Page 13

Tillie

Two Weeks Later…

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak.

Life was as idyllic as I’d always wanted.

Xavier spent almost every waking moment with me.

If he was busy with something club-related, he would turn up at random wherever I was and stand around like a schoolboy with a crush.

He never intruded and remained in the background unless I invited him over.

Like I’d ever leave him standing off to the side by himself.

I always welcomed him with open arms and a big, wet, sloppy kiss, which he got the biggest kick out of.

There were only two things making my life less than perfect inside the Kiss of Death MC compound, and I found the irony amusing as fuck.

First, I knew Xavier was meeting with Knuckles and several other members of the club to get the rundown on how they were dealing with what Xavier termed “the cartel problem.” I had a suspicion their pest removal involved some permanent solutions, but Xavier didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask.

Fuckers deserved what they got. As for my house that I barely got to live in, apparently everyone in the area knew about the problems with drug runners.

It was why I not only got a bargain price when I purchased it, but why they settled for a lower amount when I said I was paying cash.

The guy was just happy to get rid of the place and recoup some of his losses.

Xavier told me to let him deal with it. He’d make sure I got my money back and then some.

I honestly didn’t care as long as I never had to see that house again.

Secondly, my parents had started blowing up my phone.

I hadn’t answered and let my voicemail catch it, but I hadn’t listened to any of the messages yet.

I’d barely skimmed the first couple of transcripts of their voicemails, but honestly, they’d been the ones to turn their backs on me.

The gist of the whole thing was, one of my parents heard from a friend who heard from a friend and so on, that I was famous or something and wanted to know what their friend had meant.

No doubt they were seeing dollar signs. I hated jumping to negative conclusions about my parents, but I knew them too well to think anything else.

I hadn’t told Xavier about them calling because I had learned my man well enough to know that he’d go scorched earth if he found out they’d upset me.

Which -- I couldn’t lie -- I found sexy as fuck.

I’d kept to myself for the most part. A social butterfly I was not.

But Xavier had brought me a new laptop, saying Knight had an extra one he wasn’t using.

I had my doubts, but the computer meant I could put my notes into some kind of loose outline for my next book.

It had been at the house, and I still hadn’t been back.

There was really nothing I wanted there other than the laptop.

I was big on saving everything to one cloud service or another in case I needed to work from somewhere other than my own computer, so it was easy to get set up and running.

Once I’d gotten started, the words flowed better than they ever had.

Writing days like I’d had the last couple of weeks were the reason I’d wanted to write in the first place.

I loved telling stories, but more than anything, I liked having control over my world.

Sure, there were times the characters tried to bully me, but I’d simply put them aside and work with another set of characters.

I might be a pushover in real life, but I was in control…

Right. So, maybe control was an illusion. Or maybe I was just that fucking crazy.

As I looked with satisfaction at my work today, I realized how at ease I was while I was writing. Had I ever truly been comfortable in my own home? The short answer was, not like this.

From my first full day in the compound, I’d been treated like a little sister by the men.

The women all seemed really close. Well, the women who were old ladies.

The club girls, or club whores, were a different story altogether.

I could already tell they were going to test me, and I’d expected it.

Kind of like the biker version of Mean Girls .

During our Saturdays together, Xavier had told me all about club life, including the territorial nature of club whores.

He’d also assured me the men in Kiss of Death pampered their women, whether they were old ladies or not.

He’d said they’d created monsters. Now the club girls were pushing back against the old ladies, demanding attention.

He said the guys never let it go too far, and they always took the side of their old ladies, but they all kind of enjoyed the cat fights as long as no one got hurt. Pudding or Jell-O never hurt either.

But just as Xavier had promised, as long as I stayed in our apartment, the club girls left me alone.

The only time anyone disturbed me was at lunch and when Xavier came home from whatever club business he was tasked with.

At lunch, Hannah, Pippa, Violet, and Carrie brought me food.

Sometimes a simple sandwich and chips, other times they’d bring burgers or hot dogs.

Or pizza. They made me eat and talk with them for an hour, then let me get back to work.

Violet said I needed the break and good, friendly human interaction.

Always, the women were unfailingly kind.

All of them read my books and eagerly talked about what they’d read during our lunches. I loved every single one of them.

I’d just finished a chapter when the door opened and Xavier stepped inside.

“Honey, I’m home!” It was his favorite thing to say when he stepped through the door.

Without fail, he had a huge smile on his face.

If I wasn’t at my desk working or in the kitchen baking something, Xavier searched me out until he found me.

If I’d pulled an all nighter and he found me in bed? Well. Those times had been great fun.

I stood and ran to Xavier. As always, he opened his arms and I jumped into them, wrapping my legs around his waist while I giggled and kissed him.

“Damn, baby.” Xavier chuckled against my lips, his eyes alight with humor and more than a little desire. “Gonna have to insist you welcome me home like this every day.”

“Maybe I should stop greeting you like this,” I teased, nipping at his bottom lip. “You’re getting spoiled.”

“Don’t you dare.” He carried me to the couch and sat down with me still in his lap before leaning in and blowing a raspberry against my neck, making me squeal. Then he gave me a lingering kiss before sighing and sitting back against the couch. “How’s the writing going?”

I beamed at him. “Really good. I finished another chapter today.”

“That’s my girl.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch gentle despite his rough hands. “Knuckles wants to see us tonight.”

I tensed slightly. “Both of us? Why?”

“Nothing bad,” he assured me quickly. “He’s got some news about your house situation, and he wants to talk about making you official.”

“Official?”

Xavier’s eyes grew serious. “My old lady. Wearing my patch. If you want that.”

My heart skipped. “You mean like getting a property patch?”

“Yeah.” His thumb traced my cheekbone. “But only if you’re ready for that. No pressure.”

Was I? I thought I might be. Xavier had proven to be telling the truth about club life and everything he’d told me about Kiss of Death. He also continued to show me care and positive attention. And the man was a sex god.

A slow smile spread across my lips as I considered his offer.

“Yeah. I’m ready. You are the same man out of prison I got to know in prison.

And I’ve been in love with you for quite some time, Xavier.

I’m not even going to try to deny it.” Xavier sucked in a sharp breath, but I continued before he could say anything.

“You’ve shown me what it feels like to be loved.

You may not be ready to admit it yet, but I know you love me.

In whatever way. Platonically. Romantically. You love me. And I love you.”

Xavier’s eyes went dark and intense, his hands tightening on my waist. “Tillie,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.

“Baby, there ain’t nothing platonic about what I feel for you.

” He cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing across my cheeks.

“I’ve been in love with you since that first Saturday you walked into that visiting room,” he continued, his forehead resting against mine.

“Scared the shit out of me because I knew I was gonna have to let you go at the end of every visit. But I couldn’t tell you to stay away. ”

Tears pricked my eyes as his words washed over me. “Xavier…”

“I love you, Tillie Girl. More than I ever thought I could love anything. You’re everything good in this world and somehow you chose me.” His voice cracked slightly. “I don’t deserve you, but I’ll spend every day trying to be worthy of you.”

I kissed him then, pouring all my love into it, trying to show him what he meant to me. When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard.

“So that’s a yes to the property patch?” he asked with a crooked grin.

“It’s a yes to everything with you,” I whispered against his lips. “Property patch, your old lady, whatever label you want to give me. I’m yours.”

Xavier growled low in his throat. His hands slid down to grip my thighs where they straddled him. In one fluid motion, he stood, lifting me with him. I squealed and wrapped my arms tighter around his neck as he carried me toward the bedroom.

“Need you,” he murmured, his beard tickling my neck as he pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along my throat. “Right fucking now.”

“Yes,” I breathed, already tugging at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine. “Please.”