Chapter 6
FURY
The seven Donovan women I met this morning were indeed a force.
The way they’d each sat around that table as Dakota and I walked into the dining room was nothing short of a visible circle of protection.
I liked the idea that Dakota had people willing to go to bat for her.
Not that it was a surprise. I knew several members of her family and had heard the rumors of some I hadn’t met in person yet.
The Donovans were a tight unit, even with thousands of miles between some of them.
Similar to the way it was with the Ryders, if you messed with one of Donovans, you messed with them all.
That show of unity at the breakfast table had been admirable but unnecessary.
I had Dakota now, so she no longer needed their protection.
However, that hadn’t stopped one of her cousins from approaching me as I returned to the house.
After breakfast I’d gone outside to check-in with Suri’s security team.
Since I’d been in a hurry to get to my wife last night, my conversation with them had been short.
This morning, I wanted details on the property and what else they were doing to secure the women during their time here.
There was still tension between Dakota and Mo.
If I hadn’t picked up on it during the meal, it was apparent when Mo grabbed Dakota by the hand the moment she was finished eating and carted her off to another room in the house.
I wasn’t a man that normally gave a rat’s ass what people thought about me, but I loved my wife and I wanted the situation with her family finding out about us to go as smoothly as possible.
So, I kept my mouth shut and let Mo have her moment.
That courtesy would change if I found out Mo was talking shit about our marriage.
I’d just closed the door behind me when I heard, “Pssst! Over here.”
Turning to my left where the foyer opened into a big, comfortable seating area, I tried not to frown at the woman waving her hand like we were about to devise a plan of attack. Instead, I followed her direction and momentarily stood in front of her.
“I don’t know you very well yet,” Hannah said. “But if Kodi loved you enough to keep you a secret, then that’s good enough for me.”
Something about her comment was off, but I was down for the portion of it that seemed to approve of our marriage. Not that I needed any of their approval, I just knew that would make things easier for Dakota.
Hannah continued when I only stared at her. “We’re heading down to the shops this afternoon, then having a late lunch, but I know something else that Kodi loves to do when she comes down here.”
Slipping my hands into the front pocket of my joggers, I nodded for her to continue.
There was a resemblance between Hannah, Maria, and Mo, so I presumed they were sisters.
They each had the same cinnamon brown complexion, high cheekbones, and pert noses, but their personalities were starkly different. Hannah was the friendliest.
“She loves the water but prefers the more secluded beaches like the ones here on the island. Maria hates the sand, and the others prefer the pool or shopping, so Kodi usually does the beach on her own. She always comes back with a bag of sand dollars.”
“You’re telling me I should take her for a walk on the beach?” I asked, still wondering exactly what was happening here. Hannah seemed earnest and completely uninhibited in her approach.
I was a big guy with a menacing demeanor that I never tamped down for the world.
Soft wasn’t a word that could ever be used to describe me, except where my wife and sister were concerned.
And as she’d stated a few minutes ago, Hannah didn’t know me.
She had no idea if I’d be offended by her telling me what to do with my wife, or if I’d be grateful for the heads-up on something that would make Dakota happy.
“Thanks,” I said, giving her a half smile. “I’d like to see more of the island myself, so walking on the beach sounds like a good idea.”
Hannah practically beamed. “It’s a great idea! And a picnic following it is even better. I’ll talk to Tedra about the meal and get everything ready. You just go find your wife and get her out of here before my sister talks her into calling a divorce lawyer.”
“I already gave Tedra my card to handle all of the expenses you ladies have this week, so whatever you need to make this happen, she can put it on the card, too.”
That earned me a double thumbs up from Hannah. “I know that’s right! Take care of your wife and her family.”
The part she left off was that my wife’s family had their own money and didn’t need me to foot the bill for this girls’ trip. They knew it and so did I. Still, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Dakota, and I definitely wasn’t hurting for money.
“As for your sister, I don’t do warnings, I make promises. So you might want to explain to her that there will be no divorce over here, not today and not ever.” I spoke in the same tone I used when giving instructions to the Ryders or any of the staff that worked for us—cordial but unwavering.
Hannah only waved my words away. “Don’t worry about Mo. She’s just mad Kodi didn’t tell her first. The two of them are thick as thieves with secrets from as long ago as preschool. She’s hurt, and for Mo, that puts her in a sour and combative mood.”
“I don’t give a damn what kind of mood she’s in as long as she doesn’t try to fuck with my marriage.”
With a tilt of her head, she eyed me as if she were trying to figure out if I was issuing a serious threat or just mouthing off. My silence was all the answer she was going to get because I was finished with the conversation.
Four hours later, I stared at the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
She sat on the beige and white striped blanket, her legs crossed at the ankles.
The denim shirt dress she wore stopped at her lower thighs and hung off her shoulders.
When she was working in the field, it was the same protective jumpsuits, bootie-covered flat tennis shoes, cap and goggles as her staff.
In the office, her signature style was pantsuits and sky-high heels that made her legs look long and elevated her normal five-foot nine height until she was just about eye-level with my six-three stature.
My pops would call her a brickhouse, the guys down at the bar would brand her a stallion, but to me she was simply everything.
Especially this version of her. Always stylish and impeccably groomed, I adored the soft side of Dakota.
The woman who knew she was fine and dressed to impress herself more than anyone who had the honor of being in her presence.
From the flat, natural-colored sandals she wore today, to the soft curve of her bared shoulder, I couldn’t keep my eyes or hands off of her.
And she had those thick pretty ass thighs on display as soon as she dropped down onto this blanket.
My mouth had watered throughout the entire picnic, and it wasn’t for the food Tedra had ordered.
Now, my head was cradled by those thighs that I spent an embarrassing amount of time sitting in my office dreaming about.
A bunch of pillows that—which along with the miles of lush green grass and spectacular water view in the distance, created a relaxing ambiance—were now stacked behind her as she leaned against an oak tree.
Full from the fried chicken strips, because Dakota only liked chicken breasts, deviled eggs, potato salad, fruit salad and fresh-squeezed lemonade, we’d settled into this spot and a comfortable silence for the last few minutes.
I covered her hand that rested on my chest, while her other hand brushed over my head.
I fuckin’ loved when she rubbed my head.
That shit got me more aroused than expensive lingerie every damn time.
We were in a secluded enough spot that I could lay her down and plant my face between her legs, a position that she would again put her hands on my head to drive me insane, but I was content just laying here with her.
Breathing this water-scented air and staring at the woman who had a death grip on my heart.
Hannah was officially my favorite Donovan for suggesting and putting together one of the best afternoons I’d ever experienced.
“Is that what you think you have to do?” I asked, something she’d said last night popping back into my mind. “You think you have to figure out how to live in the world your family has built and the one I dominate?”
She inhaled deeply and turned to gaze out toward the water. I watched as she slowly released the breath, a thin gold cross she wore on a gold necklace rising and falling with the action.
“Hey.” I brought her hand up to kiss the back, then turned it around to kiss her palm. “Talk to me, love. You know I’ll do any and everything in my power to make you happy. I just need you to talk to me.”
Communication was a big thing for me. I couldn’t fix shit I didn’t know about, and I wanted to know everything about Dakota.
I wanted to give her things beyond the material because I knew she could get that on her own.
I wanted to fill the empty parts of her.
The parts that had immediately called out to those same places within me.
On a sigh, she looked down at me again. A warm breeze rolled off the water, lifting the tendrils of hair that hung from the messy top knot she’d pulled her honey gold hair into.
“It’s what I know I have to do,” she replied.
“I never filed for divorce because I want to be married to you. I want to be your partner in life. And to do that means I accept everything about you. It means that I stand beside you at corporate functions and understand the workings of the bike club that made you.”