Between the visit with Rooster, clean up of the mess Battle’s crew had left, and the regular guardian shit I did on a daily basis, not to mention the late night the night prior, I was wiped out by the time Isla was down for the night and Jasper had disappeared into his room. I shuffled down the stairs, giving Simone a tired smile when I saw her folding laundry on the couch.
“You don’t have to do that.”
She shot me a knowing look. “I know. I also know you’re tired and you’d end up living out of a basket for a few days until you finally found the time to get around to it. I’m happy to help.”
Huffing a laugh, I moved to stand in front of her, putting my hands on the back of the couch to lean closer and drop a kiss on her lips. “You’ve been saving my ass since the day we met. I don’t think I’d have survived it without you.”
Chuckling against my mouth, she murmured, “You would’ve figured it out. You’re a good man, Elias Fletcher. I know you would’ve done everything you could to make sure those kids were taken care of.”
Her steady belief in me was a balm to my soul. My family never believed in me. The minute I started acting in ways they didn't approve, they saw me as a sinner and refused to accept me as I was. They couldn’t get past how I looked to realize I was the same person underneath. I didn’t break the law, I didn’t get into fights or do drugs. I was just… free. They couldn’t accept that. Simone accepted me from the start. Even when I was at my worst, she didn’t hold it against me. She just supported me in any way she could and kept showing up for me and the kids even after we hit our stride.
“I love you.”
I hadn’t planned on saying it. Hadn’t even realized that was what I was feeling. But the fullness in my chest I felt every time I got close to her swelled when she said what she did, and the words just came out. I didn’t regret them. They were true.
She looked startled, lips parting on a gasp, her hands frozen mid fold of one of Isla’s tiny shirts. “You… what?”
“I love you, Simone. You feel like an angel that came into my life right when I needed you most. You’re everything I never knew I wanted. With everything you’ve done for me and for the kids, I didn’t stand a chance resisting you. I love you.”
The more I said it, the more the words felt right in my chest. I was in love with this gorgeous, intelligent, teasing woman and I wouldn’t take it back even if she didn’t feel the same way. Mygut tightened uncomfortably the longer it took her to answer me back. Fuck, I hoped she felt the same way.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
SIMONE
My heart raced in my chest so loud, it was hard to hear myself think. A love confession was the last thing I expected from the chaotic biker who’d swept me off my feet. And while I felt the same way, I couldn’t help but proceed with caution. We were still new, and he’d been through a lot recently. I didn’t want this to just be a whim he was following because he was excited about everything going back to normal.
“Are you… sure? It’s been a long week, Elias, a long month honestly, and I understand if feelings get jumbled–”
He stopped me by cupping my face, leaning to press his lips against mine. Firmly, without hesitation or his usual teasing. This wasn’t a kiss to initiate something. It was warm and soft, no urgency or demand, and when he pulled away, he pressed his forehead against mine, his eyes full of sincerity and that emotion I was almost too afraid to acknowledge.
“I’m sure. I get it if you aren’t there yet, I can wait. But I’m not taking it back. I love you, Simone. You’re it for me.”
You’re it for me. That sentence, more than anything, blew me away. It sounded permanent, not to see where things would go, but like he intended to stick around forever if I’d let him. The thought both thrilled me and terrified me at the same time. And thankfully, he didn’t expect me to answer him. I wasn’t sure I was ready. I’d felt like I was falling for him for a while, but I was too overwhelmed at the moment to put it into words.
Capturing my lips again, he sipped them gently, waiting until I opened up for him before deepening it. The familiar swell of heat and lust expanded in my belly and I let him distract me for a little while with the feel of his mouth on mine. When he pulled me to my feet, I went willingly, setting aside the laundry to wrap my arms around his neck.
His hands had just moved to my behind when I heard Jasper’s door open upstairs. We jerked apart, both breathing heavily, but Jasper didn’t come downstairs. He went into the bathroom, and I heard the sound of his electric toothbrush a minute later. Elias looked chagrined, rubbing the back of his neck.
“So the bedroom is still out, I guess. I feel like I should ask around to see how to soundproof it. This is getting ridiculous.”
Snorting, I took his hand, pulling him out the back door. He made a face when we got close to the cars parked in the driveway, but I ignored him, walking past them to the garage that was far enough away from the house for privacy and with the door shut, plenty warm enough for something quick.
Elias didn’t need an invitation to pick things back up again, yanking me back into his arms and fusing his lips to mine. Gone were the sweet and tender kisses and in their place was the urgency he usually had when we got our hands on each other. He plastered me against him, hands kneading my butt while he walked me backward further into the garage. My lower back bumped against a work bench that was mostly empty, and Ismiled against his lips when he lifted me onto it. It was a little too high for any carnal activities, but put me up high enough that he could easily bury his face in my cleavage.
“You’re ridiculous,” I laughed.
“And you’re perfect,” he murmured, voice muffled because of his position. “God, I want to fuck these so bad.”
I rolled my eyes. That wasn’t going to happen, especially not out here. Fisting his hair, I dragged his face back up, tangling my tongue with his to get him back on track.
Once again, we were in a position where it was too chilly to take off all our clothes. For the first time in my life, I found myself looking forward to a New Mexico summer so if we were forced to continue sneaking around like this, I’d at least get to see more of his skin.
He stripped out of his t-shirt, then shivered, moving closer to me to seek warmth. “How is it colder than the car in here? There’s four walls and we only opened the door for a second.”
“No insulation,” I told him, running my hands over the tattoos decorating his skin. He leaned into it, my hands were always warm, and tipped his head to give his attention to my neck while I got my fill of touching him.
“I don’t want you to get cold, but I want to see you too,” he complained.
