Blood & Bones: Whip (Blood Fury MC 11)

Her only fee? Allowing Whip to pick the spot on that mountain where they would build their forever home.

“Good. I spoke with the architect and he’ll have a few designs for us to look at when we get back,” she informed him.

They hadn’t rushed to begin construction on the property to allow the land—and the Fury—to start healing first.

“Wanna build my mom a little place up there, too.”

“Sweet like taffy at the shore,” she teased.

“Stop it, woman,” he growled.

She sighed when he began rubbing her feet. Leaning her head back against the chair, she got more comfortable. She was still stiff and sore from traveling this morning. Like Whip, she preferred the open road and the wind in her face while they rode their sleds versus being packed like a canned sardine into a plane, breathing in recycled air and hoping the person coughing three rows behind them wasn’t contagious.

It had been his first time flying and, even though they had flown first class and he had never experienced the cramped quarters of economy, the whole trip south he kept saying it was going to be his last. She refrained from telling him that it wouldn’t be and some of the places she wanted to take him in the future were only accessible by air, and those would be a much longer flight. She’d break that news to him at a later time.

She had other news to give him first.

She released a long moan and pointed her red painted toes into his pec as he worked the sole of her foot to the point where she almost could orgasm. “Thirty. It’s a milestone.”

“Yep. Gotta say, babe, so far, this birthday’s been way better than the last one.”

“I’ll agree with that.”

As she reached for her water, her attention got caught on her inner wrist. Exactly one year from the day Whip found her along Copperhead Road, they both took the trip to In the Shadows Ink in Shadow Valley and had the Dirty Angel named Crow give her her second tattoo. It wasn’t what she originally thought it would be.

She decided on an infinity symbol with Whip’s name incorporated into one loop and “my forever” incorporated into the other.

When Crow asked why she chose that symbol, she simply smiled at Whip and explained, “He’s my forever.”

She took a long sip of water since her mouth was super dry because of what she was about to tell him. When she was done, she put the bottle down, leaned forward and grabbed his hand.

“Help me up,” she urged as she dropped her feet from his chest. He pushed off the balcony railing and, using their clasped hands, pulled her to her feet. “I have a birthday present for you.”

“This trip was more than enough, babe. Don’t need anythin’ else. I got you.”

“I can’t return this gift so you’re just going to have to accept it. However, you should sit down before I give it to you.”

His eyebrows pinned together. “Should I take my shorts off first?”

She pinned her lips together for a second, then managed to say, “It’s not necessary.”

He lifted one eyebrow. “But it’s an option?”

“Well, if you want to shuck them right here on the balcony, I’m okay with it. I’m not sure if some of the snowbirds walking the beach will be.”

He sat on the edge of the lounger she just exited and shot her a smirk. “Lettin’ loose my monster might scare them so badly that they keel over.”

“Mmm hmm.”

When she stepped between his parted thighs, his smirk turned into a crooked smile as he looked up at her with confusion filling his blue eyes.

“Let me see your tattoo.” She grabbed his hand, turned it over and brushed her thumb over the design that matched hers on his left wrist. An infinity symbol with her name and “my forever” incorporated into the design.

“My forever,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to it.

“For infinity,” he answered like he normally did.

She took a deep breath and pressed his hand flat against her stomach. “Happy birthday.”

He lifted his gaze from where their hands were planted on her belly to her face. His brow furrowed and confusion once again filled his eyes.

She waited and gave him the time needed to process.

Without blinking once, his expression slowly changed to shock and back to confusion.

The man was struggling. She should help him.

So, she did. “Happy birthday, Daddy.”

“F-fallon…” He closed his eyes and took a breath to get his emotions under control.

She now knew all about his stutter and when it occurred. Usually only when he was angry. On rare occasions, when he became very emotional and wasn’t prepared to deal with it.

Like with this surprise.

“You okay?” she asked.

His Adam’s apple jerked as he swallowed. He nodded as his eyes opened again.

“I know you just turned thirty and in a perfect world you’d wait. But you chose to love a woman who recently turned thirty-seven. Waiting isn’t much of an option.”