Page 37 of Barker

Annistyn smiles. “I do. I love you.” Then she presses a kiss to my lips while tangling her fingers into my hair. I don’t know how I deserve someone like Annistyn in my life, and I certainly don’t know how I deserve her love, but I’ll take it and run with it, because this girl is it for me. She’s my endgame. She’s my forever.

Thirty-Two

Annistyn

I roll over and snuggle into Barker’s side. He’s still asleep based on his even breathing. I watch the steady rise and fall of his chest and can’t believe that the heart kept inside, somehow fell in love with me. I don’t know how I got that lucky, but I’ll take it. I trace the ink on his collar bone, lightly with my fingernail.

He mumbles something and I prop myself up on my elbows. “Well, good morning, sleepy-head.”

Barker chuckles sleepily. “Well, someone wore me out,” he tells me, as he peeks out one eye. His voice is husky and thick with sleep and causes my body to move on its own accord. I sit up and press my mouth to his. When I pull back Barker groans. “You’re going to kill me.”

I pout. “But you love me.”

He laughs while shaking his head. “That I do, darlin’.” He sits up, pulls me into his lap, and devours my mouth.

****

A few hours later, Barker wakes me up. “Darlin’, I have a plan for today, so you have got to get up.” I mumble something, and it sounds pretty angry, because we both know I’m not a morning person. “I have aMountain Dewfor you.”

That wakes me up. I slowly sit up and take the cold drink from him. “Thank you,” I tell him.

He reaches forward and traces my bottom lip. “No need to thank me.”

I watch as his stormy eyes speak something else that I can’t decipher. “What is it?”

“I like having you here, in my room, in my t-shirt, in my space. I could get used to it.”

“Well good, because I’m not planning on going anywhere,” I tell him, but my voice is breathless and my heart is slamming wildly in my chest. My entire body is flushed from his words.

Barker smirks. “Well, you do have to go because I have plans. We’ll swing by your place so you can change.” I notice he’s already dressed and the excitement of the unknown has me climbing out of bed and throwing on last night’s clothes to climb on the back of Barker’s bike. When we pull into the parking lot of my apartment, Barker takes his helmet off. “You go on and change. Wear something relaxed, comfy, and cool since the weather is supposed to be kind of warm. Oh, and a bathing suit if you have one.” The devilish smirk on his face has me shaking my head.

“What if I don’t have a bathing suit?” I ask.

Barker wags his eyebrows. “Skinny dipping it is, and I ain’t about to complain about that.”

I shake my head and slap his shoulder, which causes him to clutch it and act as if I actually hurt him. “You’re not coming up?”

“Not this time. I think we’ll get… distracted.” He winks at me and I bite my bottom lip as the memories from last night come flooding back. “Okay, don’t do that. Just go change!” I laugh and take off towards my apartment.

Talon isn’t home as I walk in, but he left a note to let me know he took care of Augustus for me. I write a quick thank you to him before rushing to my room. I grab a pair of denim shorts, a mint green tank top, and my mint green daisy bikini. I throw my hair up into a ponytail before heading back out to Barker.

He’s still sitting on the bike, looking so damn good it should be illegal. “Damn darlin’,” he groans, once I’m close enough to hear him. He pulls me into him and kisses me senseless before patting the back seat of his bike. I climb on, wrap my arms around his toned stomach and breathe him in.

As we drive out of Los Angeles, I think I know where we are heading. It’s a perfectly beautiful day for this. The sun is shining, but it’s not unbearably hot or humid today. It’s one of those days you wish for, just so you can go out and enjoy the world around you. I look up at the white puffy clouds in the clear blue sky and despite everything, I find peace in my heart. I have Barker to thank for that. Days like this remind me of my father. They were always his favorite.

Once we reach his spot, he pulls his bike to a stop along the side of the road. He helps me off before retrieving the bag of goodies he had stashed on the bike. He takes my hand and leads me through the tall grass that now has blooms of white wildflowers mixed in. It’s breathtaking. The water glistens in the sun, inviting you to jump in.

That afternoon I found my happy spot, but it had nothing to do with my surroundings. It had to do with Barker and everything he had given me.

We were just lying back on the blanket he had brought with him. The trees’ leaves danced in the spring breeze. Barker grabbed his phone and turned on some music. A slower country song comes on and Barker stands up and reaches his hand down to me. “Dance with me?” he asks, and without any hesitation, I place my hand in his while we dance under that tree where we shared our first kiss and he first took a piece of my heart.“God Made a Woman”byJerrod Niemannends and Barker places a kiss on my forehead.

“This song is exactly how I feel about you, Annistyn.”

“You’re getting all romantic on me. If you’re not careful, you’re going to ruin that badass reputation you have,” I tell him with a laugh.

He grins and before I know what’s happening, I’m thrown over his shoulder and he’s rushing toward the water. I scream in protest, but it’s not believable through my laughter. Even though the water is chilly, I can’t be mad at him. All I can be is thankful for what he’s given me… his heart.

Epilogue

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