Page 55 of Tusk's Fury

Wondering if he feels some kind of way about rebuking his young son, I reach over and run my fingers over the shell of his ear, the same way he does for our baby when he wants her to smile. He glances over at me with a warm, loving expression. This man of mine loves tender touches from me. He brings my hand to his lips and gives me a kiss.

“You’re one of a kind, Britt. I knew it the first time I set eyes on you. All I ever wanted from that moment on was to make you mine.”

I laugh with pure happiness. “You didn’t have to work too hard to make me yours. I fell for you that first night. After finding out how nice you were, all I wanted was to get closer to you.”

Unable to resist, I lean over and give him a chaste kiss on his cheek.

The boys in the back all start whispering. Tusk’s SUV has third-row seating, so the three older ones are sat all the way in the back. It reminds me that we should dial down the romance, at least until they adjust. I pull back, and we continue chatting, mostly about the diner and how good the burgers were.

When we get back to Tusk’s apartment, I’m surprised that all my stuff has been transferred into the foyer. When I shoot Tusk a questioning look, he replies, “The prospects brought it over. If and when you want to go back to stay with Clara, they’ll take it all back, but I just wanted to make sure you had everything you need.” He picks up an armload and begins carrying it back to the master bedroom, along with that shirt box he brought from the SUV when we came in. Of course, all the other bedrooms have kids in them, so Victoria and I will naturally be sharing Tusk’s room.

The boys all go running off to their rooms, where I remember their gaming gear and toys are kept. They all seem happy and content with their lot in life. I follow Tusk with our crying daughter. She cries mostly when her belly is empty, when her diaper is dirty, when she has gas, or when she wants to be picked up.

I spread out a changing pad on the bed and, sure enough, she has a full diaper. I clean her up, and just as I am putting a new diaper on her, Tusk drops a small trash can beside the bed. “This will have to do for now. I’ll empty it a couple of times a day. I can also clear out my office and turn it into a nursery for Victoria. You and I are gonna have to shop for our child soon. This hodgepodge of equipment you brought with you from Alaska ain’t gonna cut it.”

Throwing the diaper away, I tell him, “I have a few traveler’s checks I didn’t cash when I tore outta here. I didn’t use them in Alaska because I didn’t want them to be tracked back to me and the baby. But now, I’m not sure it matters.”

“Darlin’, they found you already. Even a halfway decent PI will easily track our time at the hotel and eventually pick up the trail on the private plane Clara hired. Those two young brown-nosers from your church saw our cuts. By now, they probably know you’re sheltering with us. So, no, you don’t need to worry about cashing your checks.”

Stopping to take a breath, a possessive expression jumps onto his face. “The fact is, you don’t need to buy stuff for our child. She has a father, one who happens to be a very good provider. I always made pretty good money working at the plant, but now I’m a shift manager. It would be an honor to buy the things you need for our family.”

“I’d be happy to let you, but I want to make one thing clear. I’m not one of those women who like to spend a lot of money. I’ve lived pretty modestly for most of my life and don’t expect that to change anytime soon,” I say. It’s true, when I was a club girl, because I wasn’t pulling a wage and was allowed to stay for free at first, I never liked taking advantage of the situation.

“I don’t plan to be stingy, but I appreciate you respecting the money I work hard to earn,” Tusk says. He reaches over to grab the box he got from his club brother and hands it to me.

“What’s this?” I ask curiously.

“It’s one of several surprises I have planned for you over the next week.” I smother a smile because I know at least one of his surprises is more hot sex.

His voice turns serious. “This is something I should have given you a long time ago. I had it in mind to make a special event of it on our one-year anniversary, but you ran right before it came around.”

My eyes tear up, and I open my mouth to apologize. He waves off my apology. “Don’t say it, Britt. Just open the damn box before I tear up too.”

I fight back my emotions and pull the lid off the cardboard box. Before I can see it, I smell it—the sharp, rich scent of new leather. That scent fills me with nostalgia and longing. My heart clenches in my chest, and my mouth goes dry. As I stare down at the open box, my heart begins beating faster.

He’s giving me his property cut and all that comes with it. It represents his love, care, and the protection of him and his club brothers. I’m truly an insider now. There is no more being on the outside looking in, hoping to be chosen.

“You’re my old lady, darlin’. You always were, I just should have told you,” he says, his voice thick with emotion.

This is all I ever wanted as a club girl. A property cut represented the kind of care and protection I so desperately needed at the time. I tricked myself into thinking I loved club brothers and then was furious when they didn’t love me back. Now I realize what I didn’t realize back then—real love can’t be bought, bargained for, or stolen.

But falling in love was the one thing I never dreamed was possible for a woman like me. I was emotionally traumatized by my family and hell-bent on walking on the wild side of life. Most importantly of all, I was guarding my heart, right up until a prospect named Wade made me believe in love. I fell hard for him. He was down to earth, and we just clicked. I never cared about him not being able to put me in a property cut because he was a prospect. That was the furthest thing from my mind. And now that he’s giving me his property cut, it’s bittersweet.

Tusk is watching my reaction closely. His expression is unreadable, but his eyes are both wary and hopeful. Maybe he’s nervous about offering me his property cut because he thinks I might reject it and, in doing so, reject him.

I would never do that. I don’t have it in me to hurt him that way. Especially when he’s asking me to be his old lady.

I guess I’m quiet for too long because he reaches over and pulls the leather cut out of the box and holds it up so I can read the words stitched boldly across the back, ‘Property of Tusk’. I smile in spite of myself.

A small, strangled sound escapes from the back of my throat, a mixture of a sob and laughter. Reaching out one hand, I reverently run my fingers over the buttery-soft leather, touching the words with my fingertips. The coolness sends a shiver down my spine. When I take it from him, it’s the weight that makes it all seem real, so permanent.

Finally, I choke out, “It’s really beautiful, babe.”

“I’m glad. My property cut isn’t just an offer of protection. It’s my promise to always make sure you’re safe and happy at my side. That you always have a place to call home, somewhere to rest your head at night. That as long as I’m walkin’ and talkin’, I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”

This is the moment I’m truly sure he sees me for the woman I am, rather than the one I used to be when I first came to the Savage Legion clubhouse, tired, hungry, and scared. He knows everything there is to know about me and still wants me.

I slide the cut on to see how it fits. It fits like it was custom-made for my curves. The chest is a little tight, but that’s because my breasts are engorged with milk.

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