Cocky Secrets (Cocker Brothers #29)

26. Epilogue - Sage

TWENTY-SIX

Epilogue - Sage

B ear is standing naked before my canvas, in the one-bedroom home that we Ciphers built in the backyard, west of the garage and a storage space, with enough space between to give us privacy. Since he was already a man used to his independence with his own home, moving into Tonk Jr.’s old bedroom with me wasn’t a good fit for our happiness. Adjustments were made.

Bear’s body is lean and muscular from the ongoing training he and I regularly partake in with the others, inspiring me to say, “I wish I’d painted you when you first became a Cipher so that you could see the difference in your body.”

“At least you’re finally doing it,” he smirks, adding, “I’d have preferred to have been lying down for this.”

“Just a few more minutes while I work this foundation, handsome. Then you can take a break.”

He loses the pose and walks to me, snatching the paintbrush from my hand and smoothly informing me, “Break now.”

I reach for the brush but he holds it above his head, looking stunningly hot in no clothes as he steps out of my reach, shaft swinging. No longer is he a quiet model but instead once more a man who has saved lives by my side, and even convinced The Ciphers to leave quite a few bad guys for the cops to pick up, in many of the states we’ve traveled to over the two years we’ve been together.

He taught the elders of us something they never knew how to do in their long tenure as heroes — how to leave the right evidence to convict someone, without loopholes they could crawl back to their rocks out of. We of the next generation learned these lessons, too, among others, and are slated to take on more responsibility within the club. That retirement my father spoke of isn’t just a dream anymore, now that there are seven of us.

Lucky number seven.

And who knows who will join, as the years pass. We never expected Sean to come knocking on our door way back then. I mean…Diesel. I do try and call him by that name now that I’m one of them.

They didn’t give Bear a nickname since his birth one was so perfect. “ Almost as if he was fated to join us,” Jett once said. Mine has stayed the same, too, which sparked us women — Sophia Sol, Celia, and myself — to point out that the female Ciphers never get new biker names. The elders never have a good enough reason for that. I’ve joked to them all that maybe one day they’ll pick lazy ones and we’ll be called Warrior 1, 2, and 3. They thought that was funny, and so did I. Especially when I made Sofia Sol laugh by stating I was clearly Warrior 1. She rolled her grey eyes and that was enough of a yeah-right for all of us. We knew the truth. She’s the biggest badass of us three.

But I have surprised myself, in how far I’ve come. Turns out I’ve got the aim of a professional sniper, and can disarm a man from his weapon faster than I would’ve thought possible.

Except I can’t seem to get my paintbrush from the cop I transformed into an even bigger hero just by loving him. “I’m not done, Bear!”

He chuckles, “You’re so sexy when you’re angry,” tossing it onto the pile of newspapers at the base of my easel. He tackles me, tossing me over his bare shoulder, pulling down my skirt and slapping my ass once as he carries me to the bed. In a burst I’m flying through the air, falling onto our mattress and bouncing. Bear crawls on top of me and I fight him off, pretending like I don’t want what he’s offering. He laughs and plays the game, grabbing my hand and wrapping it around his hardened length. “Don’t want this?”

Melting at the touch, I feel my core start to pulse, and I find myself confessing, “Of course I do.”

We claw off my clothes and I sigh under the kisses Bear gives my neck, my collarbone, my breasts one by one. I wrap my legs around him and he hovers his gorgeous cock just outside of me, resting it against my clit as we lock eyes. “Call me that title I love,” Bear rasps.

I run my fingers down his shoulder blades, and whisper, “Husband.”

Bear closes his eyes, the word an aphrodisiac, and slides into my wetness. I arch my back as he grinds in and out of me, filling me completely then pulling almost all the way out. A tease. His finger finds my clit and he massages it, pulling it away as he fills me again. Dropping to kiss me, long and slow, tongues dancing, he fucks me until all of a sudden he stops and searches my face. “Wife.”

“Yes?” I gasp, aching for more.

“I haven’t told you I love you today.”

I smile, “No, you haven’t.”

“I do,” he rasps, dropping to kiss me before murmuring against my lips, “I love you.”

I entwine my fingers tenderly in his hair. “I love you, too, husband.”

He moans and starts to grind until I’m a puddle of ecstasy, crying out his name, his title, and how desperately I love him.

After we’ve had our fill, while catching our breath, lying on our backs and cuddled up to one another, we hear a loud knock on the door. Bear frowns, “Who is it?”

My brother calls through the door, “It’s Atlas! We’ve got a mission!” He knocks again as a statement that he’s said what he needed to, and is now gone. We know to meet them all in the house for a briefing, and that everyone is being summoned, made to stop whatever they’re doing no matter what it is.

I groan, “Am I ever going to finish my painting?”

Bear groans, “Why’d I let you talk me into selling my house and moving here where they could interrupt us like that?”

Rolling on top of him, I tease, “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He laughs, “Truth,” and embraces me, kissing my neck, and rising to standing.

I take his offered hand and jump off the bed, heading for the proper clothing.

“Sage?”

From where I’m grabbing a pair of jeans from our dresser drawer I turn, eyebrows raised. “Yes?”

“You make life worth living.”

The jeans drop and I race to jump into his arms, wrapping myself around him as he holds me up. Kissing him I confess, “You changed me in all the best ways.”

“Same, Sugar Pop. Same.”

My painting will have to wait.

Duty calls.

But since we helped Viola save her shop by ‘inspiring’ the local schools to reinstate art classes, there’s no hurry and no lack of supplies.

Another good deed we will never take credit for.

To know there are many artists of the future who now have a place to learn and grow, is enough.

Making the world a better place?

That is always enough.

How did we inspire them?

It’s our secret.

The End.