Epilogues
Silas
What the fuck was she wearing?
My dick stirred as violently as the air when Brinley emerged from the thicket, strutting her way toward the lapping fire where I sat under the shelter of night surrounded by my crew.
She was dressed in this fucking flowy, satiny black skirt that didn’t even come to mid-thigh. Soft fabric brushing bare flesh. Toned legs for fucking days, amplified by the sky-high heels that she never failed to don.
A plain black tee with the neck cut out of it draped off one shoulder, fitting her snug since it looked like it was tied in the back.
Wild curls blew around her stunning face. Those long locks threaded with strands the color of harvest leaves wisping around her high-cut cheeks.
Eyes entrancing flames with the single-handed power to lead me out of the dark.
Autumn riding in on a hurricane.
A wildfire sent to torch my senses and incinerate my heart.
A stunner strutting around on my property.
Best fucking sight I’d ever seen.
I played it easy, though, sipped from my old-fashioned like I was hardly affected as I watched her approach. Whiskey hitting my tongue and gliding down my throat to pool in my belly.
My sister was in tow, as per usual, though she was wearing her own black little number, which was something new.
I’d always been amazed at Elena’s resilience. Amazed that after everything she’d suffered, she’d maintained this doe-eyed belief.
But in the last three months since everything had gone down with Kent Ellison—his entire fetid organization decimated, the death of him and all eighty-three of his men blamed on a feud with a cartel—a new confidence had emerged in Elena.
It was terrifying, honestly.
I still had this soul-deep need to protect her with everything I had, but I knew I had to give her some space so she could spread her wings.
How, I wasn’t sure. But I was trying.
You could say Brinley had been inspiring. Standing for her like a sister. Her best friend. Her closest confidant.
And that was one thing I could take confidence in.
“We’re at a stop sign, and this chick just climbs out the window of her husband’s car and climbs right onto the back of my bike.
” Brody stood to the side of me, wielding a bottle of tequila in his hand, dude trading off exaggerated stories with my men.
“Said she’d never been with a biker before and wanted a ride. ”
Dumbass rocked his hips.
“Bullshit,” Trevan razzed with a grin. “She climbed onto the back of mine.”
“She just didn’t know whose bike she was getting on,” Brody defended with a pitying scoff. “Once she got a look at your ugly mug, she flew off and was groping at me. Saved the poor thing.”
Amusement puffed from my nose. Women pranced all around here, more than happy to oblige, but Brody still seemed to think he needed to rack up every woman he encountered for himself.
“Honestly, I think she just liked the sight of this.”
He turned, showing off the patch on the back of his cut.
The Crimson Crows logo stitched into the leather.
Enforcer tacked below.
He might have been messing around then. The mood light.
But he’d fucking earned that patch. Had stepped up, ridden at my side, and fought that battle for his family, every bit the way that I had.
It was just as important to him as it’d been to me.
Dereck chuckled from where he sat on the ground to his side, sipping from a beer, “Prospect” written on the back of his cut.
It only made sense that this place had become his home, too.
“You mean, you scarred her for life,” Elena called as she and Brinley strutted the rest of the way up, teasing her brother like they were kids.
“I might have done something, but I wouldn’t call it scarring, Lena. But what I can say is you in that dress is scarring my eyes.” He turned back to me. “Tell her to go change, Prez. She shouldn’t be walking around like that.”
Elena dipped into a cooler and pulled out two beers. She handed one to Brinley then twisted the cap off the other for herself. “Sorry to break it to you, Brody, but he’s not my president. I make my own rules, thank you very much.”
She sent me a challenging glare, daring me to counter her on it.
Trevan twitched where he sat at my side.
Apparently, he didn’t like it any more than I did, but I figured as long as she was within the confines of the compound, she was safe.
No one here had a death wish big enough to lay a hand on her.
“Well, you are my sister, and I veto,” Brody countered.
“Your veto doesn’t count.”
A low chuckle skated out of me. Tonight, Elena was all sass.
Brinley met my gaze, emitting that soft fierceness she wore like a brand.
Loved that about her.
How good she was. How gentle she was. All while not minding a bit to let the claws come out.
Elena found herself a spot between Colby and Pyke, chatting lightly, while Brinley wound her way around the fire toward me.
My heart accelerated with her every step.
Brinley Mercer a shockwave.
That’s right.
My fucking wife.
I meant it when I told her my life belonged to her, and she was going to have every second of it.
She eased over, some kind of coy, knowing smirk lighting at the edges of her lips as she approached.
Body easy and lithe as she shifted so she could nestle herself right on my lap facing out.
Nearly came undone when I saw what was printed on the back of her shirt, and I arced forward, taking her lush fall of hair and moving it from her shoulder so I could set my lips to the flutter at the side of her neck.
“What do you think you’re trying to do to me?” I mumbled at the sweet flesh.
Almonds and apples and cream.
I let my fingertips trace over the Crimson Crows logo that was stamped in the middle of her shirt.
Property of the Prez emblazoned in a circle around it.
Her perfect ass pressed against my hard, aching dick, and she shrugged that bare shoulder like she didn’t know exactly the kind of effect she had on me.
My whole being reacting in a beat.
She peeked back with those entrancing eyes.
Everything else faded and blurred into the nothingness.
“You like it? Elena helped me make it with her new vinyl press.” Her voice was nothing but whispered seduction.
I’d have to thank my sister later.
Right then, the only thanking I had in mind was the kind where I spent hours worshipping my wife’s delectable body.
“Yeah, baby, I fucking like it. Whole world needs to know you’re mine.”
“Don’t worry, King, I don’t think there’s any mistaking it.” It was temptation and a prod, and my left hand skimmed down her arm, drawing chills, until I was sliding my hand over the top of hers and threading our fingers together.
Bringing attention to the tattoos that we’d gotten at River of Ink in Moonlit Ridge the night of our wedding.
Our oath forever marked on our ring fingers.
Mine a solid black band.
Brinley’s dainty and hidden beneath the shiny rock I’d put there too.
I pulled our entwined hands across her so I was tucking her closer. Mouth at her ear. “You’re everything, baby.”
She wiggled against my cock.
A low groan got free. “You trying to play with fire?”
“Always,” she whispered on a breath. “I am married to you.”
Need smacked me across the face. “Time to go, baby.”
I nudged her off my lap and to standing, though I didn’t let her hand go as I pushed to my feet, still wound around her from behind as I shot Trevan a look and ticked my head toward Elena.
A silent command for him to watch over my sister.
His nod was succinct. Didn’t really need to tell him, anyway. He knew the drill.
He was second in command to her safety when I couldn’t be there, which he’d been having to do a whole lot more lately since Brinley had come into my life.
Since I’d been spending less and less time at the clubhouse and instead tangled up with Brinley in our bed.
Time devoted to Kai, this kid who’d become ours. Hell, I hadn’t left the house tonight until after I tucked him in, and even then, I would have had to have been pried away if I hadn’t known Brinley would be joining me at the fire.
Turned out, thirty minutes was enough of that when there would never be getting enough of my wife.
I stayed behind her as I edged through my men who’d gathered, most muttering, “Goodnight, Prez,” as I passed.
But my attention was locked on her.
That mess of hair in my face, her back to my chest, my nose to her neck. I directed her to my bike that sat at the head of the pack, and I swung on.
A squeal ripped out of Brinley when I tugged her sideways across my lap, those legs dangling off to one side and her arms wrapped around my neck.
She giggled as she peeked up at me. “This feels dangerous.”
I gave her a ribbing scoff. “Only thing dangerous around here is you. Way you have control over me.”
“Funny since you’re manhandling me.” She grinned.
I squeezed her bare thigh. “Tell me you don’t like it.”
“Can’t.” She lifted a nonchalant shrug. “I promised I’d never lie to you.”
“That’s what I thought.”
I let my hand wander, riding up her leg and dipping between her thighs.
She whimpered and spread her legs a little further as I ran my fingertips over her soaked underwear.
I wanted to strip her bare right there, but considering we were only at the edge of the fire, barely concealed by the woods, I instead forced myself to grip the handlebars so I could kick my bike over.
I slowly pulled out while Brinley rose up higher, running her lips in a lust-inducing path up my neck before she was kissing me as I took to the dirt lane that led to the house.
Talk about dangerous.
“You trying to make me crash?” I rumbled into her mouth, not minding the assault a bit.
“I think you can handle it. I’ve seen you ride. A few kisses aren’t going to ruffle you.”
She was wrong.
I was feeling really fucking ruffled.
I suddenly angled my bike off the path, tires rolling over the damp, high grasses as I shifted course and maneuvered us into the sanctuary of the surrounding forest.
Burying us in the shadows, just the faintest trickle of moonlight spilling through the leaves.