Page 113 of Kneeling to Candy

Butch takes my face in his hands. “I love you, you brave, beautiful, bold goddess. And I believe in you.”

He kisses my lips, my wet cheeks, my eyelids, everywhere he can reach on my face, chanting his words of affirmation again and again until I believe them.

Sobbing again, only this time with happy tears, I throw my arms around his neck and climb into his lap.

“Butch, I?—”

My biker pulls back, pressing his pointer finger against my lips. “Don’t say it. Not unless you mean it. And I’d prefer to hear those words when you’re not crying and stressed.”

I frown, wanting to say the words back to Butch, scream it to the entire house. However, I understand his point. He doesn’t want me to say it after emotionally dumping. Butch may question if I’m being genuine or saying it in a moment of emotional weakness.

“If not now, when do you want to hear me speak my truth?”

“Tell me when it feels right. When you’re so fucking happy, you can’t hold it in without bursting.”

I release a shuddering sigh, nuzzling my cheek into his hand. “Okay.”

My biker smiles, his hazel eyes twinkling in the muted light of the room. “Good. How are you feeling? Better?”

“Yeah.” I nod, smiling. “Much better.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Good enough to eat something?”

My stomach chooses this moment to rumble. We laugh at my digestive system’s timing.

Butch rises to his feet, stretching out his back before looking down at me. “Would you like me to make you a plate and bring it back?”

“Nah.” I hold out my hand for him to pull me up. “Let’s go eat with the family.”

He takes my hand, helping me to my feet in one swift move like I weigh nothing. “As you wish, Goddess.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

CANDY

After accepting help from Piero’s beauticians with my hair and makeup, I slip on a rich rosewood-colored silk Valentino gown with a plunging neckline and slit running up to my thigh. The color of the dress complements my bubblegum pink hair pinned in a tight crossed bun at the back of my head. My face practically glows from whatever the cosmetologist used on my skin, highlighting my light makeup and enhancing my brown eyes and cupid lips.

A quick check in the floor-length mirror has me smiling in approval. Damn, I look good. I may not have come from money, but you’d never know it the way I look at this moment.

“You’re a vision, Candy,” Piero compliments me as he escorts me to the limousine.

He, like the rest of the men going to the auction, wears a fine Armani black suit—well, almost all of them. Our bikers are a tad too big to fit into the slender, expensive garments, especially when they’re going to be wearing bullet-proof vests under their suits. Instead, they’re wearing black State & Liberty Athletic Fit Stretch suits, molding to their bodies to show off their thick physiques. Makes sense considering the physical job they’ll be doing on this assignment.

“Like an angel,” Piero purrs in his Italian accent as he helps me into the car.

Butch growls low in his chest outside the car’s open door, possessive of what’s his—like I am of him. He crawls in beside me, glaring daggers at Piero seated on the other side of me.

“Easy,” I placate Butch before I turn my attention back to Piero, scoffing at his compliment, “Angel? Please. Nothing about me is innocent. Get it straight. I’m a goddamn sex bomb. Ask my old man if you need further confirmation.”

Butch hums a happy sound.

Good. He should be at ease. Piero is not competition. It’s imperative Butch keeps his attention on the mission, and less on who may or may not be hitting on me. Though it’s obvious to me Piero is simply paying me a compliment with no romantic interest behind it. Rumor amongst the crew is, Piero is too distracted by his female accountant Rowan to notice any other woman. The man is a harmless flirt.

Tucked away in the limousine, we take off to the site of our assignment. The rest of the team is already in position around the property, waiting.

Tank hands us our earpieces for the evening—comms so tiny, I worry they’ll disappear in my ear canal. Possibly seeing my hesitation, Butch takes the ear piece from my hand and gently slips it into my ear. I thank him with a smile, and he winks at me in response, his way of saying, “No problem.”

Piero pulls out a long red velvet box from inside his suit jacket. He eyes me and then Butch before looking back at me with a smirk playing on his lips.

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