Samuel (Samuel's Pride Series) (5 page)

“I thought I was supposed to stay away
from you. Isn’t that sort of defeating the purpose if you take me in your car?”
He didn’t care for her tone or what she was saying, and it made his temper
short.

“Get your coat. I don’t want you coming
here tomorrow smelling bad and making the meals you cook off.” She moved past
him, and he heard her mumble something. He’d heard what she’d said but asked
her to repeat it.

“I said that’s the man I know. You’re a
prick, did you know that?” When she made to slip past him, he reached for her. When
her body was slammed into his, Samuel pulled her closer until she was flush
with him. Then he pulled her mouth to his.

~~~

Kennedy was stunned when he pulled her
so close to him. But as soon as he kissed her, she felt everything in her turn
to mush. The man could kiss like no one she’d ever been kissed by before. When
he lifted her up so that her feet no longer touched the floor, she felt her
legs being lifted so that she was wrapped around him.

The wall pressing behind her made her
moan. He was lifting her even higher now until his hard cock was between her
folds. She pulled her mouth from his and threw back her head. Christ, he was
going to make her come. When his mouth opened over her pounding pulse, she
wrapped her hands into his hair and held him to her. She had no idea what he
was going to do, but she wanted it all. His grinding hips made her wet with
need.

“I want to taste you.” Kennedy nodded at
his harsh words. “I need to taste you, please. Come for me. Come, Kennedy.”

Her body didn’t just respond to his
words but seemed to detonate with his command. As soon as she cried out her
release, she felt his teeth scrape against her throat, then a hard pinch as he
bit her. She came again, this time crying out his name over and over as he
suckled at her neck. When he raised his head and looked at her, she could feel
his eyes burn into her before he licked at her throat again. He held her
against the wall for long moments while she tried to think what to do now.

“You didn’t stay away from me.” He
lifted his head again and glared at her. “Do you have any idea what you just
did?”

“I did?” He nodded and set her on her
feet and took a step back, which she thought was very smart on his part since
she wanted to tear his throat out. “I was leaving the room, and you pulled me
to you and kissed me.”

“You didn’t fight me.” She looked at him
incredulously. “You should have put up more of a fight than letting me nearly
fuck you against the wall. And now it’s too late.”

She slapped him. When he reached for her
again, she moved so that her body hit his, and she took him to the floor. Her
booted foot was at his throat before he could move. Kennedy looked down at him,
furious with the tears that streamed down her face.

“Touch me again and I’ll kill you.” She
put just a little more pressure on his throat before she moved off him and out
of the room. Kennedy heard him roar, and she picked up her speed, trying to get
out before he retaliated and hurt her. She was nearing the kitchen door when he
caught her. She started hitting him until he pulled both her arms above her
head and held her.

“Calm down, damn it.” She stilled but
wouldn’t look at him. The tears were making her more pissed at herself than she
was at him. “Look at me.”

“Let me go.” He told her to look at him
again, and she closed her eyes. “I want to leave here I doona want to stay here.
Yer hurting me.”

He backed off from her body and his grip
on her hands, but he didn’t let her go. Kennedy wiped her tears on her
outstretched arm but still wouldn’t look at him. When he pulled her chin around
with his free hand, she tried to pull away, but he was a good deal stronger
than her.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked her again and
she finally shook her head. “I’m going to let you down, but please don’t leave.
For as much as I’d like to let you go, I can’t. Not anymore.”

When he let her go, she thought about
leaving, but he blocked the door. She was trapped, and they both knew it. When
he asked her to go to his office, she moved ahead of him toward a room she’d
never been in before.

“I’m not sure what you know about us, so
I’m going to be honest with you.” He sat down at his desk when she sat in the
chair across from him. When his mom came into the room as well, Kennedy had the
feeling that whatever was going on was not going to be anything in her favor.

“Hello, dear. Are you all right?” Kennedy
nodded at Summer. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but Samuel here says it’s time
you know what we are.”

“Lions,” Kennedy said. “They both looked
at her, shocked. “I told you I wasn’t stupid. I’ve known since before I started
working here. The people I work for are bears. They told me all about
other…creatures here.”

“Species. We’re species, dear, not
creatures.” Summer looked at her, then her son. “You think she was stupid?”

“No.” He lowered his voice when his mom
looked at him oddly. “No. I didn’t think she was. Christ, why do you always
think someone thinks you’re stupid? Is it because of your brother?”

Her skin crawled over her, and she stood
up. If he knew Shamus, then he could find her. When she moved to the door,
Samuel was suddenly standing in front of her. She backed away from him but put
up her hands in defense.

“I won’t hurt you. I can’t.” She
snorted. “I promise you that I’ll never hurt you. When your boss told you about
them, did they tell you what mates were?”

“No. And frankly I doona care either.
You tell Shamus I’m not going back. I doona want to marry that mon any more
than I want to marry you.” She heard Summer’s sharp intake of breath but didn’t
have time to worry with it now. “I’ve no use for a mon, any mon, especially one
older than rocks.”

“Good, because you’re not marrying him.
You’re going to marry me.”

Chapter 5

“I canna find her, Shamus. Other than
her living in the state of Ohio, but she’s not to be found.” Shamus slammed
down the papers he had in his hand and glared at the man in front of him. “She’s
hiding good this time.”

“I want her here. You find her and drag
her back.” Shamus looked up when his mother entered the room. “I’m conducting
business here. Leave me.”

She started to move deeper into the room,
but he simply raised his hand. They’d learn who was boss here or he’d have to
show them again. When she backed out of the room, Shamus felt like he’d won
this round but knew there’d be more. His sisters, both of them, were going to
heel or he’d show them what his wrath meant.

“Mayhap your mother knows. Or your
grandmother. She and Kennedy were close before your da passed.” Donald O’Malley
was as stupid as he was big. And the man was the biggest man he’d ever
encountered. It was why he had him on his side. The added bonus was that he was
handsome too.

“Aye, they were, but she tells me she
doona know anything.” Shamus was sure she was lying, but there was no touching
her. His
seanmháthair
held all the money, and as badly as he wanted it,
he was afraid of her. She had more friends in higher places than he could ever
dream of. “I want you to go to the Americas and find her. You said you had a
clue where she be, go and find her.”

Donald was shaking his head before he
finished. “I canna and you know it. My wife is due any day now, and I’ve no
passport. Even if I did, I canna leave the country, because of the trouble from
years ago. I’m ex-con, and you well know it.”

Shamus did know it. He was actually the
one that had been in trouble with the law but had given Donald enough money to
set him up with a nice house and marry the girl he wanted in exchange for
Donald taking the blame. The mon had spent five years in prison for him, and
Shamus had taken care of his wife whilst he was away.

“Then I’m guessing there’s no hope for
it. I must go and bring her home.” Shamus looked around the office that had
been his da’s. There was little left to sell off now for cash, and he’d never
found his mother’s jewels yet. She’d hidden them away just as tightly as
Kennedy had herself. This was not the way he’d envisioned his becoming laird of
the house. His family was not cooperating the way he’d wanted. And now Kaitlin
was acting up when he’d tried to marry her off to Kennedy’s groom. He dinna
know where she’d hidden herself off to either.

After Donald left, Shamus went to find
his mother. She was going to have to tell him where her money and jewelry was
or he’d have to hurt her again. Things were coming to a head, and he wasn’t
going to waste time begging her for information again. He searched the house
twice without finding a single person. It took him a third time around to
realize that all the staff, few that they were, was gone as well.

The phone was ringing when he entered
the office again. He nearly didn’t answer it but wanted answers and mayhap this
person had some. When he heard his mother’s voice at the other end he started
snarling at her before he gave her a chance to say a word.

“You’ll come back here this minute. I’ve
a need of your jewels to go and bring home that bitch of a daughter of yours. I’m
not fucking around anymore with you and the rest of them. Where are you, and
where is Kaitlin?”

“We’re not returning.” He waited for her
to continue, and when she didn’t, he started to tell her she bloody hell would,
but the line went dead. Shamus waited for her to call back or something, then
realized that she wouldn’t be able to with him holding the line open. As soon
as he put it in the cradle, the thing shrilled again, causing him to squeak.

“Mr. Buehler?” Shamus told him that’s
who he was, and the man laughed. “You have five days, sir, to come up with the
past due amount on the house or we foreclose. The amount you must pay the
mortgage company is eighteen thousand euro or twenty-three thousand seven
hundred seventy-two dollars and sixty cents in dollars. That being said, I hope
you don’t come up with it. I’ve a mind to own the house myself.”

Shamus sat down hard in the chair. “Five
days. That’s not possible. I canna come up with that much money. I need more
time.”

The man laughed. “We’ve given you more
time than we do others of your standing. You have until Monday to come up with
the money. We’ve started the notification of all those concerned.”

Shamus didn’t get the chance to ask him
who was concerned because his mind was wrapped around the five days. By the
time he’d gotten around to asking if he could have an extension, the man had
hung up on him. Christ, it was worse than he thought. As he cradled the phone
again, he wondered who the other concerned might be that he was talking about,
but right now he didn’t care. He had to come up with some money. Shamus went to
his mother’s room and found it not just devoid of her but everything, including
her bed. When the hell had that happened?

His sister’s room, as well as his
brother’s room, was the same. Nothing, not even a towel left in the hamper.
They’d all left him, abandoned him in his hour of need. Shamus sat down on the
floor in his brother’s room and looked around. That’s when he spied the note
sitting atop the fireplace mantle.

You’re a fuck up.
Shamus felt his
anger boil over as he continued to read.
You’re not only a fuck up, but a
royal fuck up. And stupid as well. Mother moved us out on Wednesday. I’ve no
idea when you’ve read this but I’m guessing it was a long time passed. See,
stupid too. Good luck brother dear, I hope you’re happy that you’ve lost our
family home. Sincerely, Michael.

It was Wednesday, but Shamus had a
feeling his brother meant last Wednesday. He tried to remember the last time he’d
seen Michael and couldn’t. Hell, he wasn’t even sure when the last time he’d
seen a servant was for that matter. He put the note into his pocket and went in
search of his grandmother’s number. She wouldn’t let the house go to someone
else.

“I’m sorry, sir, the mistress is out of
the house. I do not expect her to return for at least several months. Shall I
tell her you called if she could contact the house?” Shamus hung up. Everyone
was against him, and he didn’t like it.

The money was simply gone. He’d tried to
win it back, but nothing was working the way he’d planned. When he started to
notice that he was running low, he’d taken measures to have Kennedy marry old
man Tailor, but she’d left him and had run off to the United States. Tailor had
promised to make Kennedy his heir, but she’d have to give him a son first. As
old as the man was, Shamus had doubted his ability to get hard, much less
father a child, and had already made plans to have his sister impregnated by
someone else to fob the child off as Tailor’s, but that had failed as well. Then
he’d thought to get his younger sister to marry him, but she, too, had failed
him. Shamus just could not understand his family and their unwillingness to
help when he needed them.

He called the bank hoping to get someone
that would be willing to give him some extra time and maybe a little money to
tide him over. The races were starting up tomorrow night again, and he was sure
he could win back all he needed and more.

After being on the line for several
minutes, he’d been transferred to someone else. When the woman came on the line,
she was less than friendly to him, something that bothered him a great deal.

“I’ve sent you several letters, Mr.
Buehler. The bank no longer owns your note. A company in the America’s owns it
now.” She tisked at him. “And your request for funding is not going to happen
either. You’ve overdrawn your account by several thousand dollars now and we’ll
not be giving you more.”

“Now what?” Shamus sat there for a long
time before he got up to see what he could do. It was well into night when he
stepped out onto the porch and went out to the barn. The horses that belonged
to Kennedy were still there, and someone had fed them. He pulled out his cell
phone and made nine calls before he was able to find buyers for them all. He
had no papers that said they belonged to him to sell, but the man was willing
to wait until his sister returned. Shamus told him that she’d been hurt and he
needed to go to her. By morning he was buying a ticket to the state of Ohio,
and he was going to find Kennedy if it was the last thing he did.

~~~

Kennedy went to her car, and thankfully,
it started right up. She was driving down the long drive from the house
thinking about nothing but the road in front of her and the music that blared
on the radio. She refused to think about the fact that Mr. Payne thought he was
going to marry her.

When she got back to her home, she sat
down on the bench and stared at nothing for a long time, trying her best to
wrap her mind around everything. Finally getting up, she went to her computer
to see if her grandmother was online. She needed her now more than ever. She
wasn’t there, but there were nine emails from her. Starting at the first one
that had come in she started reading. By the time she got to the last one,
Kennedy wasn’t sure whether she was terrified or excited. Her
seanmháthair
should be in there in the morning.

Glancing at the email that gave her all
the details of her flight, she realized her grandmother had indicated multiple
people. She wondered who might be coming with her, but only then realized that
she didn’t care. Her
seanmháthair
would know what to do.

“I’ll be marrying you as soon as it can
be arranged. I think you should pack your belongings and move in here as soon
as possible. If you’ve a deposit on your place, I’ll be more than glad to
reimburse you for it.” Mr. Payne had gone over the things he thought she should
do as if she’d had no choice. “I’ve marked you, Kennedy, as my mate, and the
sooner we get the bonding part taken care of the better for both of us. I’ve no
need for a mate, but now that I’ve stupidly taken one I will do everything in
my power to make you comfortable.”

When he’d asked her if she had any
questions she’d only shook her head. Then he’d told her to go home and he’d see
her in the morning. Kennedy heard his mother yelling at him before Kennedy had
gotten out of the house.

Like hell he would.

Marrying a man like Mr. Payne would be
like marrying a man like her brother. Shamus and Samuel were cut from the same
cloth. Both men were thinking they could rule her, and she wasn’t going to let
them. Before she knew it, she’d gotten out her stash of money and was counting
it. When her
seanmháthair
got here, Kennedy was going to beg her to take
her away and never to return. She was sick of America.

It took her less time than she’d thought
it would to pack up, but then in a fit of independence, she put it all away
again. Kennedy wouldn’t run this time. She’d face the man and tell him to fuck
off. Putting her cash back, she went to the phone outside the offices of the
campground and called the airport to see if the plane her
seanmháthair
was coming in on was on time. Then when she found out when it was, she got into
her car and drove the forty minutes to the airport to be there when she came
in.

Kennedy was sitting in the lobby
settling down to wait the three hours when something touched her mind. When Mr.
Payne spoke to her, she stood up looking around for him when he laughed. Christ
love a duck, the man was speaking to her.

I’m wondering what has you so upset.
She didn’t
answer him, not sure how
. Just think like you’re speaking to me, and I’ll
hear you.

I’ve no reason to speak to you, Mr.
Payne. I think you’ve said enough to me as well. Leave me be.
There was
laughter, and Kennedy wondered how she knew he was making fun of her and asked
him.

I’ve marked you, as I told you. And
because we’re mates, we’ve a bond that allows us to speak to each other as well
as feel each other’s emotions. At least I can feel yours. You’d have to bite me
for the exchange to be complete.
Kennedy tried not to think about biting
him, but he knew what she’d been thinking.
Come here, Kennedy, and let me
show you the wonders of being mated to a lion. Just pack up your belongings and
come here to me.

She ignored him. There was no way she
was going to go to him, and she was never going to bite him. When he started
sending her thoughts of them in the bed together, she picked out a man that
looked nice and imagined him in her bed. Mr. Payne was not amused.

I think you need a lesson in what it
means to be owned by a lion. We’re very protective, but more so when it comes
to jealousy. You’d do well not to tease me in that way.

You’d do well to leave me the fuck
alone. I’ve made my stand on being your mate perfectly clear. I don’t want, nor
do I need, you any more than you want or need me, Mr. Payne.
Kennedy thought
about what he’d said to her about all of this.
You should find someone who
will do your bidding. I am not that woman.

You’ll listen to me, Kennedy. You know it’s
for your own good. I’m your mate and as such I demand that you come to me this
minute. Or better yet, tell me where you are, and I’ll come to you.
Kennedy ignored
him even when he threatened her with a paddling. She wasn’t five, nor was she a
doormat.