Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
The tension in his shoulders shifted, the sharpness in his eyes softening by a fraction. He exhaled through his nose, running a hand over his face like he was trying to pull himself back from the edge.
“I didn’t touch anyone since you,” he said finally, voice low, steady. “I won’t. Not when I’ve got you. I don’t share, you made it clear neither do you. That’s our line. I’m with it.”
My throat tightened, fresh tears sliding down before I could stop them.
“Fuck, Melody.” His hand reached out, thumb brushing over my damp cheek. “You think I’d waste my time with anyone else after what we’re building?”
I shivered under his touch, torn between wanting to believe and fearing I’d fall too far.
He leaned in, his forehead pressing gently to mine. The contact unraveled something inside me, left me raw and trembling.
“You don’t get to run from this with a text,” he murmured. “You want out, you say it to my face. You give me that respect. Don’t hide behind a damn screen.”
“I was scared,” I whispered.
“I know.” His breath warmed my skin. “But you’re mine now. You don’t need to be scared of bullshit like Maria. You hear me?”
I nodded, a shaky exhale leaving me.
He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Say it.”
“I hear you.”
His mouth hovered close, his breath mingling with mine, but he didn’t kiss me. Not yet.
Instead, he pulled me into his chest, wrapping me in an embrace that was more anchor than cage. His hand smoothed down my back, slow and steady, like he was taming a storm inside me.
For the first time all night, my tears didn’t feel so heavy.
The clock ticked on. Minutes, maybe hours passed—I couldn’t tell. Thrasher didn’t push me, didn’t demand more than I could give. He just held me while the remnants of fear and doubt bled out of me.
Eventually, my breathing steadied. The silence no longer suffocated.
“Why’d you come here?” I asked softly, cheek pressed to his chest.
“Because you’re mine,” he said simply. “And because I’m not lettin’ you walk away over some bullshit from a bunny or because you got up in your head about some shit. Been around the block, baby, don’t say that to upset you, but women get in snits sometimes, doesn’t mean it’s all tossed out.”
I thought of the text, the finality of it, the cowardice behind it. Shame burned in me again.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“You will be,” he muttered, but there was no bite in it. “You do this again, I’m gonna redden your ass and make you beg for me.”
Despite myself, a small laugh broke through. He caught it, and I felt the rumble of his answering chuckle against my cheek.
The tension dissolved, replaced by something fragile and precious.
I let myself sink into it.
For once, I didn’t fight.
His arms stayed wrapped around me, steady and strong, like he was holding the pieces of me together so I wouldn’t scatter again.
“You listen to me, Melody,” he said, voice low, vibrating through his chest into my bones. “If I have to, I’ll stand on the damn table at church and tell every single brother you’re my old lady. The bunnies are gonna know too. That’s how serious I am about this. About you.”
I froze, my breath catching.
Old lady.
It was a title I’d heard tossed around the clubhouse with a mix of respect and edge, heavy with meaning. It wasn’t just a girlfriend, not just a fling—it was permanence, protection, belonging.
“You don’t have to—”
“Yes, I do,” he cut in, pulling back enough to tilt my chin up so I couldn’t look anywhere but into his eyes. “Because you don’t get it yet. You’re mine. And I don’t give a damn who knows it.”
A shiver rippled through me, part fear, part relief, part something that made my stomach twist in ways I couldn’t name.
“And Maria?”
His mouth curved into something darker, dangerous. “She won’t be near you again. She crossed a line, and she knew better. Confrontin’ you? Making you doubt me? That shit doesn’t fly. She’s done. Out of the club, out of the hotel. She can take her games somewhere else.”
My eyes widened. “You’d fire her? Just like that?”
“Damn right.” His tone left no room for argument. “I protect what’s mine. She made herself a problem the second she came at you. I don’t let problems linger. She knows the deal. She doesn’t ever approach an old lady. She did. She’s out.”
The fierceness in his voice should have scared me, but it didn’t. It steadied me.
My fingers fisted in the fabric of his shirt, holding on like he was the only solid thing in a spinning world. “Why me, Enzo? Out of everyone… why me?”
His gaze softened, but it burned just as deep. “Because you’re real. Because when you look at me, you don’t see the cut, or the reputation, or the shit I’ve done. You see me. And no one else ever has.”