Page 55 of Ace

When we came up for air, a thought occurred to me.“Your place is gone, and mine’s just a rental and frankly it’s barely big enough for one of me.I don’t think the two of us would fit.It would be a bit awkward to live here at the clubhouse.Everyone could hear everything we did.”My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I thought of all the things I wanted to do with my big bad biker.

“We can buy a house.”He dismissed my concern with a wave of his hand.“I’ve already got a guy lining a few places up for us to look at.Or we can have one built if we don’t find anything you like.”

“That would take a long time!”

He chuckled.“We’ve got forever, babe.”

I wrinkled my nose, trying not to beam from ear to ear.“Yeah, I guess we do.”

A knock on the door interrupted us.“You guys decent?Mom sent me up to check on your leg, Ace.She said you took a knife wound?”

“Come on in, Joker,” Ace said.

I tried to stand, but Ace held me firmly in place on his lap.

The door swung open with an abysmal creaking sound.I made a note to get it oiled.

Joker entered and let out a hoot of laughter as he took in the scene.“You don’t look like you’re in pain, bro.”

I realized Ace didn’t have any pants on, and the tent in his boxer shorts didn’t leave anything to the imagination.

“Hell no.You can be the first to congratulate us.”Ace boomed out the news, “Emma’s agreed to marry me.”

Epilogue

Six Months Later

The Wedding

Ace and I held our wedding in the back yard of the clubhouse.With a huge lawn, and lots of room for dancing and entertainment, there was also the added attraction of lots of bedrooms for people to sleep off a little too much partying.Or retire to for more private pursuits.Bikers aren’t known for their restraint when it comes to party activities.

Since we didn’t have a minister, Preacher, the newest patched member, scrambled to get registered to officiate the ceremony.He’d been a topnotch sniper in the SEALs but spent his spare time studying the bible.He said killing on command and trying to live by Christian values just didn’t jive together, so he’d mustered out.Organized religion didn’t hold much appeal for him either, more politics than good deeds, or so he said.And rules.He didn’t like blindly following rules any more than the rest of them.He asked too many questions.

Then he’d found Riptide, and fit right in.It didn’t take much to sweet talk him into officiating at our wedding.

The twins took care of decorating the yard.They had the guys haul enough chairs out for everyone to sit on, and they coaxed Beast into making an arch for them to decorate with fluffy white flowers.I swear they were more excited than Ace and me.

Rattler surprised us by announcing he knew a caterer who could take care of the food, and a couple of the prospects found a canopy to set up for shade.Georgia can be a tad warm in the middle of the summer.

Finding a dress suitable for a biker wedding had me stressed out, though.Since I didn’t have a best friend to talk to, I decided to consult the twins.

“White.”Jasmine pursed her lips.“But not the flouncy kind of dress you see in magazines.That would just look silly.”

“White leather,” Jewell stated firmly.“With white leather fuck-me boots.”

“What are fuck-me boots?”I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

“You’ll see.”Jasmine giggled and looked over at her sister.“Sassi Elegance?”

“Definitely!My favorite store!”Jewell grabbed my hand.“Let’s go shopping.”

Their enthusiasm was contagious.After all, what could go wrong?

Two hours later I stared at the stranger reflected back to me in the mirror.The skintight white leather sheath had a plunging neckline studded with shiny rhinestones.The side was split clear up to my hip, showing off the fuck-me boots and a lot of skin with every step I took.

I loved those boots!

The groom wasn’t supposed to see the bride before the wedding, and Ace surprised me by holding to that quaint tradition.It felt strange, waking up without him.Lonely.Almost panicky.I’d become addicted to the feel of his warm bulk against my back, protecting me from the big bad world.

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