Alone once again, she lay back waiting for her man to come. The sound of another man clearing his throat alerted her to being watched. She glanced at the door to see Zero leaning against the doorframe.
“Nash is on his way. He got the all clear, and he’s signing all the paperwork for you both,” Zero said.
She nodded. “Thank you for taking care of me,” she said.
“I’ll always take care of you.” He entered the room, going to the chair beside her bed and taking hold of her hand. “You’ll be part of our family soon, and I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.”
“I really do appreciate it.” His hand was warm, and she noticed how he stroked her wrist. Zero ran his thumb over the pulse in her wrist.
“The thought of anything happening to you makes me feel sick.”
His honesty was scaring her.
“Zero, I’m with Nash.”
He stopped her talking with putting a hand in the air. “Please let me finish.”
“I know you have feelings for me. The way you are around me is different from the other women. I saw it that day you were testing Nash. You didn’t treat any of the other women differently.” She couldn’t keep her thoughts locked up inside when she knew the truth.
She looked up as he sat down, resting his hand on his thigh.
“Yes, I have feelings for you. I don’t know how deeply or how they came about. All I know is that when it comes to you, I’ll always have your back. I won’t let Nash hurt you.”
Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t feel anything for this man other than friendship.
“I can’t give you anything,” she said.
“I know. For the first time in my life I’m not asking you for anything.” He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. “That is all I’m going to take from you.”
He got up and started to leave the room. “Don’t worry about anything, Sophia. The Skulls will always have your back. You’ll never be alone again.”
She watched him go. Lying back against her bed she let out a sigh. Her thoughts were set on Nash. Maybe if she’d met Zero first there could have been a chance, but she doubted it. Zero didn’t make her heart race. She never searched for him in a room. Nash called to her in ways she didn’t understand. Her love for him had been part of her for so long that she didn’t want to give him up.
****
Nash was stood outside of Sophia’s door waiting for Zero to exit. No one inside the room could see him as he was stood a little out of the way. Checking out the time, he waited, giving Zero the chance to get his thoughts off his chest.
When the other brother stepped outside of the room, Nash saw he paused when he saw him.
“Nash,” Zero said.
Folding his arms over his chest, Nash stared at his fellow brother and Skull. “Are we going to have a problem?” Nash asked.
“The only problem we’ll have is if you treat that woman in any other way than if she’s a princess.” Zero took several steps away. “I’ll never hurt you or her. I just needed to get it off my chest.” The other man shrugged. “She’s in love with you.”
“I’ll never hurt her, Zero. Sophia is the love of my life.”
Nash saw the smile on Zero’s face.
“Then we’ll be good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Nash was slapped on the back, and then Zero turned away and left.
Frowning, Nash shook his head. He wouldn’t get into it with Zero.
Going to the door he saw Sophia was lying in bed staring at the ceiling.
“Hey, baby,” he said.
Her face lit up. “I was wondering when you were going to get here.”
“All the club is here. Tiny is keeping an eye on Tate and Eva.”
“How is Eva?”
“She’s out of the coma, and we’re hoping she’ll be good to go home soon. All the boys are tired of ending up in the hospital. Our women should be protected at all times.” He closed the door and moved to the bed. Nash didn’t sit down. He lay down beside her, getting Sophia to curl up against him.
“If a nurse catches you she’s going to go mad,” she said.
“Don’t give a f**k. I couldn’t hold you today, and I need to be able to hold you.”
The club wasn’t going back to the clubhouse. Whizz was sorting out the business for Devil. Lash had caught him up to speed on everything he missed.
“I know this is probably the worst time to ask, but will you marry me?” Nash asked.
She looked up at him. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“The drugs are out of my life, baby. I’m not having anything to do with them. I’ll fight it every step of the way. If something comes of what happened to you today, I’ll be with you. You’re not getting rid of me.”
Sophia pressed a finger to his lips.
“I love you. There’s nothing to dispute. I’ll marry you. Now shut the f**k up and hug me.”
She settled closer to him. He held her tightly, closing his eyes and knowing they were only ever going to grow closer from that day forward.
Kissing the top of her head, he closed his eyes. The last twenty-hour hours had been a nightmare. He couldn’t imagine going through anything like that and coming out the other end stronger. Sophia made him stronger by sticking beside him.
Sleep claimed him, and even the nurse couldn’t force him to move when he woke up.
Chapter Fourteen
The rumor around town about what went down at the warehouse was a drug bust gone bad. Nash thought it was rather inventive of the people even though everyone knew the truth. The club and Chaos Bleeds had dealt with the bodies burying them all. Whizz found out that all of the men were wanted criminals, even Willy. What they hadn’t found out was who had hired them. He didn’t feel any guilt over killing the men. Nash would do it again in a heartbeat in order to protect his woman.
Within a month the club was back to normal. Sophia didn’t have any lasting effects of the he**in in her system, which was a f**king relief. Eva was healthy once again even if she did look a little pale and never left without a prospect. Nash knew the prospect was down to Tiny. His leader couldn’t stand for Eva to be alone. Tate was also back to being her bossy self. There was a nervousness to her eyes that Nash hoped would fade with time and with the advancing months of her pregnancy. He made sure to be patient around her at all times. Of course, Tate knew what was happening and made it hard for him to want to be nice to her.