“Honor, I’ll be in contact.” Her father grabs her mother’s hand.
“Timothy! You can’t possibly allow her to stay here. She’s our daughter, for crying out loud. We own her!” she cries as he pulls her toward a black limo idling at the curb.
“I want to know everything about Hannon’s death…” is the last thing we hear before he opens the car door and ushers his wife inside.
When the limo drives away, Honor spins in my arms, plants her face against my chest, and sobs. I hold her, letting her cry as long as she needs to.
“It’s over. They’re not going to hurt you anymore,” I whisper into her ear while caressing her back. After lifting her into my arms, I carry her out, lock the door, and then pocket the key. I walk through my bustling gym, but no one stops me. The anger on my face, the possessive caveman lock I’ve got on my woman, ensures me a straight shot to our apartment with no interruptions. I take the stairs up, get her inside, and settle her on our bed.
She cries for a long time, so long the day turns to night right before my eyes. I’ve got her cuddled up against me when I realize her tears have turned into tiny hiccups against my chest.
“Do you think my mother is going to come after your family?”
I close my eyes and rub her arms. “No, I don’t. It sounded like your father hadn’t been made privy to a lot of the information. And although he made it clear he wasn’t there for you and your brother in a parental capacity, he definitely holds the reins over your mother. He seemed surprised about Hannon.”
She nuzzles against my sternum. “Yeah, I had no idea it was Mother alone. The letter that Hannon left me before he died told me that Sean had been threatened and the details of what had been said, but he never specified it was only our mother. I should have known. Father never cared enough to get involved in our personal lives. His only sin was not being there. What our father concerned himself with was where we sat at the table at a business function or on a board of directors. For my father, work is everything. Family comes second. But he had a special connection to Hannon. When he died, he did what a man like him does. He worked harder. Barely ever came home for the first year.”
“Still, he was absent for you. He didn’t know what was going on between you and your mother. Her abuse. Babe, I’m sorry you had to go through that. Tonight, I came the closest I ever have to punching a woman in the face when she hit you.”
Honor pats the skin over my heart. “I’m glad you didn’t. She would have sued.”
I chuckle. “It would have been worth it.”
She sighs. “No, it wouldn’t.”
“You would have bailed me out of jail.”
Honor smiles and nods. Her famous nods.
“I’m sorry about today.” I run my fingers through her hair.
Her body tightens up around me. “Sorry about everything?” Her voice shakes when she asks.
“Not the part about making you my wife, about growing this business and our home together.” I finger the dog tags around her neck. They look good on her.
She smacks my chest. “Nick! You had me scared out of my mind just then!”
I roll over her and kiss her silly. “How about now? Still scared?” I peck her lips.
“Maybe a little.” She squirms under me, wiggling her sexy body against mine delectably.
Cupping her face, I press my forehead to hers in a soft head-butt. She giggles, and it’s exactly what I need to hear right now.
“You’re going to be my wife. We’re building our lives together. Nothing else is more important than that.”
She wraps her arms and legs around my body, clinging to me. “Nothing more important.”
“Except for one little detail. A challenge, if you will. Think you can handle it?” I tease before laying down a series of kisses between her breasts, nudging her shirt and my tags away so I can get me some tit.
Honor hums low in her throat. “For you, I can handle anything.”
“Now that’s my girl.” I nudge her bra out of the way with my nose and suck her pretty pink tip into my mouth. She moans and arches into me.
“What’s the challenge?” She sighs and runs her fingernails along my scalp.
My dick punches against my track pants at the sensation of her fingers on me. I thrust my dick against her core, grinding until we’re both moaning.
“Nick…” my sweet girl says in that way that makes me want to strip her naked and fuck her to kingdom come.
“Well, there’s one person we still need to get through on this marriage deal.”
I lift up far enough that I can watch her face. Her legs drop down to the bed. “Who?”
I grin. “Ma.”
Her eyes flash with fear.
“Dinner, tomorrow. We tell them that we’ve moved in together and we’re getting married. All of them.”
A wave of panic hits my girl’s face, and she shakes her head.
“No, no, no. You need to tell them by yourself!”
I chuckle and pin her down, grabbing both of her wrists with one hand so I have the other free.
“Dove, together. We do everything together now, remember.”
She purses her lips prettily. “’Cept maybe this one thing?”
“You’re cute when you’re scared.”
“Am not,” she huffs.
“So cute. And so mine.” I lean down and kiss her, making sure to taste every inch of her lips, teeth, and tongue. Her lips are swollen and bruised when I’m done with them. “Tomorrow,” I repeat.
“Tomorrow,” Honor responds in a hazy, sexed-up tone.
“You are downright easy, babe. I fucking love it. Time to reward you.” I drop her hands and run my hands down her body, where I pull off her yoga pants and underwear at the same time.
“Spread ’em, and don’t be shy, or I’ll bust out the crop and use it on your clit.”
Her
