Page 68 of My Darling Mayhem

“How would you feel about Thistle watching the boys for a second while I take you on a ride?”

I’d met his best friend and vice president the day they worked on my fence. After Archer had dealt with Brian and kissed me, I calmed down and took them all snacks. He’d seemed so remorseful about the fence that I had no choice but to forgive him. He was also extremely protective of Archer and Kane, which was something I had picked up on immediately. It didn’t go unnoticed by me that Archer had asked him to take the boysin the back when Brian had arrived that day so they didn’t witness any violence.

Thistle had done it without question and kept the boys safe. I had a good feeling in my gut about him, so I nodded.

“I’d be okay with that.”

Archer’s brows lifted like he was shocked. “Really?”

I slapped his stomach, feeling his muscles underneath. “I’m trying. I keep telling you this.”

He kissed my jaw, smiling against my skin. “My darling, mayhem. There’s anarchy under those beautiful lashes and that fucking sinfully smooth skin. You’re a wildfire, and I love it.”

He let me go and walked ahead to get Thistle’s attention, but my pulse had skyrocketed at his words. They felt like midnight against my skin. Like he’d found me in a forest and started singing, just like in the cartoons. Like he was a rugged, misunderstood prince trying to sweep me off my feet from the moment he met me.

Fuck, I was done for.

I was in love with him. My steps slowed as the realization washed over me. He laughed with Thistle, then bent low to talk to Kane and Cruz, making a circle with his finger and pointing to where they could go, then up at Thistle. I knew what he was saying, and still, my mind went to how my heart had officially caved, opening up for him and letting him have space in a place I’d never allowed anyone.

Most of all, I couldn’t stop thinking about how incredibly dangerous it was to let him completely in and have something he’d never even asked for.

The ride up the canyon on Archer’s bike was beautiful and peaceful. I had never been on the back of a motorcycle, and it felt like a hidden secret or something; it felt like flying. My hair whipped behind me while my fingers held firm to his waist, and we crested the top of a ravine, looking down.

Archer parked his bike, pushing the kickstand down, and I untangled my arms from him.

His hand came out and held my thigh in place. “Stay put.”

I sat back on the leather seat and watched as he swung his leg over and stood. The wind blew pieces of his hair lightly askew while he walked to the saddle bag on the side of his bike. The gravel crunched under his boots, and rushing water echoed from the canyon. The sun was setting lower in the sky but still bright enough to offer warmth.

“Close your eyes.” His playful smirk had butterflies shooting off in my stomach.

My eyes fluttered closed, and I felt the breeze caress my face. Archer's hands returned to my thighs, and he held me in place while the bike slightly shifted. I felt his knees cradling mine, which must have meant he was back on the bike but facing me.

“Before you open your eyes, I need you to know something.” Archer’s voice was soft and gentle but prodded at that place he’d taken up in my heart, making it throb. “This, what I’m about to say and do…it’s not a light thing. This…in our lifestyle, this means something. It’s important, and while it won’t hold the same weight for you, I need you to understand that for me, it’s almost as serious as a…” His voice trailed off, and I could feel hesitation or fear in his lungs. I wanted to open my eyes and seehis face, see that flush of red hit the hollow part of his jaw, and see how he grabbed at his neck.

“This is serious for me, Wren. I just need you to know that.”

He gently took my hand and whispered, “Open your eyes.”

I did, seeing his smiling face in front of me, his body close to mine, cradling mine between his wide legs. A folded piece of leather sat between us, and my breath hitched.

“This is yours. It’s probably too fast, but…I just...” He trailed off and cleared his throat. “I know that it’s still new, and I told you I wanted you to take me seriously, and I mean that, but I also want others to know you belong to me. I want you to know that you belong to me.”

I grabbed the black leather and held it up, gently tracing the words and letting the finality of this moment soak into my soul.

White stitching printed out the words “Property of” along the upper part of the material. The insignia of Mayhem Riot was sewn into the middle, and along the bottom was the word “Archer.” But then my fingers moved to the shoulders where two patches were sewn. The left shoulder patch said, “President’s, and the right shoulder said, “Wife.”

My eyes flew up to his.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice came out rushed and almost panicked. “It’s just a term we use. I know it seems intense, but it just means you’re mine, and no one can mess with you or try to touch you…it’s just a?—”

I cut him off by throwing my arms around him.

He pulled me into his lap, my legs going over his hips as he kissed me, and I kissed him back.

My heart felt free, my soul on fire, and I was happy. The happiest I’d ever been in my entire life. I was in love. The kind that made my belly swoop, my nerves rattle, and unbidden smiles stretch along my face. I grew up seeing the kind ontelevision and reading about it in books. He made me feel like reality was better, richer than fiction.

Like my dreams were his mission to see fulfilled.

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