Unintended

  “You’ve already chosen a place, haven’t you?”

  Mitch knows me well. “I have, and it’s very private. The perfect place to get to know one another without interruptions.” From my own experience, I’ve learned that interruptions aren’t great.

  “I say let’s book it.”

  It’s official. Ellison MacAllister is one of us. It wasn’t without pain and agony on my brother’s part. He still wears the proof of everything he endured for her, but Jamie has his mate. The woman he loved but thought he didn’t deserve is finally his.

  Duncan’s is packed with Fellowship members and the Hendrys present to represent The Order. Our treaty is new, but I’m at ease just knowing that it’s in place. Not that I fully trust the treaty to make the monsters of The Order behave. I have more trust that Kieran’s sniping rampages have convinced them to think twice about violating the treaty or committing treason.

  Kieran wraps his arms around me from behind, and I lean into him. He presses his mouth to my ear and whispers all the things he wants to do to me when we get home. He’s putting our physical connection on display for all to see, and that makes me even crazier for him.

  I’m falling in love with Kieran. It happens a little more every day. I wonder if people can see that when they look at me and the way I melt against him.

  My heart is in this, but his is not. Kieran isn’t falling in love with me. He’s in lust with me. His body craves mine. Big difference. But I’ll take it for now. There’s always room for love to grow.

  “Speech, speech, speech,” the crowd chants and Jamie takes Ellison’s hand to lead her onto the stage.

  Ellison speaks first. “I would like to start by thanking you for coming out tonight to celebrate my inception as a Fellowship member. I’m incredibly grateful for and overwhelmed by your acceptance. I look forward to getting to know you.”

  Everyone cheers when she finishes, and my brother steps forward to take the spotlight. “There was a lot of interest in claiming Ellison. I feel it’s necessary to make it clear where she and I stand so there’s no confusion. I claimed her eleven days ago. I underwent endurance in her place three days later, hence the reason I’m limping and look like I’ve been hit by a train. She is mine. We have notified the district registrar of our intent to marry, and she will become my wife in eighteen days. But I left off one very important detail. I never properly asked her to be my wife.”

  Oh my God. He’s going to properly propose, here, in front of everyone.

  He drops to one knee, and Ellison covers her mouth with her hands. “Jamie.”

  He removes a black velvet box from the inner pocket of his jacket and cracks it open. “Ellison Brooke MacAllister. We started out as acquaintances and then friends. I felt the change happening—the one where I was falling in love with you. It was a deep, profound, true love, but I tried to fight it. Deny it. I thought I wasn’t the right man for you. I was wrong. Our love was inevitable. Totally and utterly beyond our control. It knew what we needed before I did. I love you, Ellison. I want to be your husband. I want to be the father of your children. Will you marry me?”

  My brother just told Ellison that he loves her in front of the entire brotherhood. I’m thrilled for them, ecstatic, but I envy the hell out of them. I want that—a man who will profess his love for me in front of his entire brotherhood.

  Her smile says everything before the words come. “Yes. I will marry you.”

  He slides the ring on her finger and brings it to his mouth for a kiss. He lowers his voice and says something I can’t hear. But I don’t need to. I already know what he’s saying to her. And I know what she’s saying to him.

  “What did they just say to each other?”

  “Into me, you see.”

  “Is that significant?”

  “Those are the most significant words one can ever speak to another. They’re the definition of true intimacy, the words shared between Fellowship members when they want to express how greatly they love each other. You get to say those words to one person during your entire lifetime.”

  “It’s the Fellowship version of mo chroí.”

  “I guess it’s similar.”

  “I think it’s the same. Mo chroí is only said during the claiming and when you express your affection to your mate. I only have one heart and if you are it, no other woman can ever be my heart. Therefore, I can never say mo chroí to any other woman.”

  I hadn’t realized that the meaning behind mo chroí was so similar to into me, you see. I’m the only woman in Kieran’s heart. I don’t doubt that, but I’m not his whole heart… yet. But I’m going to be one day though.

  Mitch gains my attention before walking out the front door. Our cue. He will be waiting at the back door to grab Shaw. It’s my job to lure her there. “Okay, Mitch just walked out.”

  “I hope this doesn’t backfire in our faces.” Kieran still has concerns about Shaw’s reaction.

  “I wouldn’t dare to play a part in this plan if she hadn’t confessed her instant attraction to Mitch or her desire to be taken. Stop worrying, big brother. Your sister is going to be a very happy woman.” Just like I was. Just like I am.

  “I trust your judgment.”

  Shaw is suddenly wearing a frown, and I think her eyes may even be glassy. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “Mitch left. He didn’t even talk to me.”

  She’s disappointed. That’s a good sign. “I thought he was interested when we spoke a few days ago. He couldn’t stop looking at me or touching my hand. Was I wrong? Is that not a sign of interest?”

  “I don’t think you were wrong. Mitch is on the council; he’s important. Probably just had to step out to handle some Fellowship duties. I wouldn’t worry if I were you. He’s already told you that he’s coming for you on Sunday.” I loop my arm through hers. “Let’s go to the stockroom and sneak a drink away from everyone else. I know where they keep the good stuff.”

  “Lead the way.” My arm is still looped through hers as we walk to the back of the pub. “Your brother really loves Ellison. It’s crystal clear.”

  “He does, with all of his heart.”

  “That’s what I wanted. What I was fighting so hard for. To be with a man who loves me with all of his heart.” I hear sadness in Shaw’s voice. Regret.

  “You can have that with Mitch. Maybe not today, but it can happen.”

  “We didn’t choose each other.”

  “Kieran and I didn’t choose each other either, but I already feel things happening between us.”

  “My brother is different with you. Softer. Not the jackass he usually is with a woman, and I can’t believe it. I didn’t think it was possible, but things are working out between you. I see it happening right before my eyes.”

  I release Shaw’s arm and open the back door.

  “They keep the good stuff out here?”

  Mitch comes out of the shadow and pulls Shaw against him, his arm around her lower back. “Yes, the best stuff.” His mouth comes down on hers before she can protest. She struggles against him for a moment and then gives in, her hands diving into the back of his hair.

  I think I should leave.

  Mitch stops kissing her and grasps her chin. “I’m here to take what’s mine, and you’re not going to tell me that I can’t. I’ve decided I want you now, and I’m not waiting anymore.” He hoists Shaw over his shoulder and carries her toward the black sedan waiting behind Duncan’s. She lifts her head and looks at me, smiling, and I know this was the right decision.

  My plan is a success. “Have fun.”

  I’m on my way back into the pub when I run into Lorna and Bleu in the hallway. It’s evident that Lorna’s been crying. “Hey, what’s going on?” Bleu motions for me to follow them into the stockroom. “Did Leith do something to her?” I will kill him if he has said something stupid like last time.

  “He hasn’t done anything. I’m just upset because I haven’t been back to Duncan’s since that day.”

  That
day. We all know that day refers to when Leith humiliated Lorna and broke her heart. That was over a year ago, and she’s still suffering. But Leith is too… which serves him right for everything he’s done to my friend.

  “Do you need to go?”

  “Ellison has become one of my best friends. I hate to not be here to celebrate her inception, but this place still hurts. Seeing him still hurts. I don’t think I can stay.”

  “If you can’t, you can’t. Ellison will understand. We all will.” This place holds a lot of good memories and a lot of terrible ones.

  Bleu wipes the falling tears from Lorna’s face. “I can call Sterling to come by and take you home.”

  Lorna shakes her head. “Thanks, but I drove my car.”

  I wrap my arms around my friend and caress her hair. I feel terrible for her and maybe a little guilty for not checking in on her lately. “I’m so sorry you’re hurting, Lolo.”

  “I got myself into this. I deserve everything that happens to me after what I did.” Lorna is a self-loather who can’t forgive herself. She believes she’s a horrible person when that isn’t the case at all.

  “Don’t say that.”

  Lorna looks at Bleu. “I still don’t understand how you can be so kind to me. You or Ellison.”

  “How many times must I tell you that it happened before Ellison or I came along. We can’t hate you for something you did with Sin and Jamie before we knew you or them.”

  The door opens, and Leith stands in the doorway looking at us. “What’s going on in here?”

  I’m certain that Lorna won’t want him to know that she’s in the stockroom crying over him, so I grab a bottle of whisky from the shelf. “Lorna was showing us where you keep the good stuff.” She used to be head barmaid here. That sounds like a good excuse for being in the stockroom, right?

  “That’s not the good stuff.”

  Shite. “Well, you walked in before she could show us.”

  Lorna walks to the door and tries to push past Leith. “You can show them; I was just leaving.”

  Leith grasps her wrist, and she stills. He leans close. His voice is barely more than a whisper, but I’m able to make out his words. “Please don’t go.”

  She won’t even look at him. “I have to.”

  Bleu and I are intruding on this moment that should be private between the two of them, but we have no way of getting out of the room without going through the doorway where they’re standing.

  Bleu moves toward the door and grabs Leith and Lorna by the wrists, pulling them into the stockroom and clearing a path for us to exit. “We’re leaving, so the two of you can talk.”

  Lorna shakes her head. “No need. There’s nothing to talk about.”

  Leith grasps her upper arms. “How long are you going to punish me?”

  “I’m not having this conversation.”

  Bleu and I bolt for the door and close it once we’re on the other side, leaving Lorna trapped with Leith. “I hope he pins her down and forces her to talk about what happened.” I’m tempted to grab the knob and hold it since it’s her only escape.

  “Maybe he’ll pin her down and do more than have a conversation. Some angry sex would do both of them a world of good.”

  Angry sex. I’ll need to remember that one for future reference.

  “I feel like we haven’t seen each other in forever. How are things with Kieran?”

  “Everything is really good. I’m happy, and I think we’re on the road to a good marriage.”

  “What a wonderful happenstance.”

  “No one is more surprised than I am. I wanted to cut off his balls the night we met.” Good thing I didn’t. We need those balls.

  “Sin says that he expects Kieran to get you pregnant right away. Something about sealing your bond so his claiming can’t be undone.” Bleu is still new to The Fellowship and learning our practices.

  “There have been cases where a claiming has been undone when the unions didn’t suit the brotherhood. It’s rare, but it has happened. A pregnancy would end any possibility of undoing his claim on me, so yes. He is already working on putting an end to that possibility.”

  “It’s such an archaic thing to do.”

  “One hundred percent.” But it’s only one of many archaic practices we have.

  “I can’t imagine how that must feel for you, but at least you weren’t a virgin. I think that would have made it twice as scary.”

  I giggle. “It was twice as scary because I was a virgin.”

  Bleu’s eyes widen. “What?”

  “I lied by omission. All of you had these great sex stories. I just nodded and acted as though I had them too, but was keeping them to myself.”

  “I had no idea. You said you’d never marry a Fellowship man, so I assumed that’s why you weren’t concerned with remaining a virgin.”

  We’re still standing in the hallway when Lorna rushes out of the stockroom. “Fuck… Lorna. Would you please come back?”

  Lorna says nothing and continues walking, not even stopping to tell us what happened between Leith and her.

  Uh-oh. That’s not good.

  Leith stands in the hallway, holding the top of his head, watching Lorna leave. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Those are the only words he says before grabbing a bottle of whisky out of the stockroom and storming toward his office.

  “That clearly didn’t go well.”

  “I’ll tell Sin so he can check on him in a while. We’ll make sure he gets home safely.”

  I hug Bleu. “I’m guessing that the Hendrys will be ready to go now that the formalities are over.”

  “Probably so. I would want to get out as soon as possible if I were in the middle of an Order function.”

  Me too. “Maybe I can come by and visit one day next week. I miss the babies.”

  “Do. You won’t believe how much they’ve grown since you saw them.”

  “Maybe I’ll bring Kieran with me so he can practice.” I’d love to see how he engages with them. I don’t think he’s been around babies much except for his younger siblings. But I don’t guess I should worry about that. Sin was never around babies either until his came along, and yet he’s an excellent father.

  I don’t think the bond is the only reason Kieran is driven to have a baby. I think he genuinely wants a child with me.

  One more week, or somewhere there about, and we’ll know.

  I don’t like the look on Westlyn’s face. Makes me wonder if something went sideways. “Mission Mitch and Shaw is accomplished?”

  “Yes. And I was right. She liked him taking her away without any warning.”

  Thank fuck. I wasn’t looking forward to fighting for Westlyn if my sister backed out on her marriage to Mitch. “Was there some kind of delay? You were gone longer than expected.”

  “I ran into Bleu and Lorna in the hallway on my way back. Lorna was upset, and we had to have an impromptu girls’ chat.”

  “Everything okay?”

  Westlyn shakes her head. She looks so sad. “No. Everything is not okay, and it hasn’t been for a long time.”

  “Lorna has relationship problems?”

  “Huge relationship problems.” Westlyn looks at me for a moment before continuing. “If I tell you what’s going on, you can’t say anything mean about Lorna. She’s one of my best friends, and I will be pissed off if you do.”

  I probably will judge, but I’ll keep my mouth shut if I do. “I won’t say anything against your friend.”

  “Lorna had a really great life until her parents were killed several years ago. She was an only child, completely adored by her parents, but then suddenly all of that love was taken from her when they passed. She didn’t deal with the loss very well, and she made some bad decisions regarding how to feel loved again.”

  “I would never judge her harshly for that.”

  “No one would, but that’s not the end of it.” Westlyn sighs. “Sin, Jamie, and Leith are best mates. They’ve always done everything together… and that inc
ludes Lorna.”

  “She was having sex with all three men?”

  “Yes.”

  I’m not clear about what she means. “Sex with one and then there would be a lapse in time before she had sex with another? Or do you mean she let them gangbang her?”

  “Sometimes it was with one, and sometimes it was… a gangbang.” I hate the word gangbang, but that’s exactly what Lorna allowed them to do to her. Asked them to do.

  “Fuck.” That is some kinky shite.

  “It happened a while ago.”

  I figured as much since Sinclair and Bleu have been married for a while.

  “My brother got out not long after it started, but Sin and Leith kept it going with her.”

  “I’ve always wondered what something like that might be like, but never enough to try it. Probably best I didn’t. I’ve never been good at sharing. I would be terrible at orgies.”

  “People weren’t meant to be shared that way. It causes nothing but problems.”

  “All this time later and it’s still causing problems?”

  “Big ones. So big that it’s keeping two people who love each other apart.”

  Sin is with Bleu. Jamie is with Ellison. “Leith and Lorna?”

  “Yes. Sin was a selfish prick before Bleu. He did whatever pleased him without much regard for who he hurt. He was too self-centered to see that Leith and Lorna were falling in love with each other, and he was standing in their way.”

  “So Leith is in love with Lorna, but he stands by and watches his best mates fuck her?” I may not be an expert on love, but that does not sound like any form of it to me.

  “It’s not that simple. You have to take into consideration that Sin is their leader. They don’t get to tell him to fuck off and then ride into the sunset and live happily ever after.”

  “I don’t care. There’s no way I’d stand back and watch another man fuck you.”

  “Pretend that I’m unclaimed, we’re at The Syndicate, and your uncle’s oldest son wants me. You’d tell him to fuck off and he’d obey you?”