FALLING FOR THE LYCAN BIKER: MY BESTFRIEND BROTHER

Chapter 78: TIME SHE STARTS KNOWING EVERYTHING ABOUT ME

Chapter 79

Ren

When the white silk parted, leaving her lying there in the soft moonlight, my chest swelled so heavily with emotion that breathing became painful.

My heart pounded against my ribs, slow, heavy, and loud enough to fill the quiet room.

I stayed on my knees beside her, my palms planted flat on the cool mattress on either side of her hips.

I just stared. I let my eyes trace every line of her face the warm flush high on her cheekbones, her dark eyes wide and glossy, her lips parted as she panted softly.

It still didn’t feel real. For years, she had been nothing more than a memory I chased across oceans, a ghost I watched from the shadows while another man held her.

But right now, she was right here. Soft, breathless, and completely mine to hold.

A wave of adoration hit me so hard it brought a sudden, burning tightness to the back of my throat.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she whispered, her small, warm hand lifting hesitantly to brush against the side of my jaw.

I turned my head, pressing a deep kiss into the center of her palm, closing my eyes for a second just to drown in the feel of her skin against mine.

"Because I still can’t believe I’m here" I rasped, opening my eyes to lock onto hers.

"Because every time you look at me with those eyes, Lumi... my whole chest feels like it’s going to burst open."

It was the terrifying truth. The weight of what I felt for this woman was almost too much for one person to carry. It consumed me completely.

There was no room left inside my soul for anything or anyone else but Lumi.

I shifted onto the mattress, sliding my large frame beside her and gathering her small body straight into my arms.

I pulled her flush against my chest, wrapping around her as if I could shield her from every cruel thing in this world.

She let out a soft, contented sigh, resting her forehead against the crook of my neck.

Her fingers tangled tightly into the fabric of my t-shirt. The quiet, trusting weight of her resting against me sent a fresh surge of pure devotion straight through my veins.

"You’re so light," I rumbled softly, my broad palm resting over the small of her back, smoothing down the soft curve of her spine.

"All those years... I was so terrified that if I ever finally got the chance to lay my hands on you, I’d end up breaking you." A low, breathy laugh bubbled out of her throat, her warm breath tickling my collarbone and making my skin prickle with heat.

"You could never break me, Ren."

"I mean it, babe," I murmured, burying my face into the silk of her hair, inhaling the sweet, heady scent that had driven me out of my mind since I was a teenager...vanilla and soft cotton.

"I worship you. You have no idea. Every breath you take, every time you laugh, every single time my name leaves your mouth... it completely unspools me."

I cupped her cheek, my thumb gently tracing the full curve of her bottom lip. She leaned into the pressure, her eyelashes fluttering shut as a soft gasp escaped her.

"Look at me, Lumi," I commanded gently.

Her dark eyes opened, glossy and completely open to me.

"I don’t just want tonight," I told her, my voice dropping into a low, reverent growl. "I want every single day you’re willing to give me. I want your doubts, your fears, your dark days. I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you never feel alone again."

Her throat hitched, tears welling at the corners of her eyes...not from sorrow, but from the raw weight of the love I was laying at her feet.

"Ren..." she breathed, her fingers clutching my t-shirt like a lifeline. "You’re completely crazy."

"Crazy for you," I agreed without a second of hesitation, my chest vibrating against hers.

"I’ve been hopelessly, madly out of my head for you for half my life. And I’m never recovering."

I leaned down, pressing my lips tenderly against the corner of her eye, sweeping away a stray tear before it could drop.

I kissed her forehead, the bridge of her nose, her soft cheekbones, covering every inch of her face in slow, worshipful touches until she was softly writhing beneath me.

When my mouth finally found hers again, it was slow, deep, and thick with years of buried devotion.

I poured everything into that kiss...every long night I spent staring at the ceiling in London, every unspoken prayer, every ounce of love I held in my chest.

She opened up for me effortlessly, her arms reaching up to wrap tight around my neck, pulling me down until there wasn’t any air left between us.

My hand mapped the curve of her waist, dipping over her hip with slow, deliberate reverence.

Every touch was a promise. Every low breath against her skin was a reminder that she wasn’t just desired...she was adored, cherished, and entirely worshipped by a man who would burn the world down before he ever let her go again.

The next few days were, without a single doubt, the best days of my entire life.

There was a quiet peace that settled over the apartment...a kind of warmth I had spent my whole life believing was reserved for men who hadn’t grown up around violence, territory lines, and cold pack contracts.

Every night ended the exact same way. Lumi slept tucked safely against my chest, her head resting directly over my heartbeat, one of her small hands loosely gripping the fabric of my shirt even when she was deep in sleep.

She fitted against me like she had been carved specifically for my arms. And every single morning, hours before the sun even started to peak over the horizon, I would lie awake in the dim light just watching her breathe.

I watched the soft rise and fall of her shoulders, the way her dark eyelashes rested against her flushed cheeks, the gentle curve of her lips when she shifted in her sleep. It was an addiction.

I couldn’t get enough of it. I would just lie there, my arm heavy around her waist, letting the steady beat of her heart ground me, waiting for the exact moment her eyes would flutter open and she’d realize I was still there.

And then, like clockwork, the door would squeak open.

Little bare feet would come slapping down the hallway runner, and Theo would burst into the bedroom like a tiny hurricane.

"Uncle Ren! Mommy! Look! The sun is up!" he’d yell, launching his small body straight onto the center of the mattress.

Instead of being annoyed at the interruption, my heart would swell so big in my chest it felt like it was going to burst my ribs wide open.

I’d catch Theo in mid-air with one arm, pulling him into the pile of blankets while Lumi let out a sleepy, beautiful laugh beside me, throwing her arms around both of us.

We felt like a complete family.

For the first time since I was sixteen years old, the dark, suffocating weight I had carried in my chest completely vanished.

Cooking scrambled eggs in her tiny kitchen while Theo babbled about his morning cartoons, holding Lumi’s hand under the table while she took quiet sips of her hot coffee, listening to her soft, melodic laughter bounce off the living room walls...it was pure heaven.

I took Lumi on real, proper dates...the kind I had dreamed about while sitting alone in dark London hotel rooms years ago.

I booked out the entire private upper deck of a fine dining restaurant overlooking the river, just so I could sit across from her without any distractions, watching the warm candlelight dance across her skin while she ate.

I took her hand as we walked through the city parks in the crisp afternoon air, watching Theo run wildly across the grass ahead of us, kicking a tiny soccer ball while I kept my arm locked firmly around Lumi’s waist.

And then, on Thursday morning, I took her to my company.

I didn’t tell her where we were going at first. I just had my driver bring the long black SUV around to the front of the high-rise tower downtown.

Lumi had looked out the tinted window, her eyebrows pulling together as she looked up at the massive glass-and-steel skyscraper towering into the clouds.

"Ren... what are we doing here? I thought we were going to the museum with Theo?"

"We are," I murmured, sliding my fingers through hers and giving her hand a tight squeeze.

"Just need to drop off a few papers first. Come inside with me."

The moment the double glass doors opened, the entire atmosphere shifted.

Security guards in sleek black suits stood at attention near the turnstiles, and the moment my boots hit the floor, three senior executives in tailored suits immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads in deep respect.

"Good morning, Sir," the front desk manager greeted, stepping out from behind the counter to hand me an encrypted tablet.

I gave him a go ahead to say whatever he wanted. If what we have was going to last a life time, then it’s time she starts knowing everything about me. Every single thing.

"The quarterly figures for the UK branches are ready for your review, sir." Lumi completely froze beside me.

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