Page 26 of Reaper

“I can’t make that promise.” Nina smirks.

I can’t help but laugh as tension eases out of my shoulders. Ace joins in, giggling while grinning at his new best friend.

The clatter of Matrix’s heavy boots grows louder as he enters the kitchen.

“Reaper,” he grunts in a deep voice that seems to vibrate through the walls. “I need to head out. Daisy needs me.”

“All right, brother. Handle your business,” Reaper responds with a nod. “Don’t keep that wife of yours waiting or she’s liable to whip out the handcuffs.”

“In that case, she can wait. It’s been a few days since she last used them.” Matrix’s wicked grin surprises me, and I can’t help but stare.

“You’re married?” I blurt out, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Matrix turns to me, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, as if the idea of him being domestic is some kind of joke. “Yeah, Daisy’s been puttin’ up with my shit since we tied the knot last year.”

“Wow, are any of the other guys married?”

“Most of us are,” Matrix says, leaning against the doorway. “Everyone except Reaper.”

“Never gonna happen, brother,” Reaper grumbles.

“You say that now,” Nina says, glancing at me. I shift uncomfortably.

“Does everyone have kids too?” The words tumble out before I can stop them.

“Yep,” Nina chimes in again as she walks toward the sink with a pile of dishes. “Everyone except Talon and Jessica. They aren’t planning on little ones anytime soon.”

My mind whirls, trying to reconcile thesetattooed, leather-clad warriors with the image of fathers and husbands. How do men who live by such a brutal code manage to find love and create families? It’s a paradox that doesn’t fit within the neat lines of the world outside this clubhouse.

“Take care, Lexi,” Matrix says, lifting his chin in farewell before striding out.

“Bye, Matrix,” I call out, still lost in thought as the roar of his motorcycle fades into the distance.

Nina finishes loading the dishwasher and starts the cycle. She quickly handwashes the griddle she used to make the pancakes.

“Well, now that everything’s done, we should get going too,” Nina says. “Ready to see my house?”

“Yeah! Can I ride a horse too?”

“What?” I exclaim, skewering Nina with a look of warning.

“Maybe. But not tonight. It’s sleepy time, Ace.” Nina herds him toward the door with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Be good for Nina,” I tell Ace, the lump in my throat growing as I watch my little boy wave goodbye, his face alight with the promise of adventure.

“Always am,” he shoots back, a cheeky grin plastered across his face.

Nina gives me a reassuring look, but I know she’ll keep him safe. It’s just mom nerves getting the best of me.

I follow them out onto the porch. Nina’s car hums to life, and I stand there, watching them pull away until they disappear down the road.

Now, it’s just Reaper and me, alone in the silence of the clubhouse. The air feels heavier, charged with an unspoken tension that wraps around us like a thick chain. I realize I’ve been holding my breath, afraid to break the quiet, afraid of what might happen next in this private world we’ve suddenly found ourselves in.

When I step back inside, the silence of the clubhouse presses against my skin, thick and suffocating. Reaper moves, a predator closing in on its prey, and I can’t help but feel like a rabbit caught in a snare. His steps are silent, but I sense the shift in the air, the change in the atmosphere as he corners me.

“Why’d you run away, Lexi?” His voice is a low rumble that vibrates through the room and into my bones. He’s close now—too close. The memory of why I left claws at my insides.

“I didn’t feel safe anymore,” I whisper, wanting to add that I don’t feel safe now either, not with the way he’s eyeing me. I take a step back, and then another, trying to put distance between us. His eyes narrow and he leans in, enveloping me with his presence.

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