“I wish that someone would have given me that advice when I was your age. Maybe then I wouldn’t have lost so many years with the woman that I love.”
“We had a pregnancy scare a few weeks ago. It’s so funny. When she told me that she was late, all I could do was hope that she wasn’t pregnant. And then the test was negative and she got her period and all I could think about was how I wished that it had gone the other way.”
My baby brother is finally growing up. He’s becoming a real man.
“Does she want to marry you?”
“Aye.”
“I like Nessa. She’s a good girl, and I think she would make a fine wife for you.”
“A commitment like marriage is scary as fuck.”
“Marriage isn’t scary. Losing the woman you love? That’s terrifying.”
Kenrick looks over at the barmaids’ station. “I don’t like the brothers looking at her. And I want to choke the fuck out of them when they touch her. But I can’t say anything because we’re flying below the radar.”
“Been there, done that, and it sucks.”
“I’m doing it to save Nessa from being labeled.”
“Believe me, I get it.” More than you could possibly understand.
“Are you and Lorna planning to make some kind of announcement?”
“Clear your calendar. Sin and Bleu are having an engagement party for us at their house on Tuesday night.”
“That’s good. It’s best if the brothers hear the news in a sanctioned setting.”
A sanctioned setting? “What does that mean?”
“Our leaders are giving you and Lorna their blessing, and the brothers will have no choice but to respect that.”
“The brothers will have no choice but to respect our marriage regardless of the way we announce it.”
“I’m not saying it’s right, but a lot of the brothers think that her position here gives them the right to treat her the way they like. Having the event at our leader’s house will show everyone that they support your union and that they expect others to as well.”
Kenrick has a good point.
“Lorna wants to come back to work at Duncan’s.”
“I miss working with her. She ran a tight ship when she was here, but do you think it’s a wise decision to let your wife work in the pub? You can kind of be a hothead sometimes.”
No shite.
“I don’t think it’s wise at all. I know the brothers and how they see any woman who’s employed here. And that’s why I told her that she won’t work here after we’re married.”
“What did she say to that?”
“‘We’ll see.’ She believes she’ll change my mind but she’s wrong.”
“I don’t blame you for feeling that way. Although I do have to say that she looks like she should be managing a ritzy club instead of this pub in that outfit that she’s wearing.”
Black button-down blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt. Black tights. Black heels. Hair twisted into a tight bun. She’s pure sophistication with confidence oozing from every pore. She certainly doesn’t look like the woman who only a year ago was slinging drinks in this pub while wearing a short kilt and tight white button-down.
This woman looks like a wife and mother.
A sexy wife and mother.
“Your favorite customers just walked in.”
I turn and look at the front entrance. Neil Rutherford and Ross Underwood. “I think those two come in here with the sole goal of chapping my arse.”
And those fuckers are always successful.
“Yours isn’t the only arse that they chap. They fuck with Nessa every time they come in here. I’m just waiting for the day that they take it too far and I blow up on their arses.”
Kenrick looks in the direction of the barmaid station. He shakes his head from side to side slowly and mouths, “No.”
Wise move to instruct Nessa to not serve them except that leaves Lorna or Kyla at their mercy.
“I won’t let them fuck with Lorna.”
I leave the bar, heading straight for the barmaids’ station. “Hey, come here for a minute.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t serve Neil and Ross. Kyla can take them.”
Lorna’s head tilts. “You want me to give her another table while I take nothing?”
“You know how those fuckers are.”
“I do and that’s why I can’t let her take them on top of what she already has.”
“Lorna, this isn’t a request. I mean it. Don’t serve them.”
“I’m not doing that to her, Leith.”
Here we go with the hardhead shite.
“If they fuck with you, there’s going to be a brawl.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a big girl and I know how to take care of myself. I learned a long time ago how to handle them.”
“It’s me who can’t handle them fucking with you.”
Lorna reaches up and strokes her thumb over my cheek. “They’re assholes and always will be but they’re your brothers. They’re going to keep coming into this drinking hole whether you like it or not. And it’s their right to do so until they do something to deem being told that they can’t anymore.”
“Woman, you are so fucking stubborn. Are you always going to defy me?”
“Probably, so it might be a good idea for you to start getting used to it.”
“Fuck, Lorna.”
“You love how stubborn I am and you know it.”
“I don’t and I’m going to show you how much I don’t when we’re alone.”
“Are you going to spank me?” she whispers.
“Chances are very good.”
“Promise?”
“I might do it right now.”
“Can’t. I have customers to tend.”
Bloody hell.
She turns and walks toward Neil and Ross’s table, and I know in my gut that something bad is going to happen. It isn’t possible for this to go well with those two.
Kenrick’s laughing when I return behind the bar. “She may be your fiancée, but I can see that some things haven’t changed.”
“Still stubborn as a damn mule.”
“She’s not afraid of them. I’ll give her that.”
“She always has had balls bigger than either of them.” That’s my Lorna.
A villain’s grin—that’s what I think of when I see Neil look up at Lorna. That smile alone is enough to make me want to go over the bar after him.
“He’d better not touch her.”
“Please don’t do anything stupid. This place looked like a disaster site the last time that you brawled with them.”
“My next move is entirely dependent upon what Neil decides to do.”
Lorna turns and comes to the bar. “Two Dark Island Reserves.”
I place a glass beneath the spout and pull the dispensing lever. “What did he say to you?”
“‘I’ll have a Dark Island Reserve.’ And he also said ‘What are the lunch specials for today?’”
“That’s all?”
“Yes. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Aye, with him it is.”
Kenrick places his hands on the bar and lifts his body, leaning forward to kiss the side of Lorna’s face. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Kenny.”
“I’ve always thought of you as a big sister. I guess now you really will be one.”
“Such a sweet thing to say.”
“You’ve always been family anyway. This just makes it official.”
“Damn right it does.” I push two ales across the bar to Lorna. “Your drinks, wife-to-be.”
“Thank you very much, husband-to-be.”
I watch Lorna take the ales to Neil and Ross, and I’m sitting on ready if those bastards step out of line with her. But they don’t. She leaves their drinks and walks away from their table untouched and without dispute. And I can’t believe my fucking eyes.
“They didn’t pull any shite with
her. What the fuck’s up with that?” It’s impossible for me to believe that they wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to fuck with her after she was gone for so long.
“I don’t know, bro. Maybe it’s the outfit? She looks professional.”
“You seriously think an outfit would keep them from acting like assholes to her?”
“I’m not sure but if that’s it, I need to get something like it for Nessa.”
“Hey, titty police!” Neil calls out.
Well fuck. I rushed to judgment.
“Shite,” Kenrick says.
“What, Neil?”
“I’d like to personally thank you for bringing back my favorite barmaid. Although I’d prefer her wearing her old outfit.”
“You don’t get a preference where my fiancée is concerned.”
He laughs. “Your fiancée?”
“Aye. We’re getting married next month.”
“I hadn’t heard.”
“You’ll be receiving an invitation to our engagement announcement party.”
“Then congratulations are in order.” He stands and holds up his glass of ale. “Here’s to Leith Duncan—a brother who has managed to convince The Fellowship’s biggest dick tease to be his wife. I must admit that I’m a wee bit jealous. I always thought that I would eventually get between her legs.” He sucks air between his teeth. “But who knows? She’s not your wife yet. There’s still time.”
“Ohh fuck. Here we go,” Kenrick says.
One might say that I leap over the bar. Another could argue that it’s more like a lunge, but no one can debate what my next move is.
My clenched hand slamming into Neil’s face feels good. It’s so fucking satisfying to feel the give behind my fist and hear the sound of breaking his nose, the same bone that I broke not so long ago.
Fuck, yeah. There’s nothing else in the world like it. But it’s not enough. I punch his face again, and I’m less satisfied this time since I don’t immediately disfigure his jaw.
“Leith!”
I hear Lorna’s voice but I can’t compute the words that follow my name. There’s a disconnection between my ears and brain. And it’s called vengeance.
No one talks shite about her. Ever.
My arm burns and it’s difficult to maintain the hold around Neil’s throat. I’m losing traction because it’s wet and slick beneath my grip.
Red.
Blood.
Lots of it.
Is that coming from me? From Neil? What the fuck happened?
“Stop, Leith. Let go. You’re bleeding.”
I don’t want to stop. I want to keep choking Neil until he’s dead.
“Look at me, Leith.” Lorna’s hands grip my face, and she forces me to look at her. “Eyes on me. Stop. You’re bleeding a lot. You have to let me put pressure on it.”
I look down and see the blood rhythmically gushing from a wide gash on the inside of my inner arm near my wrist.
Fuck, that looks bad.
I release my hold on Neil and he falls to the floor. I’m not sure if he’s breathing. I don’t give a fuck if he’s not.
Lorna tightly wraps a bar towel around my wound and within three blinks the white cloth is turning red.
“Give me your belt, Kenny.”
She wraps the strip of leather around my arm until it’s tight.
“Should we call Jamie?” Kenrick says.
“Oh yeah. Tell him we’re on the way to the infirmary because Leith needs stitches. A lot of them.”
I feel a wee bit woozy on the way to the car.
“God, you look pale. Do you feel okay?”
“I’ve felt better.”
Lorna reaches for the handle before me and opens the passenger door. “In you go, brawler.”
“I can drive.”
“I’m sure you can, and I’m also sure that you need to keep that arm still and hold that belt in place around that cut so you don’t bleed out.”
I think she’s being a little dramatic. “I’m not going to bleed out.”
“You sure aren’t. At least not on my watch.”
No need to argue with her. I can see that she isn’t going to let me win this one. And it’s not really even worth the debate. “Fine.”
This reminds me of another time when Neil and I fought. Broke his nose that time too. “This feels like déjà vu.”
“Your brawling with Neil seems to be becoming a habit. It hasn’t been that long since he cut you.”
“Neil didn’t cut me last time. I cut myself.”
Lorna briefly looks away from the road. “What?”
“Neil and I fought because I was defending your honor. I beat his arse but didn’t have a scratch on me. I knew you wouldn’t come to the infirmary to check on me if I wasn’t injured. So I injured myself.”
“You shithead. You duped me.”
“Yes, I did. And it worked.” She even beat me to the infirmary and had to wait for me to arrive.
“You cut yourself and then had the gall to ask me to drive you home. Of course, I said yes because I felt so bad that you had been injured on my account.”
“Sin and Jamie told me that I should put the alpha moves on you that night. And I was going to. Mate you don’t know how close I was to grabbing you and kissing the fuck out of you. But I panicked last minute and couldn’t do it. I was afraid that pulling a stunt like that might make things worse.”
“That’s why you sat in my car for so long before getting out?”
“Aye.”
“To save face I might have acted like I didn’t, but I wanted you to kiss me that night.”
“Well, I would have if I’d known.” I probably would have done a lot more than kiss her.
“You never have to second-guess it again; I will always want you to kiss me.”
“Same.”
“I’m sorry this happened.”
“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do this.”
“You told me to let Kyla serve them because you knew something like this would happen. And you were right. I should have listened to you.”
“It’s okay. Just means that you have a spanking coming to you, lass.”
She giggles. “Do I now?”
“You do.”
“A spanking. Mmm, maybe I should make a habit of not listening to you.”
“I suppose you could. Or you could reap the benefits of being an obedient wife.”
“I think I should try both and see which I like better.”
Either way I get my hands on her. “That can be arranged.”
Chapter 10
Lorna Frazier
Fifteen sutures, some of them internal.
Leith’s injury was serious. I didn’t realize how severe it was until Jamie removed the towel, and I saw the flesh that should have been covered by his skin. The gore of it was enough to make me lightheaded.
“You must be in pain.” Leith wouldn’t take pain pills or any kind of shot to numb his arm. I don’t understand why brothers do that. Going through pain proves nothing.
“It doesn’t feel great.”
“Are you sure that you want to go to your mum’s now? You just got fifteen stitches.” Shouldn’t he be resting or something?
“Kenrick can hold down the place for a little longer.”
Word about our engagement will probably spread since Leith fought Neil over me. I certainly wouldn’t want her to hear about our engagement from anyone else. “You’re right.”
Leith stops his SUV in front of his childhood home and leans over, pressing a sweet, soft kiss to my mouth. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s go make my mum’s day.”
Jenny can usually be found in her favorite rocker in the reception room but not today.
“Mum?”
“Be right there, a bhobain,” Jenny calls out.
A bhobain. Darling rascal. I giggle to myself when I hear Jenny’s endearment for Leith. Hearing that name brings such warm and wonderful memories to the forefront of my mind. And the name is
still so fitting: Leith was, and still is, a rascal. A darling one.
Jenny comes into the reception room and stops when she sees Leith and me. “You’re together. Has something happened?”
“Yes, Mum. Something wonderful. Lorna and I have recently…” Leith stops and looks at me, a smile growing on his face. “We’ve reconnected.”
Jenny brings both of her hands to her mouth and smiles behind them. “I’ve never known what happened between you, but I always knew that the two of you would one day come back to each other.”
“Leith said nearly the exact same thing.”
“Because I’ve been telling him that for years. Now you see that I was right?”
“You were right, Mum.”
“It’s been the same since you were children. Leith would go off to play with Sin and Jamie, but he’d never stay gone for long. He’d always find a reason to come back to check on you, even if only for a minute, just to let you know that he hadn’t forgotten about you.”
“That sounds just like Leith.”
Considerate. Thoughtful. Attentive. Those were the qualities that always drew me to him even before we became lovers. And after we became lovers? I craved alone time with him on a different level. And he didn’t disappoint. He was the generous lover that I knew he’d be, and that kept me coming back for more.
God, how I wish that I’d never involved Sin and Jamie.
Jenny comes to me and places her hands on my face. “A leanbh, nothing makes me happier than seeing you and Leith together again.”
A leanbh. Little one. She gave me that name when I was born because I came early and was so small. She’s called me that ever since.
“Being with Leith again makes me happy too.”
“Let’s sit down; we have more to tell you.” Leith slides his hand inside of mine. “Lorna and I are more than friends. I’ve loved her for years.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“Of course. A mother can see when her son has fallen in love. I knew that you loved Lorna before you knew.”
That sounds just like Jenny. Always so intuitive.
“You’re meant to be together. Lorna is your past, present, and future. It doesn’t matter what happens between you, good or bad, she will always be in your heart. There isn’t a woman on this earth who will ever be able to take her place because she’s ingrained within your soul. She is your intended, and you are destined to be together forever.”
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