Page 45 of My Knight

I searched his face, and my heart thudded in my chest. “But what happens after Boone and Gibbs are gone?”

He brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. His touch was softer than I expected.

“Once they’re gone,” he said, “we can leave the clubhouse. Not worry about being hunted. Not worry about being killed. We’re free then, baby.”

“And you want to be free with me?”

His lips curved into the gentlest smile. “You and I… stay you and I.”

The words sank into me slowly. I felt their weight settle deep and anchor something I hadn’t let myself hope for yet.

I let out a shaky breath. “My job…”

“What about your job?”

“I have to travel for it. I have to go where they need me. It’s not always glamorous. Sometimes it’s months away.”

Pirate’s hands slid down my back and settled at my waist.

“We’ll figure it out, baby. I’m not gonna make you quit something you love just to be with me. Yarder and the club—they’re flexible. I can come and go if I need to. You tell me where you’re at, and I’ll meet you there. Simple.”

It wasn’t actually simple. But the way he said it, like it was already decided, made me want to believe it.

“Really?” I asked.

His grin turned wicked. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy, baby.”

I smiled, still stunned by how easy he made it sound.

“So… you and I…”

His arms tightened around me as he leaned in and kissed me—slow and sure.

“Baby,” he said against my lips, “it’s gonna be you and me for forever.”

And I believed him.

Chapter Seventeen

Pirate

The sun beat down on our shoulders, warming the dry patch of land behind the garage we’d been using as a makeshift shooting range for the past half hour. Dust kicked up with every step, and the smell of gunpowder hung in the air—sharp, familiar, and oddly comforting.

Yarder raised his Glock, lined up the sights, and squeezed off a single shot.

*Crack.*

The beer can on the top of the old fence post exploded backward and flipped through the air before landing in the dirt with a metallic clatter.

“Bullseye,” Smoke called and nodded in appreciation.

Yarder lowered his gun and exhaled slowly. “Now if only that was Boone’s face and not a beer can.”

“A-fucking-men to that,” I muttered and ran a hand over my jaw.

There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the guys—Compass, Aero, Throttle, and Smoke. Cue Ball, Fade, and Dice had stayed back at the clubhouse to hang with the ol’ ladies, which was fine. The rest of us needed to blow off some steam.

Compass reloaded, his movements fluid and automatic. “Soon,” he said. “We meet with Leo and Brynn tomorrow.”

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