Page 60 of Raptor

Mallory

TWELVE WEEKS LATER

"Hey, darlin', you okay?" Shane asks as he slides his arms around my waist. He presses his lips to my neck and I sink back against his embrace.

"Mmm," I moan, closing my eyes. "So good."

"Babe," he laughs. "I've had you twice this mornin'. I'm not as young as you and need time to recuperate."

I press my ass back against his groin, feeling his cock thicken beneath his jeans. "Seems to me like you don't need rest, old man."

Our relationship is beyond anything I could have ever dreamed. He's been at my side throughout my toughest days, and he's right beside me on the happiest ones too. I couldn't imagine this life without him. He came home the night he located Micah smelling of a bonfire. I didn't ask for details, afraid of the haunting images that would inevitably fill my mind. I couldn't let them in. I'd only start to feel sorrow for him.

Instead, he held me in his strong arms and made a promise to protect me from any further harm. And as his words washed over me, the walls I had built around my heart crumbled. The tears flowed freely then, for the loss of my mother, for all the time I had spent in hiding, and for the pain that had consumed me.

I have some bad days. When the pain of losing Ma hits me, it's hard to get out of bed, but I have Shay, who needs me, and I'm able to push the grief aside. My son will always know his granny. He'll always be told about the love she had for him.

"Babe," he growls, "I've got to get to work," he says thickly. "You're supposed to be at the clubhouse meeting Chloe."

"I know," I say as I turn to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I love you," I tell him. I love him so deeply that I didn't think it was possible to feel so much for another person who isn't my child. But with Shane, the love I have is all-consuming. It's everything I could ever want. It's perfect.

He slides his hands into my hair, his forehead resting against mine. "The doctor will be by to check on you. I should be finished by the time she's at the clubhouse."

I grin, knowing I'm hiding something from him, something that Gráinne will be confirming today. I can't wait to tell him.

"Okay, go," I tell him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "I'll drive Shay and I to the clubhouse once I've fed him."

There's a moment of hesitation before he nods, still finding it difficult to let me go off alone. "Call me when you get there." His concern for my safety is clear in his voice, and I am more than willing to make this concession for him. I know how hard he searched for Micah, and the pain and anguish he felt when he couldn't find him. Sending him a text when I leave and calling him when I arrive is a small gesture that brings him some peace of mind.

"You've got it," I reassure him, placing another kiss on his lips. "Go on, honey. You need to go to work."

For just a few fleeting moments, when he disappears from sight, I am gripped by the bone-chilling fear that haunted me during my days in hiding. But then, like a soothing balm, the sound of his motorcycle engine revving fills the air and helps to erase that fear from my mind.

With a smile on my face, I turn and get back to making Shay’s food, knowing that no matter what may come, Shane will always be there to chase away my fears and make me feel safe again.

"So, you were right,"Gráinne says to me with a soft smile. "Is this good news or not?" she asks. "Are we celebrating or do we need to talk options?"

I shake my head, loving that she cares. Over the past three months, she's been at the clubhouse a lot more. She's now the club’s official doctor, even though she's still in medical school. The brothers like her, as do the women, so it was a no-brainer on Pyro's part to have her be the club doctor.

"I'm happy. We'll definitely be celebrating," I tell her. "Now, are we going to talk about your face?" I ask. She's done a piss poor job of hiding the bruise that mars her jaw. Not to mention, there's a lot of swelling on her nose. "You've got a nasty bruise on your jaw, not to mention you've broken your nose."

She sighs, rubbing her hands together. "A patient got violent while I was working in the emergency room last week. Connor is going to lose his mind when he finds out."

"Hence the make-up?" I ask and she nods. "What's up with you two?"

"We've been friends since we were kids. Sometimes I feel like there's more and other times I want to kill him."

I laugh. "But?"

She shrugs. "But Connor is Connor and he's always kept me at arm's length."

My brows furrow. "Wait, have you two ever..." I pause, trying to find the right words. "You know, been together?"

"We've had sex, sure, but it's easy for him to walk away." I see the tears in her eyes and my heart aches for her. "He's here and I see the club girls and it's driving me insane. I'm tired of being pushed aside, but I know if I say anything it'll just make him upset."

"I get it. Maybe it's time to move on?" I say. "You can't live in limbo all your life, Grá. It's not fair."

"You're right," she says with a grin. "You're dead right, Mal. There's a guy who’s been asking me for a date and I keep saying no. But why should I put my life on hold when Connor has never given me a single indication that he wants anything more than friendship?"

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