She arches a brow. “Duties?”
“Yeah, do I have to do anything with this special role betrothed to me?”
She laughs. “Just be his wife.”
“Without the paperwork,” I cut in.
“Look, if marriage means so much to you, then make it legal. But you don’t need to. Fury will protect you and love you and do everything a committed man does.”
“What about the other side of it?” I ask. “The not so legal part?”
“There’s no point pretending it’s not there because we all know it is. But they do everything in their power to keep us out of it. The only time I know shit’s gone down is when my man returns to our bed covered in blood. I’ve learned to not ask questions because I never get answers. All he ever needs from me is comfort.”
“I don’t know if I can live with not knowing that side of his life. But then, at the same time, I don’t think I want to know.”
“If you knew it all and the police came knocking, you might slip up. Not knowing is for the best. Besides, from what I do know, these guys rid the world of bad people, and I’m okay with that.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Fury
Isit by the bar, my eyes fixed on Xanthe chatting with the other old ladies. “She fits right in,” says Coop, taking the seat beside me.
“Like she was always meant to be,” agrees Axel from my other side.
I grin. “I’m gonna make her my old lady,” I tell them.
“Good man,” says Coop, slapping me on the back in congratulations.
“I just wanna get this fight out the way before I make it official,” I add.
“It would make things easier for her if she’s got our protection,” says Axel. “It’s the right move.”
“She’s not so sure,” I admit. “I mentioned it to her last night. I think she feels like I’m rushing into it.”
“It has only been a few weeks,” Coop agrees, “but when you know, you know, right?”
I nod in agreement. “She’ll come round. I’ve given her a little space, but once this fight is done and we make it official, she’ll realise I’m serious about her.”
When she came to bed last night, she seemed a little more settled. And although we didn’t talk about it anymore, she didn’t protest when I slipped into bed with her, or when I gave her another orgasm before we fell asleep wrapped around one another.
But today, she seems distant again, and I’ve hardly seen her between her helping Duchess in the kitchen and then Luna in the garden. I’d have preferred to spend the day in bed worshipping her before this fight.
I stand. “I have to go and get this out the way.”
“Me and Grizz will be there,” says Axel, shaking my hand. “And I’ll keep the brothers on standby in case.”
“It’s just a fight,” I reassure him. “Nothing’s going down tonight.”
I head over to Xanthe, and she looks up, smiling. I lean closer and kiss her. “I have to go.”
She gently places her hand on my arm. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she mutters.
I brush some hair from her face. “I love you. I’ll be back in a few hours.” I add another chaste kiss and head out. All these doubters are making me anxious.
The fight clubis packed out, even more so than usual. I head straight for the changing room and strip down to my shorts. When Chevy comes in minutes later, he doesn’t quite meet my eyes, and before I can question him, Donnie comes in. He grins.“You ready, champ?” The way he addresses me concerns me some more. He doesn’t usually come back here before a fight.
“Why do I feel like this is a big deal?” I ask warily.