Chapter 26
Lexi
I wake up the next morning with Zen’s face between my legs. He’s feasting on me like I’m something wonderful. I quickly get lost in the pleasure he gives. After the second orgasm, I shove him off and make a big production of returning the favor.
Since he can’t brace himself with his injured arm, I climb on top and let him lie back and enjoy the view. His eyes get big, and then he cups one of my breasts in his good hand and gives it a little squeeze before leaning up to play with my nipple.
I place both hands on his chest and lift myself over his ginormous cock. Now that we’ve been having regular sex, he’s a little easier to take. He moves his good hand down to place the head of his cock at my entrance. I rock my hips as I sink down on his cock.
“I love the way you feel inside me,” I tell him.
“Yeah, me too,” he responds, a little breathless. “Love the way your pussy squeezes my cock.”
When he bottoms out inside me, I groan, “I can feel you everywhere.”
“Move those hips. I need to feel you sliding against me.”
I begin slowly sliding up and down his cock. Something about being on top and in control goes straight to my head. It makes me move faster and faster until I explode around him. I know Zen hasn’t come yet, so I won’t stop for anything. I keep moving, my pussy fluttering around his cock, teasing him, pushing him ever closer to the edge. When he finally explodes, the look of lust on his face is sexy, exciting, and exhilarating. I collapse onto his chest, careful to stay away from his injury.
As I lie with my cheek on his chest, I feel his heart beating wildly. I breathlessly tell him, “I’ll wear your cut. I’ll be the property of Zen, as long as you agree to be the property of Lexi.”
I smile to myself because that’s going to be for a very long time. As the soft sheen of sweat dries on our bodies, his arm comes up to hug me close. “Always, Lexi. I’ll belong to you and only you for as long as you’ll have me. Being my old lady means a lot more than you probably think it does.”
“Isn’t it kind of like being pre-engaged?” I ask.
He draws me closer and explains, “Being my old lady means you’re more than just a friend of our club, like your friend Cindy. It means you’re protected by the brotherhood. Anytime, anyplace you need help, the closest brother will come in with guns blazing, if need be, to save you.”
“Like Wade did when Harris tried to abduct me, right?”
“Yeah, exactly like that. Wade stepped up even though you weren’t an old lady yet. He went above and beyond for two reasons. The first was because he knew how much I love you. The second was because Wade—like most of the Legion’s brotherhood—can’t stand to see a woman being mistreated.”
“That actually sounds good—now that I don’t have to look over my shoulder all the time.”
“The only drawback is I’ll be held responsible when you mess up.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, babe. I plan to put my best foot forward.”
His expression turns sappy, and he drops a kiss onto my forehead. “I knew that you would. If you ever have any problems with anyone, even the club girls, come to me. I’ll deal with it because I’m not gonna let anyone push you around.”
I lie there thinking over his words. For the first time in forever I finally feel safe and secure.
Zen murmurs, “I got a text from Siege in the middle of the night. He says the dynamic duo are getting picked up by the cops at eight. It’s seven-thirty now. If you want to see them in cuffs, we should probably get dressed and head downstairs.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to lay eyes on them ever again, but I ask, “Do we have time for a quick shower first?”
He nods. “Absolutely, as long as we don’t get distracted. Which, if you’re naked and wet, is pretty guaranteed.”
I laugh at that because he’s not lying, though it goes both ways. Thoughts of a naked and wet Zen has my mind going places it usually wouldn’t consider at this early hour. We get ourselves together and make it out of the shower and dressed in record time.
When we head downstairs, I notice there are still club brothers in place guarding Terrance and my uncle, so we haven’t missed them leaving. Terrance and his father are both horrible men. I hope they rot in jail for all the innocent lives they’ve destroyed. I can still remember seeing my father slumped on the floor, not moving, and I will never forgive them for that. I’ll never forgive Terrance for killing him and never forgive his father for filling his head full of the shit that made him a killer. There’s no excuse for any of that.
We grab a cup of coffee and breakfast. I decide that for closure, I do need to see them taken away. Zen takes me to the perfect table for watching the whole thing go down. We’re finishing up our breakfast and have gotten refills on coffee when the police pull in. There are four patrol cars, which cause me to raise an eyebrow. They head into the front door and are shown back to Siege’s office. We aren’t privy to what’s talked about back there, but they eventually emerge with Terrance and his father wearing handcuffs. As I watch them being walked out, I take another sip of my coffee. This is a moment that will shine bright in my memories for a very long time.
Zen’s hand comes across the table to cover mine. When he jerks his chin towards the back where the offices are, I see one of his club brothers—the one called Dutch—carrying a cut. I get excited when I realize it’s my property cut.
I get to my feet as Zen steps out to meet his club brother.
“Here it is, Zen. Just like you ordered.”
“How about the other thing? Did the prospects get it done?”
Dutch nods, handing him my cut with one hand and slips something into his other hand—something small that I can’t see. “Wade took care of it,” Dutch says with a chuckle.
“He’s a good prospect. We should think about patching him in sometime soon.”
“I heard how he saved your old lady’s life—said he saw that killer shoot her with a stun gun and haul her over the fence. He alerted the others, and they went after him.”
“I appreciate what he did, but it’s more than just that. He’s been a stand-up brother for a while now. I know he’s not been prospecting for long, but the dude is solid Legion material.”
“I agree. You can put him forth at the next meeting if you like. We have a few other prospects who are ready too.”
I grin at him. “Might as well save the old ladies from throwing extra patching parties and recommend they get patched all at the same time.”
Dutch chuckles. “Outstanding idea. If, and when you recommend them, I’ll second the motion.”
“Thanks, Dutch. I owe you one, brother.”
“No problem.”
I just stand there watching the two of them talk, and it finally occurs to me that this is what drew Zen to club life. It’s having a brotherhood—other men who will jump into action when you and your loved ones are threatened, who understand and respect your opinions. It’s all so clear to me now. I can even see that the club wives have some of this going on. They’ve created a sisterhood, where they care about and support each other. I’ve never had that before, and I find that I badly want to be part of the wonderful dynamic the Savage Legion has created in our community.
I hear Zen call my name. “Lexi, are you okay?”
My head comes up to look at him. “Sorry, I zoned out there for a minute.”
“Is everything okay? If you’re freaked out about wearing my cut, we can put that off for now.”
I step closer, reach out, and wrap my hand around the cut. “You said I could have it. So, no takebacks.”
A happy grin jumps onto his face. He tugs the cut from Dutch’s hand and shows me the back. It has Property of Zen along the bottom half.
My hands fly to my mouth, and I don’t even know why. I whisper, “I love it.”
Zen brushes one hand through his hair, and the anxious look tinging his expression falls away. “I hoped you would. Turn around, and I’ll help you put it on.”
I do as he says, moving my arms as he glides it onto me from behind. Suddenly, I’m surrounded by the scent of leather. I inhale deeply, enjoying the moment as he slips his arms around me. He kisses the side of my face and whispers, “Want to take your first ride as my old lady?”
“Are you okay to ride?” I ask. This morning he doesn’t look like he’s in pain, but Zen’s the type of guy who’d keep quiet about stuff like that.
He grins at me and rolls his shoulders, “Sure, it’ll take more than a knifing to keep me off my Harley.” Catching my expression, he adds, “Patch cleared me. So you up for it?”
I nod enthusiastically because I’m a hundred percent on board with how important this moment is in our lives. He’s giving me the most important thing he has to offer—a place in his world.
***
When we get to his bike, I see a large object wrapped in pink and white polka dot paper hanging off the handlebars. He hands it to me. “Your second of three gifts.”
Smoothing my hand down the new leather vest, I’m practically vibrating with excitement. “I’m getting three gifts? The first one is going to be impossible to top,” I tell him teasingly.
His eyes are practically sparkling with happiness. “You got that right, beautiful.”
I quickly unwrap the package that I already suspect is a helmet to find it’s an exceptionally nice, jet-black one with electronic gaming imagery and my name printed across the back.
I look it over, totally awed. Clutching it to my chest, I gaze up at him. “I love it, Zen. Who in the world designed it? It’s got imagery from all my favorite games.”
Looking embarrassed, he admits, “I hand-sketched the design—albeit poorly—and gave it to a guy who custom-designs helmets. He took my idea and ran with it.”
“I love that it was all your idea. It came out nice, and I’ll wear it proudly.”
A smile ghosts across his face. “I know I’m supposed to say something clever like, ‘You bet your sweet ass you’ll wear it proudly,’ but I don’t feel much like cosplaying an asshat today.”
I laugh at his antics. We have the same sense of humor. “I love you—and not just because of your hot body, cool tats, and amazing sense of humor.”
“Hang onto that idea. We’ve got someplace to be.” We put on our helmets, and he helps me onto his bike before getting on himself. When my arms are wrapped around his waist and we’re flying down the interstate, I relax into the moment. I officially belong to Zen now, and he belongs to me.
The men who wanted to kill me and take money I didn’t even know I had are safely behind bars. I’m not even worried about the money. Zen was right about me never knowing real need. My dad made sure I was well provided for, and left me with a fat insurance policy. It’s enough to last a lifetime if I’m prudent.
After we’ve been on the road for twenty minutes, Zen pulls into the parking lot of a jewelry store. I get that he’s trying to make the day I got my property cut special, and I love him for that. But I wonder what he’s taking me here for. If he thinks he needs to buy me nice jewelry to make me happy, he’s mistaken. He’s given me more than money can buy. I decide if he does pick anything out then I’ll pay for it myself. Zen’s a hardworking man—no need for him to pay for everything alone.
However, when we walk in, and he heads straight to the engagement rings my heart starts beating wildly. Of everything I imagined happening today, this was not even in the far corners of my mind.
I must be wide-eyed because Zen tugs me close. “Are you game for looking at rings today? Getting a ring doesn’t mean we’re engaged if you think it’s too soon. I just want to get a feel for what you like.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “Yeah, I’m good. I should have known this wasn’t my third gift.”
“It could be, if you find the ring of your dreams.”
I hesitate to tell him, “I’ve never dreamed of a ring, a proposal, or getting married. All those things weren’t a possibility until I met you. We moved around so often, relationships never really worked out for me in real life.”
“I can see why most of your friends were online. Now, let’s have a look. It’s time to let yourself dream of a better life, sweetness.”
I nod, letting my anxiety drift away. I want this. I want Zen, and this is the perfect way to put all this garbage behind us and move forward with a clean slate.
“Mr. Dillon,” the man behind the counter greets him by his proper name, rather than by his club name. “I’ve reserved the entire morning for you and Ms. Roderick and pulled out every ring we have in-house for your inspection.”
“Thanks, Gregory. I appreciate it.”
“I believe you wanted to see our selection of black diamonds set in platinum.”
Zen glances at me. “What do you think of black diamonds? I noticed you wear a lot of black stones.”
“That sounds amazing,” I tell him, my excitement ratcheting up.
Gregory slides a tray in front of us, “I think you’re going to be pleased with our select—”
My eyes zero in on the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen. “I want the heart-shaped one.”
Zen chokes out a laugh. “She means she wants to see that one first.”
My shaking hand comes out to take it from Gregory, and I slide it onto my finger. Moving my hand back and forth, I watch it sparkle in the overhead lights. “No,” I tell Zen. “What I mean is, this is my ring.”
“It’s the first one you looked at, Lexi.” He doesn’t say it in a complaining tone—more like a shocked one.
Gregory chuckles. “I’m not surprised. This is one of the best rings in our stock at the moment. Your fiancée has exceptionally good taste.”
“What do you mean by one of the best rings in the store?” Zen asks.
I don’t care what they’re talking about. I want this ring. If Zen won’t get it for me, I’ll buy it for myself and wear it on my right hand. From the corner of my eye, I can see Gregory writing something on a slip of paper, and Zen gasps.
“Damn, you’re right, Gregory. This is nice enough to grace my woman’s finger for the rest of her life.” Turning to me, he says, “Are you a hundred percent on this?”
“I’ve never seen anything so perfect before. It’s not too expensive, is it?”
Zen grins at me and replies in his most sincere voice ever, “Oh no, it’s not too expensive. Not at all. In fact, it’s a real bargain, right, Gregory?”
The nice salesman makes a strangled sound and chokes out, “It’s a three-and-a-half-carat, heart-shaped black diamond from the Lebard’s diamond mine in Brazil. It was cut and set in France before being shipped to our store. It ranks in the top eight percent for color and cut. The color isn’t artificially deepened like many black diamonds. It’s the perfect choice for an engagement ring, in my humble opinion.”
“That all sounds amazing. It fits perfectly, like it was custom-made for me, it won’t even need to be resized,” I say enthusiastically.
Zen smiles at me and tells Gregory, “You heard the lady. We’ll take it.” I watch Zen hand over his credit card and think to myself, it can’t cost that much if he’s charging it.
When Gregory opens a little box and reaches for my hand, I pull it away and hide it behind my back. “I think it’s stuck,” I joke.
The salesman shakes his head, I guess he’s seen that move a thousand times. Looking him in the eye, I tell him, “I want to purchase earrings to match, myself.”
Zen laughs. “You’re gonna end up my wife by default simply because you don’t want to let go of that ring.”
Gregory is all smiles and happiness when he brings me a tray of earrings. I pick out a dangly pair and two pairs of studs, none of which are as large as the gemstone in the ring. I hand him my debit card and watch as he wraps my purchases and packages them into one of their luxurious gold bags. The ring stays on my finger because I’m never taking it off again. I turn to Zen, “I really should buy you a gift as well.”
He just shakes his head. “Don’t bother. I don’t wear jewelry. Just knowing you want to buy something for me is enough.”
I’m clearly going to have to figure out what he likes that he hasn’t already bought for himself and get it for him.