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I walked further into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. A plump yellow tabby cat slinked out from under the bed and headed straight for Mary Jay. “Please tell me you call yourself Mama.”

“What?” she laughed.

Tommy wove in between her legs and let out a few meows before Mary Jay picked him up and buried her face in his fur.

“Say it.”

“Say what?”

“Something along the lines of Mama is home.”

She moved over to the window over the sink and grabbed a can of cat food off the counter. “You have a mommy fetish?” she asked. She cracked open the can and walked over to a little food dish along the wall by the couch.

“I bet that wasn’t initially on your list of questions to ask me,” I chuckled.

“You would be correct.” She dumped the food into the bowl, and Tommy camped out in front of the bowl and dug in. “And yes, I do sometimes call myself Mama, but now I’m not going to do it in front of you.”

I raised my hands. “Fair enough, but for the record, I will not laugh at you.” If anything, I would toss her over my shoulder and ravish the hell out of her. “Kiss you, but not laugh at you.”

“I’ll file that information away for another day.” She watched Tommy eat and didn’t look up at me. “Here is the awkwardness I was expecting. Let’s watch Tommy eat.”

“There is nothing awkward between the two of us, babe.” I pushed off the counter and slowly stalked toward her. “Though I do think there are other things we could be doing besides watching Tommy eat.”

She kept her eyes on the cat, and I could feel her anxiety rise.

“Baby,” I cooed. “Look at me.”

“This is crazy, Hail. I can’t even tell you the last time I had anyone in my apartment, and now you’re here.” She looked up, and her eyes were like huge saucers. “And the crazy thing is, if you were to leave right now, I don’t know what I would do. You’ve been in my life for an incredibly short time, but somehow, I don’t want you to leave, ever.”

Her words propelled me faster across the room, and I gathered her in my arms. I buried my face in her hair and inhaled. “Thank fuck, because I feel the same way, babe. I can’t tell you how much shit I have been getting from the guys for staring at the damn door downstairs, just waiting for you to walk in.”

“Stalker,” she jested.

“Call me whatever you want, babe, as long as you’re in my arms.” My heart raced, and I couldn’t go one more second without her lips on mine.

Our lips met, and just like the first time, it felt like coming home.

She leaned back slightly, her breathing uneven, and said, “This doesn’t make sense, but I’m not going to fight it, Hail. I’ve never really had anything good in my life, so I’m going to hold onto this for as long as I can.”

I looked into her eyes, which were filled with desire and vulnerability now. “I’ll do anything I can to make sure you only have good, Mary Jay. I don’t know what you’ve been through; I hope you tell me, but no matter what it is, know I will die before anything bad ever touches you again.”

“Hail,” she whispered. “I don’t know where you came from or what I did to deserve you, but I fully accept it.”

Her lips crashed into mine, and she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I lifted her into my arms, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I carried her to the bed and tossed her on top of the fluffy comforter. “Take your boots off, babe.”

She hastily tore through the laces and kicked her boots off the bed while I did the same. She pulled her baggy sweatshirt over her head and tossed it on the floor.

I knew I should take things slow with Mary Jay, but I wasn’t thinking with my head right now, at least not with the head on my shoulders.

She clambered onto her knees and peeled my cut off my shoulders. I grabbed it from her and tossed it on the couch. “That doesn’t go on the floor, babe.”

“Noted,” she laughed. “Respect the vest.”

I cradled her face in my hands and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. “Three things I’ll always respect. My club, my cut, and you, my ol’ lady.” Her brow wrinkled, and I could see the wheels in her head turning.

“I am…” She cleared her throat. “Is that you…” She moved out of my reach and sat back on her butt.

“The second my lips touched yours last night, Mary Jay, you were mine. Mine means you’re my ol’ lady.”

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