Page 22

Pirate

Saylor and I lay facing each other in the room, dim except for the soft light spilling from the bathroom doorway. Saylor’s hair was spread across her pillow, her cheek cradled in her hand as she smiled at me like I was the most interesting thing in the world.

I pointed to the small tattoo on her forearm—a little pink pig tucked into a blanket. “Pig in a blanket?”

She grinned. “Yup. That one’s pretty obvious.”

I moved my gaze to the tattoo on her wrist—a pack of cigarettes with a halo above it. I blinked, confused, then laughed out loud. “What the hell is that?”

Saylor laughed with me. “Holy smokes,” she said with pride.

I laughed harder. “Jesus Christ.”

She giggled and curled closer. “Come on, you can’t tell me that’s not genius.”

I shook my head, still grinning. “No, it’s genius. Ridiculous, but genius.”

This. This was what I needed.

After the bomb Leo and Brynn had dropped earlier—after seeing Dice completely lose it hearing that Stretch might’ve betrayed us—it felt like the ground beneath us was crumbling. We didn’t know anything for sure. Not yet. Brynn had said she needed time to confirm it all.

And until then? We were in limbo.

We’d spent the rest of the day trying to shake the weight off our shoulders. Hanging around the clubhouse. Eating dinner together like it was a regular night. But everyone had been quiet. Eyes distant. Every joke forced.

Until Saylor looked at me and said, “Want a tour of my tattoos? Might distract you.”

And just like that, I was laughing again.

So far, she’d shown me:

- A cherry pie slice with the word ‘cutie’ written under it. (Cutie pie.)

- A fork with a smirk that said, ‘fork yeah.’

- A peppermint wielding a little spear. (Spearmint.)

- The pig in a blanket.

- And holy smokes.

And she was glowing with every reveal like it was a gift she was giving me.

“How about a fun fact?” she offered.

“Hit me with it, baby.”

“My name is Saylor,” she put a hand to her chest, “and your name is Pirate.”

I blinked at her. “Okay.”

She tipped her head. “Saylor and Pirate.”

I let out a short laugh. “I didn’t even notice that.”

She nodded. “I did. And Mac pointed it out the other day. I think it’s funny.”

I pressed a kiss to her lips. “Maybe it just means we were meant to be together.”

“Oh, oh,” she said, her eyes dancing. “I’ve got one more you’re going to die over.” She kicked the covers off and wiggled out from under them. I blinked as she pulled her sock off and shoved her barefoot in my face.

“Is that a camel?” I squinted at the black blob on top of her big toe.

“Yup.” She grinned proudly. “That’s my camel toe.”

I groaned and fell back into the pillow. “God, Saylor.”

She dropped her leg and was absolutely beaming. “I think I’m doing a great job at distracting you.”

I turned back toward her. “Distracting me from the fact that one of my brothers might’ve betrayed the club?” I sighed and rubbed my hand over my chest. “Yeah, baby. You’re doing damn good.”

It was still there. The pit in my stomach. The uncertainty. But it was quiet right now—pushed to the back of my head by her laughter, her smile, and the warmth of her skin next to mine.

She scooted up then climbed on top of me. Her legs straddled my waist as she settled against me. Her palms pressed flat to my chest with her fingers spread wide.

Her hair fell forward like a curtain and shielded us from the rest of the world.

“Do you think he did it?” she whispered.

I didn’t answer right away.

But my head was already shaking. “No.”

She searched my face for a long moment. “Then he didn’t.”

Just like that.

“I know Brynn is going to figure out what’s really going on,” she added, more certain than I was.

“You met Brynn for, like, two minutes today, baby.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, so? I can read people. And I can tell she’s a badass who’s going to help us.”

I stared at her, amused. “What about Leo?”

She shrugged again. “I think he’s good, too. He just needs to weed through his info better.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

“You’re seriously sitting here critiquing Leo Banachi.”

“Hey, he’s married to Brynn, right? So obviously he has good judgment.”

“Because he married Brynn?” I chuckled.

She leaned down and kissed me, soft and slow. “Yup. You can tell a lot about a man from the woman he chooses.”

My smile faded into something warmer. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “All the guys in the club are good because their ol’ ladies are amazing.”

I thought about that. Poppy. Sloane. Adalee. Dani. Olive. Fallon. Dove.

She wasn’t wrong.

“So what does it say about me that I chose you?” I asked.

She smiled softly and leaned down again. “It means you’ve got a thing for goth girls with quirky tattoos.”

I brushed her hair back from her face and let my fingertips drift along her jaw. “And what else does it say about me, baby?”

She met my eyes. “That you have impeccable taste.”

We both laughed—full and honest, the sound bouncing off the walls.

I wrapped my arms around her and rolled her gently onto her back to settle over her. I braced myself above her, one arm on either side, and caged her in without pressing too much of my weight against her.

Her hands slid up my sides.

“I think I know one more thing it means,” I said and watched the way her pupils widened when I spoke.

She traced her finger along my cheek. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

I let the words settle on my tongue for just a second before I said them. “It means I love you.”

Saylor blinked.

Then she stared up at me like I’d just unraveled the universe at her feet.

“You…” she said.

“I love you,” I said again, firmer this time. “I didn’t expect it. I didn’t see it coming. But I’m not fighting it, baby.”

She blinked again, and then her eyes glossed just the slightest bit.

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

I lowered myself enough to kiss her—slow and deep, like it was the first kiss all over again. And maybe it was. Maybe it meant more now.

Because despite everything going on—the war with Boone and Gibbs, the betrayal we couldn’t confirm, the uncertainty waiting for the second Brynn called again—this moment was ours.

And I knew no matter what the hell came next…

She was mine.

And I was hers.