Page 57 of Dark Succession
“Teague—”
“Marry me, angel. Today. Right now.” He took her hand. “Say yes and I’ll spend the rest of my days doing my damnedest to protect you from harm and make you happy. I’m not perfect and I’ll fuck up, but say yes and I’ll never hesitate to apologize, and I sure as hell won’t ever lay my hands on you in anger. Justsay yes.”
She pressed her free hand to her mouth. “Yes.” At first he was sure he’d misheard her. But then she nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “You’re right. There are no guarantees but… I want your ring on my finger and you in my life for as long as we’re granted. Not because of your family or my family or consolidating power or any of the other reasons that originally drove us to agree to this marriage. I want you, Teague. Ichooseyou. ”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
James stalked through his house, ignoring the way his conscience seemed to dog his heels. The time for regrets and second-guessing had passed. His fucking idiot of a brother had solidified that when he’d decided to prove his worth by killing one of the O’Malleys. There was no taking that back, even if James never would have given the order himself. It didn’t matter that he’d planned on using O’Malley’s oldest daughter as leverage to stop this shit in its tracks.
O’Malley’s oldest daughter.
Carrigan.
He turned the corner, picking up his pace when he heard male voices in the room he’d left her. Goddamn it, nothing was going right. He threw open the door, finding Ricky and two of his men circling Carrigan where she was cuffed to the chair. James didn’t like the look on their faces one fucking bit.
Ricky leaned in, close enough to touch. “I killed that piece-of-shit brother of yours. I shot him down in the street.”
Fuck.
She flipped her hair, hitting him in the face. “Liar.”
He jerked back. “Bitch, I’ll show you—”
“Enough.” All four of them froze, and James didn’t blame them. He barely recognized the growl as his own voice. It sounded like it’d come from someone else.
FromBrendan.
Before that realization could really freak him the fuck out, he strode into the room. “You three, get out.”
Ricky leered, though he didn’t look nearly as confident as he had two minutes ago. It was all a song and dance for his boys—show no weakness—just like their old man taught them. But he was scared of James now. “I’m just giving the bitch what she deserves.”
Don’t call her that. He clenched his teeth to keep the words internal. “Get. Out.”
Ricky hesitated, and finally laughed. “You want her first. I get that. But me and the boys want a turn when you’re done.”
What the hell had happened to his sweet little brother who needed protection? He didn’t recognize this man—this monster. But then, James barely recognized his own reflection in the mirror anymore. Brendan’s death had changed all of them for the worse.
It didn’t matter, though. Brother or not, the only way Ricky would lay a hand on Carrigan was over James’s cold, dead body. He waited, letting that truth seep over his little brother’s face. Ricky’s eyes went wide, and he practically scrambled out of the room.
The door shut, and James sighed. He’d pay for this later, just like he’d paid for taking the whip to his brother’s back. Maybe Ricky still would have gone after the O’Malleys personally… but maybe he wouldn’t have. He finally looked up to find Carrigan watching him. She didn’t look particularly afraid, which would be what he’d expect of a woman held captive by her enemies.
No, she looked furious.
“You have me here, so what’s the plan? A little torture, maybe with some rape thrown in for shits and giggles.” Her voice didn’t waver, and hell if he didn’t respect her for it. She must have been terrified out of her damn mind, but she wouldn’t show a single slice of weakness that could be used against her. It had to cost her to keep it hidden—he of all people knew the cost of keeping that kind of thing locked down.
“No.” He moved around behind her to check the cuffs. They were tight enough that she couldn’t squeeze out, but they weren’t rubbing her wrists raw. He fished the key out of his pocket and unlocked them. He couldn’t leave her here, because he couldn’t afford to be here with her every second of the goddamn day, and it was glaringly obvious that he couldn’t trust her with anyone else. “Come on.”
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
He ignored her, hauling her to her feet by her upper arm. It felt wrong—so fucking wrong—to manhandle her when he couldn’t get those stolen moments at the club out of his mind. James shook his head, as if the motion could dislodge the feeling of her clenched tight around his cock.
It didn’t help.
He wanted her again, more than he’d wanted anywoman he’d ever been with. It didn’t make a damn bit of sense, but even having his hand on the bare skin of her arm was enough to have his body roaring to life. Only ironclad control kept him from showing exactly how deeply she affected him.
She was the one woman he couldn’t have.
He marched up the stairs and threw open the door to his room. It was the only place in the house that he’d guarantee no one would fuck with when he wasn’t around, so it was a solid choice. But he couldn’t shake the almost primal satisfaction of seeing her surrounded by everythinghis.
