Page 126 of Coveted By Cupid

My woman says nothing for a minute before letting out a shaky sigh. “Good.”

Damn right it is. Nobody hurts my ole lady and lives.

She looks up into my eyes with concern. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”

“I’m good, Butterfly,” I murmur against her head, breathing in her sweet scent to chase away the smell of blood and embalming chemicals lingering in my nose.

“I can’t ever lose you,” she says between ragged breaths, her body finally settling against mine.

“You never will,” I vow, holding her close. My heart settles, syncing with Vanessa’s.

We’re quiet for a moment. The only sounds are those of my brothers talking and moving about the funeral home. It’s oddly peaceful in the wake of turmoil.

My Butterfly is safe.

Romy’s safe.

Boden and Riley are dead.

All is right in the world.

Exhausted, my eyes are closing when I hear Vanessa murmur, “I love you, Elio.”

Instantly, I’m alert, my eyes widening as I stare at my woman. She stares back at me. Her face is soft and full of love for me.

My heart accelerates as I cup her cheek in one of my hands. “Say it again.”

She looks at me with more longing than a man like me deserves. “I love you, Elio.”

Hearing her say those words first means the fucking world to me. She moved in with me, accepted my claim and patch, and carries the ole lady title, but it was all initiated by me. This is the first major milestone she has started herself, and it’s the one that means the most of all.

My nose burns as tears fill my eyes. “You mean it, Butterfly?”

“I do,” she says, smiling through her tears.

“I fucking love you, too,” I whisper, my chest expanding with how much I love this woman.

Not giving one fuck who’s around us or that there are dead bodies in the basement, I claim her lips, pouring all my heart and soul into the kiss. Vanessa kisses me back, opening her mouth for me to deepen the kiss and roll my tongue against hers. She moans into my mouth, making my dick turn to stone in my jeans.

A funeral home is no place to get freaky—unless you’re Crypt. When we get back to the apartment, I’m going to strip her bare and fuck her until she’s round with my child.

Someone clears their throat near us, cutting our fun short. I groan with disappointment, making Vanessa giggle against my lips.

When I open my eyes, I find Oaks, Ruger, and Drift in front of us.

“We need to do some damage control—stat,” Oaks says. “Someone else could have heard those gunshots. We have two dead bodies in the basement and a room full of blood. Anyone who drives by and sees our hogs out front with a busted front door on the funeral home may suspect foul play and call the cops.”

“Call Cole at the police station. Tell him to ignore all incoming calls from the public regarding the shots or the mangled front door. Anyone who doesn’t need to be here can head back to the club. Fewer bikers means less attention on us,” I say calmly.

“Consider it done,” Oaks says, hitting Cole’s number on speed dial and walking into the front foyer to handle the call.

“I’ll go tell the rest of the crew to clear out,” Drift says, heading outside to where a group of our brothers are gathering on the front lawn.

“What if neighbors come by asking questions?” Ruger asks.

“We’ll tell them there was a break-in, teenagers looking for some easy scares on their way to school. Romy can say she contacted us since we’re right up the road and would come faster than the cops,” I say, amazed I can think clearly after getting off the emotional roller coaster from hell.

“And the blood?” Cookie asks, leaning against the doorframe between the viewing rooms. “How are we going to clean it up?”