Page 54 of Clash of Kings

“They are helping with the restaurant at the lodge, so it’ll be like getting one just on a smaller scale.”

Lydia was distracted by something on her phone. Bas waited for her to look up before he asked, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s something I’m working on. I’m going to head back to the hotel and get busy. I’ll grab something to eat there.”

“We’ll drive you back. I don’t want you walking alone,” Bas said.

“I’d appreciate that.”

Bas drove to the hotel, and Tony walked Lydia to her room. He hated leaving his cousin behind, but she had a job to do. At least he assumed she was doing work. Lydia hadn’t been specific. The three of them opted for a seafood restaurant in a larger town. Anthony kept them entertained with stories from his own job. Sebastian wanted to broach the subject of Mason expanding his business so Tony could move to West Virginia, but he was afraid his cousin wasn’t interested in living somewhere so remote. Bas would get the lodge remodeled, and then he would invite his cousins and friends to visit before opening for guests. Maybe they would fall in love with the area and decide to join Bas and Dakota.

After eating, Dakota asked to stop by a bookstore. “My mom bought me an e-reader, but I prefer holding books and flipping actual pages.” Sebastian grabbed a basket so she could choose as many books as she wanted. While they shopped for romances, Anthony browsed the history section. Dakota pulled books from the shelves, read the description on the back, and either placed it in the basket or returned it. She did this for close to an hour.

“I think that’s enough for now,” she said as she chose one final book. Bas didn’t know how fast his mate read, but she had chosen close to ten paperbacks.

Anthony was waiting for them at the checkout counter. He pointed to the basket. “Damn. Is the honeymoon over already?”

Dakota narrowed her eyes. “Since we’re not married, the honeymoon hasn’t even started. These are weapons.”

“Weapons?” Anthony cocked his head to the side, and Dakota grabbed the top book, then slapped him on the arm with it. “Ow. Yeah, okay.” He rubbed his arm as though she actually hurt him.

Sebastian handed the basket to the cashier. While she was ringing them up, Bas turned to Anthony. “One of these days, you’ll learn not to mess with her.”

Dakota leaned against the counter, studying Anthony. “How have you survived this long with all the females in your family?”

Tony sniffed, putting his nose in the air. “Theylove me.”

Dakota patted Tony’s arm. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Sebastian laughed as he ran his credit card through the reader. Anthony took the bag of books and walked off toward the door. When they met him outside, Dakota held out her hand, but Anthony shook his head. “Nope. You’ll get them back when I’m safely enclosed in my hotel room.”

Instead of talking on the drive back to Carlton, they listened to music with Dakota and Anthony singing along. Bas’s voice was okay, but rarely did he sing aloud. Anthony couldn’t carry a tune to save his life, but he didn’t care. It was one of those things that Bas admired about his cousin. Tony was larger than life and he owned his carefree personality. True to his word, Anthony carried Dakota’s books until they reached the second floor. He handed them to Sebastian, then trotted away before Dakota could hit him again.

Dakota toed off her boots and began undressing. Sebastian stood frozen, watching his mate. He didn’t want to assume that she was getting naked for him. When she put on her sleeping clothes, he stripped down to his boxer briefs and tee. For the next hour, Dakota read one of her new books, and Bas watched a sports highlights show. Football season was in full swing, but being Wednesday night, there wasn’t a game on.

When Dakota set her book on the nightstand, Bas switched the TV off. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said as she slid down the bed and placed her head on his chest. Bas rubbed his hand down her back, not going lower in case she wasn’t in the mood for sex. He wanted her. He always wanted his mate, whether it was sex or kissing or touching. Bas knew from being around other Goyles it would always be that way. Dakota wasn’t a Gargoyle, though, so he let her dictate what happened next.

“This is nice,” she mumbled, nuzzling his chest. Bas hummed his agreement, and within a few minutes, his mate’s breathing evened out, and she was asleep. He reached over and turned the lamp off. Holding his female wasn’t a hardship. His dick was half-hard, but that wasn’t anything new. Bas had to constantly tamp down his urges around her. Bas eased down so he was lying beside her and closed his eyes. His mind flipped through everything going on, from the lodge, to the upcoming meeting with King, to the next day when he would marry his mate. None of it worried him. He would have his family and friends at his back when he confronted the Alpha. Once that was taken care of, he and Dakota could get on with their lives, and Bas couldn’t wait.

Chapter 21

Dakota hadn’t meantto fall asleep on Bas the night before, but he didn’t seem put off by it when he greeted her with a smile and a kiss. “Good morning. Are you excited?”

Dakota propped up on her elbow. “I am. I know we’re mated, but getting married will solidify things in the eyes of humans. Since we’ll be living here for the foreseeable future, I want all the ladies to know you’re taken.”

Bas rolled on top of her. “All they have to do is pay attention. I only have eyes for you.”

Sebastian kissed her neck, nipping at the skin with his fangs. Dakota was already in the mood for her mate, and that amped up the need coursing through her body. Bas made slow, sweet love to her, but when she suggested they shower together, he declined. It would have hurt her feelings, but Bas kissed her soundly and told her he needed to call the office and check in.

Sebastian’s phone pinged while they were getting dressed. He texted a response but didn’t comment.

“Everything okay?” Dakota asked.

“Yes, ma’am. That was Lydia saying she and Tony would see us at the courthouse.” Bas slid his shirt on, covering all of his glorious muscles, and Dakota busied her hands by putting on her boots to keep from pushing the shirt off. Being mated to Sebastian was a constant lesson in self-control. She checked her hair in the mirror one last time. Today was her wedding day, and even though they’d agreed to wear matching flannel shirts, she still wanted to look nice for her mate.

When they went downstairs for breakfast, they didn’t have the room to themselves. An older couple was seated on the far side of the room. They looked up from their food when Dakota and Sebastian entered, but then they went back to eating without acknowledging them.

Dakota handed Bas a plate for the buffet. “Did Lydia say what she and Tony were doing this morning?”

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