She sat there calmly across from him, her body still bearing the welts from their last session, and she was talking about preparing for his next cycle. He turned his head away from her to stare at the pounding waves. He didn’t dare keep looking at her. She was going to make him believe she loved him just the way he was and that maybe, just maybe, she’d keep on loving him year after year when he couldn’t stop being the monster.
“That’s a good idea, Seychelle,” he agreed, when he could finally get words out. He still sounded gruffer than he wanted.
“I tried to work out from looking at them which ones were more intense, but I really have no way of knowing. I thought maybe next week you could show me the whips again and explain which ones do what and which are used to create the artwork on each of the mannequins. I find all of it beautiful. Your accuracy … astounds me.”
She sounded like she meant it, almost admiring. Okay. Not only admiring, but respectful. He couldn’t help himself, he had to look at her even if she saw too much on his face. Because if she was looking at him with that same unconditional, stark love he’d seen earlier, he was going to break down. He fucking knew it. Like some damn pussy with no discipline. She was turning him inside out.
His eyes met hers and then took in the expression on her face. There it was. Open. No reservations whatsoever. Just like the first time he’d met her. Seychelle was genuine. She took him with every single one of his flaws. He was so broken and damaged. No good or decent woman should have anything to do with him, but she loved him in spite of everything. All of him. She accepted him. He had no idea how. Or why. But he wasn’t questioning it.
“Honey.” She whispered the endearment softly.
“I think it would be a good idea to wait a couple of weeks before we explore which patterns we decide to use next. We have plenty of time now. I’m speculating, but it could be as long as three months before I get that bad again. You really came through for us, Seychelle.”
She smiled at him, that angelic smile she seemed to reserve just for him. “You told me what to do, over and over, ahead of time. I just listened to you. I’m good at listening, especially under duress. And I’m good at reading the man I love. I just had to make certain you had gotten to a place where you were good.” Her smile widened. “You didn’t warn me about the week following the main event. It would have been nice to know about the week of staying naked and the wild, unbelievable sex ahead of time.”
His gaze moved over her body. “Hard to stay away from you when I finally, after all these years, have my patterns on the only woman who means everything to me.”
“Are we good now?” she asked.
“Yeah, babe, we’re better than good.” Savage stood up and went to her. “Don’t know how I got so lucky, but I’m grateful to the powers that be that put me in front of that truck that day. Just glad you’re mine.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I feel the same way. So lucky to have you. I’ll be in Sea Haven, Savage. I know you have your meeting at the clubhouse, but I have to see Eden. Tony called and asked me to …”
Savage stiffened, his hands biting down on her shoulders as he held her at arm’s length so he could look down into her face. “Tony? As in the fucking Diamondback Shark Tony? He called you?”
“Tony Ravard called me. Eden’s son. That’s who called me, Savage.”
“You didn’t think maybe this warranted sharing with me right away?” Sometimes his woman was enough to make his head want to explode. One minute he was feeling loving, and the next he wanted to turn her over his knee, and not in a good way.
“I was going to share, but you were on the phone with Czar, and then before I could say anything, you told me we had to talk. I assumed what you had to say was way more important than what Tony had said to me.”
He resisted shaking her. “Any time a Diamondback talks to you—and why would he have your cell number?” He was getting her a new number. “That man is becoming a problem.”
“Savage, don’t go off the deep end. He isn’t a problem. He has my number because his mother has it. He’s worried about her, and he asked if I’d call her and set up something with her and a couple of the other women. She’s so upset over losing Nina and Brandon in that car accident. Since you were going to your meeting, I agreed—and before you flip out, I didn’t tell him you had a meeting.”
“He going to be at this thing you set up?”
She had the fucking nerve to roll her eyes at him. If she wasn’t so damn cute, he’d yank her over his knee right then. He still might do it, but he’d run late, and he didn’t want to do that.
“Of course not. He’s just worried about her.”
She leaned in and brushed his mouth with hers. He felt that touch right through his heart.
“We’ll be going to the Floating Hat. I tried to choose the women who would ease her suffering. Torpedo Ink can’t be there because of the meeting, or I would have asked Lana, but Blythe is wonderful in situations like this. I was very happy that you didn’t have anything to do with their car accident, Savage, even knowing Brandon and his mother deserved everything they had coming to them.”
She kissed him again. This time a little longer. With a little more fire. His heart turned over, and he was happy he didn’t have anything to do with Brandon’s death either. He wouldn’t have minded slicing that asshole into pieces, but he had to admit, it was nice to be able to be with his woman with hands clear of blood.
Savage wrapped his palm around the nape of her neck. “Player told me Hannah makes up special baskets, like the ones she did for you when you were so ill from the painkillers, but for other things. I’ll put in a call and see if she can put together a few things for Eden that maybe will help ease her grief.”
She cupped the sides of his face. “I love you, Savin Pajari.”
“Enough to add another ring onto this finger?” He pulled her left hand to his chest, his fingers rubbing over the engagement ring there.
“You do like to take advantage.”
“Have to while you have that soft look in your eyes, babe. Gotta go. Glitch is gonna be lookin’ after you.”
“Do you think that’s really necessary? He gets so bored.”
He didn’t answer her, just put the tip of her ring finger in his mouth and bit down. She yelped and pulled her hand away. “You’re so oral. Go away. It’s time you rode your bike. I’ve been worried you’d forget how and you’d fall over or something equally lame and I’d have to pretend I didn’t know you.”
He yanked her completely out of the chair and smacked her hard on her already tender bottom. She was laughing too much to care. He was as well. He waited until she was in her ridiculous little car and out of the garage, heading down the drive toward Sea Haven, with Glitch following her, before he swung his leg over the Harley and got on the road, taking his time.
The day felt perfect to him. His woman had stuck with him through the worst of who he was. She had gone into it with her eyes wide open, no rose-colored glasses. She hadn’t exactly enjoyed it, and she’d ridden it out as long as she could in order to drain off that well of rage in him before calling him back. And she’d done it.