Her mom’s laughter drifted from somewhere nearby, interrupting Clara’s protests as she turned the corner so she could see us, her eyes twinkling. “Oh, please. Clara, sweetheart, I’m positive the orchard won’t fall apart if you let Rebel whisk you away for the evening.”
Clara’s cheeks turned crimson, and she backed up as her gaze swung toward her mother. But I only let her get more than a couple of inches away from me.
Kathy leaned casually against the nearby shelving, her teasing smile warm and knowing. She glanced from Clara’s flustered expression to my obvious possessiveness, clearly thrilled by what she was seeing.
“In fact,” Kathy continued, a cheeky grin splitting across her face, “take tomorrow off too. After all your hard work this week, you deserve a little break. Maybe two full days of uninterruptedrelaxation and”—she cleared her throat delicately, but a mischievous lilt colored her voice as she gave Clara a pointed, suggestive look—“fun.”
Clara let out a mortified groan, her head dropping forward against my chest. I couldn’t hide my grin at Kathy’s open encouragement. Clearly, Clara’s mom had no illusions about how we’d be spending the next twenty-four hours, and she approved completely.
Kathy chuckled softly again as she turned back toward the front of the store. “Have a great night, you two. And don’t worry, honey, we’ve got the orchard covered. Ben and Hilary will be here today, anyway,” she added, referring to their part-time help. “We won’t need you back until at least noon tomorrow.”
Once Kathy was out of sight and we heard the bell on the door jingle, Clara lifted her face from my chest and shook her head. Her amber eyes were filled with equal parts embarrassment and amused resignation. “My family loves you way too much. It’s kind of disturbing.”
I smirked, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her flushed cheek. “They just want you happy, and it seems they’ve realized I’m the guy who's gonna make that happen.”
She rolled her eyes, but her lips curved into a teasing smile. “You do seem to fit into my family ridiculously well, biker boy. It’s actually a little suspicious.”
I leaned in again, brushing my lips lightly across her mouth. “I’m just that good, baby.”
Clara giggled and shook her head, then relaxed into me fully, her body molding perfectly against mine. “Fine. Mom’s orders. I guess I have no choice but to go with you.”
I tightened my hold on her waist, and my voice dropped low. “You know I’ll make it worth it, baby. After we eat, I’m gonna lay you down in my bed, spread you wide, and show you exactly howgood it feels when I’ve got all the space I need to take you the way I want.”
She inhaled sharply, her lips parting softly, and color deepening in her cheeks as she looked up at me through her lashes. “When you put it like that, there’s definitely no way I could say no.”
My cock hardened painfully behind my zipper at the heat in her eyes, and it took every ounce of restraint I had not to push her back against the wall and fuck her right then and there. But I wouldn’t take the chance of anyone seeing or hearing things that were for my eyes and ears only.
“Then let’s go,” I murmured, my voice edged with need. “Before I lose my fucking self-control.”
Clara shivered, her eyes wide with anticipation. Reluctantly, I let her go so she could grab her things. She moved quickly, and minutes later, we were walking to my bike, my hand possessively at her lower back, already anticipating exactly how the night would unfold.
At dinner, Clara and I settled into a back booth at The Fuel & Flame Diner, the low hum of conversations around us creating a comfortable background noise. The lighting was dim, casting the interior in a warm glow that deepened the copper highlights in Clara’s hair. My gaze moved over her slowly, the hunger that always burned beneath the surface was there, but so was a sense of contentment as I watched her absentmindedly tuck a loose curl behind her ear. She was dressed simply in faded jeans hugging her hips just right and a fitted T-shirt that drew my attention to the gentle rise and fall of her tits. She was so damn beautiful, there were times when I still couldn’t believe she was mine.
We’d ordered burgers again, and the conversation had been easy as we ate. But eventually, Clara was just picking at her fries as glanced up at me occasionally through her long lashes as iftrying to read my mood. One of the things I admired about her was that she was very intuitive, and I could tell she’d picked up on the tension I was carrying. My shoulders were knotted with stress from the shit with this unknown threat, and it had me wound tighter than I’d wanted to be while I was with her.
“You’ve seemed a little more tense the past couple of days.” The concern was clear in her voice. “I know you’ve got…um, club business or whatever…that you can’t share, and that’s okay.” She hesitated for a moment, her amber eyes searching my face with curiosity. “I realize you’ve got your brothers, but, if you ever want to talk about anything to someone else I’m happy to listen and help in any way that I can with stuff I’m allowed to know about.”
Her quiet acceptance and the unspoken trust she placed in me even when she didn’t know the details hit me harder than I expected. She’d learned that there were secrets I had to keep and was respecting those boundaries. She wasn’t pushing for details or trying to coax me into revealing things that would break the club’s trust in me. Instead, she was offering simple trust and support without conditions.
The softness in her expression made my chest tighten. It was just another reminder of how damn perfect Clara was for me. She fit into my life, accepting all the jagged, complicated edges without trying to smooth them away. No explanations needed or justifications demanded. She took me exactly as I was.
But she hadn’t seen the darkest parts of me yet, and a small part of me wondered if her feelings would change if she knew about them. If she saw the man who could shut off his emotions to question someone and dispose of the body when needed. There was always justice behind my actions, but not everyone could accept the methods we used to mete it out. But letting her go wasn’t an option, so I’d cross that bridge if we ever came to it.
“Appreciate that, baby. Club business isn’t always easy and can come with risks. I don’t ever want that shit touching you. Just having you to come home to every night”—my gaze locked on hers, serious and unwavering—“helps more than you know.”
A faint flush rose high in her cheeks, but her gaze stayed locked on mine. “I’m not made of glass, Ronan. I can handle a lot more than you might think.”
A surge of fierce protectiveness tightened my chest, my jaw clenching. “You shouldn’t have to handle any of it. But don’t for one second think that I don’t know how fucking strong and incredible you are, baby.”
Clara narrowed her eyes. “Then don’t treat me like I’m breakable, okay? I want to protect you too.”
One corner of my mouth lifted. “So fierce. Gotta say, baby. That’s hot as fuck.”
As I spoke, something prickled at the edge of my awareness—an uncomfortable sensation I’d learned long ago never to ignore. I let my gaze shift subtly over Clara’s shoulder, scanning the diner casually.
A couple of booths down, two men sat nursing cups of coffee, their eyes flicking toward us occasionally, then they darted away quickly, as if to hide their interest. They didn’t seem to be interested in anyone else, and it instantly set me on edge. I didn’t recognize their faces, and strangers in our town were unusual enough, but everything about them put me on alert.
It was possible they were just passing through, but we’d been digging into some serious shit. The timing and extra attention they were paying to us made me suspicious that the assholes running that facility had caught wind of what the club had been up to.
