Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
“Understood.”
A young voice yelled out in the background, and the sound of little feet pitter-pattered closer. “Daddy, I’m firsty.”
“Go take care of your family,” I told him. “We’ll talk soon.”
I was staring at the letter when Blaze sauntered into my office, carrying a duffel bag and looking cocky. “So you had me put Stella in your house?” he asked. The bastard knew I had never brought a woman there, so I wasn’t surprised he was curious about my decision.
I glowered at him in response.
He smirked and set the bag on my desk. “Got Stella’s stuff from her car, figured you wouldn’t want anyone else delivering it to her.”
“You figured right,” I grunted.
Blaze crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “Bet you’re happy I let her into the clubhouse now.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m gonna forget that you and Matteo were conned by female tears.” His smug expression faltered.
“Yeah, so shut the fuck up and sit your ass down. Need to fill you in.”
Blaze whistled when I finished and shook his head. “That is some fucked-up shit.”
“Understatement,” I grunted.
“Want to talk to Wizard? Or I can do it while you go take care of your woman.”
I hadn’t expected it to feel so fucking good to hear Stella referred to as mine. But damn, after realizing how possessive it made me feel, I knew I needed to get a ring on her finger and my property patch on her back as soon as possible.
“Go,” I ordered. He jerked his chin up in acknowledgment, then pivoted and marched out the door.
Sitting back in my chair, I considered my options. I could head back to my house, where Stella was probably still awake and full of questions. Or wait until she was asleep and deal with shit in the morning. No one could ever call me a coward, but I was too damn tired to get into everything with Stella tonight. I opted to go for a quick ride, hoping to get some perspective, but all I got were more fantasies about taking Stella on the bike…in more ways than one.
When I returned, I grabbed some dinner and got some work done before going home.
By two in the morning, I was out of patience and anxious to see my woman. Realistically, I knew she was safe on the compound, but I’d quickly realized that I’d never feel she was completely protected unless I could see her for myself.
I let Cerberus out and waited for him to do his business, then we ambled to our house. Once I reached my bedroom, I hesitated at the door. Stella and I had known each other for a matter of hours, and I didn’t want to freak her out by overwhelming her with the decisions I’d made regarding her future.
It was clear that she was independent and stubborn, so I wasn’t sure if she would accept the truth right away, just out of sheer principle. I’d smash those walls down as fast as she put them up, but maybe if I slowed down from warp speed to the fast lane, she'd be more receptive when I told her how things were gonna be from now on.
I had no doubt that letting me take charge wouldn’t come easy for her. Her strength and confidence were hot as hell, but as the prez’s old lady, she’d be expected to act a certain way around anyone outside the club.
But beyond those reasons, I’d quickly discerned something about my woman that I didn’t think even she was aware of. Stella longed to be cared for, to have someone take charge so she didn’t have to be strong for a change.
I knew Joseph had done his best to be an excellent father, but due to the nature of his job, Stella had been forced to grow up too damn fast. When he was gone, the only person who could take care of her was herself.
Joseph told me that Stella was close to her mom, but Ruby wanted to live a life free of heavy responsibility and stress after leaving him. If Stella had gone to live with her mom, she would have been in a similar situation—only the parent would be there, and Stella would have ended up taking care of them both.
It was a fuck ton of weight for my woman to carry, and I intended to take the burden away, even if I had to do it with her kicking and screaming.
Ultimately, I decided to give her time and sleep in another room for the night—although I doubted that would last more than a day or two. As quietly as possible, I opened the door, intending to grab a pair of boxer briefs and my toothbrush from the en suite bathroom. However, light was streaming in through the glass double doors that opened up to a balcony, similar to the ones in the other two bedrooms.