Kaleb (Samuel's Pride Series) (10 page)

“I’m not a great prize.”
He laughed. “I’m serious. I’m messy when I’m working. I forget to eat sometimes. I shower when I think about it, but most of the time I just change my shirt and get back to work. There are times when I will snap at you for no reason, then find a corner to cry in until I can come and tell you I’m sorry. Then I’ve got this—”

He pressed his hand gently over her
mouth and smiled at her. “Is that a yes? Because none of that matters to me. When you forget to eat, I’ll make you something and bring it to you. I have a staff to clean up after us, so that’s not really a hardship. In fact I think they’d love to have someone to clean up after. I’m seldom home anymore, and they’re bored, frankly. I’ll scrub your back when you need a shower, and the rest? We’ll figure it out as we go.”

“Do I get a ring?” Laughing
, he told her he’d buy her whatever she wanted. “I don’t want a diamond. I like them and all, but they’re too flashy. I’m not a flashy sort of woman.”

“No, you’re not. You
’re more of a…opals to match the creaminess of your skin, emeralds to go with the temper I’ve seen you have, and sapphires to compete with the fire in your eyes when I make love to you...kind of woman.” Jimmy cleared his throat, and Kaleb looked up at him. “You have to get your own ring. I’m taken.”

“We’re at the hospital.
And so you know, I’m stealing the line about the gems and stuff. Gab will eat that up. And with her hormones all over the place right now, she might let me hold her without bursting into tears.”

Kaleb waited until his friend got out
of the car before he spoke again. Looking down at his one and only true love, he fell deeper in love with her. “I have to tell you what else you’re going to be able to do now that we’re mated. The witch that I helped that day gave me so much power that you’re going to be someone to contend with.” She nodded and sat up. “Did you ever tell me yes?”

“Yes. I’ll marry you. But there are conditions.”
Before she could start on her no doubt long list, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Just touching her, having her skin so close to his, had his cock thicken to be deep inside of her.

“When we’re finished here
, I’m going to take you back to our home and take you to the woods. There are so many ways I want to make love to you, and my beast wants his share of your sow.” Her moan made him growl. “You’re going to love being fucked as my bear.
”

“
You’ve called me that before. A sow...what is that?” He pulled her into his lap to kiss her. But she pulled back to make him answer her.

“A female bear.
I’m a boar. And any children we have will be called a sow, too, or a cub. And though we normally do not run in groups, a group of bears is called a sloth.” He rocked his hips upward and into her soft folds. “I want you right now.”

Nodding
, she laid back, and he took her to the seat. He tried to be careful of her clothing, but his need was too much. Buttons flew all over the back seat and floorboard as he tore at her shirt. When her breasts were naked, he took one into his mouth and suckled hard.

His shirt came up his back
, and he sat up just long enough for her to pull it the rest of the way off. Taking her mouth again, he worked his hand down the back of her pants and pulled her bared ass up so he could rock into her again and again. Finally, he had to sit up and pull her pants off. But before he could taste her, like he really needed to do, she was tearing his pants open. Reaching for her to take her, he threw back his head when she took his cock into her mouth.

“Christ, you’re good at this.” Kaleb fucked her mouth as she took him deeper and deeper into her mouth. When she cupped his balls and gave them a small twist
, he nearly came right then. But he wanted to be inside of her when he did. Lifting her up off his cock, he pulled her into his lap and took her breast again. Letting it go with a small pop, he stared into her eyes.

“I’m going to mark you again, all right?” She moaned and nodded.
Lifting her breasts for him, he pulled the tip into his mouth and nipped. “We need to ride in bigger cars.”

“We need to learn
constraint.” He smiled at her and lifted her over him. “I want you inside of me so badly all I can think of is you stretching me.”

Lowering her slowly
, he couldn’t help but marvel at the way her face changed with each inch. Every time she rocked forward, he rolled his hips up and down for several seconds until he couldn’t take it anymore. When she was settled over him, his cock buried as deep as he could go, she started rolling her hips over him, riding him with slow, strong strokes.

“I’m going to come this way.” He grabbed her hips as she spoke in breathless puffs of words. “I’m not going to wait for you to come with me because if I did
, you’d take too long and I want my release now.”

“I’ll come when you do.” He cupped her ass
, bringing her clit to his groin. “You’re so tight around me when you start to strangle me with your climax, I’ve no choice but to follow you.”

Her scream startled him.
Kaleb felt her body milk him as she held onto him as he watched her come. Rolling her to her back, he moved in and out of her until she came three more times. He loved this about her, her ability to make him feel like the best lover in the world. And she was all his. This time he moved his mouth to her pounding pulse and snapped his teeth into her flesh.

His own release nearly took his breath away. He knew he was close
, but the way his climax took him, he felt as if his entire body was involved. Even his hair seemed to ache to fill her. His balls filled again almost immediately. When he lifted his head, she looked at him, and he saw her sow there. Tilting his neck, he cried out again when she bit him deeply, taking more of him inside of her. Coming in her again, he knew that this time was different, this time they’d bonded on a level that even he didn’t understand.

He held her to his body as she licked the wound closed.
Realizing that he needed to do the same for her, he raised his head enough to swipe his tongue over her and was startled by the taste. Looking down at her, he frowned.

“
Something is different.” She nodded but said nothing. “What are you feeling right now? I mean other than like the most sated woman in the world.”

Her laughter took some of the worry off him but not entirely.
When she closed her eyes, he knew that she was taking inventory of herself, and he did the same. He felt different to himself as well. Checking in with his beast, he found him to be content as if he’d just had sex with her as well. That had never happened to him before.

“I feel like my bear, my sow
, is not clawing at me. Like she’s been laid, too.” He nodded, holding his breath. “But there’s something more here. Not just the sow but…like I have several people…no, not people, but several animals inside of me now and not just the one. And they’re all acting like they’d fucked all night.”

“Me too.” Sitting up
, he pulled her with him so that she was on his lap and not over him. While she pulled on her pants, he tried to think what this meant. Nothing, not a thing came to mind. “I don’t know what happened to us.”

“Are we in trouble?”
He assured her that they were not. “Then let’s go and see if Kennedy has popped that kid. I’m pretty sure no one will know what we’ve been up to, and I, for one, feel really good.”

He didn’t have the heart to tell her that everyone would know just what they’d been doing in the back seat of Jimmy’s car
, and not only that, he had a feeling that Samuel might know what else happened. Kaleb almost wanted to convince Thor to go home with him, but knew that just prolonging this wasn’t going to change the outcome.

Getting his own pants on, he went to the trunk and gave her one of his shirts. It looked like a dress on her
, but he smiled. He would have to buy her an entire store of clothes if they couldn’t learn to control themselves. When she leaned against the wall of the elevator a few minutes later, he decided that buying her new clothes all the time was a small price to pay to have her whenever he wanted. Life was suddenly very rosy.

Chapter 10

Ansell hung up the phone and sat there for several minutes. He tried his best to calm his mind
, but the fucking cunt was still out there. And as soon as he could, he was going to kill her and Sweeney, then flee the country. He was nearly ready to go now. The soft knock at his door had him bark for the person to enter, and he looked at his butler of fifty-some years.

“Mr. Sweeney is here, my
lord. He said he wishes to speak to you.” Dewitt turned his nose up before continuing. “I do believe he’s been rolling in something unpleasant. He reeks of animal.”

Ansell wasn’t concerned with the other man’s smell
, but he did tell Dewitt not to let him sit on any furniture. If he stank, which Ansell had no doubt he did, there was no sense in him leaving his odor around for him to have to smell. Telling him to leave him in the main hall, Ansell picked up the house phone.

The man at the other end didn’t speak when the line was connected. There was no need for communication between them.
When Ansell called him, he knew what he had to do. And Sweeney was going to be his next job.

Simply putting down the phone
, he stood up. The Thornton woman was next. And when she was gone, so was he. There was no point in waiting around for whoever she might have told about him to come looking. Time to move on and upward, Ansell always said about any forced moves. He’d already made his arrangements with his plane and his money.

Things had been going on here for longer than any place he’d ever been. He supposed that most of it had to do w
ith having Sweeney nearly worship him. The man would have done anything for him, but for this one failure. And now he had to go. Ansell had learned over the years to never leave anyone behind. The house would have to go as well. Burning it to the ground with the dynamite he had placed throughout the entire foundation would ensure that no one would find one scrap of evidence that he’d ever been there.

He hated to leave
, but it was a way of life for him. Ansell had already set up his next house and staff; the only one going with him was Dewitt. A movement across the lawn had him stiffen, but he realized it was his man coming to do his part in his job to rid himself of Sweeney. Ansell knew that he had one more day to find and bring her to him, but Ansell had heard about the incident at the house of Samuel Payne, and he knew as surely as he was standing there that Thornton wasn’t going to come to him easily. Time to cut losses and go.

He
didn’t pick up the phone when it rang. After the first ring, silence filled the room. His man, a man whose name he didn’t know, was in place. Now all he had to do was open the doors to the terrace and invite Sweeney in. But not quite yet.

He’d had the woman, Thornton
, looked into before this. She’d been a model cop and had done things in her short life that would have impressed even him had she not been what she was. Head of the Secret Service for several years, she’d kept the president at the time from being killed twice and had been present when he’d been sworn in, as well as the next president who took his place after eight years. She’d been the lead on several homicides that had put her front and center in the paper, but she’d remained aloft during the trials, even going so far as to only come to the court house when her time to be a witness required her to. Once she’d started working for Sweeney, Ansell wondered why she wasn’t the captain, as she was much more suited to the job than Sweeney ever would be on his best day. But she’d been looked over. Or so he’d thought.

A look into her records, the ones that Sweeney had gotten
, stated that she’d had no desire to be anything more than a detective. Never wanted to be in the limelight, as she’d called it. Her days as front man were over, and she was content to be the one who worked hard for her checks; she didn’t want the big job. He was both saddened by the potential that she could have given the smallish town and glad for the fact that he would not have lasted as long as he had. Ansell both admired and hated her.

And now he knew where she was at every moment.
It had cost him a great deal, but the man who now followed her every movement answered only to him. Ansell needed only to give the word and she’d be as dead as Sweeney was going to be very soon. Sitting back at his desk, he rang for Dewitt. Within seconds, Sweeney was brought in.

“She’s running amok.
I can’t tell you how many men she has at her beck and call.” When Sweeney started to sit, Ansell raised his hand. “Something wrong?”

“
Yes, you reek. What the hell have you been into? You smell like…Christ, you smell like wet dog and piss at the same time.” Ansell stood up and moved to the doors and opened them. “Let’s take this outside so you don’t smell up my house.”

He stepped out first and nodded once. It was the signal needed for his man to take whatever shot he needed to take Sweeney out.
Once the cop stepped out onto the deck, he dropped to his knees almost immediately. Blood poured from his chest and forehead. When he dropped the rest of the way, falling to his face, Ansell leaned back against the railing and stared at him as he bled out. One down and one to go.

“You should have done what you were told.”
Ansell knew that he couldn’t hear him, but he continued anyway. “Now you’re going to be with the rest of the staff when the house goes up. They’ll find your body, no doubt, but there won’t be too much left of you when it goes.”

Ansell saw the man move away
, but neither of them spoke. He’d move on now, having been paid in advance. If he ever needed him again, he’d have to go through the hotline and jump through what felt like a thousand hoops to get him to come wherever he was again, but it would be well worth it. Ansell had actually contemplated having him take out Thornton, but he wanted to do her himself. He wanted to watch her as she realized he was the one who was going to kill her.

As soon as he went back into the house
, he called Dewitt. Simply telling him it was finished, Ansell knew that when he looked out onto the decking again, there would be no sign that anyone ever lost their life there. And any blood stain there would be gone as well. Nothing to ever let anyone know that Lyod Sweeney ever existed. Just the way Ansell liked it. He had thought to leave him as part of the dead already there, but he’d reconsidered, deciding instead to move him away from the house. He was afraid if they found a cop there then they might dig deeper into what had happened. Ansell did not want anyone digging into his life any deeper than he allowed. He really needed to get gone and now.

Turning to his computer
, he contacted the man watching Thornton. When he came online, Ansell wanted to tell him to take her now, but he wanted her to find out that Sweeney was dead first. And when she did, he was sure she’d try to run. Smiling, he thought of her trying to get away from him, and decided this was the best plan he’d had in a while. Taking out his informant as well as the cunt Thornton was nearly too much fun. But he’d love every minute of it.

“She’s still at the hospital with that Payne family. I think
the Payne woman is about to birth her kid.” Ansell cringed when he thought of a child. There was very little that he hated more than small creatures, and infant ones made him positively ill. “She and a bevy of men are standing in the waiting room with some other chick. I can take them all if you want. No extra charge. They’re a fucking bunch of rich dicks with nothing more to do with their time than fuck and spend money.”

Ansell smiled.
He knew that Ernie Couch hated the rich and actually found it to be entertaining at times, but right now he had him wait. “I might have you take out a couple more before this is all over…depends on how much anyone of them will miss her. But I’m thinking she might just be a piece of ass for Jonas and nothing much more.”

“Whatever you say
, but I’m thinking there is more to this than that. He can’t seem to stop touching her. Kind of sickening. He kisses her neck, and she nearly comes all over him. The other chick, too. Some big guy has his hand on her thigh right now, and I’m just waiting for him to drop before her and suck her pussy. Might just happen yet.” Ansell was surprised to know that Ernie was so close to them that he could see that much, but impressed that he’d taken it upon himself to see that he was. “There’s a woman here, too, in a wheel chair. She seems to be some sort of big deal to them all. Nearly foaming at the mouth to do her every call.”

“That would be Payne’s mother.
But don’t touch her even if I tell you to take the rest. She and I have a history.” Not that Ansell wanted to have to admit it, but Summer Payne had saved his life once. And for that alone, he’d spare her. At least until she did something to anger him. Then she’d be just as gone.

He’d been ten and his father was on a drunken rampage again. But when he drew back the tree branch to hit him with it, Summer had stopped him
by standing over Ansell’s nearly lifeless body and telling his dad to back off. By then he’d lost so much blood that Ansell knew he was dead. When he’d woken in the hospital a few days later, he’d tried to find the pretty woman. But her husband, an abusive prick like his own dad, had forbidden him to see her. It was years later that he heard that her husband had beaten her and her son more than Ansell’s own father had beaten him.

“Stick with
Thornton. I want her to find out that her boss is done.” Ernie laughed and said he was glad it was finished. “He came here smelling like dog. Do you know why?”

“
Not why he’d smell like dog, but she did rough him up a bit. Her and that man of hers. Some other man bobbed his head on the car hood a couple of times, but there weren’t any animals around.” Ernie laughed. “Could be he likes fucking them. His wife sure hated him for some reason.”

“She was a bitch and was trying to get more than she deserved.”
Ernie had taken her out two days ago, when it had become apparent that Sweeney had fulfilled his usefulness. She would be a part of the house when it blew, as she was already set up in the basement to be found with a few others he’d cultivated. “Call me when there are any developments. And try to see if you can record her reaction when she finds out about Sweeney. I really wish I could see that.”

Ansell closed the connection and sat back. Time was running short now
, and he had a lot of things to do. Going to the kitchen to find Dewitt, he asked to speak to him. Within ten minutes, he knew the plan of leaving. Both of them would be gone within minutes of Thornton being killed. Ansell went to his room to gather what he wanted to take with him. Not too long now.

~~~

Kennedy held her little boy and clung to her husband’s hand with her free hand. The little bugger had picked a fine day to be having for his birth. She looked up at Samuel when he squeezed her hand.

“I’m supposing you want to hold him.”
Samuel laughed. “I’ll be handing him over to you but for now, I’m bonding with him. He’s a mite on the tiny side, don’t you think?”

“He’s perfect.” Kennedy grinned at the nurse who was standing close by.
“You’ve done a good job there, Mrs. Payne. Healthy little cub to take after the two of you.”

“He’ll be big and strong
, too.” Kennedy had fallen in love with her son the moment he’d been put to her chest. And when he nursed right away, she’d felt as if the entire world could go to hell and she’d be just fine. She looked up at Samuel when he continued. “When do you want to call the others in?”

She wanted to tell him never but knew that wouldn’t go over well. Her
seanmháthair
would be very upset with her if she tried that. Looking at her son again, she spoke softly to Samuel.

“We’ve yet to single out a name.
What do we call him for the rest of his life? Boyo? How about
ár gcuid mac
?” She told him it meant
our son
when he asked. “I’m thinking we’re to name him before they come in.”

“I’ve been thinking on that as well. And I know that naming him for my father is simply out of the question
, but naming him for yours is something I’d very much like to do.” She looked at him and felt tears fill her eyes. “Kendal Samuel Payne is what I had in mind. We can call him Kendal or Kenny if you’d like.”

“Kendal please. My father…he’d be proud of him.
And of ye. Said that any man who tamed me would have his vote. Wish he’d been around to meet you. I do.” Handing him his son, she watched as pride and love filled his face. This man above all others she’d known had given her the world. She wanted to give him some of it back. “There’s something you should know. About the estate in my homeland. I was contacted several weeks ago about the sale of the town just over. If you’re a mind to sign the contracts, I’ve made a purchase for us. And if you’ve a heart for it, I’d like to have Michael take over the running of it when he comes of age and is done with his education.”

Her sister Kaitlin was wedded now as well
, and she and her husband were expecting their first child. Kaitlin was now running the general store with Daniel back in Ireland, too. She missed them both so much. The two of them were as happy as could be, and were coming here once they’d birthed their own child. Kennedy told Samuel it was time to let the others meet their child.

Her
seanmháthair
was the first to hold him. Samuel handed Kendal off to her as soon as she walked into the room. While his mom looked on greedily, Kennedy realized how very lucky she’d come to be. Wiping at the tears, she looked at Summer when she handed her a tissue.