Nova (Silver Saints MC)

The picture of Rylee with a round belly appeared in my mind, and my knees nearly buckled. Not because I was shocked to know that was what I wanted—I’d known that since the moment I saw her picture—but because I was desperate to make it happen. I wanted to fuck my woman when she was even more round and soft, her body growing to accommodate our baby.

“Nova!” Rylee hissed, grabbing my attention.

“Yeah?”

“You have to stop telling everyone I’m yours.”

I narrowed my eyes, and my voice was low when I replied, “Not fucking happening.”

“I’ve spent too much time under the thumb of one controlling asshole. I’m not going to walk right into another!”

My brothers would never have let me hear the end of it if they had been present at that moment. I was struck speechless.

Finally, I reached out and gently brought Rylee close, gathering her into my arms. “I don’t want to control you, angel. Sorry if it seemed that way. I’m willing to admit that I’ll be a bossy, domineering asshole when it comes to other men, and I’ll expect you to trust what I tell you to do when it comes to your safety. But I will always do anything I can to give you whatever you ask for.”

Her eyes softened, and I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “You have a bit of a temper,” she muttered.

I grinned unrepentantly. “Not gonna be sorry for intimidating motherfuckers who test my patience with you. But don’t pretend it didn’t make you wet when I threatened to spank your pretty little ass.”

Rylee bit her lip, and her eyes kindled with desire. I revisited my plan to push the next stop off until later, but after this conversation, I knew it was even more important.

“Come on, angel. Let me show you something.”

Taking her hand, I kissed the back before leading her through the club to the back entrance of the Silver Saints Garage. We walked in, and I lifted my chin at a few people who called out greetings. But I steered Rylee toward a bay holding a 1949 Jaguar XK120.

“Oh, my gosh!” Rylee gasped when she spotted the rusted, disassembled vehicle and rushed over. Dom slid out from the undercarriage just as Rylee ran by, but she saw him at the last second and hopped right over him.

“Careful there, sweetheart,” Dom said as he jumped to his feet and reached for her in case she ended up falling.

Dom was happily married with a family and only trying to help her, but the jealous monster in me wanted to growl at him to get his hands off my woman. And rip his tongue out for calling her sweetheart. But I had a feeling that wouldn’t help my case with Rylee, so I swallowed hard and shoved him down deep.

Rylee hadn’t even noticed Dom because she was too busy drooling over the classic car. “You do restoration work here?” she asked nobody in particular. When I heard the longing in her voice, I smiled confidently.

“If you and your dad were fixing this up, what would you do?” I asked, waving Dom off to let him know to stay quiet.

She launched into a plan, exuding enthusiasm and bouncing on the balls of her feet. As she spoke, she walked around the car, reverently touching here and stroking there. I glanced at Dom to see his mouth open in surprise as he listened to her, his expression becoming more and more astonished.

She openly admitted when she came to a part she didn’t recognize or a technique she wasn’t sure about, which was just as impressive as the things she did know. When she was done, she sighed with longing again.

“Damn, sweetheart. You know your shit,” Dom said, his tone tinged with awe. I’d moved closer and whacked him on the back of the head before giving him a warning glance when he called her sweetheart.

“Angel, this asshole is Dom. He’s in charge of the restoration business for the garage.” She’d completely circled the car now and was close enough for me to pull her close and tuck her under my arm. “Dom, this is my Rylee.”

He stuck his hand out, and I wasn’t able to completely suppress the rumble of annoyance in my chest when she shook it. Rylee looked up at me and rolled her eyes but didn’t comment.

“I thought maybe you could use some help,” I told Dom. “Maybe even take on an apprentice if Rylee’s interested.”

Rylee’s body went tense, but when she glanced up at me again, she was beaming, her eyes lit with hope.

“Absolutely,” Dom agreed without a second’s hesitation. “You obviously have a lot of knowledge and a knack for this.” He cocked his head to the side and studied her. “Have you thought about trade school?”