Chapter 61
Reaper
She kissed me in front of the whole damn table. Claimed me like a tornado tearing through a quiet town.
And I let her. No... I wanted her to.
Lucy’s mouth lingered on mine like the heat of a match on skin, and all I could think—fuck, all I could feel—was the urge to throw her over my shoulder, take her back to my room, and make her pay.
Pay for answering for me, for kissing me like that, and for looking so goddamn hot in my shirt.
My cock ached to be freed, knowing she didn’t have panties on underneath it, that I could lift her up onto the table and be balls deep inside her within seconds.
My grip on her waist tightened, knuckles whitening. I caught a flicker of Link’s smirk out of the corner of my eye. Yeah, laugh it up, but she’s mine.
Her eyes dropped to just below my belt. She smiled like she knew exactly what she’d done.
A throat cleared. Then another. Riot muttered something under his breath I didn’t catch, but it broke the haze.
The room came back into focus, the table, the plans, the brothers watching us with smirks, some proud, some half-scandalized.
I caught Keno’s eyes and raised a brow. Let him choke on it. She’s not going anywhere.
Lucy shifted slightly, but her hands stayed on my shoulders. “Tell me what you’re thinking, Jay.”
I stared into her eyes. God, she was beautiful, and not only the kind of beautiful you watch walk away in a bar, but the kind that digs under your ribs and stays.
The kind that looks at you like you’re still a man worth standing next to, even when you aren’t sure that’s true.
The way she fit here, beside me, like she was always meant to be part of the chaos.
I couldn’t stop the surge of pride as my chest puffed out. Mine.
“I’m thinking,” I said finally, “that if we don’t start talking business again, I’ll carry you out of here and none of these assholes are gonna stop me.”
Laughter erupted around the table and Lucy raised an eyebrow. Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing to me.
“Guess we’d better get back to it, then.”
She slipped beside me in one smooth move, sliding into the empty seat on my left, posture sharp, alert. The queen to my chaos. Damn, that shift of her hips . . .
I cleared my throat and leaned forward, refocusing. Focus, Jay. Focus... Business, not her lips on yours. Not yet.
“Alright. We’ve got a clean window. The Fangs are done, scattered. Intel says no retaliation in motion. This is our chance to rebuild, go legit.”
Link nodded. “Tattoo shop is a go. I’ve already got one lined up downtown. Clean, good income. Good foot traffic. Raven will be the lead with Spider helping out.”
“Betting shop,” Riot added. “But we keep it legal. No backroom bullshit. High-end, clean books.”
Lucy leaned in. “What about a community buy-in? Use your old names but build trust. Include them in your plans, show the public that you want to rebuild the town and work with them. Offer them jobs and reliable businesses. ‘Dead Knights Ink’ could be a brand. Same with custom bike builds.”
I looked at her. She wasn’t just talking. She knew things, and goddamn if I didn’t want her running the empire with me.
“Who the hell are you again?” Keno asked with a smirk.
She shot him a look. “The woman who kept half your asses alive and found the intel that ended the Fangs.”
Finn snorted. “She’s got you there.”
I felt a spark of possessiveness flare. Yeah, that’s my girl. Don’t forget it.
“Alright,” I said, dragging a hand down my face. “We build it. Smart. Quiet. Controlled. No more Fangs. No more wars.”
Riot looked at me. “You ready for that kind of peace, brother?”
I looked at Lucy, and damn if my chest didn’t tighten at seeing her here. I wanted her close. Ready to protect her. Always.
“I think I finally am.”