Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
I increased my pace, chasing the building pleasure. Jack's hands guided my hips now, helping me find the perfect angle. When his thumb found my clit, I cried out, my back arching.
"That's it, baby," he encouraged, his voice strained with the effort of restraint. "Show me what you need. Come on my cock.”
What I needed was him. The dangerous outlaw, the protective lover, the man who had claimed me and somehow, impossibly, made me want to claim him right back.
When release finally claimed me, it was with his name on my lips and his gaze locked on mine, connecting us in ways that went beyond the physical. He followed moments later, his powerful body tensing beneath me before he pulled me down against his chest, holding me close as we both fought to catch our breath.
"Mine," he murmured into my hair, echoing my earlier claim. “All fuckin’ mine.”
I smiled against his skin, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my cheek. "Yours," I agreed, no longer afraid of what that meant.
I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew it was full daylight and, judging by the angle the sunlight coming through the window it had to be early afternoon. The normal noises inside the compound were nearly absent. I glanced up from where my head lay on Jack’s shoulder and straight up at Jack’s face. He gave me a tender smile before leaning in to kiss my lips tenderly.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey.” I smiled up at him. My body was sore all over both from our lovemaking and the battle hours earlier.
"Hate to let the real world intrude on us, but Ghost is setting up a meeting with what's left of the Copperhead leadership. I’m gonna have to go to the meeting room when they get here.” He ran his fingers through my hair, stroking the strands away from my face. "Hadn’t expected it, but with Shank gone and their numbers cut nearly in half, Acid is apparently ready to negotiate. He reached out to us."
I blinked in surprise. Not because of the news itself, but because he was sharing it with me. "What kind of negotiation?"
"Territory lines, mainly. Non aggression pact so long as they respect the boundaries." His free hand absently traced patterns on my bare shoulder. "They crossed too many lines, but with what we did to them, they've paid a blood price. If they're smart, they'll take the deal."
"And if they're not smart?"
His eyes met mine, cold and certain. "Then we finish what they started and we do it tonight." I should have been chilled by the casual way he discussed potential violence, but instead, I found myself nodding. It all made a strange kind of sense. "Either way, this whole thing is done tonight. We’re still beefing up security. That attack on this compound should have been headed off, but I’m not taking chances until I know for sure."
"Because of me?" I asked quietly.
"Because of us. All of us." His hand cupped my cheek. "But yeah, mostly because of you. They know who you are now. What you mean to me."
The words sent warmth spreading through my chest. "And what do I mean to you, Jack Mason?"
For a moment, I thought I'd pushed too far. His expression closed off, those blue eyes growing distant. Then he sighed, his thumb brushing across my lower lip.
"Everything," he said simply. "You mean everything."
I swallowed hard, unexpected tears pricking at my eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," I whispered. "You know that, right? This isn't temporary for me anymore."
His arm tightened around me, pulling me closer against his side. "Good. Because letting you go would be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. And I've done some hard fuckin’ things."
We lay in silence for a while, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear. I never would have thought I'd find my place in this world? Not just the world I’d chosen with Jack, but in life. And the strangest part? It felt right. Not just being with Jack, though he was the biggest part. But the club itself. The way they'd fought for their home, for each other. The way they'd welcomed me without question or judgment.
"What are you thinking about?" Jack's voice rumbled beneath my ear.
"Home," I said truthfully. "And how this place has become that for me."
His hand stroked down my back, leaving goosebumps in its wake. "It is your home. You've earned your place here."
"By shooting a man climbing through a window?" I asked, only half joking.
"By standing your ground when things went to shit," he corrected. "Not everyone has the stomach for this life, Honey."
I thought about that, about the blood and violence I'd witnessed. The fear I'd felt, yes, but also the exhilaration. The clarity that came with fighting for survival. For the people you cared about.