LOGINSable
The word landed in my chest like a drumbeat.
Nixx and Smitty moved first, stepping forward from near the bar.
I joined them with Marcus behind me, and for one brief second, the three of us exchanged looks that said everything none of us would dare say out loud in front of a room full of bikers.
Smitty looked like he might pass out or cry. Possibly both. Nixx looked calmer, but his jaw was tight, and I could tell he w
SableThe word landed in my chest like a drumbeat.Nixx and Smitty moved first, stepping forward from near the bar.I joined them with Marcus behind me, and for one brief second, the three of us exchanged looks that said everything none of us would dare say out loud in front of a room full of bikers.Smitty looked like he might pass out or cry. Possibly both. Nixx looked calmer, but his jaw was tight, and I could tell he was holding emotion back with both hands.Three prospects.Three different stories.Three people who had come into the Black Daggers at the same time and somehow ended up standing shoulder to shoulder at the finish line.Jarek let the silence stretch until every whisper died. Then he looked at Nixx.“Roy Nixxon.”Nixx stepped forward, spine straight, hands at his sides.Jarek held the first patch in his hand but didn’t give
SableThe day had finally come.We’d enjoyed our time in the mountains, and when we got home yesterday, Jarek had immediately gone into extreme work mode. Phone calls. Lists. Text messages. Brothers arriving from other chapters. Hannah threatening bodily harm over catering. Marcus teasing him nonstop while Daddy pretended not to enjoy every second of planning something that mattered.And somehow, after all the anticipation, after everything that had happened, today had arrived.Now, I stood upstairs in our newly renovated room, staring at myself in the mirror and trying to convince my lungs to work like they hadn’t forgotten their only job.I didn’t look different.Not really.
SableRain woke me before anything else.Not hard rain, and not the kind that made the mountains feel gloomy or cold. This was softer than that, a steady whisper against the cabin windows that wrapped the whole place in gray light and made the room feel tucked away from the rest of the world. Somewhere outside, wind moved through the pines, and every now and then a branch scraped gently across the roof, quiet enough to be comforting instead of eerie.I stayed exactly where I was.Marcus had somehow migrated halfway across my body during the night, one arm wrapped around my waist and his face buried against my shoulder like I was personally responsible for keeping him alive.His hair tickled my neck every time he breathed, and judging by the way he kept twitching in his sleep, I was fairly certain he was dreaming about something ridiculous. Probably motorcycles. Possibly pancakes. Maybe motorcycles made of pancak
SableI was still laughing when they dragged me upstairs.Not nervous laughter. Not the kind that came from fear. This was the bright, reckless kind that only happened when I knew I was safe and about to get exactly what I’d asked for.My wrists were still a little sore from the silk in the best way, and my body was buzzing from the chase, from outsmarting them, from the way Jarek’s eyes must have gone dark the second he realized I’d doubled back to the cabin.Marcus dropped me onto the bed like I weighed nothing. Jarek was right behind him, already pulling the long strips of red silk from the bag.I grinned up at them, breathless. “You’re both really mad about the hostage thing, huh?”Marcus crawled over me, caging me in with his arms. “You pointed a knife at my throat, baby doll.”Jarek tied my wrists to the headboard with quick, efficient movements.
MarcusBy the one-hour mark, Jarek was offended. Maybe a slight bit worried with a dash of frustration. But definitely offended.Which, admittedly, was one of my favorite versions of him.Because somewhere around the forty-minute mark, he’d stopped treating this like a kinky little mountain game and had started acting like baby doll had personally insulted his ancestors.Every empty trail and abandoned hiding spot seemed to deepen his conviction that something unnatural was happening.“She should’ve made a mistake by now,” he muttered for the fourth time.I snorted.“Listen to yourself.”“She laughs when she runs.”“Yeah.”“She gets distracted.”“Sometimes.”“She trips.”“Occasionally.”“She pet that possum behind the garage.”
SableBy breakfast the next morning, Marcus had somehow become even more excited.Which I honestly hadn’t thought was possible.He practically vibrated through coffee while Jarek cooked eggs like a man preparing soldiers for battle instead of making breakfast. Neither one of them had touched me all night beyond cuddling and sleepy kisses, and while part of me had pouted about it, the other part of me had realized exactly what they were doing.They wanted me rested.Which meant they were taking this seriously.Apparently, much more seriously than I had expected.“Okay,” Marcus announced after breakfast, clapping his hands together. “Rules meeting.”I blinked.“Rules meeting?”“Absolutely.”Jarek nodded.“Sit down, baby girl.”That should have concerned me. Instead, I found myself smiling as I curled







