Page 130 of Knox Unleashed
“If she agrees, go for it,” I say.
Jackal hugs Maren. “Your loyalty means a lot, Maren. You doing okay?”
“The last few weeks have been a journey,” she says, then glances over his shoulder for a moment and looks my way with that smile she saves for only me. “With some highly unexpected moments.”
“Heard about you and Prez. Congrats.”
“Thank you. Knox told me about you, Shade, and Isla. Hope the three of you will come down next time and we can hang out.”
“I’d like that,” Jackal says. “I owe you. Don’t ever hesitate to ask.”
Maren grins as he walks away, but I try to be serious with her, for a moment. “Happy as I am to see you, sweetheart, you shouldn’t have come here,” I say. “Not with so many men about. Some who don’t have the same kind of manners I do.”
Maren snorts at that. “You don’t have manners.”
I smile because she needs me to. “That may be true, but some of these men have less.”
She buries her forehead against my chest, and we stand, for a moment. She’s wearing a long white skirt that floats around her ankles and a navy tank top that shows off the smooth skin of her shoulders and hugs the curve of her tits.
In other words, she looks good enough to eat.
“Be safe tonight,” she says, before she looks up at me.
“I will.”
“I’m serious, Knox. We only just found each other. Even though I’ve known who you are my whole life, you’ve only just become mine. This can’t be the only time we get together.”
I have a flash of practicality—I don’t even have a will.
“I’m doing this to ensure it isn’t. Go back home, to our house. Stay safe. Keep the prospects with you.”
“I will,” she says. “This is one of those times you really mean it, isn’t it?”
I nod. “It is. Until I call you, you’ve got eyes on you. Everywhere. If there is a problem, know that I’ll only send Ridge or Sunny to come get you if you have to move. I figure you know those two best.”
She blows out a breath. “Okay. Make me proud tonight.”
I’ll hold those four words, the softly spoken command, close tonight. “I will.”
“Good. And when you come back, I’m assuming there will be a big drink fest. So, make sure you recall those prospects watching me, to let them join in the fun, because there will be no further need for them.”
I salute her. “Yes, ma’am. But now, I need to get you out of here because we need to go, and your truck is probably blocking Ridge from lining the bikes up outside.”
“Oh. Shit. Sorry. I’ll go move it,” she says, and turns to move to her truck.
But I reach for her hand and tug her to me. “One last kiss for luck.”
I’m not sure I’ve really ever had someone send me off to anything. But with Maren’s request to do her proud and the feel of her mouth pressed to mine, I feel about ten feet tall.
I lead her by the hand to her truck, dealing with the whoops and whistles of the various men as we walk by. Once she’s tucked in her truck, I slam the door. “I’m coming back to you, sweetheart.”
“Good,” she says. “Because I’ll be waiting.”
It takes another twenty minutes to get the bikes lined up in a way that respects rank, but keeps teams that will be working together close in formation so it’s easy enough for them to peel away when we reach our destination.
The crescendo of nearly fifty bike engines is awe inspiring. I loaned Jackal one of mine. Ridge loaned Shade one of his. But there is more to it than the gutsy roar of so many Harleys as weride from the west coast of Florida to the east coast. I swallow deeply that all of these men have come for me and my club. High ranking officers who have put their lives on hold at home to come put them on the line for me.
I’m not sure when I became the luckiest fucker on earth, but I feel it right here and now.
