Page 27 of Chaplain

When we break, I press my forehead against hers, our breaths mingling in the small space between us. Her eyes search mine with a mixture of longing and uncertainty. "Diesel...areyou sure about this? I don't think I can take being pushed away again."

I stay silent for a moment, taking in her fragile words. She's right to be cautious, but I'm done with letting fear hold me back. "Eden, You make me want to be better for you. I'm done being afraid - my heart is yours, and I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

Eden wraps her arms around my neck and asks she kisses me, I lift her into my arms and take the steps two at a time down to the waiting car.

Something tells me we won't make it to the restaurant. And I'm okay with that because I have the rest of my life to show this woman how treasured she is.

For tonight, just having her in my arms, where she belongs, satisfies me.

EPILOGUE

Eden

Music pulses through the crowded clubhouse as I weave my way to the bar. Despite the chaos, I feel comfortable here now among the rowdy bikers and their ol'ladies. Six months ago, Diesel made his claim on me in front of his brothers, and since then, we've not spent a single night apart.

We alternate between my apartment when Luca is out of town. Gabe needs a set of eyes to keep him on the straight and narrow, the club with Diesel working on the business, and in between, Diesel's rented a cute two-bedroom house on the outskirts of town just for us.

We've fallen into life as a couple the way baby birds leave the nest. Rocky at first with a few false launches, but now we're soaring on our own.

Once I'm seated at the ol'ladies table, I spot Diesel across the room talking with Ronnie and some other high-ranking members. As Chaplain, he's often drawn away to handle club affairs, even during social events. It's just one of the many thingsI'm slowly becoming accustomed to. We exchange a heated glance across the space that makes my cheeks flush.

After six months together, that combustible chemistry between us has only deepened. Diesel still looks at me like he wants to devour me whole. And knowing I have that brute strength at my beck and call is a heady aphrodisiac.

As I wait for Diesel, my gaze lands on Tap, sitting at a corner table, looking annoyed. I have a soft spot for the old, calloused hothead. He saved the love of my life, after all. And tonight, he looks like he's the one in need of a little saving.

A pretty young girl with long blonde hair sits beside him, pouting as he takes a beer bottle from her hands. She cuts her gaze at him in a way that could pass for contempt. But I know better. In the beginning, when Diesel couldn't give me the time of day for fear he'd break his tough-guy facade, I looked at him the same way.

"What's the story there?" I ask Shawn, one of the older women at the table. Shawn gives me a haunted laugh, then turns back to the conversation about planning next week's patching ceremony. I may be sitting with the queens of the club, but they make sure I know I haven't earned my place as one yet every chance they get.

Soon, Ronnie releases Diesel, and I go to where he's standing at the bar. "Surprised to see me?" I ask with a smile that stretches the corners of my cheeks before Diesel's arms wrap around me, and I'm pulled into a bear hug that lifts my feet off the ground.

"Thrilled is more like it," he says into my hair before his mouth crashes on mine. He's all deep whiskey and leather and that signature scent that is all Diesel and no one else.

When he finally releases me, and I'm standing on my own again, I nod toward Tap's table. Now, he has one hand on hisbrow, and he's shaking his head begrudgingly. "Who's the girl with Tap? She looks a little young to be all over him like that."

Diesel follows my gaze, amusement flickering in his eyes. "That's Jules. She's the daughter of Hound, one of our OG members. He's out of the country, so Tap got stuck playing babysitter. The cost of agreeing to be a godfather to a club brat."

I laugh softly as Jules leans close to Tap, twirling her hair. She's eighteen at best and has every grace nature bestows on the young going for her. But Tap isn't having any of it. "Seems like she has a little crush on her babysitter."

Diesel grins, and something knowing flashes in his gaze. "It's complicated."

I have to stand on my tiptoes to look Diesel square on. "Complicated like we were?"

He glances away from me for a second

Diesel's gaze lingers on me for a second, making my heart palpitate. But when his gaze returns, nothing but pure love is reflected in it.

"Sunshine, you and I were always meant to be together. Those two...well, you've never met Hound. Plus, Tap has mad restraint when it comes to getting his ass kicked."

I smile up at him, admiring his handsome face in the dim light. "Remind you of anyone we know?"

Diesel pulls me closer, his hands firm on my hips. "Maybe. But I sure as hell didn't hold out as long as Tap has."

His lips find that sensitive spot on my neck that makes me melt. I let out a sigh, anticipation coiling low in my belly.

After a few heated kisses, Diesel whispers in my ear, "Let's get out of here, angel." His gravelly voice in my ear makes me shiver.

I let him lead me outside, pulse racing. We roar off into the night on his bike, my arms wrapped tight around his musculartorso, relishing the vibrations between my legs. I can't wait to have him between my legs again, too.

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