Man of Honor (Passion in Paradise Book 4)

by Sarah O'Rourke

  Zeke smirked. “Your tattooed prince in dented armor is safe. For now. Despite the fact that he broke two very clear Tennessee laws….four, if you count the illegal lane change and the fact that he was going seven miles over the speed limit when Jimmy pulled his car over…. I made sure to let him off with a warning once he paid his fine and provided proof that he maintained car insurance. But, right now, you and I have larger issues than who’s responsible for Hunter’s ruined outing with you,” he informed Honor as he stared at her with gleaming eyes, his eyes slowly sliding up and down her petite body. “If you think I’m letting you out of this house lookin’ good enough to eat, you’re crazy.”

  Even though he was still giving her attitude about her date, Honor’s chest warmed at his compliment. “It’s just a dress, Zeke.”

  “Yeah, it’s just a dress, but the body that’s filling that dress automatically makes it a work of art. Add in what that hair and those heels do to your legs and my dick, and I don’t think I want another man seeing this outfit.”

  “Well, it started off sweet, but still you managed to aggravate the heck out of me,” Honor mused aloud, shaking her head as his gaze turned predatory and he took another step closer to her, his hand lifting to finger the necklace around her neck.

  “At least you’re wearing my jewelry,” he muttered as he looked down at where the pendent rested against the hollow of her throat.

  “I haven’t taken it off since you gave it to me, Zeke,” Honor shared quietly as the grandfather clock in the living room seemed to tick loudly in the otherwise silent house. Even the air conditioner had gone silent, and the moment between her and Zeke felt supercharged with the kind of sexual chemistry she’d only read about in books.

  “Goddamn, you never fail to steal my breath when you look at me with those soft blue eyes of yours,” Zeke admitted roughly, his hand lifting to cradle her cheek while his lips descended. “I need that mouth under mine,” he growled hungrily a split second before he covered her lips with his.

  Moaning softly into his mouth, Honor met his kiss eagerly, rising on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. Over the last couple of nights, she might have spent time with other men, but it was Zeke’s lips she came home to each night, and she couldn’t deny that she was rapidly becoming addicted to his slow drugging kisses. His touch had become familiar, and she felt more comfortable in his arms with every passing day. “Zeke,” she breathed as he gently dragged his lips from her mouth down her neck. “I love the way you kiss me,” she confided shakily as his lips sucked at the pounding pulse point just below her ear and his tongue licked her flesh erotically.

  “Then stay home with me and I’ll kiss you anywhere you want, Honor. I’ll touch you any way you like… all afternoon long. It’s about time I see how long I can make you purr, isn’t it?” Zeke rasped, gently biting the column of her neck and grinning when she gasped and shivered against him, her head automatically turning toward him as her mouth searched for his.

  Honor’s breasts ached as she pressed herself against Zeke’s hard body. Pulling his shirt from his jeans, she slid her hands underneath and ran her fingers against the hard ridges and contours of his chest.

  “That’s it, baby. Touch me,” Zeke urged between deep wet kisses. “That’s my brave girl,” he praised as her hand became more adventurous, wandering higher on his skin until she reached his flat brown nipples. A raw groan crawled up Zeke’s throat as her fingertips delicately stroked him. Cupping her round firm bottom in his hands, he lifted her against him and growled as her legs automatically wrapped around his waist and her ankles locked at the small of his back. Pressing her against the hard bulge hidden behind his jeans, he swallowed the startled cry from her lips, before lifting away from her lips to soothe her. “It’s just me, Kitten,” he whispered against her damp parted lips as he turned to lean her slender body against the wall. Grinning when her legs tightened around his middle and her arms circled his neck, he whispered. “It’s just us. Together the way we should be, baby. Stay here with me.”

  Honor’s head thumped against the wall as she heard his husky demand. Leaning her head back to stare at Zeke with dazed eyes, she moaned when he moved his head to nibble at her collar bone. “I can’t. You know I can’t. I made a commitment to see this therapy thing through. It’s just one more date, and then it’s done,” she whimpered as his tongue traced the line of her cleavage. Her dress wasn’t low cut by any means, but Ezekiel had a wickedly talented mouth and anywhere he touched made her feel as though she’d been branded as his. Even now goosebumps were popping up all over her flesh.

  Lifting his head, Zeke’s eyes focused on her flushed face. “Babe, have you enjoyed the last two dates? Truthfully?’

  “I…neither of those dates really went off without a hitch, Zeke, and you know that.”

  “Yes, but you were with both RJ and Hunter long enough to know if you’d wanna spend any more time with them. So, did you?” he asked, settling his weight against her as his fingers stroked the curve of her bottom.

  “No. Not really,” she acknowledged faintly. “They’re both truly nice men, but I didn’t…there wasn’t…I mean, it didn’t…” Honor finally trailed of, unable to complete her thought as one of Zeke’s hands distracted her by sliding up her waist to cup a full breast through her dress, his thumb circling her nipple, causing it to stiffen. Even through two layers of clothes, he had the ability to make her body sing.

  “You didn’t feel any spark, did you? Not like you feel when I touch you,” Zeke rumbled. “Or when I kiss you,” he continued, dropping his head to seize her lips for a quick, but intense kiss. “That said, why the hell do you want to waste your time with Wrath today, baby? You think he can make your body burn like I can?”

  Honor’s jaw dropped. “I don’t intend to offer to let him try,” she retorted.

  “Good thing. Getting rid of his body after I kill him would be a pain in the ass,” Zeke growled, stealing another kiss and growling low in his throat as the doorbell chimed from the front of the house.

  “He’s here,” Honor whispered.

  Frowning, Zeke sighed. “Yeah,” he confirmed. “You go do this, Honor. Go entertain the biker boy if you must, but do it knowing that tonight when it’s just you and me again, we’re gonna have a long, serious conversation about our relationship. I think it’s time we laid out some rules between us because I can tell you right now that watching you go out… whether it’s on three dates or three thousand dates is one date too fuckin’ many for me to remain sane!”

  Listening to the desperation coloring his avowal, Honor nodded wordlessly, unable to say anything as the doorbell chimed again. Looking toward her bedroom door, she bit her lower lip. “Zeke, you have to let me go now,” she whispered, squirming against his body and pulling a groan from his mouth when she rubbed against the swollen bulge in his jeans. “It’s rude to leave Wrath waiting out there in the heat. I need to go let him inside.”

  Gently placing her back on her own two feet, Zeke lifted a hand to run his thumb along lips that were now swollen from his kisses. “No. I’ll go let the douche in the house. You go rinse your face with cold water. He doesn’t get to see this from you,” he grumbled.

  “What?” Honor asked, cocking her head.

  “That dreamy just fucked glow in your eyes. That gorgeous look is all mine, Honor. Always only ever mine, baby.”

  “I haven’t been just fu-…boinked,” she said, quickly amending his statement to one she could say aloud.

  “Yeah, but that dewy look on your face says that you were definitely on your way to it. And I mean what I say… this beautiful side of you belongs to me. Say it, Honor,” he growled.

  “Zeke!” Honor protested, blushing.

  “You wanna leave this house with another man, you’ll tell me here and now that while you might be riding around with him, your heart’s still here with me.”

  “Fine. You’re right,” she hissed. “My heart is going to stay here with you, but my body needs
to go fulfill my prior obligation. Preferably before word somehow gets to Bree in London that I’ve stood up my last date.”

  Zeke grinned and took a step back. “Then I’ll go answer the door.”

  Huffing out a breath, Honor pursed her lips. “I’m not sure I like bossy, domineering men telling me what to do.”

  “Good news then, darlin. You don’t have any bossy, domineering men to worry about in your life. You’ve just got me. And now, I know for sure… I’ve got you, too.”

  Honor barely resisted the urge to stomp her foot as the doorbell rang for a third time, this time accompanied by several loud knocks against the door. Pointing an imperious finger toward the living room, Honor glared. “Go!”

  And as Zeke turned to stomp his way toward the front door, Honor couldn’t help touching her tingling lips lightly with her own fingers and smiling.

  Zeke

  11:15 am

  Despite the pleasure he’d found with Honor in his arms for the last several minutes, Zeke felt his anger build with every step he took toward the living room and hearing Wrath’s fist pounding impatiently against the storm door did nothing to improve his sour disposition. “Enough,” he roared, jerking the door open with a savage yank. Zeke’s eyes gleamed dangerously as he shoved open the storm door and planted a hand in Wrath’s chest, shoving him back a step. “We get it, asshole. You’ve fuckin’ arrived.”

  Wrath flashed the sheriff a cocky grin as he raised an eyebrow. “Well, hello there, Sheriff. Fancy seeing you here. I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’ve come to call on Honor.”

  “Oh, I know what you’ve come to try and do, McKay,” Zeke returned, lowering his voice in case Honor appeared more quickly than he expected. “And I’m warning you, you can nix whatever fuckin’ plans you’ve got in the bud. You get two hours with her; then, I’m coming. And not a single fuckin’ hair on her head better be out of place.”

  “I think that’s up to the lovely lady, Sheriff. I’d never want to cut her fun short and if she’s enjoying herself…”

  “She won’t be. She doesn’t even want to go, asshat. This is all her stupid therapist’s idea.”

  Wrath’s eyebrows rose as his amber eyes twinkled. “Interesting. Well, your loss is my gain.”

  “I didn’t lose shit, McKay. And I won’t. Make no mistake here. Honor is mine. And I’m gonna be takin’ her back in two hours, tops.”

  Leaning toward Zeke, Wrath mock whispered, “Has anybody told Honor that? Being as she’s makin’ dates all over town with other guys, she might have missed an important memo,” he continued to taunt. “And I doubt she’d appreciate you trying to enforce a curfew on her since…well, you know…she’s a fully grown woman with a competent mind and all. I know it’s been a while since you were on the market, but you should know that women get a bit touchy when you treat ‘em like they can’t think for themselves.”

  “Are you actually standing there trying to offer ME advice about my own woman?” Zeke seethed.

  “Man, if she was your woman, she wouldn’t be coming out with me this afternoon,” Wrath chuckled.

  “It’s complicated,” Zeke spat, his hands fisting at his sides.

  “I’ll bet,” Wrath drawled, his handsome face amused. “As much fun as this is, I’d really like to get moving. Some of the guys are waiting for me and my truck back at the Clubhouse. I’m supposed to swing by and pick up a grill for us to use at the park. Evidently all the charcoal pits have been claimed.”

  Zeke’s face hardened. “Are you insane? I better have misunderstood you just now because it sounded like you said that you intend to take Honor to your fuckin’ den of sin you and your boys call a Clubhouse!”

  “Look, Zeke, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Most of the guys are already at the picnic. We’re only gonna be there long enough to load the gas grill in the bed of the truck,” Wrath reasoned, holding up a calming hand.

  “Like fucking hell, Wrath!” Zeke exploded. “Those whores you assholes always have hanging off your dicks will be there, and you can’t tell me that at least one of your so-called brothers won’t have his cock stuffed down one of their throats.”

  “I already called the boys and warned them to zip their dicks up, man. You think I’d deliberately march that sweet lady into the lion’s den?” Wrath questioned roughly, propping his hands on lean denim covered hips. “You’ve got my word that she won’t see anything more offensive than an open beer bottle.”

  “Yeah? What about what she hears? Can you make sure all those brothers keep civil tongues in their head?”

  “You ever heard one of my boys say anything out of line to her before, Zeke?” Wrath barked, taking a step forward and coming nose to nose with the sheriff.

  “You mean other than the one fucker that hurt her eight years ago?” Zeke bit out.

  Wrath flinched. “Fuck, Zeke. That’s really fuckin’ low. You better believe that if you and I were anywhere else, we’d be settling this shit with our fists right now. Bein’ as there’s a pretty lady inside the house that’s seen enough violence in her life, I’m gonna try to curb my impulses.” he hissed as every muscle in his body seemed to tense.

  Zeke knew the other man was fighting the urge to take a swing. And truthfully, after that remark, he probably had it coming. Especially since he knew Wrath would do anything to change the fact that one of the men he trusted inside his club had done that kind of sick shit to a woman he cared about. “Shit,” Zeke quietly snarled, running a hand down his face before turning his head to stare sightlessly over the tree line bordering Honor’s property. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s just… letting her go with you today goes against every instinct I’ve got. No excuse, I know, but there it is anyway.”

  Wrath’s eyes shined as his lips twitched. Cupping a hand over his ear, he leaned toward the lawman. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard that shit right. Did the great Sheriff Ezekiel Monroe just deign to apologize to somebody as common as a dirty old biker?”

  “Don’t push your luck, McKay,” Zeke mumbled, shooting the other man a quelling look as he wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and leaned against one of the white pillars on Honor’s wraparound porch. “Wait until you find your One, man. Then you’ll get it.”

  “I already had my shot with “The One”, and the whole town had a front row seat to watching how that fiasco played out,” Wrath snorted, shaking his head. “All that bitch managed to give me was my baby boy, Storm, and a whole lot of racked up debt before she took off to find a sugar daddy that would keep her in the lifestyle that she thought she deserved.”

  “Yeah,” Zeke snorted. “Our very own Mayor Tilden. I still can’t believe that fucker got reelected after that whole shit show.”

  “I won’t complain. Storm’s the best thing that ever happened to me, but sharing him with that cunt that he has to call his mother and her new fucktard of a husband … yeah, let’s just say that finding the ONE isn’t on my list of priorities. Not unless you can guarantee me a sweet little thing like Honor.”

  “Honor’s mine, Wrath, and last I checked, all the sisters were taken,” Zeke returned, turning his head to offer the man a long look.

  “Yeah,” Wrath chuckled as he mirrored Zeke’s stance leaning against another thick pillar on the porch. “Got that message, Zeke.”

  “At least Darla stayed local. You get to see your boy whenever you want, don’t you?”

  “For the most part I do. That fuckin’ bitch couldn’t care less about our boy unless, like today, she and the dickhead can use Storm as a photo op prop. That’s why I don’t have my kid for the fireworks tonight. They need him so they can present the image of the perfect little family in the town square. Fucktards,” Wrath sneered.

  “Sorry, man,” Zeke apologized, genuinely sorry for the other man. “That sucks.”

  Wrath shrugged. “Not much I can do besides have the fucker offed and somehow, I get the feeling that you’d frown on that. Well, unless he did something so bad that not even you’d get in my wa
y, and pray to God that never happens,” he muttered.

  “It won’t be long before Storm’s old enough to tell the courts where he wants to be full-time, Wrath,” Zeke advised quietly. “Just hold tight on your plans for mass mayhem. Sooner or later, the mayor is bound to do something he can’t cover up and then you’ll have the ammo you need to take on your ex-wife in court.”

  “You’re a fine, upstanding leader in the community, Zeke. Why don’t you give that asshole a run for his money?”

  Zeke shook his head. “I like my job. Plus, Honor hates people watching her. Can you imagine what it would be like to be the mayor’s wife?”

  Wrath nodded as he offered the sheriff a considering look. “So,” he said, dropping his voice so as not to be overheard. “You’re gonna put a ring on her finger and seal this deal up soon? Fuck, Zeke, you already share a roof. When can the town expect y’all to get on with things?” he teased.

  Zeke shrugged. “Fuck, I don’t know. These idiot assignments her therapist keeps handing her make it pretty damn hard for me to lock things down, wouldn’t you say?”

  Wrath laughed outright then. “Man, it’s not like these dates have actually really taken place so far. You had RJ Reardon running all over Paradise to get his gym up to code on his and you threw Hunter Quaid in the clink when he took her out. What the fuck you got planned for me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Nothing,” Zeke grumbled. “Honor is blackmailing me. She threatened to schedule six more dates – all of ‘em with your motorcycle brethren - if I so much as give you a dirty look today. It’s fuckin’ bullshit.”