Page 25 of My Orc Contract Husband (Eastshore Isle #9)
No, that’s not why I’d married her. That might have been the reason I’d started down this path, but that’s not why I’d agreed to her suggestion. I’d married Sami Shayson because I liked her, and because she needed me.
And at some point in the last few weeks, I’d fallen in love with her. In love with my wife.
So I lifted Montgomery closer and allowed my tusks to jut out when I growled, “I married her because I love her, you son of a bitch. Love her enough to protect her from greedy bastards like you who don’t even know her, and I love her enough to sign any contract she wants, if it’ll mean keeping her with me. ”
Behind me, Aunt Sharon sighed happily, and I felt Sami’s small hand on the small of my back, although I wasn’t sure if she was supporting me or trying to keep me from accidentally killing Montgomery.
But it was Harper who stepped forward. “ Gentlemen. This will not be solved with violence. Tarkhan, put him down.” She waited until I gently lowered Montgomery and released him.
“Mr. Montgomery, you will come to my office tomorrow afternoon.” She glanced at me.
“Does two work for you? Can you get off work? It’ll give me time to request copies of all the documents we’ll need. ”
Abydos wasn’t going to give a crap if I didn’t show up, so I nodded curtly. Without taking my eyes off Montgomery, I asked, “Sami? Can you reschedule that meeting?”
“You remembered my schedule?” she asked, even as she stepped up to my side. “Yes, I’ll reschedule if it’ll mean coming up with a solution.” She took a deep breath. “And getting you to leave me alone forever , Pierce.”
Montgomery was too busy smoothing down the wrinkles of his suit jacket to even look at her, so I leaned forward.
“Hey, Mr. Montgomery, that’s your limo over there? Why don’t you hop back in it? It’s not like you need to find Sami, you know where she’ll be.”
Finally, he looked up, cold rage burning in his eyes. “And my lawyer will be there as well. I will have control of this company, with or without Samantha’s approval. ”
Sami’s arm slid around my waist, and I pulled her up against my side. Neither of us answered—how could we answer such a threat?—and Montgomery glared at us a bit longer before turning on his heels and stalking toward the waiting vehicles.
It wasn’t until they’d both spun off, spraying dirt and mud in their wake, that I felt Sami exhale. Felt us both relax.
“Oh my God ,” whispered Aunt Sharon. “He’s just as horrible as I remember.”
“He’s not going to bother you again,” I promised, then glanced at Harper, who was glaring after the cars. “Right?”
Before she could answer, Giza cleared his throat. “I wonder, Ms. Sharon, if I could possibly impose upon you?”
When the older woman turned to him, he held out the baby, and Sharon melted.
“Oh, come here, you little angel.” She cradled the baby in her arms. “Oh, you’re making me want to be a grandmother, you know that?
Yes you are! Come on, let’s leave Mommy and Daddy to fix the problems, yeah?
” she cooed as she moved into the shade.
And when she did, Harper threw herself into Giza’s arms. “What a horrible man!”
Humming, her Mate held her, rubbing her back soothingly as he met my eyes. “We can’t underestimate Montgomery. Males like that are used to getting their way because they have money. ”
“Trust me, I know,” said Sami quietly, her hold on me tightening.
“Me too,” Harper announced, taking a deep breath as she straightened. “He looks like he belonged in my mom’s country club.”
Knowing she came from that background and wasn’t going to underestimate Montgomery made me feel better.
“So what can we do?” I asked, my hand spread protectively over Sami’s shoulder. “We don’t have long to come up with a plan.”
“I’ll come up with the plan,” Harper announced. “I’ll email you later with my thoughts. Tomorrow will just be a preliminary meeting, I’m sure, and we can discuss afterward as well. For now, you take your Mate home and pamper her.”
Sami chuckled tiredly, and I felt myself smiling. “Chocolates are— wait. ” My jaw dropped. “ Mate ?”
Giza cocked his head to one side. “You didn’t realize.”
“Oops,” Harper blurted with a wince. “I hope I didn’t ruin the surprise.”
“Mate,” I repeated in a whisper as I turned to stare down at Sami, who clearly didn’t understand.
But I did.
She was my Mate.
Aswan had been right. He’d told me to ask Giza, but it had been obvious to even a human, so how could it be anything but the truth ?
“Mate,” I announced firmly, pulling Sami to me so I could kiss her forehead. “Wife.”
“Me Sami, you Tarkhan,” she announced playfully, poking my side. “What are you going on about?”
“There is a knowing,” I told her gently, repeating what my mother had told me years ago. “You’re not just my wife, Sami. You’re part of me, and I’m part of you.”
Her eyes narrowed, then she glanced at the other couple. “Mates?”
Harper nodded. “It’s why his eyes glow like that. It’s the Mating Heat, and he hasn’t finalized it yet.”
Her Mate slid his arm around her. “When did you learn so much about my people?”
“ Our people,” she corrected, nudging him with her shoulder. “I pay attention to my Mate, and I read books to our daughter.”
“You’ve been reading McIlhenny’s The Customs and Culture of the Orcs ? Zoe said someone checked it out.”
“Oh yes, she loves that her father was an important research source,” Harper explained solemnly.
Giza shook his head. “She’s four months old.”
“Yes, and I can tell by the way she chews on the cover of this one that it’s her favorite.”
Their banter faded into the background, because somehow, the universe had shrunk to include just Sami and me.
My Mate .
I felt her in my chest, nestled next to my Kteer . I knew her scent, I knew her feelings, I knew her dreams. I knew her.
“Mate,” I whispered again in awe.
She pushed herself up on her toes to brush a kiss across my lips and murmured, “Let’s go home.”