Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, taking a much-needed deep breath. “Noted.”
Samson sat down on the other end of the couch from me. I honestly didn’t blame the guy. It was hard to take when I was used to being the one doing the punishing. “Lottie sees how much Hope is struggling. Especially the last couple of weeks. Funny how the timing puts that about the same time you started sleeping with her.” He gave me a hard look. “If you’re fuckin’ her and ain’t committed to her, I’m gonna have to tell you to make a decision. Right now. Either you’re keepin’ her, or Wrath is pushing through this annulment in record fuckin’ time. Got more than one brother here wanting to take her in, Warlock. She’ll make someone a fine ol’ lady. If she doesn’t get scared off.”
“Or beaten down,” Wrath added. “You’re pushing toward the second more than the first.”
“I’ve not fucked her… just fooled around a bit. And I’ve never indicated to her she was less than me. Not once.”
“Yes, you have.” Samson stretched out his long legs, tensing his arm muscles so the veins stood out in a show of his raw power. I was big and strong. Samson was on a whole other level. “Every single night when you leave her.” I knew he was right. “She’s got her shit packed, Warlock. Trying to leave even now. Esther is making her say goodbye to everyone before she leaves, which bought us a few minutes to confront you.”
“Leaving?” That got my back up. “What the fuck do you mean, leaving? We agreed she’d stay here until we resolved the marriage issue.”
“Yeah? Well, seems you blew it, buddy. ‘Cause she’s definitely leaving. If she hadn’t felt guilty about leaving without saying goodbye, especially to Esther and that little girl who’s taken up with her, she’d be long gone.”
“Who’s givin’ her a ride? I’ll kill the motherfucker!” My temper was spiking, despite the warning Samson had given me earlier.
“Watch it…” Samson growled.
I stood, pacing across the office. Wrath sat with his feet on the desk, his hands behind his head. Samson looked ready to pounce. My jaw was still sore where the man had punched me, reminding me he meant business.
“She’s got nowhere to go. You can’t let her leave.”
“Oh, we don’t intend to.” Wrath grinned when my gaze snapped to him.
“Nope. Like I said. Got more than one brother ready to take her on. You give us the word, and Wrath will fix this annulment thing. Razor has first dibs. She won’t take him, Jekyll’s next. She don’t want him, Loki believes he can get her to agree to be his.” Samson gave me a level look that said he was dead serious.
“Loki.” I put a disgusted sneer in my voice. “He’s as old as me. He’s got no business getting near Hope.”
“That’s where your thinking is flawed, Warlock.” Samson stood to his feet in a fluid, quick movement, striding the three steps to stand nose to nose with me. “She don’t care about age. Jax? Mars? She’s polite to them, but she ignores their advances. Isn’t comfortable with them. The whole compound noticed it. Givin’ Jax hell about it, too. Mars shrugs it off, saying he knew the second he saw her she wouldn’t have a man who wasn’t in his prime. She’s lived through too much to be with a man who still has growing to do. I suspect you know that. If not, you didn’t talk to her nearly enough before you started a physical relationship with her.”
“I did. She said she didn’t want a guy her age.” I turned to look out the window. I needed to think, but it didn’t look like I had that kind of time.
“I’ve told El Diablo from the very beginning you were fucking stupid.” Wrath moved his feet off his desk and took out a piece of paper from his desk drawer. “Sign the fuckin’ paper, Warlock.” His gaze was deadly. “That girl ain’t goin’ nowhere, and you ain’t brave enough to take her on. We’ll take it from here. If you are? You do it now. You take her, and you show her she’s worthy of the man hand-picked by El Diablo to be the fucking enforcer of this club.”
No pressure there.
Chapter Six
Hope
“I’ve really got to go.” I could feel the net closing around me. Esther and Celeste had started a campaign to have me see every single person in this clubhouse. Or so it seemed. The last person they took me to was Jerrica.
“Please don’t leave, Hope.” Jerrica looked up at me with big brown eyes, and I felt the tears gather in my eyes. “Stay with me.”
“I can’t, sweetie,” I said, pulling the little girl into my arms. “I don’t live here. I was visiting.”