Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
His brow puckered, and his eyes sparked with irritation at my use of the word “boy.” But it quickly dissipated at the dark warning in my eyes as I stared him down.
Clara stiffened slightly against me, a faint, indignant huff escaping her, but I felt the subtle tremor that ran through her body, betraying the rush of heat I’d stirred inside her. The vendor swallowed hard again, glancing quickly between Clara and me before taking a half-step back and lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Um. No. Everything’s good, man.” He forced a nervous laugh. “I was just, uh, checking in about my spot.”
“Right,” I drawled slowly, my gaze still locked firmly on his. “Looks like you got your answers, so maybe it’s time you moved along. Anything else comes up, ask someone other than my woman for help.”
His eyes darted to Clara again, and I saw the exact moment he realized she hadn’t pulled away from my hold. She might’ve rolled her eyes at my caveman move, but her cheeks had flushed deep pink, and her lips parted softly with barely concealed desire. He cleared his throat, took another step back, and nodded quickly.
“Sure thing. I’ll go check on my booth,” he mumbled, practically tripping over himself in his haste to retreat.
Clara turned toward me as soon as the vendor was out of earshot, her eyes flashing with a mix of embarrassment and amusement. “Really, Ronan? That was completely unnecessary.”
I dipped my head slightly, bringing my mouth close enough to her ear that my breath brushed against her skin, watching goose bumps trail down the delicate slope of her neck. “Not from where I was standing, baby. Seemed entirely necessary to me.”
She huffed quietly, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward, betraying her attempt at annoyance. “He was harmless.”
“Maybe,” I admitted with a low growl, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze, my eyes dark and unwavering. “But now he knows exactly who you belong to.”
Her blush deepened even further, heat spreading across her cheeks and down to her chest. She shook her head slowly, fighting a smile that threatened to break through her sass. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe,” I echoed with a faint smirk, pressing my lips gently against her temple. “But don’t pretend it didn’t make you hot.”
Kathy’s laughter floated toward us, breaking the charged moment as she approached, her eyes bright with amusement.
“Well, that was quite the show,” she teased.
Clara let out a long-suffering sigh, but her eyes softened with affection as she looked at her mom. “Seriously, Mom? Don’t encourage this behavior!”
She shook her head knowingly, her gaze dancing between Clara’s flushed face and my possessive stance.
“Nothing I say or do is going to make a difference, Clare-bear. He’s just like your dad,” she replied, her tone affectionate.
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Clara grumbled.
Kathy laughed softly, reaching out to gently squeeze Clara’s arm. “Oh, honey, I am. You just haven’t accepted which side you’re on. I know exactly how it feels when the right man looks at a woman like Rebel looks at you.” Then she smirked. “You can complain all you want, but I’ve seen the way you blush when he pulls out the caveman attitude.”
Clara groaned quietly, dropping her face into her palm even as she fought a smile. Kathy shot me an approving glance, humor twinkling in her eyes as she moved away to greet another vendor arriving for setup.
I pulled Clara into my chest and pressed a kiss to the flushed skin of her forehead before murmuring, “Your mom is right, baby. You blush so fucking beautifully when I stake my claim. Makes it damn hard to stop myself from dragging you to the nearest dark corner and seeing how far I can get that pretty color to spread over your body.”
Clara dropped her head back to look up at me, her eyes narrowing as she fought to hide the heat in them. The deepening color sweeping over her face and down her neck gave her away, though.
“Don’t you have work to do?” she snipped, without any real ire.
I winked, then leaned down for a lingering kiss. “Tell me what you need, boss. I’m yours to command.” A slow, salacious smile spread across my face when I added, “Unless we’re in the bedroom…or anywhere else I decide to have my way with you. Then I’m the one in control.”
Clara rolled her eyes dramatically, but the way she bit her bottom lip and the shiver that raced through her body betrayed how much she liked my subtly dirty comments. I had a feeling that my filthy mouth was gonna drive her wild when I finally got her under me.
After one last kiss, which I had to force myself to keep relatively chaste, I stepped back and reluctantly let her go. We returned to the festival preparations, and I realized I had seen a future in which the Hounds no longer came first. When I patched with the club, I’d found the stability I hadn’t had in my past. The family I hadn’t even known I needed. My life with the Hounds would always be a part of me, and my work with them was fulfilling and important. But sometimes the darkest parts of life touched it, and leaving that behind when the job was over could be difficult.