took him from us more than anyone
“Yeah, and when you do, don’t think for a second that any of you get to be the one who kills him.” Peyton stands up and hands me back my baby, smiling at her sadly, and wiping a tear from her eye before she heads over to the bar.
I notice the look that passes between the guys, and I can tell they’re all out of ideas.
“She went straight to sleep. Today’s events must have tired her out.” Vike joins me in the bathroom where I’m taking a bath. I may have showered the blood off me before we went to the hospital, but I can still feel Greaser’s hands on my body.
“How ya feelin’?” he checks, for what must be the hundredth time since we left the club, as he crouches down beside me, looking tired himself.
“Much better.” I stroke his bearded jaw with my hand and manage a smile.
“You know, when I was on the other side of that doo—”
“Please don’t,” I interrupt him when I feel tears start building back up. “I don’t want to talk about him; I don’t want to talk about her. I just want to be here, safe...with you.” I love how it feels so soft against my fingertips.
“Marry me.” Vike stares at me with such intensity I feel my stomach flip.
“Marry you?” I laugh in shock.
“Why are you looking so surprised? Did you not see this coming?” He grabs my hand and places it against his chest. “Alicia Peterson, I’m crazy in love with ya.
I’m crazy in love with our daughter. I want you to be my wife.
I need you to marry me.” I feel his heart beating fast against my palm as I stare at him, wondering if all this is real.
“Darlin’, I know the bathroom floor ain’t the most romantic of places for a proposal, but it’s cruel to keep a man waiting.” He gives me that crooked smile, and I sit up so I can kiss him.
“Yes, Miles Rigby, I will marry you.” I kiss his lips and breathe him in, and when he stands up and leaps into the bathtub with me, I giggle so loud I worry it’ll wake up Mia. “You're crazy,” I whisper.
“I told ya I was crazy in love.” He maneuvers me so I’m sitting between his legs and wraps his arms tightly around my waist.
“I don’t wanna wait. I want the world to know you're mine.” He skims my earlobe with his teeth, making my pussy jolt to life.
“We could go to the courthouse tomorrow, see about getting a licence?” I suggest, looking up at him over my shoulder, and when the kiss he gives me starts to get out of control, he disappoints me when he quickly pulls back.
“Sorry, darlin’, I was just—-”
“Don’t stop. I need it,” I admit, taking one of his hands and lowering it below the surface of the water.
“Alicia, Doc said you're outta action for anoth—”
“Doc said I couldn’t have intercourse for three weeks. He said nothing about my future husband making me come.” I place his hand on my pussy and moan when his fingers start stroking me with just the right amount of pressure.
“Your husband is happy to make you come anytime you like,” he whispers, using his other hand to palm one of my tits and roll my nipple between his fingers.
“Fuck, Vike.” I let my head drop back against his shoulder, and when he kisses me in that same erotic way he did before, I moan into his mouth and smile against his lips.
“You're perfect, and you're mine,” he reminds me, drawing circles against my clit with his fingertips and building more pleasure inside me. “Say it, Alicia. Tell me you're mine,” he growls possessively.
“I’ve always been yours,” I manage, gripping the edge of the bath and coming hard against his fingers. He kisses my shoulder as I come down from my high and catch my breath. Then, when I turn to face him, he’s looking so damn serious, it almost scares me.
“What is it?” I laugh nervously.
“It ain’t nothin’.” He shakes his head, looking like he’s scared himself.
“It has to be something, you look different...Vike, were you just reflecting?” I accuse him playfully. Hoping he hasn’t let any of those guilty thoughts he has over his family back inside his head. We both deserve to be happy.
“I am different; everything’s different. The whole damn world has completely changed,” he admits, gripping under my jaw and dragging me toward him again. “And I fuckin’ love it.” He kisses me like he owns me, and when we both start laughing against each other's lips, I pull away.
“I love it, too,” I admit. Excited for the future we have ahead of us, in this changed world, and knowing that with Vike, we’ll always be protected in it.