Billionaire Untamed ~ Tate

by J. S. Scott

  Mine.

  He held her possessively, protectively, damn grateful that he still had her with him. Things could have gone much differently, and he swore he’d never take her love for granted. Everything could be gone, lost in just an instant, and nobody knew that better than he did. He’d treat every day with Lara as a gift, because it was.

  “Tell me something you really want—anything at all. I want to give you something,” Tate said desperately, wanting to show Lara how much she meant to him.

  She pulled his head back by fisting his hair gently. “I have everything I want, Tate. I have you.”

  Somehow, he didn’t see himself as a very big prize. “What else?”

  Studying his face for a moment, she finally answered, “Well, I did just turn thirty. I’d like to have a baby sometime in the next few years. I think I’ll probably need your help and your consent since we’ll be married.”

  Tate’s heart went into double time. A baby? He hadn’t thought that far ahead, but he could imagine Lara ripe with their child, rocking a daughter or son to sleep. Playing. Laughing. Loving. It would be amazing.

  “I’d love that. A girl with your beautiful eyes and smile would be incredible.”

  “A boy with your eyes and your cute little dimple,” she corrected.

  “One of each?” It sounded like a good compromise to him.

  “Babies don’t exactly come made to order,” she teased, squeezing his fingers as her laughing eyes smiled at him.

  “I’m a Colter. We never give up.” Hell, he’d give her as many babies as she wanted to have, and he’d love every one of them fiercely. “Dad tried until he finally gave Mom her girl.”

  “I’m not quite sure if I want to try as many times as your mom did for a girl, but we’ll see. So I take it I have your agreement?”

  “Yep. And you know I’m going to help just as much as you’d like.” He’d help several times a day if she wanted to get pregnant. In fact, he’d help even if she didn’t want to get pregnant.

  “I think I’m going to need to practice until you’re ready. A lot.”

  Lara snorted with laughter and pulled him back down to kiss her.

  He obliged very willingly. This was one mission where Tate knew he’d have absolutely no reservations.

  “What if she changed her mind? What if she doesn’t show up? Maybe she figured out that I’m really an asshole?” Tate Colter looked at Travis Harrison with a panicked expression as they stood in the small wedding chapel in Vegas.

  Travis crossed his arms in front of him and lifted a brow at Tate. “Colter, she already knows you’re an asshole. I told her. But for some unknown reason, she still wants to marry you. She’ll be here.” Travis pulled back the sleeve of his custom-made suit to look at his watch. “For Christ’s sake, it’s only just noon.”

  Tate looked at his watch again. “It’s one minute after,” he corrected Travis gruffly.

  “She’s with Ally, and I’m pretty certain my wife isn’t going to run away. I got over that awhile back. She loves me,” Travis said arrogantly.

  “Lara loves me, too,” Tate said cockily, trying to shake off his nerves. He should have stayed with Lara just in case she got cold feet. Instead, he’d gotten ready with Travis, and Lara went with Ally to get a new dress.

  Even though they were marrying in Vegas, Tate still wanted to make sure that their wedding day was special. He was dressed in a tuxedo, and Travis wore a suit. Luckily, Travis and Ally had been available to come and stand up for him and Lara. He’d thought about his brothers, but it was appropriate that Travis be his best man. He’d saved Lara’s life, and Lara had wanted to meet him. He doubted his brothers would mind. None of them were in town this weekend anyway, so he could use that as an excuse. Plus, they all hated weddings just as much as he did.

  Except…I really don’t hate this one because it’s my wedding to Lara.

  In fact, he was really, really eager for it to actually start.

  Another minute passed and Tate started to sweat.

  Where in the hell are they? How long did it take to buy a dress?

  “Maybe I should call her,” Tate told Travis as he looked at the smiling chaplain, who didn’t look as if he was in any type of hurry. And he probably wasn’t. He was being very well paid for his services.

  “No, you do not need to call her. Ally would have called me if there was a problem,” Travis answered nonchalantly. “Lara isn’t going anywhere. It’s pretty evident that she’s crazy about you. Relax.”

  Easier said than done. Tate felt like pulling his hair out.

  He and Lara had only been living together for a couple of weeks. Had he done anything wrong? Okay. Yeah. He forgot to put the toilet seat down…occasionally, but he was getting better. Hell, he’d even learned to make a decent sandwich.

  He thought that Lara would enjoy Vegas, and she had. They’d arrived several days earlier to see the sights and Lara loved the slot machines. But the thing she loved the best were the buffets. Tate grimaced when he thought about all of the buffets they’d found…some of them decent, but most of them absolutely disgusting. The only awesome buffet he could think of was the breakfast buffet served at the resort. It was quality food prepared by an excellent chef. Apparently, Lara didn’t notice the difference and was entranced just by the large quantity of food. But he’d had so much fun watching Lara flitting from dish to dish that he didn’t mind going. She’d stuffed herself until she could barely get up and walk, and every day she swore she wasn’t going to do it again. The next day, she’d be seeking out another all-you-can-eat smorgasbord.

  Christ…she was adorable. Lara was his heart, and she was going to be his.

  If she would just get here!

  Rationally, he didn’t think that she was going anywhere. She did love him. He knew she did, but he wasn’t going to be happy until they had said their vows.

  He looked at Travis and wanted to punch his friend’s smirking expression.

  “You’ll get over this irrational fear eventually.” Travis sounded amused. “In time, you’ll only start worrying about her ten times a day instead of twenty.”

  “Are you at ten yet?” Tate asked hopefully.

  “Nope. But I’m working on fifteen,” Travis answered sheepishly. “It’s not easy loving somebody that much, but it’s worth every minute of worry you’ll ever have. Trust me.”

  “Are you worried now?” ’Cause honestly, Tate felt pretty terrified.

  “No. Ally told me they might be a little late. When Lara found out that you were wearing a tux, she wanted to look nicer.”

  “She looks beautiful in anything,” Tate replied emphatically.

  “She’s a woman,” Travis answered, as if that explained everything.

  “A female who can almost kick my ass,” Tate said proudly.

  “Exactly the type of woman you need, Colter. You need somebody who won’t put up with too much of your bullshit.”

  “She doesn’t. But I like that about her.” He paused before he added, “Most of the time.”

  Travis laughed.

  Tate looked at his friend, a man who had been so serious, so stressed and anal not so long ago. Now he looked relaxed…and content. “Are you really happy now, Trav?” Tate asked him seriously.

  “More than I ever thought I would be, buddy. And you will be, too. Lara is a fantastic woman, and she’s perfect for you. She wants to meet Asha now so she can see if there’s anything she can do even before she goes back to school. She wants to help. Your woman has a good heart,” Travis told Tate sincerely.

  Tate nodded. He knew the extent of her heart, and it was as big as the ocean. “I know. I just wish she’d stop hugging on you for saving her life.” One time Tate had tolerated okay, but it seemed as if Lara was always grateful to Travis every time she saw him. And he didn’t care whether Travis was his best friend; he still didn’t want to see his fiancée hug another man under the age of eighty.

  Travis raised a questioning brow. “Possessive much
? I remember not so long ago that you really enjoyed jerking my chain with Ally.”

  Tate flinched, remembering how he’d flirted with Ally just to piss Travis off because he thought it was funny. He wasn’t laughing anymore. “I regret that now,” he grumbled.

  Travis smirked. “Good. Then I’ll stop telling Lara how much I appreciate hugs of gratitude.”

  Tate glared at Travis. “You didn’t.”

  Travis shrugged. “I might have mentioned it.”

  Bastard! Travis had intentionally made sure Lara threw herself into his arms in gratitude every time she saw him. “Do it again and I’ll make sure I hug Ally for a very long time every time I see her,” he warned Travis.

  “I’ll stop,” Travis said hastily.

  He’s still crazy about Ally.

  Tate smiled because he knew Travis would love Ally until he took his last breath. As much as he loved to tease Travis, the guy deserved that kind of love and Tate couldn’t be happier for him. Especially since he was lucky enough to find the same kind of love himself.

  Uneasy, Tate glanced at his watch again only to realize that it was only five minutes after noon.

  Dammit!

  Travis elbowed him in the side. “Take a breath, buddy. Your bride has arrived.”

  Tate looked at the entrance eagerly, disappointed when he saw only Ally. But Travis’s wife looked ravishing in a very light lavender dress that floated around her calves. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head; little ringlets curled around her temples.

  Tate watched as Travis moved down the aisle, kissed his wife, and whispered something into her ear that made Ally blush. He offered his arm. Ally took it and let Travis bring her to the front of the chapel.

  Ally squeezed Tate’s arm as she passed and smiled at him as she took her place across from where Travis had stood a moment ago. Because Travis and Ally were their only witnesses, Trav was doing double duty. He was not only the best man, but he was also escorting the bride.

  Travis walked back down the aisle and offered his arm again, and Tate’s breath expelled hard from his lungs as Lara stepped up to his side. He sucked in another breath, feeling as if he’d been sucker-punched as he got his first glimpse at Lara, beautiful in a white and lace dress with three-quarter length tight sleeves and a fitted bodice. She held a bouquet of red and pink roses, and her hair was up. She had a small circlet of silver on her head that had a small, old-fashioned veil down the back.

  She looks like an angel.

  Her smile was radiant as she walked down the aisle toward him, her gaze focused on his face.

  Mine.

  He took her hand as she arrived with Travis and clasped it possessively, twining their fingers together as he took a deep breath.

  She’s here. She’s mine.

  The service was short, just the way they both wanted it. Tate spoke his vows reverently, and meant every one of them. Lara repeated those vows, her eyes on him as she promised him forever.

  It seemed as though it was over so quickly, but Tate let out a breath of relief as they were pronounced man and wife. He definitely kissed the bride longer than necessary, and all four of them left the small chapel and got into a waiting limo.

  “That was lovely,” Ally said enthusiastically from her seat next to Travis.

  Lara beamed. “It was. It was exactly what Tate and I wanted. I’m so happy that you could both come for the ceremony.”

  Travis popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and they all laughed as they jumped from the sudden burst of sound.

  He poured and passed the glasses around.

  Tate looked at his bride, thinking what a lucky bastard he really was. Lara had blasted into his life when he least expected it. He’d been so damn lonely, and he’d never really known it…until her.

  He leaned over and gently kissed her temple. “You look incredibly beautiful, and I love you so damn much it’s killing me.”

  She threaded her fingers through his. “Is this going to require revival then?”

  “Hell, no. I’m plenty…alive. Every bit of me,” he told her mischievously. “But I’ll pretend I’m fading if you want.”

  She giggled like a young girl. “I love you, too.” More seriously she said, “You make me so happy that it’s scary.”

  Tate knew exactly what she was feeling. But he’d calm her fears. It wouldn’t be long before that happiness was a constant state of mind for both of them.

  “A toast,” Travis announced. “Here’s to marriage, love, and finding the person of your dreams.”

  The clink of glasses was loud as they all heartily agreed and took a sip of the fine Cristal.

  “I guess we’ll all be doing this again soon for Chloe’s wedding.” Ally leaned back in her plush seat.

  “Are you guys coming?” Lara asked excitedly.

  Ally nodded. “Yep. Chloe is very fond of Travis.”

  “I’m glad we won’t have to wait long to see you again,” Lara told Travis and Ally happily.

  Tate’s mind drifted to Chloe and how unhappy she’d seemed lately. He reminded himself that he had some work to do to dig into her situation with James. Something about their whole relationship didn’t sit right with him. And after what Lara had said about James acting like a dick at the gym, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about Chloe marrying somebody who could possibly not treat her right. Now that Tate knew what real happiness was like, he didn’t want anything less for any of his siblings.

  “Hey, Ally. There’s that buffet I was talking about,” Lara squealed.

  “Let’s stop.” Ally nodded her head eagerly. “I’d love to try it.”

  Travis sent Tate a pained expression. Obviously he was about as fond of Vegas buffets as Tate was. And unfortunately, Ally seemed to adore them as much as Lara did.

  “I’m a billionaire. We can eat at any restaurant in town. Do I really need to suffer through a buffet?” Travis said loftily.

  “Yes.”

  “Yes.”

  Ally and Lara both answered Travis’s question.

  “This is Lara’s day, Travis,” Ally told her husband firmly.

  “We can afford a regular restaurant, Lara.” Tate confirmed Travis’s opinion.

  “But I’d love to go.” She shot him a longing look.

  “You want your wedding dinner to be a buffet?” Oh, God help him.

  “It’s lunch. Ally and I will let you and Travis pick where we go to dinner.”

  Ally nodded in agreement with an eager smile.

  Tate looked at Travis again, and Travis just shrugged. He looked back at the look in his new wife’s eyes and caved almost instantly. “Let’s go,” Tate agreed. He didn’t think he could ever deny his wife anything, considering she asked for basically nothing but his love.

  He reached into the inside pocket of his tux, pulled out a roll of antacids, and popped one into his mouth before he handed them over to his friend.

  Travis took three before he handed them back to Tate.

  “The things we do for our wives,” Travis grumbled good-naturedly.

  The women basically ignored the men as they chattered.

  “Yeah, but they’re worth it,” Tate said with a grin.

  They pulled up to the curb of the casino with the ladies’ buffet choice.

  Travis helped his wife out of the car and went ahead of them. Tate pulled his bride out of the limo carefully, steadying her as she tilted on her high heels.

  “I know you hate buffets, but I’ll make it up to you later,” Lara whispered in a sultry voice into his ear so only he could hear her. “Ally took me to a lingerie shop, too. You’ll like what’s under the dress better than you like the wedding dress.” She winked at him playfully.

  His dick was as hard as diamonds as he contemplated what the hell she was wearing underneath her dress.

  I’ll make it up to you later.

  Hell, maybe he could learn to love Vegas buffets.

  He offered his arm to his wife and she took it with a wicked grin.

>   It was the first time that Tate Colter had ever entered a gigantic cheap buffet with a huge smile on his face, but it definitely wasn’t the last.

  Tate ended up being very happy with the arrangement, and never again complained after their wedding night, and Lara making it up to him. Eating the bad, mass-produced food had been more than worth it considering what he got in return.

  Travis wasn’t exactly bemoaning his fate either, because Ally had been to the same lingerie store as Lara.

  They were back at another buffet late the next morning, both men armed with antacids and a huge grin on both of their faces. Both men looked very eager to make any sacrifices required to keep their wives happy after a very good night.

  Tate had learned very early in his marriage that sometimes compromise was well worth the reward. His wedding night had been spectacular, but the greatest prize in their bargain was very simple: seeing his wife smile.

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  Books by J. S. Scott:

  The Billionaire’s Obsession Series:

  The Billionaire’s Obsession

  Heart Of The Billionaire

  The Billionaire’s Salvation

  The Billionaire’s Game

  Billionaire Undone

  Billionaire Unmasked

  Billionaire Untamed

  The Sinclairs:

  The Billionaire’s Christmas

  No Ordinary Billionaire

  The Forbidden Billionaire

  The Vampire Coalition Series:

  The Vampire Coalition: The Complete Collection

  Ethan’s Mate

  Rory’s Mate

  Nathan’s Mate

  Liam’s Mate

  Daric’s Mate

  The Sentinel Demons:

  A Dangerous Bargain

  A Dangerous Hunger

  The Curve Collection: Big Girls And Bad Boys