Page 47 of Racer

I didn’t take her soft and sweet. It was hot, hard, and primal. A branding.

“Mine,” I growled as I exploded inside her.

When we finally emerged, damp and breathless, Emily reached for the clothes she’d laid out, then looked around in confusion. “What the…? Where are my clothes?” Then her eyes landed on the only item on the bed, and she froze.

I leaned against the doorway, towel slung around my hips, smirking. “Try that on instead.”

She blinked, still staring at where I’d draped a cut across the bed. Not mine.

Hers.

Slowly, almost reverently, she picked it up. Black leather. Her name stitched over the heart in silver thread. When she turned it around, her breath caught.

She clutched the vest to her chest and spun around to face me with wide eyes. “You…you want me to be your old lady?”

I arched a brow. “You serious?”

Her lips opened, then closed, her eyes filled with hope.

“Angel,” I sighed, stepping closer. “I told you I loved you. I’ve been fucking you bare for weeks trying to breed you. You think I’m not claiming you in every way that matters?”

She swallowed, blinking rapidly as her blue orbs glistened.

“You’re mine.” My voice was low and fierce as I helped her slip her arms into the vest. “You’re gonna be my old lady. My wife. The mother of my kids. The woman I build a life with and grow old beside. And you better believe that comes with more than just a leather vest.”

I grabbed the box off the dresser and popped it open. Inside, a diamond ring glittered. Beside it were two simple, platinum matching bands, one a little thicker and more masculine.

Emily gasped, and a heartbeat later, she launched herself into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. Then sheraised her left hand and wiggled her fingers.Fuck, she was cute.I laughed as I slipped the ring onto her finger.

Then I sealed my mouth over hers, and fire blazed between us, burning so fast and hot we almost didn’t make it back to the bed before round two.

Later, tangled in the sheets, she held up her hand again, admiring her ring as it sparkled in the light streaming through the cracks in the blinds.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly. “And, um, really big.”

“You don’t like big things?” I teased. “’Cause the way you scream when I’m filling you with my thick cock hints otherwise.”

She shoved my shoulder lightly as she giggled. “I just meant, it had to have been really expensive. You didn’t have to spend money like that on me, Jude. I would be happy with a piece of string tied around my finger as long as it means I get to marry you.”

Smiling, I kissed her tenderly. “You don’t have a choice, angel.” Then I chuckled. “But I definitely wasn’t gonna let my wife walk around without a big-ass statement that you’re claimed. It’s not as if I can’t afford it anyway.”

Emily tilted her head. “What?”

“I made a fuck ton of money back when I was racing full-time, and I still take home heavy purses when the mood to hit the track strikes me. With the custom bikes, shit for the club, and helping Kane manage the races in Tennessee, an expensive ring doesn’t even make a ding in my bank account.”

She leaned up on her elbow and stared at me. “Are you telling me that you're rich?”

“No, I’m telling youweare loaded.”

“Hmm.” Her tone was cryptic.

“Does that bother you?”

After a second, she shook her head while she trailed the tip of one finger down my chest. “Nah. It might make you a little more attractive, though.”

I laughed because she was so damn adorable, and I knew that money wasn’t something that would ever sway Emily. Her heart was too genuine, but I couldn’t help teasing her back. “Whatever it takes to keep your legs open, angel.”

She snorted. “As if you have any trouble with that now.”