Page 89 of Riding Dirty

I want to tell him that I was stupid as fuck to walk in here like that, but judging by the way he’s looking at me, I know that he wouldn’t appreciate it, so I don’t say anything. But then the realization hits me that he’s just told me he loves me.

“You love me?” I ask in a whisper.

He hums. “Down to the fucking marrow of my bones, baby. Never felt this way before in my whole goddamn life.”

I open my mouth to tell him that I love him, too, but he doesn’t give me the chance. He’s finished talking. He shifts his face forward, touches his mouth to mine, fills me with his tongue, and then fucks me… expertly.

Holding on to him, I’m back at the edge and ready to tumble over. Ready to come. Ready to spend the rest of my life with this man. This man who touches me as if he owns me, and I let him. I’ll always let him, because I love him, too.

EPILOGUE

WRATH

TWO MONTHS LATER

Move-in day.

I’m not sure who is more excited about this day, me or Alex. Elodie is excited, but that’s more wrapped up in nerves. The guys are all here helping them move their shit out of their apartments and into the townhouse that closed escrow last week.

Just as I knew they would, Alex and Elodie decided to settle on the slightly older place with the better amenities. Mainly, both of them are dreaming of lazing by the pool. And since Nevada is hotter than fuck than any other type of weather, they opted for a pool. Can’t deny I’m not mad at that.

We’re going to remodel it next year, but for now, we’re all moving in, me included. Although I’m only going to be there on a somewhat part-time basis. I’ll still have my space at the clubhouse when I need to be there, and I’ll be here when I need to be here.

Judging by the amount of time I’ve been spending at Elodie’s place in the last two months, I have a feeling my room at the clubhouse is going to stay pretty fucking empty. And I’m more than good with that.

“Can’t believe you really fucking did it,” Hippie mutters. “Fell in love, locked her down, and tatted her.”

Yeah, tatted her is right. My gaze scans the room before landing on Elodie. I know there is still fairly fresh ink just below her collarbone. It’s written in cursive, and it’s my name.

Not Coast, but Wrath.

It marks her as mine in the eyes of the club. She is my wife as far as any of them are concerned. And soon enough, there will be a ring on her finger so the rest of the world will understand she’s mine, too.

“When it happens, Hip, you’ll get it.”

It’s all I can say. Because it’s exactly what I feel. I would have never understood it before I met her. Before I fell in love with this girl and realized there was a whole fucking life I was missing and didn’t even know could exist.

We finish clearing out the apartment, then head over to Alex’s to do the same. When I walk in unannounced, I wish I had knocked. Because in the middle of the room are Alex and Fantasy, their lips locked in a kiss and embrace.

They jump apart, and I lift my hand. “Sorry about that,” I mutter.

“Uh, fuck, that wasn’t—” Fantasy begins, but I don’t let him finish. I interrupt him because, contrary to what a lot of people believe, I don’t give a flying fuck who kisses or fucks whom—not in the outside world and not in the clubhouse.

“You two have zero to explain. I don’t have an issue with anything I just saw. I’m just sorry I didn’t knock, because I don’t want you to feel any type of way,” I state.

Fantasy runs his fingers through his hair and opens his mouth to say something, but the small studio quickly fills with the others, and they get started gathering Alex’s shit and carrying it to the moving van.

Fantasy pretends like none of this shit happened and gets busy. But Alex watches me, waiting for a moment to speak. I consider making it hard on him, mainly because I really don’t give a shit, but I can see the worry on his face, and when my gaze finds Elodie’s, she’s watching him and wearing a worried expression as well. So this conversation is more for her than Alex, but whatever.

“You don’t need to explain shit to me,” I mutter as I walk up beside him. “I pretty much clocked you were into guys the minute I met you, and I knew you were hanging out with someone at the clubhouse, just didn’t give a fuck enough to find out who.”

He nods once, his eyes moving around the room before he brings them back to meet mine. “I don’t know how I expected you to act. But just to say, I like men and women. I don’t really have a preference, but Fantasy is different.”

My lips twitch into a smirk. “I’m glad. You becoming part of the club is good. It’ll make Elodie happy. That’s all I give a fuck about.”

“She deserves it, happiness that is. Went through a lot of hell.”

I know what she’s been through, and she knows what I’ve been through. We’ve had a lot of long nights, and while naked, we’ve talked about where we came from and what makes us who we are. Telling her about Kaitlin, about our childhood, and how it ended up affecting her was one of the most vulnerable moments we've shared.