Page 14

T here’s this weird juxtaposition inside me. The killer who’s itching to go after the son of a bitch who’s threatening her and her family versus the soon-to-be mother and wife who just wants to protect the people she loves and keep them safe. One is emotionless, while the other is so chock-full of emotions it’s a full-body experience.

Stepping into the bedroom, the sound of the shower running interrupts my musings. The others are out in the living room with Owen and Aunt Charlie, catching up on everything they’ve missed and getting a tour of the place. What better time to reconnect with the one man who always holds the weight of the world on his shoulders?

I could see it in his eyes earlier, the struggle between wanting to stick me back up on that pedestal he loves so much and trusting in my abilities. It’s hard for a man like him—born to lead a group of rough-around-the-edges bikers and keep them on the straight and narrow—to let go of that control he holds like a shield. Part of his role is to protect everyone beneath him. That includes me and the baby I’m carrying. While he’s come a long way in understanding my capabilities and coming to terms with what I’ve done to earn back each tiny sliver of my soul, I know he’d hide me away without hesitation if he thought it would guarantee my safety.

My footsteps are silent as they pad across the warm tile. He’s barely visible through the steam, but I stare at his silhouette behind the glass and let Remy fully take over for a bit. The Avenging Angel has no place in this moment between a wife and her husband.

“Want some company?”

There’s a brief pause, not more than the span of a single breath. “Thought they were going to put you to bed?”

My eyes narrow. “One—I’m not a toddler. And two—I don’t go anywhere I don’t want to, husband. You should’ve learned that by now.”

The glass door creaks open, letting me see the small grin playing across his plush lips. “I ever tell you it turns me on when you get all contrary ?”

I blink.

He chuckles, the low, deep sound touching a spot in my core that lights up like a Christmas tree. “C’mere, doll. I’ll never turn down my wife’s company.”

Quickly shedding my clothes, I step toward the shower and reach for his waiting hand. Water drips from his dark lashes, his abs highlighted by the sparkle of moisture running down the grooves between them.

He’s a literal wet dream, and he’s all mine. Before I can say a word, I’m pulled into his arms. Water rushes over me as his big hands slide along my lower back, drawing my body close to his.

“Hello, Mrs. Masterson.”

“Hello, Mr. Masterson.”

For a second, we simply take in the sight of each other. The warmth of the space around us. The tension that grows with each passing second. I expect fireworks. Combustion. A flash fire. What I don’t expect is the way he gently lifts me up, gripping the back of my thighs to draw them around his waist. Or the tender kisses he presses along my jaw and down the side of my neck. Or the near-bruising grip his fingers have on my ass as his body vibrates with the strain of everything he’s feeling.

“Remy…”

“Shh. I’m right here, Ace.”

“I’ve never felt as helpless as I did knowing you were out here on your own and I couldn’t get to you or our baby.”

His voice is a soft murmur, so low I almost can’t hear it over the spatter of water hitting the tile, but I feel his pain and the fear like they’re a physical thing.

“But you’re here now, and I’m not letting anyone or anything get between us again.”

The fire within his eyes nearly burns me. “No one can touch us, doll. Not as long as we’re together.”

He kisses me with all of the love that exists between us. My fingers slide up his slick neck and through his drenched hair until a low growl rumbles against my mouth.

“Make love to me, Ace. Keep the darkness at bay just a little longer.”

“Fuck, Remy, what you do to me.” But he indulges me, slowly turning our bodies until my back is pressed up against the shower wall. His hips pull back until the head of his dick is poised right where I need him most. “I’ll make love to you for the rest of our lives. I promise.”

With exquisite care, he presses in, never once taking his eyes off of me. The thickness of him stretches me in a way that sends all of my senses spiraling. It’s slow and sensual and sexy as hell. When he’s in as deep as he can go, his body stills. We sit there, as closely connected as two people can be, until the urge to roll my hips becomes damn near impossible to ignore.

“I love the way your cock feels inside me, husband.” I press a brief kiss against his lips, then lean in to whisper in his ear, “But I love it even more when it’s sliding in and out of my tight little pussy.”

His forehead drops to mine on a groan. “You make it hard to be gentle.”

“There’s gentle, and then there’s torture. I’m better at one than the other, but you’re apparently a pro at both.”

He snorts against my neck, then pulls back as his hips retreat. “This what you want, wife?”

“Mmmhmm…” The slide of him inside me is the most perfect friction ever created.

With his tip playing in and out of my hole, he teases me for a second before pushing back in. “And what about this?”

My head drops back against the tile. “So perfect, husband.”

One hand slides up my back until it wraps around the back of my neck. With his other hand gripping my ass, he lifts me off the wall and, with impressive strength, proceeds to slowly raise and lower my body onto his thick cock.

“Is your husband making love to you right, doll?”

My body is already coiling tighter, my release gathering power until I feel like I might explode if I don’t tip over the edge soon.

“Yes. Yes. Fuck, Ace. It’s so goddamn good. I—I’m close.”

He kisses my chin, then each cheek, with slow, purposeful presses against my skin. All while his hips steadily pump in and out of me. His grip on my neck tightens as he presses his lips against my ear.

“Come on my dick, wife. Show your husband how good he makes you feel.” My body eagerly leaps off the edge it had been precariously balanced on, my orgasm stealing my breath and forcing my eyes to damn near roll back in my head. “Fuck yeah. Just like that.”

He continues to plunge his dick in and out of my quivering pussy, drawing out my release until I swear I’m about ready to pass out from lack of oxygen, then he presses me up against the tile wall once more, his hips stilling.

“Fuck. Fuck. I’m coming. You’re squeezing me so goddamn good.”

My gasp is drowned out by the sound of the shower, but I manage to suck in much needed oxygen as all of my senses come back online. Ace’s forehead is resting on my shoulder as his chest heaves in his attempt to catch his breath. My fingers comb through the long strands of his hair, so utterly exhausted but completely content.

I have all of my men back with me. My baby is growing strong and healthy inside me. I’ve been reunited with my aunt, and I’m helping her reconnect with the love of her life.

But darkness is lurking on the edges of my new-found happiness, and I can’t ignore it any longer.

“Ace?”

“Yeah, doll?”

“Will you still love me if I’m forced to let the Avenging Angel take over for a while so we can finish this? I can’t be Remy—the woman you’ve grown to know and love—and do the things that need to be done. It would break the fragile balance I’ve been able to maintain these last ten years.”

He studies me for a long moment, fingers brushing a stray strand of hair off my cheek.

“I will love you until my dying breath, Remington. No matter who you have to become or what you have to do in order to save yourself and our child. I will be right there with you, every step of the way, so that when this is all over, you’ll finally trust that while we fell in love with Remy, we’ve accepted the Avenging Angel too. We won’t walk away from you, ever, for any reason.”

“Thank you for loving me,” I rasp.

“Thank you for letting me.” He straightens and pulls us back into the water. He lifts me off of his dick, and we groan at the sudden loss of contact. “But now I’m going to clean us up and get you to bed.”

One side of my lips quirks up. “Yes, sir.”

His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t respond. Instead, he reaches for the shampoo and starts washing my hair. He doesn’t stop taking care of me until I’m dried off, tucked next to him in bed, and falling asleep in his arms. The last thing I hear is the rest of my guys filing into the room, then I fall into a sleep so deep it’s like I haven’t slept in a year.