“Fuck,” he said, blowing out a breath as he realized she’d frozen up during his little declaration of intentions. “I didn’t mean to go there. Not yet. I don’t want to scare you. I just meant to say that I know what you’ve been through, and I know it might be a while until you’re ready to accept what we mean to each other. But I’ll wait for you to catch up, il mio cuore. For as long as you need, I’ll wait.”
For a long, never ending moment where his nerves stretched thin enough to snap, his mate was quiet, barely even breathing as she stared at him. Letting out her breath in a whoosh, she shook her head. “Jesus, Bolt. That was a hell of a lot to take in.”
“Did I scare you? With any of that?”
Hesitantly, she shook her head, her brow furrowed. “No. At least, I-I don’t think so. That shit about Shawn… that should scare me, but it doesn’t. You’re right, he does need stopped. I’m not entirely sure that means killing him, but I also know, even if he was arrested for what he’s done, his family’s money would just buy his freedom again. And then he’d be out and ready to terrorize me some more, or worse, someone new. I know that, I’m just not sure I’m ready to admit it yet. I mean, if he comes after me or you now, that’s one thing, but maybe not actively try to kill him. Not yet.”
That was okay with him, even if she never agreed. He could take care of the bastard and she didn’t ever have to know. That had been his plan to begin with. She’d just think he finally disappeared and left her alone. Too easy.
The sun was slowly coming up, beginning to light the corners of the room. They’d stayed up all night, loving and talking. Enjoying seeing her in the soft light of dawn, he brushed her hair away from her face. “And the other part?”
Eyes softening, she opened her mouth to reply just as someone banged on the door. She jumped with a squeak, and he growled, irritated by the timing. He’d fucking maim whoever was interrupting them.
“The fuck is it?” he growled, only raising his voice a little, knowing whoever it was would hear him.
“Bolt,” Blaze said, the urgency in his voice making him sit up automatically. “You said to be on the lookout for a white SUV in town.”
Ana gasped and he knew she understood—he’d asked the club members to be on the lookout for fuckface Shawn.
“They find him?”
“I think he found us. Or rather, he found Ana. There’s a white SUV pulling up the lane now.”
Chapter Two Hundred Seventeen
Ana felt the blood drain from her face at Blaze’s words. Bolt immediately jumped from the bed, lunging for his clothes and turning to her as he pulled them on.
“Don’t worry, baby. He won’t get to you. I’m gonna go take care of this. Go ahead and get dressed, but don’t leave this room. Understand?”
“Bolt, don’t—”
Shoving his feet into his boots, he rushed over and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Don’t be scared, Ana. I won’t ever let anyone hurt you again. I’ll die before I let you get hurt. I’ll be back.”
And then he was gone before she could say another word, not even grabbing a shirt, and his jeans still unbuttoned. Stunned, she sank down to the bed, shaking her head.
How had that happened? How had they gone from soft and sleepy, spilling their hearts to each other, satisfied from their lovemaking—satisfied yet both still hungering for more—to danger in the form of her abusive ex knocking on their door?
Panic and fear suddenly slammed into her, the force of her emotions making her dizzy, and she lurched to her feet. Dressed, she needed to get dressed. She couldn’t sit here naked while Bolt and her ex were duking it out.
Blindly reaching for her jeans, she tugged them on and reached for the first shirt she saw. It wasn’t until it was on and Bolt’s scent surrounded her that she realized it was his, and her eyes immediately pricked with tears.
Fuck. What if she never saw him again? Shawn was clearly psychotic. Even if his actions in the past hadn’t told her that, the lengths he was going to now did. A sane man didn’t chase his ex to a freakin’ motorcycle club full of bikers to demand they return her.
And a mentally unstable man wouldn’t go into a scenario like that with just his fists. He’d use any means necessary—like a gun. Hell, there was no doubt in her mind that he had one earlier when he tried to kidnap her. He wouldn’t have tried even that without something to back up his fists.
He’d use it on Bolt to get to her. He’d kill him in a heartbeat. Before they had a chance to begin their forever, before she even had the chance to tell him she loved him—
A gasp escaped her as she froze with her foot half inside her shoe. She loved Bolt? How was that possible? This was too fast, it had to be too fast, right?
His words came back to her, his already gravelly voice even grittier with emotion. “It happens damned near instantly for shifters,” followed by, “But I’ll wait for you to catch up, il mio cuore. For as long as you need, I’ll wait.”
A sob broke through as she realized he didn’t have to wait. Maybe she’d been a shifter in another life, or hell, maybe shifters’ mates just experienced it all on an accelerated timeline too, but he didn’t have to wait.
She was right there with him. She loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, wrapped
