Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
“Ain’t tellin’ you that,” he answered Reese and moved to Reilly until their bare toes met. He cupped her face and tipped it up to him.
She was wearing his shirt and soon she’d be wearing his cut. Even if he had to take a beating to give it to her. “But I will tell her.” He put his mouth to her ear and whispered, “How soon can we get them the fuck outta your place? This way I can show you how much I love you instead of only sayin’ the words.” He pulled back and she blinked her big green eyes up at him.
A huge smile crept over her face. Without breaking their eye contact, Reilly said, “He loves me, sis. Just as much as I do him.”
Reilly’s heart pumped a mile a minute, so much so, she could hardly hear through the wood door at the top of the rough-cut steps. She sat at the top, her ear to the door and tried to hold her breath so she could hear more clearly.
Tonight was the monthly meeting of the exec committee. Deacon and Reese had agreed to keep their mouths shut and let Rev handle informing the club’s officers of breaking one of their rules.
What Rev was now calling “The Big Sin.”
He’d been punished by his father in the past what his parents considered sins, even minor ones, and he said he was used to paying for them with physical pain. He was willing to stand and accept whatever punishment the officers decided to dole out.
But what he wouldn’t accept was them not allowing Rev to claim her and make Reilly his ol’ lady.
However, the committee hadn’t expected Rev to burst into the room shortly after they all settled in their seats.
Rev didn’t even know Reilly was there. She had shown up as support and was going to wait downstairs until he was done, but her nosiness got the better of her. She quietly climbed the steps to the second floor in the barn so she could eavesdrop.
She told herself she had every right to do so since what would be discussed involved her and also her future ol’ man.
Ol’ man.
That meant she’d be limited to riding on the back of Rev’s sled from then on out. Not a sacrifice on her part at all.
That was if Rev survived and got to keep his colors.
Out of the risks involved—a blanket party, getting his colors stripped or losing Reilly—he told her that losing her would be the hardest to deal with. But he was determined to keep her, keep his colors and hope Judge didn’t strike too hard when he used “The Punisher,” the nickname for the wood club that hung downstairs in The Barn as a visual reminder.
Reilly heard a murmur of male voices through the door but couldn’t make out what they were saying until she heard Rev speak up.
“Came here ‘cause I got somethin’ to say. Somethin’ to confess.”
“This might be a fuckin’ church but it ain’t that kind of church,” Trip said. “You also didn’t approach any of us and ask to be heard, did you?”
“No. But it couldn’t wait any longer.”
“Must be important.” Judge’s deep voice was easy to decipher.
“Really fuckin’ important,” Rev confirmed.
“We givin’ this asshole the floor?” Trip asked.
Another murmur of voices rose.
“‘Kay,” Trip said next. “Got five minutes to spill your fuckin’ guts. Start talkin’.”
“Here to claim Reilly.”
A chorus of loud voices rose around the table and Reilly had no idea whose belonged to whom. None of it sounded friendly, though. It sounded more like an angry mob.
Someone—she assumed Trip—slammed the gavel on the wood table several times to quiet everyone down.
Once the room went silent, Rev continued, “I want her. I’m claimin’ her and if you need to beat my fuckin’ brains out so I can have her, willin’ to take it like a fuckin’ man.”
Oh shit! He had given her no indication he was going to say that. Not that it surprised her, but still…
That was a huge sacrifice to throw out there.
Reilly smashed her ear tighter against the door. Why was there so much silence?
She finally breathed again when Trip spoke next. “How ‘bout that? We were just discussin’ with Deke here the fact that Reese asked to have her cut from the list. She was lettin’ her free. But apparently, she ain’t free ‘cause she already belongs to you. That right?”
Reilly’s heart was now pounding in her throat as she waited for Rev’s answer. When it came, it was loud and confident. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“Curious ‘bout when that happened? Since you don’t got a time machine to go into the future after she’s removed from the list or even to know she was bein’ removed from the list. That means you two already had to be hookin’ up and hidin’ it. That also right?”