Still, there was the lure of the money that she desperately needed to start over, so she’d just have to wait it out and hope for the best, for now. If it got much worse, she’d make the call to Kate. She felt that the circumstances dictated a breach of contract. She could be wrong, so it would be her last resort. As she thought about things some more, she realized that a part of her hoped it would all be okay and that it wasn’t because of the money. A part of her felt a pull to Tucker and she wanted to help him in whatever way she could.CHAPTER ELEVEN“I’ll have to start spending more time at the club if I’m going to win over enough people to ensure my place as Alpha.”
“You think you can? I mean, you’ve been away, and Marshall has been there with them. Do you think that they will see you are the better man?”
“I don’t know. Hopefully, his having been there with them is exactly what will swing their attention my way. Marshall can be very unpleasant when he wants to be and though he’s kept that side of himself away from them while he’s pushing to be made Alpha, he’ll snap at some point. It’s in his nature.”
“What about the drugs? Wouldn’t it make a difference if you told them about what they are getting themselves into?”
“Yes, but I have to keep that on the down low for now. Marshall isn’t alone and I don’t know exactly who else is involved. I need to make sure that I’m not flushing him out but leaving some of them inside to just work things for him anyway. I want none of that sort of business in our pack. He’s not the only one that’s going to have to go.”
“Tucker, is this dangerous? I mean, for me . . . for the girls?”
He looked at her for a moment, as if surprised by the question. Rubbing his chin, he seemed to contemplate this for a moment before speaking.
“I don’t know. I don’t think he would do anything to a woman or her children, especially since he believes you are family. Still, you’ll not be at the club with me unless it’s necessary. If families are gathered there, then you’re safe among them. There’s no need for you to go if it’s not a family event though. Just knowing that you exist is all I need for them to think right now.”
“Okay,” Leslie replied, not completely convinced.
She was surprised when he sat down beside her and took her hands in his, looking into her eyes.
“I promise you that I will not let anything happen to you or our girls,” he said.
She didn’t miss the slip of the tongue. “Our” girls. Did it mean anything? She wasn’t sure, but he didn’t bother to correct himself, instead shifting so that he was closer to her and retaining his grasp on her hands, which now felt like they were tingling all over from his touch. He looked down for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, but instead of saying anything else, he slowly raised his head again and reached for her, letting go of one of her hands to pull her chin toward him until they were only inches away from one another.
“Tucker,” she began to say, but he cut her off with a kiss.
She kissed him back, letting herself enjoy his touch. It had been so long since she’d been touched in a way that didn’t repulse her. This sent little armies of butterflies soaring through her veins as she enjoyed the way he tasted and felt. Their tongue dance lazing against one another, growing more urgent as the kiss lingered. Finally, he pulled away.
“I’m sorry. That was inappropriate,” he said.
“I didn’t object,” she said, a bit breathlessly.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I met you. It’s probably the reason I should have chosen someone else.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” she confided.
He looked at her for a moment, as if trying to decide something, then stood and turned to offer her his hand. She wasn’t sure where he was taking her at first, but she accepted it and stood, following him up the stairs and then up another flight, to the upper level of the house, where she’d never been. It was his bedroom, but it was so much more than that.
“This is incredible,” she said.
“Oh, this isn’t the half of it,” he said, leading her toward his bed. She thought he was being suggestive, but he led her around the edge of the large four-poster mahogany piece of furniture toward a set of French doors. Opening them, he waved her toward them and she went out, stepping onto the large balcony that overlooked the back half of his property.