Chapter Seven
Lane
“I’m worried about Laken,” Lane said, glancing over his shoulder at his husband lounging on the bed.
Naked from the chest up, he revealed a solid muscular body, sexy silver chest hair and tattooed skin.
A rumpled navy sheet was pulled over his groin but exposed one muscular thigh.
The icy blue eyes were hooded and in their depth was the warmth of love and lust as he watched Lane cream his skin after his shower.
“I thought you’d tempted me upstairs so I could have my wicked way with you?”
“Didn’t you just have your ‘wicked way’ with me in the shower”—one plucked eyebrow arched—“or was that some other alpha shouting my name when I was swallowing his dick?”
Derick growled, and a jealous warning light appeared, one that could melt Lane’s resolve without warning. He held up his cream covered hand to ward off the man planning to slide out from between the sheets. “As much as I want to tempt the beast, I’ve more pressing things on my mind.”
Derick released a loud huffing sound, rolling his eyes, and settled back on the bed. “Laken’s love life can wait.”
Lane chuckled and stood naked, creaming his arms. “That maybe so, but I’m worried—”
“What you mean is that Laken isn’t falling into line and doing what you want. Isn’t it, my love?”
There was amused frustration, and Lane ignored it, continuing because it wasn’t only that. He’d seen the shadows of pain in his son’s eyes, and it wasn’t solely because of Isley. There was more to it, Lane knew it as well as he knew all his children. Something was terribly wrong.
“He’s not sleeping well. The dark circles under his eyes and he’s gotten into the habit of prowling at three am since he came back from the trip to Paris.”
Derick’s lips pursed. Lane saw the moment he registered this was more serious than Lane’s failed match making. “That trip went well. I saw the report and the contract. Are you sure it’s because something else isn’t progressing at your speed?”
Lane gave his husband a withering look. “You don’t normally have any issue with my speed.”
“I do when it comes to meddling in our son’s lives. They need to figure out what they want on their own. We have them all back here—”
Lane sighed unhappily at the truth, but Derick didn’t play by the rules either, it was what made them a great team. “Not any more! Rue is now in Bayfield, for how long who can guess? And yes, I know one of them needed to go with the omegas to help them settle on the ranch, it’s just—”
“You can’t interfere when they aren’t under your roof?” Derick asked sweetly, not letting him finish and distracting him from the issue of Laken.
“Taylin has moved out and is living with Hollis, and now Silas has moved in with Ziggy.” A sob rose unwarranted when he wanted all his boys settled and happy with the men he’d picked specifically for each of them it was just…
“They’re all fleeing the nest once again and there is something bothering Laken and I’m worried it’s to do with his past.”
Derick’s heartfelt groan matched Lane’s feelings, and this time when he made a move to leave the bed, Lane didn’t stop him.
Walking gloriously naked to Lane, Derick wrapped his arms around him, holding him close.
The intense rush of love at those powerful arms holding him never lessened, it had grown into something that said home to Lane.
He had never associated a place as home; no, it was this man cradling him like he was the most precious thing in his world.
Lane knew he was to this man, along with their eight sons.
He would die to protect them, and that was everything.
Lane released a contented noise at the chin settling on his hair, as he snuggled closer, his body fitting perfectly against Derick’s after years of practice. Warm, familiar flesh pressed firmly against Lane, supporting him. Protecting him like always.
“Laken’s fighting his attraction,” Derick murmured softly.
Lane brushed his fingers over the furry chest, willing himself to stay on track for now. “Do you know why?”
There was a long pause before Derick replied, “I suspect you’re right and it's got something to do with his past… the pictures.”
Lane’s stomach dipped horribly and forced him to drag in a deep breath. He held it in an attempt to settle himself. When he glanced up, searching Derick’s worried expression, the dipping feeling worsened like he’d dived off the edge of a cliff. “I thought you’d dealt with that?”
Lines bracketed Derick’s mouth with a grimness that made Lane flinch. “I can’t be sure we got them all. The asshole Oakland found with the spool of pictures said it was all of them, and Oakland seemed convinced he’d neutralized the threat to Laken…”
The horrible, gut wrenching feeling increased when Lane recalled every sordid picture he’d burned after Oakland had handed them over. The child in those pictures…
Christ, it made Lane’s blood boil at how society had taken advantage of a divergent child, cast out and starving.
Then those thugs had taken advantage of him.
Lane didn’t know the full extent of what happened because Laken hadn’t talked about it.
When he’d been found and rescued, he’d been reserved and wary of everyone.
It had taken a year to break through those barriers, but still Laken never spoke of what happened, and it crushed Lane’s heart.
A hand cupped his cheek and swiped away the unnoticed tears. “It would break him if he was exposed like that.”
Their gazes met, and there in the depths was the fierce warrior who was Lane’s rock. “I’ll do everything in my power to stop that from happening, that still stands. I’ll speak to Laken to see if I can find out what is bothering him. You have my word, my love, we'll figure this out.”
Lane sucked in the sob, nodding, but would it be enough?
He never doubted Derick in the past. Right now, the press were relentless.
He’d seen what they’d dragged up with Booker’s father, playing the victim and accusing Ziggy of all sorts.
Slinging dirt and profiting off the one interaction he’d had with Frey when he’d frightened him. They hadn’t seen that coming.
“Booker’s father—”
Derick pressed a finger to Lane’s luscious lips and shook his head.
“See, this is what happens when you won’t let me kick someone in the balls anymore.
” Lane released a wet chuckle, seeing his husband was trying to lighten the mood.
“And I’ve dealt with the greedy bastard properly this time and through legal channels.
He’ll not get another red cent from this family in any way. ”
“Good, and at least Silas found it funny.” Booker, on the other hand, had brooded for days until Frey had taken him in hand. The third floor had been out of bounds for an entire weekend, and the rest of their boys had fled at the sounds and smells.
Derick’s expression became serious again. “Laken will be fine, I’ve seen how Isley can handle him. All he needs is a little bit of encouragement from a friend while I work on our son.”
The wink that followed was about as subtle as a sledgehammer on a brick wall and brought a fit of giggles. “You’re as bad as me!”
“I plead the fifth, now where were we?”
Lane slipped his arms around Derick’s neck while his hands slipped under Lane’s ass to grip hold and lift him effortlessly, soft scented skin brushing against thick sinewy muscles before Lane bounced on the bed.
With breathless anticipation, he stretched out on the bed in wanton abandon, his hand sliding down to his firming cock, a spark of delight in his teary eyes. “Right about here.”