So excited for your day.
Something new is your dress.
Something blue are your shoes.
Something old and borrowed you’re on your own.
-Presley
“Nena, you ready?” Eagle asks, knocking on the door as he pushes it open.
Dropping the note, I turn my head to look over my shoulder at him. His eyes scan my body, stopping on my face and then his lips twitch into a small smile. Turning around, I face him, holding my breath and wondering what he thinks. I can’t even tell what’s working behind his eyes and in his head.
He shakes his head once. “Most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he murmurs.
“Presley bought it all. Says I need something old and borrowed, the dress is new and the shoes are blue,” I say, avoiding the compliment.
Eagle’s lips turn up into a small smile and he takes a step toward me. “Got the old handled,” he says but doesn’t explain what that means. Instead, he continues to make his way toward me. He stops just a few inches from me and I’m forced to tip my head back to look up into his dark eyes.
“The borrowed?” I ask.
He dips his chin, touching his lips to just the tip of my nose, then jerks his head toward a nightstand. He walks past me, and I follow behind him, so curious as to what I could borrow inside of a nightstand. I haven’t snooped much, trying not to invade his privacy, but also, unsure of what I would find.
I watch him bend over slightly and rummage through the drawer. He must find what he’s looking for, he freezes and then straightens his back before he turns to face me. He moves toward my frozen body, stopping when he’s just inches away from me.
“Wrist,” he grunts.
Without even thinking, I lift my hand. His fingers wrap around my wrist and he tugs me against him, causing me to lose my balance slightly. Lifting my free hand, I place my palm on his chest, my eyes never leaving his while I gain my stability.
“I had this made to represent my first year in the Beasts. I’ve rarely worn it. It’s not something that I would normally give a woman, but I don’t know, it fits you.”
“What is it?” I ask. The bracelet is a bit weighty on my wrist and I’m a little scared to actually take it in.
Eagle lifts my hand higher between us then shifts his eyes down to my wrist. Licking my lips, I chance looking down and frown.
“Are those bullet shells?”
“One for every kill the first year as a patched member.”
I gasp. “There’s twelve.”
“It was a slow year.”
Lifting my eyes to his, I tilt my head to the side. “Santiago…”
“I told you that my mother saw the Devil in my eyes. He’s there, nena. You have to know the man that you’re about to make your husband.”
Unable to control myself, I giggle. I do know this man, at least as much as I can in this short period of time. Sure, he’s a little scary, but they all are and for some reason I love that about every man who wears a Beast cut. Shaking my head, I find his eyes with my own, again.
“Is it bad that I actually like it?” I ask.
Eagle’s lips twitch, he lowers his head and touches them to the tip of my nose again. “Not at all. Except, how about I make you one of your own, one that commemorates something a little more meaningful for us? Today you can borrow this one.”
“Do you have the casings from all of your kills?” I ask, arching a brow.
He snorts, leaning forward and shifting so that his lips are against my ear. “I’ll buy you a diamond for every fucker I’ve ever killed. You’ll be dripping, mi corazon.”
Pressing my thighs together, I know that I should feel guilty for getting turned on, but the way he says it, the way his low growly voice washes over me, I want him so damn bad. The way he’s made me wait, practically teased me, it’s all too fucking much.
“Will you marry me today, Della Louise Smith?”
Taking a step back from him, I lift my eyes and look into his. He’s wearing a pair of jeans, a white button-down shirt, boots, and his cut.
I can see his tattoos peeking out along his neck, and on his face. He looks beautiful, but that isn’t what has me in awe. It’s the expression of hope, of doubt, as though he thinks that I could say no.
“Yes,” I whisper.
I mean it too.
I want to marry him.
It’s probably a colossal mistake. It could bite me in the ass. It will definitely enrage Jaguar, but I can’t live my life to please him. Not when pleasing him, appeasing him, makes me feel completely miserable. He’s not happy with me either, what I’m doing right now, it’s going to piss him off, but I know without a doubt that he will be relieved in the end when he finds the life that he’s meant to have.
JAGUAR
Finding the clubhouse number, I make a call. I’m not supposed to be checking on her, but fuck Dragon if he thinks that I’m just going to let her run the fuck off with Eagle. I have no doubt that piece of shit is trying really fucking hard to get her into his bed, too.
“Hello?”
“Pinkie?” I ask.
“Jaguar?” she whispers.
“Where is she?”
There’s a moment of silence and I’m just about to start demanding some things from Pinkie when I hear her let out a heavy breath. “I can’t tell you, but Jaguar, you need to let her go.”
“Why the fuck would I do that? I went and got her, brought her home. She’s mine.”
“She’s not,” Pinkie snaps.
I’m a bit taken aback by her sharp tone, something that never comes from the whore. Pinkie is sweet, always ready and willing for whatever we want from her, and she never, ever, talks back. This version of her I don’t care for much.
“Don’t be a jealous cunt. She is,” I growl. “Get me Charm then.”
“Ha, fuck that,” she shouts. “Della’s gone, Jag. You need to just accept that. The two of you are like water and oil. Y’all just don’t mix,” she explains.
She’s right, but I’m way too fucking stubborn and controlling to accept that.
“Get me Dragon,” I demand.
She hesitates for a moment, then sighs. “He ain’t here. Busy today. Doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
Without another word, I end the call. Something is up, something sounds fishy as fuck. And all of it revolves around Della, I can feel it deep in my gut.
“You good?” Wolfe asks with a jerk of his chin.
Shaking my head, I growl. “No, I’m fucking not. Pinkie is acting sketchy as fuck when I asked her about Della and she says Dragon’s out for the day. Doesn’t want to be disturbed,” I mutter.
“He doesn’t. Called me this morning, said he was going to be busy all day long.”
“You tell him about the contact here?” I ask. He nods, but something is very fucking wrong. “What the fuck aren’t you telling me?” I ask.
Wolfe lets out a breath, then shifts his gaze to the side before bringing it back to me. I know without a doubt that he’s hiding something from me and so is Pinkie. I’ll find out and when I do, I’ll hold them as responsible for whatever it is as the person who is obviously fucking around.
I have a feeling that all of this has to do with Della and Eagle. I saw the way he was watching her, the way he pounced as soon as he was able, that motherfucker has just been waiting for his chance.
He’s a scumbag.
The worst kind of brother there could ever be. Going after another man’s woman is fucking foul and if he’s touched her, I’ll kill him, plain and simple.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Hawk barks.
I jump, not anticipating his arrival during my stare down with Wolfe. Wolfe opens his mouth, then snaps it closed when Hawk starts to speak.
“Jesus, you all are worse than a bunch of fuckin’ women. Just tell him, stop being pussies,” he states. His head swings over to me and his eyes meet mine. He tilts his head to the side. “Your girl don’t wanna be your girl, brother. In
fact, she’s gettin’ hitched right now to avoid bein’ your whore for the rest of her life. Sometimes you gotta let women go, even when you don’t wanna. Take the next week to cope with that shit and let it soak in. Get over it and move the fuck on.”
Without another word, he turns around and stomps away. My eyes follow him for a moment before I shift my gaze back over to Wolfe who is standing in front of me, his eyes wide as he tries to figure out just how much of my shit I’m going to lose.
“It’s true.”
He nods. “Yeah, brother. It’s true.”
“Nobody was gonna tell me, just let me walk in and find that shit out when we got back home.”
He shrugs one shoulder. “Doubt we woulda let you be that blindsided. Dragon didn’t want you knowin’ until it was official though.”
I snort. “Eagle is a marked fucking man. He thinks he can just walk in and snatch what’s mine, he’s got another thing coming.”
“Jag,” Wolfe sighs.
“Nope. Don’t wanna hear any fucking shit. Della was mine the moment she arrived, don’t care how many brothers she fucked, she was always mine, meant to be. This is a betrayal of the brotherhood and I want him to fucking pay,” I growl.
Turning away from him, I don’t wait to hear his fucked up shit. Instead, I walk away, as far away as I can get. Luckily, I’m in Tijuana. Bitches, booze, and dope are easier to find than at the clubhouse. I find a little of all three and I allow myself to get lost in all of it.
I ignore the gaping fucking hole in my chest at the thought of Della belonging to another man. Of being his goddamn wife. His. Wife. He’ll brand her after she pops that kid out, but legally she will belong to him and there’s nothing that I can do about that.
Except kill that motherfucker.
Chapter Seventeen
EAGLE
The small room fills with my president, Bellarosa, Silver, Presley, and the judge. Della stands next to me, but I can’t look down at her, not yet. She’s so fucking beautiful and in just a few moments she’s going to be all mine.
Eventually, I turn to face her as the judge requests, then force myself to look down into her pretty blue eyes. Her eyes are glassy as if she’s trying to keep from allowing her tears to spill over. I speak when requested and when the judge tells me to put the ring on her finger, I suck in a breath.
Her eyes widen in almost panic. I give her a wink as I reach into my pocket and pull out my mother’s wedding ring. It isn’t fancy, just a simple large round cut diamond with a plain second band. My father tried to upgrade it over the years, but she never allowed it. Said there was something too special about it to allow any changes.
“Santiago,” she breathes when it’s settled on her finger. “It’s beautiful.”
Dipping my chin, I don’t respond. I wish she had her own, but fuck, we haven’t had much time. When it’s Della’s turn to put a ring on my finger, I slip my hand in my pocket again and produce my grandfather’s ring.
Maybe it’s bad luck or some shit.
I probably shouldn’t give her the old man’s ring. I don’t remember much about him, but I do remember he was stern, a hardass who wasn’t afraid to smack anyone around who dared to question him. I hope that I’ll be nothing like him or my father. I want to be better than they ever were, I fucking strive for that shit.
I hope that I can make Della happy, keep her that way too. I want a real marriage, one where we love one another completely. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I hope that one day she can love me, because as pussy as it sounds, I think I started falling in love with her from afar months ago.
“You may kiss your bride,” the judge finally says.
Lifting my hand, I slide my fingers to the side of her head, tangling my fingers in the back of her hair before I twist them and angle her head to the side. Dipping my own chin, I press my mouth against hers.
Her breath hitches as her lips part and I slide my tongue inside. I taste her, a growl forming in my chest at the sweetness that is her. Fuck. She tastes better than I ever imagined, different now because I know that she’s mine—all mine, forever.
The people behind us clap and I jerk my head back, reluctantly breaking the kiss. Keeping my eyes focused on her, I watch her for a moment. Her eyes are bright, wide, still full of unshed tears and her lips are swollen and parted in awe.
Tugging on the back of her hair gently, I let my fingers relax and fall from the back of her head. Looking her in the eyes, I never break contact with her gaze.
She’s mine.
Never would I have imagined that I would ever marry, yet here I am. Never could I have imagined that the woman I would choose would have the background that she does, but while it should probably bother me, it doesn’t. Not at all.
“Ready, mi corazon?”
“For?”
“The rest of your life.”
Her lips twitch into a smile and a single tear falls from her eye. “I am,” she breathes. “I really am.”
Without another word, I lace my fingers with hers and together we walk out of the judge’s chambers. I can hear our friends behind us, but I can’t look back. In fact, I can’t look anywhere but our adjoined hands.
My ring is on her finger and she’s put one on mine. This is fucking surreal and so goddamn real. It isn’t like anything I ever imagined, but I’m not scared, I’m fucking excited. Once we’re outside of the courthouse, only then do I stop and turn to face her.
“Santiago?” she asks.
Shaking my head, I continue to watch her for a short moment. “This is so fucking real,” I murmur.
“Yeah,” she breathes.
Lowering my face, shifting closer to her so that my lips are touching hers, I whisper my next words. “I’m so fucking happy about that, Della. So fucking excited for the future.”
My mouth brushes hers before I turn around to face my brothers and their wives. Dragon is just watching us, his expression completely blank. Presley is grinning like a wild woman and Bellarosa looks like she’s assessing the situation.
I don’t bother looking at Silver, sure that he’s wearing the same expression as Dragon. They both care about Della in their own way, and I know that they’ve been worried about her lately. She’s an adult, but in many ways, she’s still kind of a lost teenager.
Sliding my hand around her waist, I tug her against my side. Lost, found, growing up, it doesn’t matter because I plan on making her so fucking happy that she never regrets this moment and this decision.
“Lunch?” Dragon finally asks after a moment of analyzing.
“Yeah,” I mutter, jerking my chin.
We decide on the barbeque place in town that has a full bar and pool tables. It’s not anything fancy, nothing that a traditional wedding reception would ever be held at, but then again, that’s not who we are. For us, it’s fucking perfect.
We all load up into the trucks and head toward the restaurant. I wanted to take my bike, but since Della is not only in a white dress, but also pregnant, I decided against it. In fact, she shouldn’t be on the back of my bike again until the baby comes, no matter how much I want to roll up with her when Jaguar comes back into town.
My phone rings in my pocket as soon as we’re settled in the truck and I’m shifting into drive. Pulling out onto the street, I tug it out and frown at the name that appears on the screen.
“Fuck,” I bite out.
Della doesn’t speak, in fact, she’s looking straight ahead as if she can feel it in her gut who’s on the other end of this phone. Sliding my thumb across the screen, against my better judgment, I answer the call.
“Who told you?” I ask as my greeting.
He growls into the phone before he speaks. “You’re dead, you motherfucker,” he slurs.
“Yeah? Doubt that.”
“Sleep with one eye open, watch your back. You’re no fuckin’ brother of mine.”
I snort as a woman giggles in the background. Yeah, he gives a fuck about Della, I’m sure. I shake my head a
s I follow behind Silver and Dragon. Both women are pregnant as well, and their men are driving them instead of having them on the backs of bikes. It’s just fucking safer that way, though I’m sure there’s not really much of a difference in the statistics, feels safer though.
“So, you’re threatening to hurt me while I’m sleeping, or coming at me from behind. What a fuckin’ man, hermano,” I sneer.
Only then do I feel Della’s gaze on me. Shifting my eyes over to her, I find that I’m right. Her brows are furrowed and her once smiling lips are turned down in a frown.
Fuck.
Of course, Jaguar would ruin this for us, ruin this moment. The fucker doesn’t even care for her, he just wants to control her, own her, and in reality, I’m not much different, but I don’t want to keep her locked in a cage like he does.
I want to unleash the woman that she is beneath the surface, under the addiction and need, there is a beauty that is begging to be set free. I want that for her, and I think that when she realizes what it is that she needs, she’s going to fucking blossom like no other woman on earth.
DELLA
Jaguar.
I know that he’s on the phone and he’s just threatened Eagle by the sound of things. Once Eagle ends the call, I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t. He just drives toward the restaurant, his hand dropping the phone before his fingers wrap around the middle of my thigh.
Looking from his hand, then up to his profile, I watch him for a moment. “Are you going to pretend that didn’t happen?” I ask.
He grunts, licking his lips before he speaks. “Nothin’ you need to worry about, nena.”
My brows furrow and my mouth turns down into a frown. It sounded like a ‘really needed to worry about,’ but I don’t try to pry any more information out of him. There’s no sense in badgering him. I know these men, they don’t respond well to any kind of prying or nagging at all.
UNLEASH ME: SAVAGE BEAST MC 4 Page 15