Page 9 of Kraken (Hades Abyss MC #4: Mississippi Chapter)
A horn honked outside and I rushed out the door.
Kraken got out and went around to open the passenger side.
He gave me a boost into the truck, then shut the door.
As he passed in front of the headlights, I admired him.
The ink on his arms. The confident way he walked.
Kraken was sexy as hell, and for whatever reason, he wanted me.
“Like what you see?” he asked as he slid behind the wheel.
“Just a little.” I smiled.
Kraken winked and put the truck into gear.
He turned on the radio as we left the compound, a classic rock station.
His choice didn’t surprise me. The fact he knew all the words and could actually sing did, however.
Kraken had an amazing voice as he belted out the lyrics to “Cold as Ice.” When the song changed to “To Be With You,” and he cast glances my way as he sang, I got goose bumps, and some part of me fell for him even harder.
Just when I’d thought he couldn’t get more perfect.
He parked as close to the front of the store as he could and reached for my hand as we walked up to the doors.
It felt… nice. Normal. We got a few looks as we entered the store, but I didn’t care.
I knew Kraken was older than me, and he looked like the kind of guy mommas warn their daughters to avoid. He leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“You’re egging them on,” I whispered.
“Good. They obviously need something to talk about.”
I looked around, feeling as if people were staring at us. “Shouldn’t they be home in bed? It’s late. Like, really late.”
Kraken’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “Baby, last I checked, we’re here shopping late. Why wouldn’t other people be here too?”
When he walked me to the jewelry counter, I tried to back away. He pressed his hand to my lower back, holding me in place. The determination etched on his face told me this was a battle I wouldn’t win. I didn’t know what he was up to, but I didn’t need shiny things.
“Kraken, I don’t need anything from here.”
“Yeah, baby. You do.” He waved over a store associate. The older woman eyed him, then me, clearly disapproving of the fact we were together. If Kraken noticed, he didn’t care. “Which one do you like?”
I looked into the case and realized they were wedding rings. I sagged against him, the fight draining from me. “You’re buying me a wedding ring?”
“Look, I may not have gone about things the right way, but I want the world to know you’re mine. You deserve something better than this store can offer, but I don’t want to wait another second to put a ring on your finger so everyone knows I’m the lucky bastard who goes home to you.”
“Kraken, that’s…” Tears misted my eyes. It was the sweetest thing I’d heard in forever. I scanned the contents of the case. They were all so beautiful, and cost entirely too much. All I needed was a plain wedding band.
“Don’t even think it,” he said.
“What?”
“I see you checking out those bands. Nothing ordinary for my wife. Now which one do you like?” he asked.
The woman cleared her throat. “May I make a suggestion?”
Kraken arched an eyebrow at her. “Depends. Is it your suggestion she leave me for another man?”
The woman snorted. “No. But your wife has small hands, delicate bones. Anything overly large may be overwhelming for her. Unless you want people to see it from space.”
“What rings would you suggest?” I asked.
The woman pulled out three different wedding sets. Each was beautiful, without being flashy. I pointed to the one in the center. “What about this one?”
Kraken took it from the box and slid it over my finger. It was a bit loose, but I loved it. The rings didn’t feel heavy, and I liked the way they looked on my hand.
“We can send them out to be sized,” the woman said. “Shouldn’t take more than thirty days to get them back. Or you can take them to the jewelry shop on Clover. They might be able to do it within a few days.”
“We’ll take them,” Kraken said.
“Do you need a ring as well?” the woman asked.
“Have anything indestructible?”
She put the rings away and locked the cabinet before opening another. The woman pulled out a black band with an inlaid green design and set it on the counter. “Tungsten steel. Popular with men who work with their hands.”
Kraken slipped it on and flexed his hand. “Fits good.”
“You’ll have to pay for the rings here. If your wife wants to wear hers before you get it sized, I can help tighten it a little.” She pulled out a package of what looked like clear rubber pieces. “Just put one of these on the bands.”
Kraken paid for our purchases, then the woman helped me with the rings.
I had to admit, it felt amazing wearing something showing I belonged to him.
The fact he’d wanted a ring too surprised me.
My father had worn a ring, but as a preacher, he’d been a pillar of the community.
Appearances were everything to him. I’d noticed a lot of married men in the congregation didn’t wear one.
A biker seemed like the last person who’d ever want a wedding ring.
Kraken was right. He wasn’t the same as the Sadistic Saints, not even a little.
If my father, a man who preached from the Bible, had the respect of the community, and didn’t abide liars, had sold his own daughter, why couldn’t a man who looked as dangerous as Kraken be sweet and charming?
I’d always thought when I met evil, I’d know it.
With Deuce, it proved true. Everything else, though…
My father looked like a sweet man. He clearly wasn’t. Not even a little.
When we’d finished at the jewelry counter, we got a shopping cart before we started gathering the other things we needed. We went to the baby department to get another package of diapers, more wipes, and some clothes for Ember.
“What about this?” Kraken asked, holding up a pink shorts set with unicorns on the shirt. “Ember would be cute in it.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “She would. Although, I didn’t think you’d pick something so… girly.”
“We have a daughter not a son. Yet . Pink seemed appropriate.”
I took the outfit from him, checked the size, then put it into the cart.
He chose a few more outfits for Ember while I gathered baby shampoo, towels, and anything else she’d need.
Kraken tossed in a rubber duck with a tiara, one of the more expensive thermometers, and anything else that caught his attention.
“Kraken, you’re going to spoil her.”
“Kind of the point.”
He dragged me to the women’s department.
Once he learned my sizes, he started tossing stuff into the cart.
I’d tried to stop him, or slow him down, but he was like a force of nature.
There were far more clothes in the cart than I’d ever owned before, and I didn’t know where he wanted me to put them all.
I’d seen his closet and dresser. There wasn’t much space available in either.
“Think we need another cart,” he said.
“Exactly how much do you plan to buy tonight?”
He ran a hand down his beard. “Everything you need?”
I held up a lacy bra he’d tossed in. “And I need this?”
He smirked. “No. The pretty underthings are purely for my benefit because I have a sexy wife who will look hot as fuck in them.”
“I can’t even be mad at you. The things you say make me feel…” I shook my head. “I can’t put it into words. Special? Yes, you make me feel special, Kraken.”
He pulled me closer and gave me a quick kiss. “You are, baby girl.”
By the time we checked out at the front, he’d filled another cart with a five-drawer chest for my new things, made sure I had no less than four pairs of shoes, and every possible bathroom or makeup item I could ever want.
Although, I’d assured him I didn’t care much for makeup, I did get a few things for times I wanted to dress up.
Kraken loaded the piece of furniture into the bed of the truck and all the bags went into the backseat.
He stopped at a drive-thru on the way back and got milkshakes for us, a treat I hadn’t had in years.
The man beside me wasn’t what I’d expected the first time I saw him.
Deuce had done me a favor when he sent me off with Kraken.
I reached over and placed my hand on his thigh. “You’re amazing.”
He cast a glance my way before focusing on the road again. “I’m just me, baby girl. Only an idiot wouldn’t treat you like the queen you are.”
Yeah, he was pretty perfect, and I knew it wasn’t a matter of if I completely fell for him, but when .