“I bet you weren’t any happier when you and your brothers woke up to find her gone after your performance.”
“I underestimated her. I thought she would move into town, not take off without telling me where she was going.”
“We both learned a hard lesson where she is concerned. The only thing I don’t understand is the night she ran home through the woods. Why didn’t you tell me to get away from her? You just left,” Cash asked.
While Tate remained silent, Cash sensed his struggle. “I’ve watched how The Last Riders took care of Lily and Beth. Knox became Sheriff to make Diamond happy. Viper took care of that asshole who hurt Winter. You take care of your women. Rachel will not only be protected by you, but your club. I don’t have to worry about her anymore since she’ll always have someone at her back if something happens to me and my brothers.”
Cash stared at Tate’s grim profile. Tate would have been stupid not to realize the danger they were in, dealing the weed they grew.
Tate turned away from their parents’ graves. “I told you when you called to tell me Rachel was pregnant I would go along with your plan to marry her on one condition. I expect you to live up to your promise, Cash.”
“I’ll love her until the day I die,” he repeated the promise he had given Tate without embarrassment.
“See that you do. Because, if I catch you mistreating my sister, I’ll whip your ass.” Tate turned to leave.
“Tate… thanks,” Cash said and meant it, thanking the man who had pushed Rachel in his direction.
Tate turned back, staring him in the eyes. “You’re welcome. Want to stop at Rosie’s for a beer?”
Cash accepted the peace offering. “Sounds good.”
*
“You ready?”
“Yes.” Rachel smiled teasingly. “How do I look?”
Cash’s eyes raked over the black booty shorts with the black bra. “I like it, but I don’t know how much I’m going to like the brothers’ eyes on you,” he warned, already planning on how soon he could lay his hands on that ass of hers.
Rachel walked to their bed, picking up the black lace dress. She pulled it over her outfit. The lace was tightly woven so all you could see was the dark material under the lace. Just like that, she’d gone from sexy to smoldering.
“Let’s go. I have a surprise for you.”
She caught his arm before they left their bedroom. “Cash, I…” She bit her lip.
“Vixen, nothing’s going to happen that you don’t want to happen, okay?” His finger smoothed her frown away. “You have a little wild in you, you know that?”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she admitted.
“Don’t be. All this is mine.” Cash put his hand on her hip, bringing her flush against his dick. “My vixen likes to play, and I like to watch her play, but if you don’t, that’s fine, too.”
After Rachel nodded, they left. They rode in his truck to the clubhouse. They hadn’t been back in the last two weeks since they had married; Cash had wanted to wait for his surprise to be finished.
He drove into the parking lot, stopping the truck. Then he took her hand after helping her out. Instead of leading her up the steps toward the clubhouse, he led her to the factory.
“Why are we going inside the factory tonight? I’ve been begging for the last month to see it.”
“I wanted to wait until the new addition was finished.” Cash led her toward the back of the factory, opening a door and turning the light on to the new room which had been built.
Her shocked gasp had him searching nervously for her reaction.
“Do you like it?”
“I never expected… this is amazing.” She walked around the huge room, touching the different equipment. She lingered in front of the ten different-sized tanks that were set up, ready for her use.
“I’ll never want to leave,” she whispered in awe.
“You like it?”
She looked at him like he was crazy. “How could I not? The university doesn’t have anything this advanced.”
“The catch is you now work for The Last Riders.”
“I’ll get a salary? To do what I was doing for free?”
Cash nodded. “We can help you expand in the areas you want, to offer assistance to countries that need clean water, if that’s what you want.”
As her expression softened, Cash’s breath caught in his chest, his heart beating rapidly.
“I love you.”
“It just took ten fish tanks to get you to admit it,” he said, bending down to kiss her.
“No, it just took you.”
Enjoy an excerpt from Cathryn Williams’s book
Stand of Redemption (Stand, #2)
Chapter 1
Ria looked at her tear filled eyes in the mirror, and forced herself to take deep breaths. She blinked several times, trying to keep from crying while desperately hoping with each blink the revealing redness would go away.