NATASHA

I'm not a shallow person. My first boyfriend was a goofy-looking guy with a bad haircut and braces. However, he also volunteered at an animal sanctuary and loved to read.

Bear has been handsome since I met him. Most of the men in his club are good-looking. Big whoop. They were just Siobhan's wild foster brothers.

Only when I saw Bear's concern for his often-annoying younger brother did I fall for the sexy biker. His outer beauty wasn't enough to win me, but his big heart stole my breath.

Right now, as he moves inside me, I can't deny he's a gorgeous man. Any woman would go crazy with his attention focused on them. Yet, I know under his muscled, tatted exterior beats the heart of an empathetic, loyal man. Bear is more than the growly, temperamental brute I first believed. And I get to keep him!

My fingers slide across his nipples and tingle at the feel of his chest hairs. He moves steadily, fucking me deeply, refusing to rush. We're past our earlier horny shenanigans. I'm watching myself be claimed by the man I love.

Right now, we're stripped down and raw. There's nothing to hide behind anymore. I'm just a woman weak for a man.

Bear looks disappointed when he comes. I feel the same way. I never want this moment to end. I'm afraid of tomorrow in the daylight when I live in a world with expectations.

In this dark house, scented by my man's rich cologne, I feel lightheaded and lost in love.

Bear rests at my side like when we were in the clubhouse's bedrooms. I stare at him as his fingers leisurely explore my sweaty, bare flesh.

"In a month, we won't need to say goodbye," I whisper after noticing a text from security informing me of how I have an hour before I'm expected to leave. "I'll crawl under your blankets and take up half of the bed. Which side do you want?"

Bear's pouting lips tug into a grin as he sizes up the bed and looks around the room. I see him picturing me living here. I have no idea how that'll work. He's at the clubhouse most nights. He often rides around in the evenings.

Now, Bear will have a house full of people. How often will he spend his evenings here? Back in the day, I rarely noticed Pork Chop at Above Snakes. Bear's brother didn't have any use for the club sluts. Rather than drinking until he needed to sleep it off in the clubhouse's bedrooms, Pork Chop stayed home with Carys and their boys. Is that the future I'll share with Bear?

Unwilling to ruin our good mood by asking for assurance, I wait for Bear to decide which side of the bed he wants for me.

"Women piss a lot at night, right?"

"Sure."

"Especially when they're pregnant," he says as his hand rests flat on my belly. "I talked to some of my brothers with kids. They make it sound good."

"You already have two kids. Do you really want to make a baby right away?"

Bear frowns, assuming I'm disagreeing with him. As I lift my lips to meet his, I kiss away his worries. Bear seems calmer as I cuddle against his warm body.

"I'm not a young guy."

"You're only thirty-four."

"That's older than Sync was with his girls. Older than Pork Chop and Claw. They all got settled earlier. Now, their kids are bigger and want to do stuff. What if I wait too long and can't keep up with them?"

"I think you're assuming a lot about your aging process."

"I've been fighting since I was a kid. My body's banged up. That'll catch up with me eventually."

"Not long before I left Banta City," I say, and Bear tenses, "I saw Zoot chasing a younger man down the street. Your president was running full sprint after the guy half his age. Zoot's got to be ten years older than you."

"True, but he's got his rage to keep him going. I don't think I can be angry all the time when I have you in my bed at night and smiling at me during breakfast. It'll make me soft."

Though I suspect he's suffering from flawed logic, I realize there's no reason to wait for more children.

"My IUD is due to be replaced soon. I could choose not to get a new one, and we could see what happens."

"Do you want a baby with me?" Bear asks, suspicious over how I'm not begging him to knock me up this very second.

"I'm a little worried a baby will steal attention away from Jacinda and Hector when they're struggling to adjust to their new life."

"You're really good in here," Bear murmurs and nuzzles my chest. "Your heart loves so deep. If you can love someone like me, I have no doubt you can handle three kids."

"Is that all you want?"

"I don't know."

"Me either. My mother gave birth to six children, and each one of us took a toll on her body. Her final pregnancy with Michal wasn't easy, much like Petra struggled with Laszlo," I explain. "In the end, I want a family that feels right, not what checks off bullet points on a list."

"I grew up alone when I was little. Even when I stayed with families who had kids, they were nothing to me. I bunked with aunts, uncles, and cousins, but they didn't pierce through my cold heart. I genuinely didn't think I was capable of loving anyone. But then, there was Aunt Fred and Elvis and their girls. I got protective of my foster brothers. My family just got bigger and bigger. I never minded the chaos."

"Why don't we start with one baby and see how crazy it feels? We'll only have as many as feels right," I say and smile at his handsome face. "As a young woman, I never would have dreamed I'd marry a member of the Backcountry Kings. Yet, once I fell for you, I couldn't imagine wanting anyone else. Let's follow our instincts like that."

Bear rewards my words with a long, claiming kiss. I assume we'll enjoy another round of exquisite fucking. Instead, he climbs out of bed and tugs me to my feet. We walk naked through the quiet house to the kitchen where he gets himself a beer. I take one too despite not liking the taste. Tonight, I want to enjoy what Bear does. I eat leftover ribs with him and try to see the world through his eyes.

After filling up on booze and meat, we walk to the back doors where he looks out at the moon. I feel Bear considering how our time together tonight is nearly over.

Taking his hand, I guide him to sit in one of his large, leather chairs. Once he's settled, I kneel between his legs. Bear shakes his head but says nothing. I take his half-erect cock in my hands and stroke him. My tongue makes lazy circles around the head. I murmur with approval at the taste of his precum.

Before I fell for Bear, I never wanted to be sexy. I dressed for comfort rather than to impress. There was no appeal in drawing the eye of the opposite sex. Dating was a curious thing in high school, yet boring by the time I reached college. After all, why go through the dating ritual when my marriage would be decided for me?

Once Bear stole my heart, I craved his attention and approval. I wore sexier clothes around Above Snakes, hoping to catch his attention.

Right now, Bear watches me with such affection. "You're leaving me soon," he says in a voice laced with sadness. "I need you closer."

Bear won't be denied. He slides his hands under my armpits and tugs me up onto his lap. I don't dare complain. He radiates longing and fear right now. Though I trust we'll be together again soon, Bear only sees how I'm nearly out of reach.

His cock thrusts deep inside me, claiming my breath. I rest my hands on his shoulders and roll my hips. Bear can't simply relax and enjoy the fuck. As I grind down on him, he thrusts hard into me.

Every bit of pleasure and pain brands me as the property of Bear O'Malley. I might leave his side, but I can't help returning to him. My body knows where it belongs.

My heart does, too. That's why I giggle so much on the way from his house to the mansion. I'm sure the booze also has something to do with my silly mood. It surely affects my filter, too.

I enter the mansion to find my parents and two brothers in the foyer. Leon and Maks are dressed in the same casual business wear as when they faced off with the police. My parents are in their nightclothes.

Startled to find an audience for my walk of shame, I freeze just inside the front doors. Their presence ought to steal my voice. Instead, I blurt out, "Good news. I've consummated the marriage. It's all good."

"Are you still drunk?" Maks asks as his hand cups the top of my head and he frowns into my face. "You look wasted."

"Tonight was an interesting collection of events," Viktor says in that overly calm way I normally fear.

Unable to filter myself, I push my brother's hand away and point out, "I went to an approved location for my party. I didn't dance on any tables or start any fights. Petra and I were very well behaved. Even when those officers handcuffed us, we didn't start screaming for our lawyer or ask if people knew who our father was. We quietly waited for someone to fix the situation. So, I think we did a very commendable job, especially considering the amount of Jello shots we consumed under the supervision of our security team."

Maks glances at our father to see if he has anything to say about my declaration. Our mother doesn't smile, but her gaze shines with humor.

"They handcuffed you?" Viktor asks quietly, zeroing in on the offense against him.

My mother's amusement falters but doesn't fizzle out completely. "You shouldn't have run off with the biker," Katja insists as Maks stands too close and tries to intimidate me. "What if you had fallen off his motorcycle?"

"I held on very tight and told my brain to focus. It worked," I say and smile at Maks before glancing at Leon. "Can I voice my praise over how you two exuded such calm intimidation tonight? I've never seen police officers squirm so much under the silent threats of two such handsome men. Your parents must be very proud."

"Okay, I'll just put it out in the open," Maks mutters and glances at Leon. "I like her better when she's drunk."

"It's late," Viktor announces, and I feel his mind still focused on the handcuff part.

My father's likely wondering why no one mentioned this fact to him earlier. He's zeroing in on how those officers weren't taking their women's side as much as showing disrespect toward the Kovak Syndicate. The handcuff thing will likely lead to someone bloody and possibly dead.

However, I'm too buzzed to worry about such details. Tomorrow, I can feel guilty over the ugliness in the world.

Right now, the clock reads two in the morning. My brain feels loopy while my body hums with sexual satisfaction.

"Let's take the elevator," Katja suggests and gestures for me to walk toward her. "We don't want you to lose your balance and fall."

Hurrying to my mom, I wrap her in a hug. She's startled by my sloppy affection. I feel her go rigid in my arms, but then she chuckles and hugs me back.

"I'm glad you had fun tonight."

"I love Bear," I whisper, and my voice echoes in the three-story foyer. "I'm so excited to marry him."

While my mother helps maneuver my wobbly ass to the elevator, my father plots with my brothers.

I try to remember what happened after the police arrived. As they corralled my friends and sister outside, the officers faced off with my security team. I worried violence might break out. Petra seemed especially afraid.

That's why I asked the security team to stand down. Even when the police handcuffed us and talked about pressing charges for assault, theft, and disturbing the peace, I wore a smile and refused to be baited into a fight.

Before I disappear inside my room, Katja offers me a lingering hug and praises me for remaining calm tonight. I smile like a goof, adoring her approval.

After the nanny leaves, I carefully crawl into my bed. The TV plays "Sesame Street" in the dark room. I peek over the sides of my mattress to the little beds below. Jacinda is completely hidden by her blanket. Hector sleeps on top of everything with one leg dangling over the side of his bed. I smile at my babies and think of how they'll be in their own room in a few short weeks.

Sleep embraces me almost immediately. I only stir when Hector climbs into my bed around four and sleeps with me. After the sun is up, Jacinda joins us. I sleep a little longer while they whisper to each other about the letters on the screen.

Waking to their smiling faces, I find myself replaying the last few weeks. I've adored spending time with my family again. We've gotten over much of the hurt about my choice to run off. I wouldn't mind remaining at the mansion for months longer, just to enjoy their company.

However, my heart hurts when I consider Bear alone in his house. He bought that place for the family he hoped to have one day. With the kids and me at his side, Bear can turn that large house into a home.

As much as I'll miss spending time with my family, I'm looking forward to being an O'Malley.