by Jade Kuzma
“I feel the same way,” I sighed.
He took my hand in his and gently caressed my fingers.
“I love you, Lenora.”
I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, whispering into his mouth.
“I love you.”
I looked into his eyes and couldn’t help but smile.
“Anything you want. I’ll do anything you want me to do.”
“…The only thing I ever wanted was to escape the life I had in Ivory. You’ve done that. There’s nothing more I could want from you. I’m willing to do anything to pay you back.”
“All I want is for you to be by my side.”
“Yeah… I can do that.”
I moved closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
We were in the penthouse suite of a hotel in a city far away from where I’d lived my entire life. All I wanted to do was escape.
Charles gave me that and more. Now my life was dedicated to paying him back.
Epilogue
LENORA
Somewhere in the Pacific…
Five years later…
I looked out into the water and watched the waves crash toward the shore. The white foam bubbled up before flowing back into the crystal clear blue water. The wind blowing through the air seemed to make the waves wilder than I was used to seeing.
I sighed a deep breath and the salt in the air filled my nose. Away from all of the noise and pollution of the city, I’d never been able to breathe so easily. I’d been out here for a long time but I never took the clean air for granted.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The water was as blue as the sky above it. It was the perfect scenery to take in and enjoy.
I was alone on the sand. I didn’t think too much more about where I was or who I was with though. I just lost myself on the canvas in front of me, letting the strokes flow as they did.
The beautiful view of the ocean was interrupted when I saw Charles coming in from the water. In just a pair of swimming trunks on, his body glistened wet and shined underneath the sun. The defined muscles and ink all over him never failed to distract me even after all these years.
He was older now but he loved me like he was a teenager and I was his first crush. He made me feel young. With Charles, I was the young adult I always wanted to be but never had the chance to, even though I was a few years older now.
He walked up to me with his surfboard tucked underneath his arm. I ignored him as I kept the strokes moving all over the canvas.
“Another beautiful piece,” he said as he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. “Maybe you should start charging the locals a little more money for these.”
“I don’t do this for the money. You know that.”
“That’s true. People around here are nice though. They’re willing to pay for it.”
“I’m not about to take advantage of them.”
“You’re not taking advantage of them. They’re just being kind and showing their appreciation.”
“No,” I said with a giggle. “I’m not charging them extra for something I like doing.”
“All right, all right… But one day… I’m gonna sneak behind your back and charge some real bucks for your pieces.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
I stopped painting and widened my eyes at him. When I saw the devilish smirk on his lips, I giggled and rolled my eyes.
“Don’t even think about it,” I said as I turned my attention back to my painting.
“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?”
He moved behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His hands cupped my breasts and forced another laugh out of me.
“Would you stop?” I squealed. “I need to concentrate.”
“The water’s nice today.”
“I know. I can feel it right now. I can smell it, too.”
“Why don’t you take a break and go for a swim with me?”
“I will… When I’m done.”
He trailed his hand up and around my arm. I sighed as I reluctantly put my brush down. He put his hand on top of mine, running his fingers over the band on my ring finger.
I laughed as he kissed me on my cheek. At the same time, he moved our hands together down toward my swollen stomach.
“You should take a break,” he whispered.
“I am taking a break. It’s not like it’s breaking my back to paint.”
“Standing in one spot can’t be good for your back though. And I don’t think the paint fumes are good for the baby.”
“Fine…”
I sighed and turned around. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face toward me. A deep kiss made me forget about the silly conversation we just had. The taste of the saltwater on his tongue was like experiencing another world.
I looked up at him and smiled. Deep brown eyes staring back at me, I couldn’t help but feel so comfortable in his arms.
“Come here,” he whispered.
He led me over to the side where a couple of lounge chairs were waiting for us.
We had a spot on the beach all to ourselves. Charles had enough money to afford it and there was plenty of space available. It was the perfect spot for us to settle down at the moment.
Right now, I was settling down on the lounge chair, curled up next to him, basking in the sun in my sundress.
I looked out into the water and a strange feeling washed over me.
“Ever since I was young, I always wondered what the waters were like in Asia,” I whispered.
“I know. You told me when we first met.”
“I’d seen pictures and paintings but I always thought they were fake. The water is even bluer than I imagined.”
“You’re not tired of looking at it, are you?”
“I can never get tired of this. I can stare out into the water forever.”
Charles sat up straight and I did the same right next to him. I looked at his face as he continued to look out into the distance.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said.
“You miss it?”
He turned to me and smiled. We replaced the open roads with beaches, so he had to replace riding his bike with surfing the waves.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “When I was a nomad, I hit the open road because I got bored sticking around in one place for too long.”
“We haven’t been around here for that long—”
“I know. But even if we have, I wouldn’t mind sticking around. I’ve still got my bike if we need it. My board serves me just fine though…”
He gave me another saltwater kiss. He tugged on my lips with his before softly pulling away from me.
His hand moved down to my stomach, rubbing my swollen belly.
“I have to tell you something,” I said.
“Oh?”
He raised an eyebrow at me.
“I… I talked to the doctor.”
“What did he say? Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. The baby is perfectly healthy. He’s perfectly healthy…”
“He… Then that means…”
I nodded. Charles smiled at me, his stare as kind as it had ever been.
“I was thinking,” I said. “I know what I want to name him.”
“And what’s that?”
I looked out into the water.
“Liam… After my brother…”
“Yeah… That sounds like a good idea.”
“My brother would’ve loved this place. I can imagine him dragging me into the water and splashing it all over me.”
“I can do that for you now if you want.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said with a laugh.
I looked up at the sky and felt my emotions churning in my stomach and in my chest.
“Maybe our son can experience all of this like my brother never got the chance to.”
Charles wrapped his arms arou
nd me, rubbing my stomach gently as he kissed me on the cheek.
“Do you ever think about it?” he asked.
“About what?”
“Ivory.”
“Ivory,” I sighed. “Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I did.”
“We can always go back. Live the life you never got the chance to.”
“Can we? We’re on the run from a federal agent.”
“That was years ago. I haven’t spoken to anybody from the MC since we left. There’s no telling if anybody will care if we go back. I’m sure the place has completely changed.”
“Ivory…”
I stared into the water. The waves crashed over and over, hypnotizing me to the point that I couldn’t even think straight.
“Maybe one day I’ll take Liam back to Ivory,” I said. “Let him know where his mom grew up… Let him know where his parents met… But I’m happy where I am right now. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Charles squeezed me in his arms. His cheek brushed against mine as we enjoyed the beautiful view together.
The ocean stretched for miles. In the distance somewhere, there was a life I’d lived in a city I left behind.
None of that mattered now though. I’d grown accustomed to being by Charles’s side. I fell in love with a nomad and he fell in love with me. This was the life that was meant for the both of us.
As the saltwater in the air filled my lungs, I took a deep breath. I’d never known what it was like to be so free until now.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading CHAR! If you liked this story, you’ll love the other Black Reapers titles!
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The Black Reapers
PART 1: BRASH (A Bad Boy Biker Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0795MH4LB
PART 2: NEEDLE (A Bad Boy Biker Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079QKZMBC
PART 3: SULLY (A Bad Boy Firefighter Romance)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B7L1D2X