Page 27 of My Orc Contract Husband (Eastshore Isle #9)

Chapter Fifteen

Tarkhan

At two p.m. on Monday, Sami and I showed up at the small office Harper used on Main Street. It wasn’t fancy—just a subdivided section of a larger space—and the other signs on the doors said her neighbors were a start-up chocolatier and an accountant who saw clients two days a week.

It probably wasn’t what Montgomery was used to…hell, if Harper came from that same world, it probably wasn’t what she was used to either. But it was perfect for Eastshore.

I paused, holding the door open for Sami. “You ready?” I murmured.

Her small hand squeezed mine. “As ready as I’ll ever be. You sure you’re willing to be here with me? ”

I snorted. “How could you ask that? You’re not only the woman I love, Sami, you’re my wife . And you’re not only my wife, but you’re my Mate. Do you know what that means?”

When she grinned, I knew she was thinking about last night. And this morning. And the shower we’d taken before noon. “I’m beginning to understand.”

Montgomery could wait; this was more important.

So I stopped and turned her toward the wall, so I could splay my palms against the ugly wallpaper on either side of her shoulders and lean closer to her.

“It means, Mate , that this will work. You and me? We have a future together. That’s no longer in question.

” I loved the way her lips curled softly as her gaze dropped to my lips.

“We will spend our lives together, and Montgomery can’t stop that.

” I leaned closer to nuzzle her temple, inhaling her sweet scent.

“And if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to forget about this meeting, throw you over my shoulder, and take you back home. ”

Her breathing had stuttered, her eyes going wide. I could smell her faint arousal, the most delicious scent in the world. “That sounds…primitive, doesn’t it?”

“My ancestors didn’t let things like society get in the way. We saw a female we wanted, the one we knew was ours, and we carried her off to our cave to claim her until our Kteer was satisfied.”

“And by claim you mean…?” she teased.

“Pleasuring her,” I whispered, my lips against her hair. “Fucking her. Making her scream in ecstasy. ”

The sharp sweet spike of her arousal told me she was remembering last night as well.

“Oh. Well.” She shifted her weight against the wall. “That sounds…lovely. And you think we could do that instead of meeting with Pierce?”

Somewhere in the building, a clock rang the hour, and I sighed, stepping back, giving her room. “No, we should be responsible adults and meet our obligations instead of fucking like animals.”

Her hand landed on my chest and her grin was irreverent when she announced, “I like the way we fuck, Tarkhan.”

With a faint groan, I crushed her to me, certain she could feel my cock pressing against her stomach, despite the fancy dress trousers I’d worn.

As much as I wanted to spend the rest of my life—or hells, just the rest of my week? I wonder if Abydos would care if I called out—pleasuring Sami, right now we needed to focus on this meeting.

We needed to convince Montgomery to leave us both alone forever, and the solution we’d come up with this morning, the one we’d discussed with Harper…it just might work.

Because no matter what, Pierce T. Montgomery wasn’t going to keep me and Sami apart. No matter how much money he had, no matter how much power or important social connections he could claim…he wasn’t going to come between me and my Mate.

Not now .

Not ever.

Sami was mine, and I was hers.

With deep breaths, we stepped into Harper’s office, our hands closed tightly around one another’s, and our hearts certain.

Thank the old gods for this, because the sight of Montgomery—looking smooth as ice in that suit and fancy cufflinks, lounging in a leather chair—and his confident lawyer would have otherwise made me hesitate.

But Harper’s smile was welcoming as she gestured us toward our seats on the other side of the table. “Hi Sami, Tarkhan. You ready?”

I loved that she was being informal for us, setting us at ease. Giza’s Mate was clearly experienced and, from what I’d seen yesterday, ruthless. We were in good hands.

Introductions were made, although I promptly forgot Montgomery’s lawyer’s name. He did, however, launch into a prepared speech about breach of contract and legal mumbo-jumbo that had Sami shifting in her chair. It was clear she wanted to interrupt, but a glance from Harper had her settling.

When the lawyer was finished, Harper hummed thoughtfully and opened the folio in front of her. “As I understand it, the original arrangement was made between Mr. Montgomery and his business partner, Ms. Shayson’s father, when she was seventeen?”

“Yes,” Montgomery cut in smoothly, shifting forward. “That was when I realized what a sexy young woman she was becoming. I decided I would have her after her birthday. ”

I didn’t bother hiding my growl of disapproval, and Harper’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “I’m sure you will agree that a betrothal arrangement between a fifty-year-old man and a child will not hold up in court.”

“The contract wasn’t with her—” Montgomery began, but his lawyer made a slashing motion.

Harper’s grin turned feral. “Exactly. So I’m going to tell you that this will not hold up in court. And before you ask, yes, I’m very experienced in the courtroom, and I will gladly meet you there if that’s where this needs to go. But it would be easier for all of us if we could work it out here.”

“My client would also prefer not to go to court,” the other lawyer admitted stiffly.

“Good. And let me just say that your client is the kind of man I know well.” Harper shifted her attention to the smug older man.

“You see, Mr. Montgomery, I know you. You believe that since you have more money than God, and you know powerful people in high places, you don’t have to worry about things like morals and the law.

Well that’s not going to work here on Eastshore, Mr. Montgomery.

” Her palms flat on the table, she leaned forward, glaring.

“Here we look after our own, and Sami and Tarkhan are definitely our own.”

I could hear Sami’s sigh of relief when Montgomery made a dismissive gesture and looked away, and I almost echoed it.

“We do have a new contract,” the other lawyer began. “One between Samantha’s father and Mr. Montgomery signed only a few days before the former’s death. ”

“Yes, I see it.” Harper didn’t look up from her study of the papers in front of her. “It is, you’ll agree, equally irrelevant. My client is a grown woman, estranged from her father, and he had no right to think he had any claim on her future that way.”

“She was his sole heir,” the lawyer pointed out.

“Which is a different issue,” Harper interrupted smoothly. “Had he wanted Mr. Montgomery to control both halves of the company, he ought to have left his half to his partner.”

“He didn’t need to!” Montgomery declared, slapping his hand against the tabletop. “He left it to his daughter because his daughter was supposed to marry me and combine both halves!”

“And yet, she didn’t.” Harper smiled tightly, tipping her head toward me. “My client chose her husband and as you heard yesterday, is quite happy in her marriage.”

“Marriage to a monster ,” Montgomery scoffed, a sneer on his face as he looked me up and down. “Didn’t even wear a suit to these proceedings. He’ll never fit in my world.”

I felt my own lips curling in amusement. “Buddy, you might think that’s supposed to be an insult but thank you. There’s not a damned thing in your world I want.” My hand closed over Sami’s, which was gripping the arm of the chair. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”

As her fingers twined with mine, I heard a little exhale from my brave little wife. Harper, meanwhile, was flipping through the papers .

“And everything he needs, gentlemen, includes quite a lot of money. See, the estate Sami inherited didn’t just include her father’s half of the company, but property—for instance, his penthouse home—that he personally owned, as well as a significant savings account.”

“I don’t care about any of that,” Montgomery growled.

“Good,” Harper announced, “so we can agree to leave that out of the negotiations.”

“Negotiations?” the other lawyer announced, leaning forward eagerly. Maybe he wanted this to be done as much as I did. “You’re willing to negotiate.”

“Mr. Montgomery wants Ms. Shayson’s half of the company, yes?” Harper’s grin was wolfish. “My client is willing to negotiate.”

“I’m not buying it from her,” Montgomery spat at. “That defeats the purpose! I would have to liquidate most of my holdings to pay?—”

“What it’s worth, yes,” Harper interrupted smoothly. “However…” She turned to Sami and raised a brow.

My Mate took a deep breath and straightened, and my chest nearly burst in pride, seeing her strength.

“Pierce, when I left the city and cut all ties, it was because I didn’t want anything to do with my father, the company, or you. I don’t want my father’s half of your company, and I don’t need your money.”

The older man’s eyes narrowed, looking for the scam. “What are you saying?”

“If you promise to leave me alone for the rest of my life, I will gladly sell you the company for far less than it’s worth.”

“I don’t believe you,” he spat, just as his lawyer shifted in his seat and asked, “How much are you willing to accept, Ms. Shayson?”

Sami took another deep breath and exchanged a glance with me, her fingers tightening on mine. “A hundred thousand.”

“ Dollars ?” Montgomery sputtered. “You want only a hundred thousand for—” His laughter wasn’t nice laughter. “You can’t even buy property for that much!”

“We know,” Sami said with a firm nod. “But a hundred thousand, invested wisely, will be enough to start a scholarship fund for the underprivileged kids here on Eastshore to attend college on the mainland. That’s what we want to do with it.”

Montgomery sputtered into silence as his lawyer took over.