Patriot (Hades Abyss MC 6) - Harley Wylde Page 0,22

me Titan had sent me after a young woman who would be perfect for me. Maybe we should get him a present.”

“I already did. Phoebe helped me pick out a signed hardback for him. But if you have an idea for something else, we could always give him two presents. I told her a book didn’t seem like much.”

“I’ll think of something. He’s talked about getting a custom leather seat for his bike at a shop not too far from here. Maybe I’ll pay the deposit on it and get them to contact him about what he wants.” He kissed my forehead. “Now where do you want to eat? We can go anywhere.”

“Well, it’s Christmas. Almost. What about the buffet on Market Avenue? I heard they were going to have turkey, ham, dressing, bread pudding, and a bunch of holiday treats all month long.”

“Then that’s where we’ll go.”

He took my hand and led me out to the Bronco and helped me onto the seat. When he started it up, he turned up the heat and made sure the vents were pointed my way. With it being an older vehicle, it didn’t blow hot or cold very hard, but I knew he loved driving it. And since it’s what he’d brought to rescue me, I rather liked it too.

Chapter Six

Patriot

I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever seen MaryAnne smile so much. Seeing the joy on her face, hearing her excited chatter as she talked about all things Christmas, and watching the look of rapture that crossed her face with every bite of her food made me wish the night would never end. All I wanted was for her to be happy, and at the moment, she was. I knew eventually another nightmare would creep up on her, but she hadn’t had one in over a week. At least, not that I’d heard.

After dinner, I took her by the coffee shop for some hot chocolate, and then we drove around looking at Christmas lights while she sang along with the carols on the radio. One house in town had animated lights that matched the music on a particular radio station. We watched for at least ten minutes before I moved on so someone else could have a turn. It made me wish I’d thought to ask every brother at the compound to put lights up, just so MaryAnne could see them and smile.

At the house, she went straight upstairs, her steps slow as exhaustion hit her. I could see the fatigue in her eyes, but she’d struggled to keep going. I locked up and shut off all the lights, let Archimedes out one last time and put the animals to bed. When I’d finished, I headed up to my room, only to hesitate outside the guest room she’d been using. Now that she was officially mine, my room was now our room. I lifted my hand to knock and tell her as much. Until reality crashed in. She might never be ready to share a room with me, and the last thing I wanted was for her to think I was pushing her. Even though she’d wanted to sleep by me the other night, it didn’t mean she wanted to do that all the time.

I went to my bedroom and shut the door before stripping off my boots and clothes. I started the shower, not bothering to turn the heat up too much. I’d gotten used to cold showers, especially the last six months, when MaryAnne had started to come alive. Stepping under the spray, I pulled the door closed and let the water beat down on my head. Goose bumps covered my skin. The cold didn’t seem to bother my cock since it stood upright. Hiding my reaction from MaryAnne had gotten easier lately. Mostly because I knew she wasn’t looking below my belt, so as long as I held myself a certain way, she didn’t pay attention to the fact my cock was trying to escape my jeans.

I reached down and gripped my shaft, squeezing it at the base, willing my erection to go down. It never worked, but I always tried anyway. I slicked my palm with soap and started stroking my dick with long, hard tugs. Bracing my other hand on the wall, I closed my eyes and imagined MaryAnne was the one touching me. It didn’t take long before I was coming. My heart pounded in my chest as cum splashed the tiled wall. Even after my