Chapter 6 Laz #2
“I made you a Shirley Temple,” he informs Aurora. “Seemed like a sweet drink a pretty bee might like.”
The glare she shoots him is adorable. “I prefer black coffee.”
He blinks. Frowns. Then stands. “Got it.”
“No, I mean—”
“Got it, got it.” He waves her off and heads back to the bar, presumably to put on a pot.
“I don’t want any right now,” she mutters. “I’ll be up all night.”
“I think you’ll be up all night regardless,” Johan says, his voice softer than usual. “It’s a long flight, and something tells me sleep is your last desire at the moment.”
“There’s a bed in the back, though, if you do want to rest,” I offer awkwardly, wanting to be part of the conversation.
“I thought you were going to destroy my world,” she returns, some of the fire seeming to reenter her expression. “A fitting punishment, right?”
“Destroying Widows Peak would be a fitting punishment,” I reiterate, agreeing. “But you’re not an ordinary adversary, Ms. Bianchi.”
She straightens a little, her beautiful brown eyes catching and holding mine. “And what does that mean, exactly?”
“It means my punishment for you is going to be… unique to our situation.” I thread a hint of sensuality into my voice, my chest nearly igniting into a seductive purr.
Because I very much want to begin. Right now.
Except her brow simply furrows, her gaze narrowing. “That doesn’t tell me anything.”
“He’s saying that violence isn’t part of the equation,” Johan interjects. “When someone steals from the Ferraros, their families are often destroyed, and their deaths are… extended. But Laz has no desire to hurt you in that way, Lark. None of us do.”
I glance at him, a little irritated that he spoke on my behalf. But his focus is entirely on our omega.
“Widows Peak is safe,” Johan goes on. “We’ve actually been pushing more money into the town for the last few years, ensuring it remains stable and allowing it to thrive. The Ferraro family has no interest in seeing it destroyed. The inhabitants will remain not only untouched but also protected.”
My jaw ticks. He’s part of my pack, making this his information to share. However, I’m not pleased that he’s the one informing her of our influences.
“Prove it,” Aurora dares him, causing my second’s brow to arch.
“You just want access to my laptop.”
“No, I want proof that you’re not going to bankrupt Widows Peak and sell it off to the highest bidder,” she counters.
His lips twitch. “I’m not na?ve, little hacker.”
“Neither am I,” she fires back.
He shrugs. “If you want to play, we can play.” He grabs his computer and opens it, then starts typing across the keys. After a moment, a buzzing sounds and he arches a brow. “I believe that’s your phone, Ms. Bianchi.”
She scowls, then pulls it from her pocket.
“Did you not frisk her at all?” I demand, my attention shifting to the enforcer, who had a very simple job—pick up our omega and deliver her safely.
“Safely” includes disarming and frisking.
“You seemed averse to me being the first one to touch her, remember?” Noah doesn’t face me as he replies, just continues fussing over the coffeepot.
We have a flight attendant who could help, but we told Mari to stay in the cockpit area for now with Leo and Tomás. The trio is our favorite flight crew. However, we don’t trust anyone near Aurora.
Rather, I won’t be trusting anyone near her for a while.
Except for Noah and Johan, of course.
“You were all, I get first lick,” Noah goes on, doing a poor job of imitating my voice while also making me instantly regret my trust in him around our omega. “Ergo, I didn’t frisk her.”
“Because you intended to check her for weapons with your tongue?” I demand.
He shrugs his big shoulders and finally faces me. “I can think of a lot of creative ways to frisk our omega.”
“I’m not yours,” she inserts, her gaze on her screen. Although, she’s clearly listening to everything we’re saying. “What the fuck did you do to my phone?”
“Cloned it,” Johan says. “Obviously.”
“When?” she snarls at him.
He merely smiles. “If you figure that out on your own, I’ll let you see my laptop.”
She glowers at him. “You’re a menace.”
“That’s a bit of the pot calling the kettle black, yeah?”
Her resulting growl makes my dick harden, her ire an aphrodisiac that has my inner alpha wanting to rumble right back at her.
Except, she appears to be pissed at Johan. Not at me.
Which is a shame.
I think I would enjoy wrestling her for dominance while she fights back.
The way she attacked Noah a bit ago also made me jealous. Why was he the source of her anger and not me?
I wouldn’t mind pinning her to the ground.
Then kissing her senseless.
“You had no right to do this to my tech,” she snaps at Johan.
“Hmm, shall we have a discussion on the moralities of hacking?” he returns as he sets his laptop off to the side again, his icy gaze seeming to glow through his glasses. “How much money did you steal, again?”
She pushes off her chair. “Not enough.” She stomps off toward a door at the front, which has my eyebrow lifting upward.
“Do you intend to meet the pilots?” I call after her. “Because I should warn you, they’re armed.” Not a lie. But they would be fools to pull a gun on her. They know who she is, that we intend to keep her as ours.
They don’t know the details, of course. But they’re not paid to understand our choices and decisions. They’re paid to carry out orders—effectively and smoothly.
Aurora pauses and turns around, then heads in the opposite direction toward another door. “I’m going to sleep,” she informs us. It’s a lie, clearly. I suspect she wants to go fuss with her phone. Which is fine. I can respect her need for space.
But that doesn’t stop me from standing and moving to intercept her.
When she sees me coming, she freezes, her expression shifting from determination to a hint of fear.
“If you wish to rest, I suggest you use the bedroom, not a closet,” I tell her quietly, then turn to lead her to the appropriate door.
She doesn’t immediately follow.
However, when I push through the threshold to show her the clean space, she finally starts to move again. Then carefully skirts by me like she’s afraid I might grab her.
I don’t.
But I do follow her inside the cabin and shut the door behind me.
“There are rules, Ms. Bianchi,” I tell her quietly, causing her shoulders to stiffen. “I’m going to start by sharing two of them with you, as they’re pertinent to our current situation.”
She seems to stop breathing, her back still to me as I approach her from behind.
I lean down so my lips are near her ear, but I’m careful not to touch her. Just keep a few inches of space between us to ensure she feels my presence and hears me clearly.
“The first rule is that you will not share any details about me or my pack with anyone else. That includes our location. Our plans. Our business.” I pause, waiting for her to acknowledge my words. “Say ‘yes, sir’ or nod so I know you understand.”
Her throat works, the swallowing action one I hear more than see. And it makes me want to wrap my palm around her delicate neck so I can feel the movements.
But I refrain, my focus on her acceptance of rule number one.
“Yes, sir,” she says, a little growl accompanying that final word.
A growl that once again has my cock throbbing with need.
However, I ignore my impulses and instead say, “Good girl.” I move around her, wanting to see her brown eyes as I voice the second item. Because it’s important.
She stares up at me with a wary expression, one that doesn’t match the honeyed perfume coming from between her thighs.
Aurora may not be pleased by her current circumstances. But she’s not disinterested.
It could be our scent match messing with her instincts. Making her crave something she shouldn’t.
Though, I suspect this mutual attraction goes so much deeper than that.
Our bloodlines practically made us for each other.
Over time, she’ll understand that. Respect it. Embrace it.
I can’t wait. Yet I will wait… for her. For her consent. For her acceptance.
And that’s the heart of what I intend to say next.
“The second rule, Aurora, is that none of us will touch you unless you ask us to.” I cant my head, realizing I should probably amend that statement a little since I technically pulled her into my lap without permission.
And whatever happened on the ground with Noah also contradicts what I’ve just said.
So I need to be clearer.
“What I mean is that we’ll never force ourselves on you. If you want our knots, you’ll have to beg for them. Only then will we touch you, princess.” I run my gaze over her beautiful form, then lean in so my lips are near her ear again. “And trust me, darling, you’re going to want us to touch you.”
Precum saturates my dick, causing my cherry-chocolate cologne to deepen in the air between us.
She shivers, telling me she’s noticed.
Her blossoming perfume suggests she likes it, too.
I inhale, ensuring she hears me breathing her in, then I exhale against her ear, wanting her to feel my warmth. “Enjoy your time alone, Aurora. If you need anything, we’ll be in the other room.”
I start toward the door as she replies, “I’ll never beg.”
My lips curl as I glance at her back. “We’ll see.” I grab the knob, only to pause and add, “But feel free to watch, Ms. Bianchi. It’ll give you an idea of what’s to come.”
She spins toward me. “Watch? Watch what?”
I simply wink at her.
Then leave the room—without closing the door—and head straight for Johan.