Page 24 of The President

“Then we need to call it a night,” Fox says. “It was a pleasure to meet all of y’all tonight. I know our ma… women will have a great time.”

I bite back my snicker at how he nearly outed us and said mates, knowing that for the sake of everyone, we’re not going to announce that at all.

“I’ll take these up to the room and drop these off. Then I’ll head back down in case you have another haul,” Fox says as he maneuvers the wagon closer to him then pulls every bag out and onto his arms. “That way, y’all can keep going.”

“Thank you,” I say, leaning up to kiss his scruffy jaw.

He moves so his mouth is at my ear and murmurs, “Naked gratitude tonight, babe.”

I shiver with anticipation at his raspy timbre because he’s an inventive, creative lover. I’ve come to embrace my sexuality in a way that somewhat astonishes me, because I always thought I would be more straightlaced when it came to bedroom antics.

“Okay, ladies, we’ve got all our preorders picked up, let’s now go get swag and pictures!” Tressa exclaims.

“Babe, if you could refrain from bouncing around so much, I think our child would appreciate it,” Chaos gruffly says, his arms crossed over his massive chest.

“Pssh, our daughter is just fine,” Tressa retorts. At his look, she spreads her arms and asks, “What? I think you need a little girl to calm you down.” I hold back my humorous snicker because if he were a cartoon character, steam would be billowing from his ears.

The other brothers, who have been keeping an eye out for us, burst into laughter. While they aren’t inside the venue with us, any time we’ve come out to pass over books we’ve picked up, they show up en masse. I think it’s cute, but Tressa and Nini say it’s because they’re being overprotective alphaholes.

“We’ll be back down in a few minutes. Go back inside, babe,” Fox tells me, his gaze roaming the crowd of people who are currently outside the signing venue, making sure there aren’t any visible threats to us. Many are doing what we are, passing books off to those who’ll take them back to their rooms, while others are sitting down and taking a break.

I’m exhausted by the time we finally finish going through all the authors’ tables for the second time, but I’ve managed to talk to quite a few whose books I haven’t read yet and am excited to find new-to-me authors to add to my ever-growing to-be-read list. I giggle a bit when I realize how many bookshelves Fox and his brothers are going to have to put together for me and the other ladies to store our goodies on. Shrugging, I lean against him while we wait for Tressa and Nini to come out to the foyer area we’re waiting in, when an acrid scent hits my nose and the fine hairs on my body stand on end.

Glancing around, I stiffen and hide my face in Fox’s chest. What is he doing here? Better yet, how did he find me?

“Vivi? You okay?” Fox asks.

“Carter’s here,” I murmur, not lifting my head but tilting it in the direction where he’s stationed. “Over by the restrooms.”

I feel my mate’s body tighten as he starts moving me toward the elevator. “Gonna get you safe, babe, then me and the brothers will deal with this shit. It’s time for us to take out your trash and dispose of him so you’ll never have to worry about him interfering in your life again.”

I remember what Tressa shared about the last signing and how she got kidnapped and fear grips me. “Please, stay safe.”

“Not our first rodeo, Vivi. Gonna get you girls to our room so you’re behind locked doors and have the prospects watch over you while we take care of business.”

My stomach drops because I suspect our fun-filled weekend may be coming to an end. While the plans for the remainder of our stay weren’t set in stone, we were going to meet with several other readers and authors at La Senoritas, a Mexican restaurant that came highly recommended.

“Okay, Fox,” I quietly say. I want him focused so I won’t bring up my disappointment about the likely change of plans.

Faster than I expect, the four of us women are ensconced in mine and Fox’s suite while the two prospects are stationed outside the locked door.

“I don’t like this,” Angie states, sipping on a soda. Tressa and Nini both have orange juice while I pace the room with a bottle of water in my hands.

“Trust the guys,” Tressa says. “They’ll handle it in such a way that nobody will be any wiser.”

“I wanted chips and salsa, maybe some queso,” Nini grumbles, patting her extended belly that just released a rumble. “Why do assholes gotta ruin our good time?”

“Maybe we’ll still be able to go,” Angie says. At our pointed glance, she shrugs. “I mean, it’s possible, right?”

“Doubtful,” I reply. “Do you really think they’d leave us here to go out to dinner, with people who are mostly strangers to us while they deal with Carter?”

“You know, I’ve been thinking about something,” Nini conveys. “You said that your alpha lost his mate a long time ago, right? What if he’s gone mate mad? That would explain why his son is so unhinged, right? I mean, who wants to settle for a chosen mate if there’s a possibility that your fated mate is out there somewhere?”

“You could be right,” Angie slowly says, tapping her finger on her chin. “Alpha Dawson has been erratic and acting unhinged for a while now. Maybe he knew he was losing it which is why he wanted Carter to be mated so he could take over as alpha?”

“Doesn’t matter in the long run. You now have your mate, and I don’t see Fox handing you over to this jerk,” Tressa states.

“Should we pack up our stuff just in case?” I ask. “Or wait for them to come back?”

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