“X, you work out security for Larken. Everyone else keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary as well as on our women and children. Anything. It’s been too quiet lately and I’m willing to bet something is about to go down,” he bangs the gavel on the table to dismiss the meeting and we all file out leaving him and Banshee at the table.
As much as I want to return to my mate, I walk to my office and relieve the prospect on watch duty. There has to be an angle I’m missing so I grab the bank statements and go back through them one more time. Maybe this time away on the pick-up job and mating Larken will give me a fresh set of eyes.
“Trick and Eliot are set up in the apartment two doors down the hall,” X informs me then ends our call. Sliding my phone into my back pocket, I twist the doorknob of my new living space, glad to find it locked, and use the key to enter.
“Lark,” I call out, locking the door behind me and tossing my keys on the tiny table by the door. When I get no answer, I move further into the room to hear her upset voice and follow it until I reach the bedroom.
“I’ve told you already, Mother. Haught is my mate, not my boyfriend. You can’t expect me to forget him and marry Henri,” she yells, tears running down her beautiful cheeks. I’m pissed. She looks up when I let out a rumble in my chest.
She covers her mouth with a finger then mouths, “Please?” I can’t tell her no, even though every part of me wants to, so I tilt my head in agreement as she carries on her conversation.
Kicking off my boots at the foot of the bed, I settle down beside her.
“You did WHAT?” She’s shouting now, and neither I nor my animal like it one bit. I move closer and pull her into my lap. “You can’t do that,” she cries, her words becoming strangled as her bobcat becomes angry. “You can’t marry me off to someone just because it’s good for the family name.” What in the ever-lovin’ fuck? My growl grows as I snatch the phone away from her.
“I know you were told earlier today but, again, Larken isn’t available,” I snarl, holding my little bird’s gaze. “I am her mate and she belongs with me.” Her mother tries to put me in my place.
“Haught,” Lark nervously tries to intervene but stops abruptly when I glare in return.
“I don’t give a fuck who he is, Larken is my mate, my wife, so you’d better accept that and move on.” I end the call and throw the cell across the room, destroying it upon impact. I’ll buy her another one where her mother can’t call and torment her like this. Lark is mine.
The devastation on my little bird’s face has me cradling her to my chest, smoothing her hair as she cries letting out her sadness. “She practically sold me off,” she whispers between sobs. “How? Why is she doing this? Is she that disappointed in who I am?” Her words are killing me.
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I murmur. “You’re mine and that isn’t going to change, ever. I promise.”
She folds herself around me, clinging to me like a life preserver and I welcome it. Taking care of her is what I want; what I need.
“We aren’t married. What if they try to take me back there?”
An angry growl rumbles through me. “Look at me,” I demand with more bite than intended. She lifts her head from my shoulder and looks at me with sad, scared eyes. “Don’t you worry about them. You’re mine now, and I’ll protect you. This club is your family now, too, and we’ll die before that happens.”
“They don’t even know me,” she frowns, sniffling softly. "I've only brought you trouble."
“They know we’re mated. That’s all they need.” She studies my face for a moment and I brush back her beautiful coppery hair from her face. “Let me handle it.”
“Okay,” she exhales shakily, leaning more into me.
“We’ll go tomorrow and get the marriage license. It’ll permanently keep them from forcing you to do anything. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I want that,” she runs her delicate fingers along my face and down my neck, causing my dick to come to life underneath her sexy ass. “To be your wife.”
“You would, would you?” I glide my hand up her silky legs and let my fingers play under the hem of her sleep shorts. She’s sexy as fuck in the little lacy tank top and matching bottoms she has on. My erection hardens further with approval.
“I’d like that very much,” she whispers against my jaw. Her warm breath stirring the beast within.
“Why don’t you show me how much,” I purr lowly, licking her plump bottom lip, and her response is immediate.
Shifting to straddle my legs, she places her silk-clad core over my swollen cock and grinds down. “I love you, Haught Ackerman,” she moans in my ear and I lose control.
I’ll show her just how much she means to me. I’d kill for her.
353
Larken
“I’ll be at the clubhouse and Banshee's strip club most of the day. Trick’s here if you need anything.”
My husband yanks me close and kisses my breath away. He’s done the same thing every morning for the past week before he leaves for work. Haught was true to his word about legally making me his wife last week. The very next day he took me to the courthouse as promised, bright and early, and got our marriage
