by Wilder, L
“Come on,” he says as he kills the engine and gets off. He reaches out his hand to help me.
“This place is beautiful, Dillon, but why are we here?” I ask.
“You ask too many questions, Angel,” he says as he tugs my hand, leading me up to the front door. He pushes a few buttons on the keypad, and the lock on the door springs open. He smiles as he opens the door. “Go check it out.”
I step through the doorway, and I am blown away. It’s absolutely amazing. The vintage log cabin theme runs throughout the entire house, with cathedral ceilings and unbelievably tall windows. The awesome view of the lake is the first thing that catches my attention, drawing me into the living room. The trees are all sprouting blooms, and the sun is reflecting off of the lake. It’s stunning.
“Dillon, I love it,” I tell him.
“We have two other places to check out, but I wanted to show you this one first.”
He’s so damn cute when he’s excited like this. He reminds me of a child on Christmas morning. He walks over to me at the window and stares out onto the lake. He looks so happy, and I can tell he loves it here. “What’s going on? Why are you showing me all this?”
“As much as I love the clubhouse, I want us to have a home, so I called a realtor. It’s time for us to find a place of our own.”
“We’re buying a house?” I ask.
“Yeah… and as soon as you tell me which one of them you like, I’ll buy it,” he says as he leans down and kisses me on the forehead. “After we see the other two places, you can….”
“I want this one,” I tell him.
“You haven’t seen the others yet.”
“I don’t have to. This place is perfect,” I tell him, smiling. “It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more.”
“I was hoping that you’d say that.” He slips his arms around my waist, lifting me up into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist as his mouth crashes against mine. It’s hard for me to imagine ever loving him more than I do at this moment. He’s already given me so much, and now here he is giving me more.
I look up to him and say, “I love it.”
“Let’s go look at the rest of it,” he says as he slowly drops my feet to the floor.
We spend the next hour going through every room in the house, talking about what furniture we’d need and where to put it. There are three bedrooms, so we’ll have plenty of room to start a family whenever we get ready. There’s even a wraparound porch lined with a gorgeous view of the lake. I can just imagine how great it will be to have my coffee out there every morning.
“You sure this is the one you want? We can go see the others....”
“It’s perfect, Dillon.”
“Six months,” he tells me.
“What do you mean six months?”
“Six months to get things settled here and finish up your residency, then I want to start our family,” he says as steps closer to me. “Want to fill this house with our kids. That gonna work for you?”
“Yes, that will work for me,” I say, laughing. I wrap my arms around his neck and before I kiss him, I say, “Thank you, Dillon.”
Chapter 23
Sheppard
“We got that new shipment in today. There’s a 1967 Harley Davidson Electra Glide, and she’s a real beauty,” Otis tells me. We’re sitting in the hotel bar having a drink, watching all the girls run back and forth as they get ready.
“You calling dibs on it?” I ask, laughing.
“Nah, I know better than that. You’ll end up finding a way to get it anyway,” he tells me as he stands up and straightens his tie. “We better get out there. Bishop’s wound pretty tight. Don’t wanna be late.”
“No doubt,” I say as I follow him out the door to the back patio of the Paris Landing Inn.
I have to admit… it looks pretty fucking amazing. Bishop’s been planning this wedding for weeks, and it turned out better than any of us ever imagined. There are rows of white covered chairs leading up to a custom made gazebo that’s facing the lake. Bouquets of wildflowers are placed on all of the tables and all around the gazebo. Bishop is standing up front with the minister, and the guests are taking their seats.
When we walk up, he says, “It’s about time you two showed up.”
“We’re ten minutes early, brother,” I say, smiling. “You look good in your monkey suit.” The rest of us are wearing slacks and our DC’s leather jackets, but Tessa wanted him to wear a tux. It took her a little convincing, but she managed to talk him into it. She also talked us into wearing a tie, but that’s where we drew the line.
“I don’t wanna hear it, Shep,” Bishop says as he searches the crowd for Tessa.
“It won’t be much longer,” I whisper as the music begins to play.
Myles and Drake are already standing beside Bishop, both sharing the role of best man. All heads turn when Izzie starts walking towards us. She looks so much like her mother, and everyone smiles as they watch her drop little pink rose petals with each step she takes. When the music changes, the women begin walking down the aisle. Ana was surprised but excited when Tessa asked her to be a bridesmaid. She looks absolutely stunning in the long black dress Tessa picked out. It barely touches the ground as she walk towards us, and the deep V-neck shows just enough skin to be sexy as fuck. My woman looks amazing. Her eyes sparkle when she passes me, and I can’t take my eyes off of her.
The music changes again, and Tessa steps out on the terrace with her dad. Tessa is a beautiful bride. She’s wearing a simple white dress, and she’s holding a large bouquet of pink roses. Bishop is totally captivated by her as she walks down the aisle. All eyes are focused on them when the ceremony begins. As soon as Tessa starts talking about how much Bishop means to her and the kids, Ana glances over to me, making my heart twist in knots. I find myself wondering what kind of wedding Ana and I will have. I never thought I’d be the kind of man that would ever get married, but Ana has changed that. It’s going to happen. I’m going to marry her… and soon.
When the ceremony is over, we all gather in one of the banquet halls. It’s not exactly fancy, but it’s a perfect place for the reception. There is a huge spread of food and a full bar, and everyone seems to be having a good time.
“Hey there, handsome,” Ana says as she slips her arms around my waist. With just the touch of her hand, I find myself fighting the urge to have my way with her right there.
“There’s my girl.” I pull her close and ask, “You ready to get out of here?”
She smiles as she playfully rolls her eyes. “We can’t go yet. They haven’t even cut the cake.”
“You’re killing me with that dress, babe.” I lean in closer and whisper, “Since the moment I saw you in it, all I’ve been able to think about is getting you out of it.”
“One hour. Then, you can do whatever you want with the dress,” she whispers playfully in my ear.
“Deal.”
During my darkest moment, she was the light beckoning me back to life. When I look at her, I see my future… my entire life unfolding before my eyes. She’s mine. Now and forever.
From the Author
I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed writing the Devil Chasers’ series. These characters have become such a huge part of my life, and I’m finding it difficult to let them go. So, I will let the story continue in that fantasy world I’ve created in my crazy head.
I’d like to let myself believe that when I drive through Paris, Tennessee, I might come across Bishop and the guys having a drink at Hidden Creek. Or maybe I’ll see them riding across the Paris Landing Bridge as they head back to the clubhouse. I might have to fight the urge to follow them! And who knows? Maybe Levi and Conner are hanging out at Matt’s Pub, just waiting to buy one of us drink.
Even though this is the end of this series, it doesn’t mean you won’t be seeing them again. I am really excited about writing Maverick’s story. So many of my readers have asked about him, and I want to give him the book that he
and my readers deserve. Be prepared for some surprises. His club is quite different from the Devil Chasers, and there will be several shocks along the way. Thank you all again for reading my books. I hope you have enjoyed reading them as much I have enjoyed writing them.
Acknowledgements
There are so many people that I’d like to thank for helping me with this book, but no one has been more supportive than Marci Ponce. She’s been there every step of the way, helping me any way she could. She will never know how much her help has meant to me. Thank you Marci for being my guiding light through this series and helping me stay on track. You are a wonderful writer and friend.
I would also like to thank all of my readers. I have loved all of your comments and posts. I am blown away every time I see one of your comments about liking my books. It blows me away! When my life has gotten a little crazy, your kind words have given me the encouragement I’ve needed to continue on.
My Wilder’s Women Street Team is amazing! Thank you all for your support. It means so much to me that you continue to help me with reviews and posting all of my teasers. You all rock! There are too many names to mention here but know that I love you all.
My Beta readers are Rock Stars!! Erin, Patricia, Sherri, Keeana, Terra, Jenny, Danielle, Kimberely, Elizabeth, and Brandy, you guys rock!! Thanks so much for taking the time to read Combust and posting your reviews. Your reviews and comments mean so much to me!!
I want to give a special thank you to Jess Peterson and Jane Mortensen for all your help with creating my teasers. You both are so creative, and I love your work. Thanks for always being there when I need you. Jane Mortensen has made incredible trailers for each of my books. Be sure to check out my Facebook page to see them all.
Jess Peterson’s Page: (She’s awesome by the way) https://www.facebook.com/events/381121918727263/382627968576658/
Jane Mortensen’s Page: https://www.facebook.com/jam47?fref=ts
Jordan Marie, you’re an amazing author and friend. Thank you for all of your encouragement, and I can’t wait to read your next book!
Ana Rosso, my young grasshopper, I hope you have enjoyed this book. Your input was wonderful. I hope it lived up to all of your expectations. You are such a wonderful friend!!! Keep on rocking chickeroo!!
A final thanks to my editor, Brooke Asher. You are amazing. Thank you for taking the time to make my books the best that they can be. You are such a wonderful friend and editor. Thank you for all the wonderful things you do.
Brooke’s Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008407952883&fref=ts
FYI: If you like MC Romances, you should check out Autumn Jones Lake. Her books are wonderful!
https://www.facebook.com/autumnjlake?fref=ts
Stephen Lewis is the writer of Cloned for Reward: Called Back to Duty. I learned a great deal from reading his book. The descriptive writing sucked me in, and I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. I hope your book continues to be a great success. I look forward to seeing what your next book brings.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009105862234
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
