Page 121 of Property of Bones

I’m still laughing when Jack pulls me close again, burying his face in my neck.

“God help me, I’m gonna kill that man someday,” he mutters.

“You’ll have to wait until after the honeymoon.”

A slow song starts, the crowd thins to give us space, and for just a few moments, it’s only us. Me, in his arms. Him, breathing against my skin. Married. Home. Safe.

The music dips low for a moment, just enough for Skip’s voice to cut through the crowd like a chainsaw through sheet metal.

“HEY, EVERYONE!” he hollers from atop a table, holding up the book Patch gifted me like he’s found the holy grail. “Tip #18: When your biker gets too growly, distract him with sex or snacks. Bacon works. So does nudity. If you combine both, you may achieve temporary world peace.”

The whole crowd erupts in laughter. Even Patch tips his drink in approval.

I choke on a laugh, glancing up just in time to see Jack’s jaw tick.

He leans down, presses a soft kiss to my forehead, and whispers, “I’ll be right back, baby.”

Then he’s gone.

Charging full tilt across the grass after Skip, who yelps, jumps off the table, and takes off running like his life depends on it.

Which… honestly… it might.

“Worth it!” Skip yells, cackling as he disappears behind the clubhouse with my brand-new husband hot on his heels.

I just laugh, warm and full and free, my heart overflowing.

Yeah. This is exactly the ending we deserved.

And the beginning of something even better.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Bones

The place I brought her to is quiet…private…just like she deserves. A cabin tucked deep into the Smoky Mountains, wrapped in pine trees and stars, where the only sounds are the wind through the branches and the occasional crackle from the fire I lit inside.

It smells like cedar and pine sap, and I’ll remember that scent for the rest of my damn life…because it’ll always remind me of tonight.

Of her.

She’s wearing one of those soft little nightgowns that makes my blood run hot and my chest ache all at once. She doesn’t even know what she does to me. Or maybe she does. Hell, I hope she does.

She smiles when I sit beside her on the bed, the covers pulled down, the firelight casting soft gold across her skin.

“You’ve been quiet,” she says gently.

I take her hand and bring it to my lips.

“I’ve waited months for this, Sunny. Not just the sex. You. Us. The chance to be with you in every way. But I told myself I wouldn’t touch you…not like that…until I knew for certain you were healed. And mine.”

“You’ve always had me, Jack.”

I lean in, my hand brushing her cheek, and kiss her slowly. Deep. It’s not about taking…it’s about reverence. Because that’s what she deserves.

“I’ve taken more cold showers than I care to admit,” I murmur against her skin. “I’ve thought about sinking into you so many damn times, but I refused to even acknowledge it until tonight. Because it would’ve felt like stealing something precious that I hadn’t earned.”

Her fingers tighten on my shoulders. “You don’t ever have to earn me.”

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