Page 230 of At the Edge of Surrender

Emery and I both cringed a bit, the protectiveness we felt over that sweet thing almost too much to bear.

“I think we should hold off on that for a…while,” Emery suggested.

“Maybe forever,” I agreed, no stopping the smile that took over my face as I swung off my bike.

Emery chewed at her plump bottom lip. “I never thought I would get to experience this kind of life. You and me and that little girl.”

Emery’s words were a breath of joy mixed with a tenor of grief that was always going to come with this gift.

Reaching out, I dragged my fingertips down the defined angle of her jaw. “Never, Emery. Never thought once in my life that I’d get this. This love that is bursting out of me. I thought I had one single purpose, and then there was you and Maci and the place inside me I thought was forever dead came alive.”

I could almost taste my mother’s gladness from wherever she was watching over me.

You take care of the ones you love most.

I was never going to stop.

Toffee eyes swam, and Emery pressed her palm against where my heart battered at my chest. “You are my perfect ten, my sweet, fierce dragon.”

I gathered up the hand she had on my chest, pressed my lips to her knuckles, and whispered, “I will always take care of you. Do what’s right for you. For both of you.”

“I trust you.”

I trust you.

I trust you.

I would never shatter it.

“Come on, let’s go celebrate you,” I told her as I tugged at her hand.

“What do you mean, celebrate me? I thought we were celebrating that you were fit enough to get on your bike again? Not that you haven’t been plenty fit for other things.”

She tossed me a coy grin where she walked along beside me, the woman wearing this red halter top, black leather skirt, and thigh-high boots. The lush fall of her blonde hair was done in soft, gorgeous waves that babbled around her bare shoulders.

So fucking sexy she made my insides quake.

It was all thanks to Raven who’d insisted on coming to our place to help Emery get ready. Dressing her up like she was meant to be on the back of my bike.

There was no doubt in my mind that she was.

Shifting so I was behind her, I wrapped my arms around her front and let my hands wander down her abdomen and thighs until they were barely inching up under her skirt. “Like I wouldn’t be taking every opportunity to get inside this tight, perfect body.”

Emery shivered.

My mouth went to the shell of her ear. “And sure, my crew wants to celebrate that I’m still standing, but the real victory here is the fact that you’ll be standing at my side. A part of this family. A part of me forever.”

Forever.

What a mindfuck that I would accept nothing less.

Since we were in the shadows at the edge of the wall, I let my hand glide a little higher beneath that skirt. Fingertips just brushing the needy spot between her thighs.

A tiny moan got free of Emery as she leaned back against me.

Lust rippled out with my chuckle, the words scraping against her ear, “Just want to be sure my girl is drenched and aching for me the entire night.”

“You’re mean,” she rasped when I suddenly pulled my fingers away.

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