I cup her face, thumb brushing her cheek. “Shhh.”
Her eyes flicker, searching.
“Not today,” I say quietly. “Today is about you.”
She swallows. “But I want to.”
“I know.” I press my forehead to hers. “And I like that you want to. But right now? I just want you warm. Safe. Taken care of.”
Her shoulders ease. She nods, slow, trusting. Like she’s letting herself be held instead of earned.
I wrap her in a towel and carry her back to bed. She laughs softly, still flushed, still catching her breath.
“You don’t have to carry me.”
“I know.” I settle her onto the mattress and kiss her temple. “I want to.”
I pull the blankets back over us and tug her close. She fits into my chest like she was built for it.
She traces a line over my chest, quiet.
“What happens now?” she whispers.
I rest my hand on the back of her head. “Now I keep you safe.”
She looks up.
“From what?” she asks.
“From everything.”
She nods once and presses her face into my neck.
She’ll tell me what she’s running from when she decides.
I hold her until her breathing evens out again.
And I watch the window. Listening to the quiet. Thinking about what it’ll take to keep her here, warm and safe, with no more running.
Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.
She belongs to me now.
And no one touches what’s mine.
Chapter 6
Sage
“Areyouserious?”Isquint at him from across the kitchen, arms folded. “You really want to bake a cake?”
Havoc leans against the counter like a man who doesnotknead dough for a living.
“Yeah,” he says, completely unbothered. “I promised Ghost I’d bake the damn cake for his wedding. A man keeps his word.”
“A biker and a wedding cake. This I have to see.”
He grins like I just challenged him to a fight. “You saying I can’t do it?”
