But Travis was nothing like Saxon. Although he valued money, he’d worked hard for his, and unlike Saxon he knew what it was like to live in poverty. She had no idea about how it felt not knowing where your next meal would come from, so how could she judge him? No, instead she admired him for being stronger than what life had thrown at him. For rising above his circumstances.

Whereas Saxon had almost been jealous of her art, Travis encouraged it. Saxon made her feel barely necessary during sex, as if any woman would do as long as he got his rocks off, whereas Travis made her feel…so much. How could she even begin to describe the emotions he sparked within her? There were no words. She’d barely been living during her marriage, but in just over a week Travis had awoken her in so many ways.

It was a sin to try to compare him to Saxon—they weren’t even in the same realm.

Yes, she wanted Travis. That fact was irrefutable. But she could be stressing for no reason. Until tonight, Travis had never mentioned staying in New Orleans or having anything more than a fling with her, and there was every possibility he’d said what he had simply to protect her.

A lump formed in her throat at that thought. But if that were the case, then why had he let her come with him in the first place?

Deep down she was certain he felt the same way she did, but had he truly admitted that to himself yet? It had all happened so fast, yet at the same time she felt like she’d known Travis for eternity.

“You guys coming in for a celebratory drink?” Ajax’s question startled her out of her reverie.

“Sure,” Travis replied.

Billie wished she’d been paying attention. She didn’t know if they were celebrating the information on Blade and the Ministry or Travis coming back into the fold or even her becoming his supposed property, but after he’d told them he trusted her, she wasn’t about to throw that in his face. She could find out whether he meant it later. And if he did, what exactly being a biker’s property entailed. Besides wearing his patch, that is.

She swallowed, trying to hide her anxiety, and smiled. “Sounds good.”

The business conversation over for now, the four of them trekked back inside. It was even more crowded now—people dressed in black filling every corner and crevice—but as the bikers approached the bar, the crowd parted, making way. Sophie turned away from the person she’d just handed a drink to and her face lit up as Ajax leaned across the bar and kissed her possessively on the lips. Billie averted her gaze and glanced around The Priory. She’d been here before but never really thought about what she saw. The people that hung out here were real; they didn’t put on airs and graces like those in her social circle back at home or pretend to be anything they were not. They accepted others for who they were.

“You okay?” Travis leaned down and whispered into her ear. His hand slipped around her back and rested on her hip, his touch sparking shivers that spread quickly through her body.

“Yep,” she said, turning to look into his eyes. She felt safe, strangely right, being here with Travis. As if this was the place she’d been looking for her whole life. And he looked the part now…much more like the biker than he did when he first arrived. The leather cut suited him and she liked it.

He grinned back at her. “We’ll have a quick drink and then we’ll make our excuses.”

As if on cue, Sophie laid four glasses of bourbon one after the other down on the bar between them and then lifted a glass of her own. “What exactly are we celebrating?”

Ajax turned and looked at Billie. It was almost a smile, and the closest thing she guessed any woman that wasn’t Sophie would ever get. “Billie’s joining the clan.”

“What?” Sophie’s mouth hung open a moment. “You’re Cash’s old lady?”

Uncertain of how to answer, Billie looked back to Travis. His thumb slid lazily over her hip and he gave her an encouraging nod. “Yes,” she said, knowing she wanted this to be true more than anything. “I am.”

“Well, fuck me. Wonders never cease.”

The others laughed and lifted their glasses, and Billie found herself laughing right along with them. There wasn’t a lot more said on the issue. Sophie had to tend the bar, so Ajax told her he’d fill her in on everything later. He arranged a meeting with Blue and Travis for the following morning, asking Travis to summon some guy called Prince. Then, they finished their drinks and made their excuses to slip away, promising to throw a party for Billie when all the shit had died down.

“A party?” Billie asked as she and Travis weaved back through the hordes of people. “What for? My birthday isn’t until February.”

“Good to know.” He squeezed her hand as they slipped out onto Bourbon Street. “But this party isn’t about how many candles you have on your cake; it’s about telling the club that you’re mine.”

The way he said mine raised the hairs on her arms and the nape of her neck. “Did you,” she whispered, barely able to get the words out, “mean all that about me and you? Or was it just…”

“I meant it,” he said almost aggressively, pausing on the sidewalk between The Priory and her gallery and taking both her hands as he looked right into her eyes. “I want you, Billie. No way I can stay away from you. Right from the start you snuck under my defenses and made me feel things I didn’t want to feel. Things I didn’t think I was capable of feeling.”

Although part of her was singing hallelujahs at this news, she felt she needed to say her bit. “It would have been nice if you’d given me an inkling of this before you told your friends.” She’d been walked over before and she wasn’t about to enter into a relationship with a control freak ever again. No matter if the sex did blow her mind. Every. Single. Time.

He blinked, as if taken aback. “Are you saying you don’t have the same feelings for me?”

“No,” she said quickly, rushing to assure him that that wasn’t the issue at all. After the week they’d shared, how could he even think that? “Hell, Travis, I’m pretty certain I’m falling in love with you and have been since the moment you kissed me without asking.”

His lips curled upward and he had the good sense to look sheepish. “Well then…”

“But,” she said forcefully, “I’m not sure about the whole ‘property’ thing. It sounds so crass and backwards. As if you picked me up for a bargain at your local Walmart.”

He chuckled and pulled her closer against him. Her insides glowed as he dropped her hands but snuck his up around her back, finding the bare flesh between her sweatshirt and jeans. Who was she kidding? She was a goner. Her body well and truly signed up to this property thing, even if her brain was still clinging onto a few reservations.

“You’re way too classy for Walmart. And I’m way too choosy. I’ve never wanted to be with anyone long term until I met you. For a decade I haven’t let myself trust or want anyone. But you’ve taught me there is good in the world, alongside the crap, and I want some of that.”

The battle with her hormones was lost long ago; now she was losing the battle with her tears. He may not have declared undying love, but she could read between the lines. This confession was huge for someone like Travis.

He continued. “I know if you haven’t been around MC clubs for long, the words property or old lady might seem disrespectful, but I assure you they are anything but.” He pressed a kiss against her forehead before continuing, explaining it to her a lot like Sophie had. But coming from him it sounded appealing. Sexy, even. Then finally, “If you agree to be my old lady, you’ll make me the happiest guy in the world and I promise you, our relationship will be one of mutual respect, encouragement, fun and lots and lots of great sex.”

He stared down expectantly at her and she realized he was waiting for an answer. How could it be anything but “Yes!”