Page 113 of No Apologies
“Ford.” Skylar grinned and then shrugged when Colt growled at her, “What? He wanted to know?”
He glared at his cousins when they all chuckled. Well, all of them but Ford. He only looked slightly uncomfortable. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn a blush colored his cousin’s cheeks beneath that thick beard. The bulky ex-con blushing was too strange for words though so he ignored it and focused his attention on Ford’s twin.
“Business.” He met Lincoln’s gaze and shook his head, “We don’t have business anymore.”
“Well…” His cousin drawled, “That’s not entirely true.”
That got Colt’s full attention and he scowled, “What the hells that mean?”
“It means that we have some business we need to discuss with you before you walk away from the family.”
Remy stepped forward before Colt could say anything else, “He’s out. There’s nothing else to discuss. Whatever business you have, it’s with me now.”
“And me.” Skylar spoke up and if he hadn’t already jerked her closer he would have at the soft smile she exchanged with his older brother.
Another man probably would have been happy to see his girl getting along so well with his brother. And he was. Colt swore he was. But he was also a possessive bastard and he wanted to punch his oldest brother every time he remember Remy saying how amazing Skylar was and how he was half in love with her.
Colt had been surprised but relieved when Skylar so easily welcomed Remy into their lives. She’d been far more accepting than Jemma had been that was for sure. And he hadn’t breathed a word of Remy’s story to her. She’d simply decided for herself that whatever reason his older brother had for leaving that he was trying to make it up to them now that he was back. Whatever had happened while Colt was unconscious had bonded them and he wasn’t jealous of the soft way she looked at Remy. He swore he wasn’t.
“Sorry doll.” Lincoln smirked, “You’re here because you made yourself a part of this but you’re not a Bomar.”
“Not yet.” She shot back and Colt managed a grin despite his tension when his cousin’s eyebrows winged up in surprise.
It wasn’t something they’d talked about but that didn’t matter to Skylar. They both knew this was forever. And his girl wasn’t some retiring flower that was going to sit around and wait for him to ask. When she was ready, she’d drag his ass down the aisle and he’d go willingly whenever that was.
“You’re here because I’m allowing it.” Abel grumbled, “Be quiet and let the men talk or I’ll escort you out myself.”
Skylar bristled, “You’ll have to drag me out of here if you think I’m leaving Colt alone with you.”
“Think I won’t?”
“Try it. I dare you.”
“Stop!” Colt stepped in front of Skylar when Abel took a threatening step forward, “Touch her and I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”
His cousin glared at him but didn’t take another step forward. Lincoln was the oldest of their generation and had earned his spot as their leader. Because of that, he was widely regarded as the scariest fucker out of all of them. But within the family it was generally accepted that Abel was the biggest bastard. Lincoln’s heart might be cold but Abel’s was black.
He didn’t have a single doubt in his mind that Abel would manhandle Skylar if she continued to talk back to him. His cousin was just one more in a long line of Bomars that saw no difference in men and women when they saw red. And if Abel so much as laid a finger on her, Colt was going to lose his goddamned mind and start an all-out family brawl.
“Abe.” It was Noah that stepped in front of his older brother, “Leave the girl alone. She’s with Colt now and that makes her one of us.”
“Like hell it does. She’s not family. She shouldn’t be here.”
“Really?” Noah scoffed, “So I guess Nessa’s not family either, huh? You’d drag her out of here too?”
Abel’s left eye twitched, “That’s different.”
“No. It’s not. Nessa’s one of us and Skylar is too.” Noah told his brother before turning to face them again, “You’re one of us now. That means we protect you, same as we protect each other, but it also means you protect us. Whatever you hear, it stays between family.”
Skylar nodded immediately, “Of course.”
“Thanks.” Colt nodded his appreciation to the other man standing up for Skylar and then glared at Abel, “Don’t threaten her again.”
Skylar’s soft hands on him soothed the worst of his anger. Nobody was going to touch her. He would make sure of it. The fact that both of his brothers had stepped forward, flanking him and shielding Skylar from their cousins only made him even surer of his decision to be with her. He could protect her because he wouldn’t have to do it alone.
“Okay boys, put your dicks away. We all know mines bigger.” Lincoln strolled between them with his trademark smirk firmly in place, “We came to talk, not fight amongst ourselves. We’ve always had each other’s backs no matter if we like each other all that much or not. That’s why I called this meeting. There are three branches of Bomars in Old Settlers and we’re all represented here today.”
Colt shot Cash a questioning look but his twin’s face mirrored his own. He had no idea what Lincoln was talking about either. Remy scowled at their cousin and crossed his arms over his chest but he didn’t move from his defensive position between Abel and Skylar. And Skylar… she squeezed his hand and moved back to his side.
