“I’m yours! I under—” She screamed, a short, sharp punch of sound as I slammed into her. Reaching around again, I grabbed the whole of her in my palm and squeezed gently.
“Mine.” We finished together in another hard, fast stroke, with me bending to curl my body over hers and try to still her violent trembling in the aftermath. Then I stood, and with our bodies still connected, I took her left hand and slid the ring she had discarded back on it. “I love you, Emery Bishop. And I’m sorry, but I don’t plan on quitting any time soon.”
She curled her hand into a fist. “I’m still mad at you.”
I dropped a light kiss on her lips. “I’d be worried if you weren’t. C’mon, then.”
Emery was subdued as we reentered the pub. We stopped in the doorway of King’s office, where Kael straightened from where he was leaning over his father’s desk. “Everything all right, then?” King asked, flashing Emery’s mussed hair a knowing glance.
“’Tis,” I answered easily, my hands on Emery’s shoulders. She was nervous around King, which showed her intelligence. No keen observer of behavior or psychology would be at ease around the man once he’d turned his icy stare in their direction. She surprised me by sliding loose of my grasp and crossing the floor to stand before him.
“I owe you my thanks,” she said. “And an apology.”
King arched an eyebrow. “How so?”
“I was rude out there. I didn’t know what was going on, but I could have handled myself with a little more dignity considering the outcome. I’m sorry.”
After a second of stunned surprise, King inclined his head. “Aye, well, you didn’t know what the outcome was going to be, which was the point. No apology needed.” With a nod of acceptance, she started back to me. King stopped her with her name on his lips and she half-turned to face him. “Miss Bishop?”
“Yes?”
“I can’t promise Brodie here won’t have some discipline coming his way. But welcome to the family.”
A smile broke out across her face. “Thank you.”
After saying my good-byes to Kael, Donegal, and the other lads around the pub, I led Emery back to the car. We’d stay at the apartment I kept here overnight, where I’d explain the rest of our plan, and then we’d move on to the next step.
Retribution.
