Page 26 of Claimed

He glanced over at Torque.Torque sighed andstarted to explain.“It didn’t seem right that my daughter bemiserable for the rest of her life because she wanted a bastardlike you.I’m demoting you.Hand over the VP patch and promise meyou’ll always put her first.”

He rubbed a hand over his face and went tofind his cut.He tore the VP patch from the leather and put it inTorque’s hand.

“She’s going to collegetoo.I tried to convince her not to work, but she’s still going topay for her sister’s cancer treatments.So the new rule is: you’dbetter take care of her or you’ll wish you never met me.Gotit?”

Silver nodded and Torque left the apartment.Silver turned toward Layla still confused.“What the hell justhappened?”

“In a roundabout way, hegave us his blessing.”She pulled her legs up.“That is if you wantme.You’re still not looking as happy as you should be.”

He snorted and his lips tilted upward.“Idon’t think me wanting you was ever really the question.”

She pat the bed next toher.“I’m going to call my aunt.There are some houses for sale inher neighborhood.She’s not going to like the idea of me movingabikerin, but I think my sisters will like me beingclose by.They’ll know that they have a second place to go if theyneed it.And you’re getting a family.All women.”

He smiled andcrawledintobed beside her.“I can handle women.”

He liked the idea she proposed.He knew howmuch her family meant to her and he couldn’t imagine her givingthat up for anything.He also liked the idea of her family becominghis.Even if it was all women, he was okay with the idea.Okay withhaving something he’d never had before.

“I agreed to enroll incollege.I don’t know what I’m going to study, but Torque said hedidn’t care.I guess I need to do a little research.”

He pulled her down and wrapped his arms andlegs around her.“I love you.”

The words came from nowhere.The more hethought about her, the more he realized that what they had wentfarther back than the first night she’d called him.He’d startedcaring about her long before she was even legal.

Layla smiled.“I know.I love you too.”

She cupped his cheeks and leaned in to kisshim, smiling.He groaned and pulled her to him, holding her, as hetasted her mouth.Nothing felt better than having her beside him.He never understood needy women but he sure as hell had becomeneedy where Layla was concerned.

Pulling back, he stared at her.“How thehell did you get the stubborn old fucker to go along with it?”

She shrugged.“My dadcares about me.He doesn’t like to admit it too much, but I’mpretty sure every time I hurt, it tears him apart.He’s always beenthat way.From scraping my knees in a bicycle accident to gettinginto fights at school.I think he understood that you and I weren’tsomething casual.It may have seemed that way on thesurface,but it had always been more.I’m not really sure I could haveeven agreed to have sex with you if something deeper wasn’tthere.”

Silver brushed her cheek.“I wondered aboutthat myself.”

“You wondered if I couldhave sex with you?”

He smiled.“Yeah.You’re so sweet andgoddamn innocent.I never really thought you would go trough withallowing me to actually fuck you.Definitely not in the way Iwanted to fuck you.You surprised me.”

She smoothed herfingersalonghis chest.“For what it’s worth, I definitelycouldn’t have become club property.I was desperate and I thought Icould do anything to get enough to cover Chrissy’s treatments.After seeing what goes on around here, I don’t think I could have.Actually, I know I couldn’t.”

He did too, but he didn’t say anything.Layla was not like the girls that hung around the club.Silver waspretty damn sure that Torque wanted to keep it that way.He thoughtabout what Torque would have done if the club had owned her.They’dall be dead.There was no debating that fact.

Layla kissed his cheek.“Can you get up now?We’ve got to meet the realtor at noon.”

He groaned and pressed his face against herneck.“We could just stay here.”

“We could, but I don’twant to live here for the rest of my life.”

He pressed his lips against her arm.“Orgiesnot your thing?”

“No.”She caressed hisabs.“Neither is the drinking, drugs, or wild parties.I do likethe bondage playroom though.”

He did too.A lot.Definitely something forthem to consider including in their own home when they went lookingfor a house, he determined.He sighed and rolled to his back,tossing the blankets to the side.He knew she watched him pull hisshorts off before he walked nude to the shower.Something aboutLayla made him want to be a better man.Not necessarily makingdrastic changes in his life, but he wanted to open up to her.Tolean on her because he knew he could.For so long, Torque had beenthe only person that really knew everything about him.It madesense that Layla knew most of the details too.

Layla followed him into the bathroom andpropped herself against the vanity while she watched him.Shewasn’t shy and he liked it.He also knew that the main reason forher being in the bathroom with him wasn’t to take a sneak peek butto make sure he wasn’t goofing around.She really wanted to gohouse hunting and who was he to say no?

“Are you going to standthere and watch me or join in on the fun?”He rubbed his soapy handover his chest and down his body until got to his cock.He glancedover at her while he stroked himself.

“I like the show.But,we’re going to be late enough as it is.Save the fun for when weget our new house.”

---