Page 68 of Inconvenient Marriage
Ward spins back on me. “Did she tell you about me? That you married my sloppy seconds? How does that make you feel, boy?” He’s spitting now, so damn angry, it’s making him reckless. “That when you fuck her, you know she’s comparing you to me? That she probably wishes I was the one on top of her?—”
That’s enough. I fist my hand, ready to punch him to get him to stop talking about my wife like that, but before I can, Annaliese finally finds her voice. “Eric,please.”
It’s the way she uses his name. Even I can hear the history in her plea, and so can he. He thinks he won, too. She didn’t call for me. She called forhim, and his expression is triumphant before he turns to look at Annaliese again. “Anything for you, sweetheart. You’ve made your point. Come back to me. You don’t want a pretty boy. You want a man.”
He turns to look at Annaliese, but while he’s back to running his mouth, she moves around him. Next thing I know, she’s clutching my arm, giving her head a royal shake. She’sAnnalieseagain, the prim, perfect, once-Offering as she looks down her nose at Ward.
“You’re right. And I have one,” she announces, squeezing me to her.
She squeezes my arm, but that’s not all. As Annaliese claimsme, she squeezes my motherfucking heart.
I look Ward up and down myself. “You heard the lady. I think you should go.”
“Why, you?—”
Itsk.“Listen to me… you want to start something? Fine. Whole damn Order knows I pull up. But if you fuck up Annaliese’s hard work… you fuck up my brother’s party… you’ll really see what this pretty boy can do.”
Ward snorts. He backs down, he’s not happy about it, and he snorts. “I Claimed her first?—”
“Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
I laugh under my breath. He looks so scandalized all of a sudden. “Don’t play those games withme. You’re right. I’m not made to go along with the sanctimonious Order crap. I can dance around this all night if that’s what you want, but why should I bother when I’d rather spend it with my wife?” He glares, and I let him see how dead fucking serious I am now. “So let me make this clear. I married her. I fuck her, and when I have her bent over in front of me, she sure as hell pants my name, asshole. Not yours. So you have a past with her. All of Harmony Heights knows about what I’ve done. I don’t give a shit. All I care about is my future with this woman.” I duck my hand out of her hold, throwing my arm over Annaliese’s shoulder, tucking her into me. “And she’smine.”
Ward works his jaw. For a second, he’s speechless, until he sneers. “You think your shit don’t stink ‘cause you’re a Reynolds. When we get rid of Collins, I’ll do my best to make sure you won’t be the next King.”
Yeah, right. “Good luck. Dallas isn’t going anywhere.”
“If you say so.”
Prick. I know what he’s doing. He can’t get to Annaliese. I made that perfectly clear. She’s mine, and I’ll claim her as muchas it takes to get it through his thick skull. But Dallas… he’s going after one of my brothers, the dick.
He cantry.
“And I don’t want to be King even if he gave up the title,” I tell the lawyer before giving her a possessive squeeze. “All I want is Annaliese.”
“I won’t let you?—”
Yeah. I’m done with this. “Do you have a blood oath?”
Annaliese’s head snaps over to me, a curious expression on her face as she searches mine. Huh. I wonder if she has any clue what that means in the Order. A blood oath… I made sure to have one the second I knew I would be marrying her. Sure, I didn’t tellherthat, but the way she’s looking at me…
Ward scoffs.
I’ve had enough.
Releasing Annaliese, I surge forward, poking him in his suit, digging my finger into his chest. “Did you swear an oath in blood or not?”
“I have a wife?—”
“Yeah,” I snap, “and so do I. Now you listen to me, Ward. You’ll leave her the fuck alone or else I’m calling in my blood oath. You know what happened to Desmond St. James. He worked in your law office, didn’t he? Where is he now? Something to think about, okay? Because I’ll do worse if you hurt this woman again.” Looking away from the lawyer, I turn to Annaliese. “Love? Come with me. I think we need a little fresh air.”
And he needs to get the fuck out of my sight before I murder him in the middle of the venue.
Annaliese nods, sliding her arm around the back of my leather jacket; even at Alex’s party, I’m wearing my standard uniform of short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and road jacket. My wife didn’t mind. In fact, she told me how handsome I looked beforewe left for the party, and now I wonder how often she said the same thing toWard?—
No. Not going there, Bas. Focus on Annaliese. She’s tucked against my side as I lead her out into the night. It’s May. Warmer than it has been, yet she’s trembling.
