Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“I am?” It’s not the most important part of what he’s saying, but it’s the part I focus on most. “Your woman?”
“Damn right, you are,” he growls and puts his forehead to mine, his green eyes locking onto mine. “I love you, Letty, and I know I’m not the perfect guy you imagined yourself with, but I promise to love you and take care of you. Always.”
His words cause a visceral effect on me. My body trembles with hope as his words of love fill me with warmth and something else. Safety or security, or maybe it’s just the comfort of knowing that he loves me. I’m sure that was hard for him to say.
I suck in a breath at the heated, affectionate look in his eyes, and I let a slow smile creep across my face. “Shades.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“I know, but I want to say this.” I take a deep breath and hold his face the way he held mine. “You’re not the man I ever imagined I’d fall in love with. But you’re more man than I even knew to imagine or to hope for. I know you’ll keep me safe just as I know I’ll always feel loved and treasured with you.”
I let the words linger in the air because I need him to hear them and understand them.
“You know what else I know without a doubt?”
“What’s that?” he asks with that irresistibly crooked smile of his.
“That our life together will never, ever be boring.” Unlike other men, the kind my mom would want me to be with, Shades has already proven that he is a man I can count on when times are tough, when life overwhelms me.
“You’ll move heaven and earth to keep me safe, and I’ll do the same to let you know, every day, that I love you and need you and want you in my life.”
After a long pause, he smiles. “You can just tell me every damn day that you love me, and I’ll believe you.”
I laugh and wrap my arms around him. “I know but showing you in all the ways I know how will mean so much more to both of us.”
“It’s going to be tough sometimes, Letty, loving a biker. There will be times that you’re afraid, that your life might be at risk.”
I put two fingers to his lips to stop his words. “Loving you, Shades, is a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Yeah?” His smile is wide and full of surprise.
“Oh yeah,” I assure him and pull him down to kiss him with all the love and gratitude within me. Our lips crash together as if they were meant to be together like this, and I kiss him until we’re both breathless and beyond. Only when I realize what a smelly, sweaty mess I am do I pull back.
“No!”
“What’s wrong?” He frowns and looks deep into my eyes. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” I cry out. “I’m a mess, Shades! My skin is filthy, and I smell like smoke, and I, well, when I was with those evil men at the church, I uhm… peed myself.”
A dark look crosses his face before he clears it and stands up, his hand reaching out to me. “Come on, babe.”
I take his hand and let him guide me from the room, tossing a smile of gratitude over my shoulder at a smiling Nova. Shades takes me down a dimly lit hall before pushing into one of the closed doors, revealing a room with a bed, a table and two chairs, a tiny closet, and a few personal items, most of which are Reckless Souls paraphernalia.
“What’s this?” I ask, looking around.
“My room. There’s a bathroom through there with a shower so you can get cleaned up. I’ll go see if any of the girls have clothes for you.”
“The girls? I’m, uhm, a little bigger than most girls,” I remind him with a sheepish expression.
He smiles and presses a kiss to my forehead. “You’re perfect, Letty. Just perfect.” His lips touch mine, and another fire goes off inside of me, but the kiss is too short and the fire short-lived.
“Whatever clothes they have, you won’t be wearing for too long anyway. That’s a fucking promise.” He walks away, and I stare after him for a long time, and when he returns, he’s holding a green maxi dress in his hands. “Will this work?”
I hold up the dress. It’s long and flowing with plenty of extra room. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Shades. You truly are the unexpected man of my dreams.”
“Aw, darlin’, you’re just saying that because I fuck you so good.”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “So crass,” I tell him. “It’s a good thing I love you.”
“Good thing,” he agrees with a smile, but he’s standing there as if he has someplace else to be.