Adored (Masters and Mercenaries #8.5)(43)

He didn’t like the word. It was imprecise, but Laurel was very soft hearted. She would want to hear it. She would want to say it to him and hear it back. He was coming to the point that he would have to use it.

“Charlie told me.” Big Tag stretched and pulled off his sunglasses.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Tag put a hand over his mouth to cover a yawn. “Hey, I woke up to a whiny manheart question and not the sound of two warrior princesses trying to out wail each other. I’m counting it as a win.”

“Okay. I feel better about my life.”

“Yeah, you can for the next seven and a half months or so and then you’re up shit creek, buddy. You going to marry Laurel?”

“I already asked her.” He hadn’t really asked her though. He’d told her he would and in an almost grudging fashion. Not the most romantic of proposals. But what could she expect? If she’d wanted romance, she should have found someone else. “I suppose you knew it was the right time to marry Charlotte because she told you to.”

“Bingo. If I’d had my way we would have simply signed a contract and I would have kept her as my submissive. I would have put a collar around her throat and shown her off at clubs and been very happy.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” It actually sounded kind of perfect. He’d tried marriage. Maybe he and Laurel could try a long-term contract. Once a year they would review and renew it.

“You didn’t let me finish. I would have been very happy until she decided she wanted more.”

“Why does there have to be more? I’ve tried this twice, Tag, and it doesn’t work for me. Still, I’m willing to give it a try for the kid’s sake.”

“Does she know that’s why you’re willing to try?”

He shrugged. “I might have mentioned it. I try to be honest with her.”

Tag frowned, his mouth turning down. “That’s where you’re going wrong. Totally wrong. Honesty is horrible. No wonder she won’t marry you. Hey, but that’s a good thing because you don’t want to get married.”

“You didn’t want to get married either.”

A mysterious smile crooked up the sides of Tag’s face. “Didn’t I? I don’t remember. I’ll have to ask Charlie. Well, the good news is Laurel’s got a whole family around her and once the inevitable happens, she and the kid will be fine.”

This whole conversation was making him antsy. She didn’t need her brother or her sisters to take care of her. She had him. “She’ll be fine because I’ll make sure she’s fine. One way or another.”

Tag gave him a thumbs-up. “Sounds like you know what you’re doing then. No need to worry that you don’t have legal ties to her or the kid. I’m sure it will all work out on its own. That’s the great thing about relationships. They happen on their own with no work or compromise at all. I’m going to go and eat whatever Sean made. He said it was…” Tag yawned again, looking a whole lot like a sleepy lion. “I don’t remember. Meat. It better be meat. I want to put meat in my face before I go back to the office. I’ve got a meeting with some bigwig computer dude to nap through this afternoon. You’ll be fine. Hey, you’re totally used to breakups and stuff.”

What the f*ck was that supposed to mean?

Before he could ask, Liam was rushing into the room. “Mitchell, we need to get over to Laurel’s. It seems there’s been a break-in at her apartment. I got a call from Derek. Lisa was going over to check on the place and found the door open. She called the police and Derek is on his way.”

Thank god Laurel was at work. He rushed out, ready to hurt someone.





“Laurel Daley?”

Laurel looked up from her computer. “Yes?”

She had to stop and do a double take because for a moment, she thought she was looking at Mitchell. It took a few blinks to realize this man was younger, a bit less broad than her Master. He was also far better dressed, a thing she intended to address eventually with Mitch. She had to go slow with her Dom, introduce things gradually. She was going to sneak in a couple of pairs of navy-colored slacks. He wouldn’t even realize he was wearing them and when he did, she would point out that he’d been wearing them for weeks and the world hadn’t ended.

But none of that mattered because she was looking at someone who absolutely had to be related to her Master.

The gorgeous man in front of her was dressed casually in an open-throated black shirt and khakis. His hair was stylishly long, brushing the tops of his muscled shoulders. “My name is Flynn Adler. I’m so happy to meet you, Laurel. I’ve read an awful lot about you.”

That forced her attention away from the fact that he looked like Mitch. She immediately went on full alert and thought about how she should handle this. She didn’t know this man, but he knew her.

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain what that means.” She put as much chill as she could into her voice. She was well aware of the situation with Harvey Dixon. If he was now sending someone to intimidate her, she wasn’t about to give him what he wanted.

But how the hell had Dixon found someone who looked so much like Mitchell? That couldn’t be a coincidence.

The man in front of her frowned. “The private investigator told me you’re living with Mitch.”