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EPILOGUE

AINSLEY

Three Months Later

“M ercy, where are we going? What’re are you doing?” I laugh as he carries me over his shoulder through the clubhouse out to his bike.

“Do you have to ask so many fucking questions?” Mercy grumbles, glaring down at me once he plants me on my feet.

I cross my arms over my chest, tapping my foot at his words. He turns to me, handing me my helmet. He cocks an eyebrow in question. I don’t move to take the helmet. I stand there staring him down.

“Little Lamb, take the fucking helmet. We’ve got somewhere to fucking be,” he rumbles.

“I’m not doing a damn thing if you’re going to snap at me. Are you going to be nice?” I ask him.

“I swear, woman, you’re going to be the fucking death of me,” he growls, placing his empty hand on his hip, looking up at the sky. “Fine, I will do my best to be nice. Can we go now?”

Smiling, I take my helmet and put it on. Mercy throws his leg over his bike, setting it up, kicking up the kickstand before starting it with a rumble. He looks over his shoulder, giving me a nod. I reach out, placing my hand on his shoulder before stepping up on the bike. I take my seat, getting comfortable. Mercy doesn’t like my placement and reaches back, grabbing me behind the knees and pulling me tight against his back.

I wrap my hands around his waist, squeezing him tight. The feel of Mercy’s powerful body flexing and moving as he gets the bike in gear and pulls out lights a fire of need that can only be matched by him applying my favorite accessory. The ride to wherever we’re going is short. When we stop, I nearly fall off the bike.

“Mercy, where are we?” I ask, looking around at the area.

We’re on the edge of the marsh, but there are trees behind us. To be honest, I know Mercy cares for me in his own way, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still a monster of a man. He comes up behind me, wrapping one hand around my waist while running the other up to my throat. We stand there looking out over the marsh, swaying lightly together.

“Are you going to tell me why we’re here?” I question once again.

Mercy turns me so I’m looking at the trees. “What would you say if about a half-mile back we build a small house just for us?”

I suck in a shocked breath before turning to look at him. “Are you serious? We’re not staying in the clubhouse forever?”

“I know things aren’t always easy, Little Lamb. What I want you to know is I care in the only ways that I can. So, here, I can build us a small place on the club property. That way, we’re still protected, and I know you’re safe when I can’t be around.”

I take in Mercy’s face, noting how tired and stressed he looks. “Is everything okay? I know you can’t tell me club business, but I want to know that you’re okay.”

“What I can tell you is that we’re still working on finding the assholes that run the fucking traffic ring and until they are dealt with, I will not be okay, because that means you’re not safe.”

Turning to look out at the woods again, leaning back against Mercy’s chest, I say what my heart has been screaming to say. “I love you too, Mercy.”

Until Next Time!