“Thank you, Callaway. I love it. Sincerely.”
He nodded and gave Shane a look.
“Take good care of her.”
Shane didn’t like being told what to do. I knew it. The man was more Alpha than a lion or a bear. But he nodded and ground out, “I will.”
I smiled at him as he took my hand and helped me to my feet.
“Let’s go home.”
Chapter Forty-One
Shane
“Do you mind if we stop for a minute?” I glanced at Parker, who was curled up in the passenger seat. I had a surprise for her but I wasn’t sure if the timing was right. I wasn’t sure I could wait another day to do this though.
She had gotten a little cranky with me about the whole picture thing once we got into the car for the ride home. I understood that Callaway wanted a photograph of his work. The tattoo was beautiful. Unique. Strong and sweet.
It captured my girl perfectly.
I just didn’t want anyone else looking at it. I had to keep her safe, and that meant keeping her out of sight. At least in that way. Anyone who saw how gorgeous her body was would want her. They might hurt her.
They might try and steal her away from me.
I was ready to go to war to protect her and keep her for myself. What if she woke up one day and decided she didn’t like dirtbag bikers anymore? What if she wanted some guy in a suit? Or an artist like Cal?
Then again, I was an artist too, once upon a time. Not fine arts. I’d been into design. Furniture. Cars. I’d studied it all.
When Billy died, it seemed pointless. It seemed like a waste of time. I’d thought who am I even doing it for? All I’d wanted to do was hurt someone else the way I had been hurt.
And that had led me here.
“This is a good place to get some air.”
“Okay,” she said in her sweet and melodious voice.
I pulled off and took the route I’d looked up a few days ago. It felt like I’d driven this way before a hundred times, even though it was the first time. The road looked familiar as it wound toward the Pacific. I’d heard about this spot before. It was one of those open secrets, known only to locals. And my club had a lot of locals from up and down the state of California.
I rolled the windows down on either side and smiled as Parker inhaled the air appreciatively. The highway was so close to the coast here, and there were tons of quiet little beaches. The perfect spot to do what I needed to do.
It was well past time to lock her down.
Get it done, Shane. Then you can relax. Then you can focus on keeping your woman happy instead of on just keeping her.
I parked and got out of the SUV, patting down my jacket to make sure I had what I needed. I exhaled when I felt it under my palm. I opened the door for Parker and handed her the cane.
“What are we doing here?”
“I told you, I thought we could use a little air.”
I pointed down the path, and she started off, a little wobbly on the uneven sand. When we got to the bottom, she gasped, her eyes wide. We were surrounded on either side with steep cliffs, the beach forming a crescent shape that stretched almost a hundred yards in either direction. Gentle waves lapped at the white sand, with rougher waves hitting the rocks at either end. The sun was just beginning to set.
There was not another soul in sight.
“Oh, my God, Shane! It’s incredible!”
“Its all right,” I said with a shrug. I was too busy looking at her. And maybe I was hamming it up a little bit.
“What?” She swatted me on the arm. “It’s beautiful!”
I watched her as she stared out at the waves.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my life.”
She turned to look at me quizzically, tilting her head to the side.
“You hated letting him touch me, didn’t you?”
“You have no idea.” I said, sliding my hands in my pockets. “I was holding back my manly instincts.”
She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself.
“I know you were.”
“That has to earn me some points, right?”
“You don’t need to earn any points, Shane.”
“I don’t? You sure about that?”
I kicked the sand, suddenly feeling insecure. I was supposed to have control of this situation. I was supposed to be locking her down. Instead, I felt like I’d done something wrong.
“No, Shane. You already earned all the points in the universe just by existing. I love you for who you are, not just what you do.”
It hit me like a tidal wave every time I heard it. She loved me. This beautiful, amazing woman actually loved me.