On Your Knees, Prospect (Kings of Hell MC 3)

“That makes so much sense. Even bikers need accountants. That’s a very good job. Very stable,” he said, nodding.

Jake finally managed to swallow some of his soup. “He is. Vars is a very responsible guy.”

Jake’s mother smiled too. “I took some accounting classes back in college.”

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Vars gave her a wide smile. “I enjoy making sense of numbers. I’ve worked in New York City for years, but it’s such a busy environment. There comes a time when one wants peace and quiet. I am loving Brecon so far.”

From there, the conversation flowed so much better. In Jake’s parents’ minds, their little boy wasn’t being plucked from their arms by a big bad biker but by a responsible older man. Maybe a good influence even. They didn’t need to know he laundered money for the club and was already pondering new, creative ways of fucking their son.

The end

Bonus Scene - Laurent

Laurent couldn’t believe any of this. By the time they finally finished talking things through with club members, it was well past eight in the morning. The sun was up, and what had been meant to be a dream come true, celebrating his and Beast’s commitment to each other in front of their friends, had ended up indistinguishable from a nightmare.

No words were left inside of Laurent as he walked to their apartment with Beast, their new suits still damp and cold from the long search in the snow. Laurent had done everything he could to not make a fuss about the gargoyle wrecking the party, to acknowledge that Jake’s predicament was far more important than something as inconsequential as a wedding celebration, but his heart was torn in half, and once away from the others, he would not pretend to smile any longer.

Hound was there to greet them, anxious after being left alone for a while, and Laurent sank to his knees to hug the massive dog as soon as he kicked off his snow boots. “Hey there, have you missed us?”

The beast whined and pushed him with his muzzle, breathing loudly into Laurent’s ear. Above him, Beast petted his dog’s head before moving his fingers to Laurent. Gently, he slid them over Laurent’s scalp, just standing there without a word—no wonder, because words couldn’t possibly express the dire nature of last night.

When Laurent finally stood up, he pulled Beast down for a quick smooch. “I’ll be in the library. I couldn’t possibly sleep after all this anyway, but you get some rest, my love.” Maybe Laurent could look through the books with the gargoyle angle, or maybe he could just cry in peace without everyone watching him as if they expected him to throw a tantrum. He was better than that. Stronger than that.

A firm hand curled around his arm and tugged on it, making it as impossible to walk away.

“What? What library? This is our wedding night. I’m not gonna go to sleep while you research gargoyles and God knows what else.”

Laurent sighed deeply, but didn’t try to pull away. He had no energy left for fighting after the terror of this night. “What wedding night? It’s past eight in the morning. Our wedding night is long gone. In all honesty, you’ve seemed to wish for it to be all over, so there. It is indeed over.”

Beast huffed, twisting his lips in displeasure. He glanced at the sun outside in contemplative silence. “If we close the shutters, it’ll be night again. Is it so hard to understand that I wanted to finish what needed to be dealt with, so that I could be with my new husband? Do you not care if we’re together or not?”

“No, I just… I feel I’ve made so much fuss about our wedding already. I wished for it to be perfect. I don’t want to be selfish. I know this whole disaster wasn’t Jake’s fault, but I’m just so, so angry.” And there it was—what Laurent had hoped to leave for time alone or a long bath—two big fat tears dripping from his eyelashes. “You have so much to deal with right now. The last thing you need is to hear me whine that I didn’t even get to try my cake.” And yet a deep sob tore out of Laurent’s throat when he finished the last sentence. He’d put so much effort into choosing the right kind of cake. The right flowers. The right plates. All for nothing.

Beast gently squeezed Laurent’s shoulders before wiping the tears off his cheeks with the back of one hand. His rough skin was so familiar, so pleasant, Laurent couldn’t help himself and sobbed some more, leaning into the touch.

“I’m sorry the party didn’t go exactly as planned. If you want, we could order another cake. Have it for your birthday.”

“It’s not the same.” Laurent pressed his head into that comfortable spot between Beast’s pecs. “Everyone will now remember our wedding for all the wrong reasons, and yet with Jake’s peril, I feel so selfish for my fury. It’s so unfair, and I can’t even be angry with him.”