Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
A quick examination of my Harley confirmed it’d survived being laid down with only some scratches and dents. Letting go of her, I quickly got the hog upright again.
She was too weak to hold on, so settling her on the bike behind me wasn’t an option. Instead, I carefully climbed onto the motorcycle and adjusted her so she sat facing me, her body tucked securely against my chest. Her head fell softly to my shoulder as exhaustion won out, and I wrapped an arm tightly around her, my hand spread protectively against her back.
The bike rumbled to life beneath us, the deep growl cutting through the night. My entire focus narrowed to the woman wrapped in my arms, her breathing steadying as she drifted into unconsciousness against my chest.
I tightened my grip, protective instincts I’d never experienced before coursing through my veins. Whoever hurt her was on borrowed fucking time. But for now, all that mattered was getting her somewhere safe. The rest would come soon enough.
The clinic lights cut through the darkness ahead of me as I rolled through the compound gates, the Harley’s engine vibrating beneath us in a deep, steady growl. The woman in my arms stirred weakly against my chest at the change in speed, a soft sound catching in her throat before she burrowed closer on instinct. My grip tightened around her, my palm spread wide against the delicate curve of her back beneath the torn linen dress.
Fucking hell.
Every time she moved against me, some brutal instinct surged harder through my bloodstream. I could feel the warmth of her through the thin fabric, the soft weight of her breasts pressed against my chest with every bump in the road, and the trembling breaths she kept dragging in like her body still hadn’t fully realized she was safe yet.
Mine.
The word kept pounding through my skull with terrifying certainty.
My bike rumbled into the lot outside the clinic, and I spotted Cage standing beneath the harsh floodlights with Hadley beside him. Despite having just come from a wedding reception, Cage wore jeans, his cut, and a black Henley with the sleeves shoved up his forearms. His old lady, Hadley, had thrown a hoodie over a blue, ankle-length dress, covering the swell of her belly. Her dark hair was pulled into a loose knot like they’d left in a hurry. The second we came to a stop, my woman’s fingers curled tighter into the leather of my cut.
“Easy, angel,” I murmured low against her tangled hair as I killed the engine. “I’ve got you.”
Her eyes fluttered open, hazy and exhausted beneath thick lashes. Fear flashed instantly when she realized unfamiliar people stood nearby, her body tightening against mine.
That protective fury inside me ratcheted even higher.
“You’re okay,” I reassured her quietly as I climbed off the bike while keeping her secure against my chest. “That’s our doctor and his old lady. Nobody’s gonna hurt you here.”
Hadley stepped closer first, her expression softening immediately when my angel shrank nearer to me. Her voice was gentle as she introduced herself, “Hey, I’m Hadley.”
She swallowed hard but didn’t answer, her fingers remaining twisted tightly in my vest like letting go of me wasn’t even an option her body would consider.
“That’s okay,” Hadley continued softly. “You don’t have to talk yet.”
I leaned low and put my lips next to her ear and murmured, “Can you tell me your name, angel?”
Her eyes darted up to me, and her lips parted, then closed before opening once more as she whispered, “Delaney.”
“Delaney,” I repeated in a matching tone.
She nodded, then rested her head against me once more.
I carried Delaney inside before Cage could tell me to hurry my ass up. Bright fluorescent lights buzzed overhead while my boots echoed heavily against the polished floors as I headed straight toward one of the exam rooms.
Delaney shifted weakly against me during the short walk down the hallway, her head resting near my shoulder, and her soft breaths feathering across my throat every few seconds. The contact was intimate enough to keep my body in a constant state of awareness, especially with the way her delicate frame fit against mine so naturally it felt dangerous.
Even bruised, filthy, exhausted, and terrified, she still smelled fucking incredible beneath the dirt and sweat. Silky skin, fear, and heat wrapped together in a combination that was already embedding itself somewhere permanent in my head.
I lowered her carefully onto the hospital bed when we reached it, keeping one hand braced behind her back until I was sure she was steady. Her dress had ridden higher during the trip over, exposing more of her scraped legs. The sight of all those cuts lining her pale skin reignited every violent instinct simmering in my veins.
The second I started stepping back from the bed, Delaney’s fingers wrapped tightly around my wrist, her grip instinctive and desperate enough to stop me cold. The reaction wasn’t startled confusion or simple nerves. No, this was something deeper, like her body had already decided letting me get too far away was dangerous. The sheer intensity of that need pounded hard in my chest, hitting some savage, possessive place inside me that was already hanging by a thread where she was concerned.