She rolled over onto her back, resting her head on her arm. She had learned a valuable lesson, however. When Jordan used his serious tone, she needed to listen and obey. The word “obey” floated through her mind and it actually made her smile. Was that disturbing or a sign that she was exactly where she needed to be?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Riley was in Jordan’s kitchen trying to get the late lunch together. It was already close to two. He had told her that it could just be a simple sandwich menu, but she felt the need to impress him and his brothers. Again, she was unsure if that was disturbing or confirmation of something much better.
With the ingredients that she found in the kitchen, Riley decided to make them hot ham and Swiss open-faced sandwiches with roasted asparagus on top. Under more melted cheese, of course. The kitchen smelled wonderful.
Riley looked into the oven. “Two more minutes.”
She wiped her hands off on a towel and was about to start setting the table when she heard the front door close. They’re here. A goofy grin played on her lips as she opened a drawer, looking for the silverware.
After she had searched in two drawers, she finally found the utensils she needed. Riley grabbed four sets and then turned to quickly turn off the oven. Riley started to walk toward the kitchen table but slowed just before she reached it.
Riley could barely hear the brothers talking, but their tone had her stilling. They were stressed about something. Is this about the danger Jordan spoke of? Riley’s breathing became shallower as she strained to hear them.
“Are you sure?” Jordan’s tone was hushed but laced with anxiety.
“Yes,” Brody answered.
“Was there any sign that Leader was seriously injured?” Jordan asked tensely.
Leader? Riley’s eyes widened as she listened.
“Well,” Ryan said, “there was a small amount of blood around the tree, but I don’t think enough to cause us worry.”
Blood? Riley covered her mouth with her hand. A loud beep from the oven timer sounded behind her. Riley almost jumped out of her skin. A shudder went down her back as she quickly turned back toward the kitchen. The timer beeped loudly at her again.
“All right.” She huffed out a deep breath, reaching for the button to silence it.
Riley set down the silverware and opened the oven. She swiftly grabbed an oven mitt to extract her creation. After setting the baking sheet on top of the stove, she turned to grab a spatula. She gasped and stilled when she found all three Ward men standing inside the kitchen.
“Aahh, hello,” she stammered.
“It smells great!” Brody looked over Jordan’s shoulder, rubbing his hands together.
“Thanks.” Her eyes flicked from Brody to Jordan.
Her Master folded his arms over his chest, lifting his chin. Does he know I was eavesdropping? Is he mad? She nervously fiddled with the oven mitt.
“You guys can have a seat. I’ll bring everything right out.” Riley swallowed noisily.
“Here,” Ryan stepped forward. “I’ll take in the forks and stuff.”
Ryan stepped around Jordan and went for the silverware on the counter. Riley nervously smiled and stepped back. Ryan nodded at her with a genuine grin before turning with the utensils in hand.
“I’ll grab the drinks.” Brody moved to the fridge and soon retrieved three bottles of beer.
He turned toward Riley and pointed at the bottles, obviously asking if she wanted one. She nodded and he swiftly grabbed another one before leaving the kitchen, easily holding the necks of the bottles between his fingers.
Riley stared into Jordan’s eyes for a moment before turning back to her lunch creations. She started to plate the first dish and felt Jordan walk up closer to her. She tried not to seem nervous. As she plated the last few semi-fancy sandwiches, Jordan reached up and placed his hands on her shoulders.
Riley held her breath for a few seconds until he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
“I’ll help you carry these out. Thank you, pet.”
Riley’s hands were a bit shaky as she set down the spatula. “It was my pleasure, Master. I hope you like it.”
Jordan kissed the top of her head again before stepping away from her and grabbing two plates. Riley looked into his eyes as he gave her a big smile. He was soon walking out of the room and Riley took a deep breath through her nose, filling her with the delicious odor of the food.
She grabbed the other two plates and followed her man. Should I ask him about the conversation? Riley wasn’t sure, but she knew she should at least leave it for after lunch. She set the plates down when she reached the table.
Brody and Ryan looked famished. She took her seat to the left of Jordan and tilted her head, watching the two men. They were both devouring their meals with their greedy eyes. Brody was rubbing his hands together as he looked up at her.
“Riley, hon, this looks and smells delicious.”
“Thanks. Dig in while it’s still warm.”
Jordan chuckled. “Don’t mind him. He hasn’t found his slave, yet, so he eats mostly frozen pizza and cereal.”
Ryan laughed and slapped his brother, Brody, on the back. His slave? That thought filled her mind and it almost felt as if it was a movie she had been waiting to see.
“Hey, you haven’t claimed your slave, either.” Brody shrugged off Ryan’s hand.
“Wait. So I’m the first?” Riley stared at Jordan.
Why should that surprise her? The triplets had just had their Prime birthday a day ago and Jordan was the oldest. Were the other two just waiting for this situation to die down so they could find their own slaves? Riley had, of course, not seen any other women around in the short time she had known the Ward men.
“First Ward slave, but not the last,” Ryan interjected.
Riley turned her stare on him. This conversation was a little uncomfortable for her. On one hand, it made Riley feel like an important part of this strange group or family. On the other hand, it made her feel unimportant. Like a trinket the men were playing with until the next new one was found.
“Oh.” Riley stared down at her lap, not really knowing what to feel.
Jordan reached across the table and gently grabbed her chin. He pulled on it, causing her to look at him.
“Not just the first, love. My one and only perfect slave. My brothers will be lucky to find ones as good as mine.” His smile was gorgeous and contagious.
Riley gave him a timid smile as her eyes started to water.
“All right. Enough rubbing it in. Let’s eat.” Brody opened his beer and a loud tsk sound came from the bottle.
Jordan released her chin and Riley looked over as Brody took a swig from his drink.
“A toast, then.” Ryan opened his beer and held it up.
Jordan’s drink was already open, but he reached over and opened Riley’s for her. The four each held up their bottles.
“To the Ward boys and to them all being happy with their marked ones.” Ryan nodded at Riley.
She blushed before taking a sip, feeling blessed and anxious at the same time.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The next two days went by peacefully and were filled with happiness. Riley had learned several endearing things about her man. For example, he refused to drink anything if it had ice in it. She had had a hard time not laughing when he had refused ice tea for that simple reason.
She had also learned a few mildly irritating things. Jordan was not afraid to correct her while she was speaking. She apparently mispronounced a few words like especially, mayonnaise, and excuse. She wasn't angry with him, though. She found it amusing.
During this time, Riley had decided not to mention what she had overheard. She didn’t want to bring up anything that would soil how perfectly they had been getting along. She thought that it was the brothers’ business and there wouldn’t be much point of her getting involved. I just have to remember that Jordan is looking out for my best interest.
Her week was over halfway done. At times, she forgot all about the timeframe and the agreement. Sometimes Riley felt so at home that the thought of going back to her old, boring life depressed her. Every so often, though, a sudden urge to run would make itself known.
The choice was weighing heavily on her heart and her mind so Riley tried not to think about it. It was still her choice, right? Even so, her decision to stay or leave would greatly affect Jordan. She wanted him happy, but she also needed to be happy. Wasn’t she, though? She let out a frustrated sigh.
Riley turned away from the sink where she had been washing her hands after loading the dishwasher. As she wiped off her hands on a towel, she thought of a 1960’s housewife in a dress and heels in the kitchen. She shook her head in amusement. Some women would hate the thought, but for someone like Riley, basically an orphan, it made her chest warm and her lips smile.
Jordan poked his head around the kitchen wall. “Love, I’m heading out to help Brody at his house. Do we need anything while I’m out?”
The word “we” seemed to hold so much promise, but it also scared her a bit. Riley laid down the towel and stepped toward him. He walked fully into the room and Riley reached up, grabbing his face with both hands.
“Maybe more milk. Wait, can a slave ask her wolf to run errands?” Her smile grew as she tilted her head to the side.
“Only if her wolf will allow it. You’re lucky that you gave me such good sex this morning.” Jordan’s perfect lips lifted into a crooked grin.
Riley went up to her tiptoes and kissed her Master. Jordan swiftly wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her body closer. The kiss was so familiar, almost as if they had been married for years. That’s basically what this is, this slave thing. I’d be his wife. If she thought of it that way, Riley was almost fully onboard already.
After a few passionate seconds, Jordan pulled back from the kiss with his eyes shining. Riley moved her hands down to his shoulders as Jordan moved one hand up to her neck. He slowly rubbed two fingers over her mark. It sent sudden tingles down her back, and Riley inhaled sharply.
Her eyes fluttered shut as she exhaled. Could she be the luckiest girl she knew or was she being fooled? When she opened her eyes again, Jordan looked more somber. His eyes were duller and his smile had faded.
“You know how much you mean to me, pet. Don’t you?” His fingers continued along her marked skin.
“I think I do, Master.” She cocked her head to the other side.
Jordan’s expression was still grave as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips before releasing her and stepping back.
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Don’t leave the house.” He wagged a finger at her.
Riley twisted her hips back and forth, innocently. “Yes, Sir.”
She winked at him and his smile came back. Riley followed him to the front door and when he shut it behind himself, there was a faint green glow under the door, the same as last time. Riley understood that that was his alarm spell.
She swung her arms back and forth. “I better not disappoint him this time. I better be a good girl.” Her smirk grew naughtier as she turned away from the door.
Maybe it was time to do some snooping. Riley should feel guiltier for that, but she rationalized it to herself. If I’m planning on moving in and being his “wife” after such a short time of knowing him, I want to make sure there are no skeletons in his closet. Or ex-slaves shackled in the basement.
That last thought made her giggle as she headed into Jordan’s bedroom. Riley wasn’t going to dig for an absurd amount of time, but a few minutes wouldn’t hurt. Right?
She trailed a finger along his dresser as she walked past it. Where should she start? Was the closet the best place to hide something? Riley walked over to his large closet and opened the door, the smell of Jordan overtaking her immediately. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Riley had the urge to rub her face against some of his hanging clothes. Was that weird?
Riley opened her eyes with a smile on her face and entered his closet, a small walk-in with some shelves. She ran her hand over his shirts, making them swing on their hangers. Nothing grabbed her eye. There were no strange containers or giant envelopes or anything.
She guessed that if someone was hiding something, it would be in an unassuming box or something. Riley looked down to the floor. Nothing there but a few pairs of shoes. She then looked up onto the long shelf over the clothes. There were several stacks of jeans.
“Jordan, are you perfect?” She snorted with humor as she turned back toward the closet door.
Maybe she should just leave well enough alone. Maybe she should just let herself be happy here with him. Right before she left the closet, however, her eye was drawn to a small, brown box on the top shelf. Riley wasn’t sure why she had even spotted it. It was like something she couldn’t understand was trying to get her attention.
Riley reached up but stopped herself just short of grabbing the box. A strange sensation ran down her outstretched arm. It was like ice water in her veins. Was that a premonition? She shook her arm, trying to get rid of the feeling.
She spoke to herself softly. “Walk away, Riley. Walk away.”
She started to obey her own directions but soon stilled. Riley’s sick curiosity was too much to bear. She reached up and grabbed the box off the shelf. That premonition feeling faded which she took as a good sign.
It wasn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Riley pulled the lid off the plain, brown box. There were several newspaper clipping on top. She went down to the ground, sitting on her knees to make it easier to examine the contents. The first few clipping didn’t seem like anything important, so she shifted them out of the way.
After a few seconds, one picture caught her eye. Riley pulled out the small, cut piece of newspaper, squinting at the black and white picture.
“It can’t be.” She held it up closer to her face.
Riley’s eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. The picture was of a car crash, her car crash. The one that had killed her parents. She covered her mouth with her hand as her other one trembled holding the piece of paper.
Finally, she removed the hand from her mouth. “Wait, it’s not that big of a deal that he has this. After all, he has known about me for years. It makes since that he would follow my life. Especially if something was big enough to get into the paper.”
The bit of pain in her gut faded as she read the small caption under the picture. It simply said that the accident had killed two, with one young survivor. It did hurt her heart to have this memory thrown in her face, but it wasn’t crippling. Riley had buried most of her pain a long time ago.
A new emotion was coloring her mind then. Jordan had been longing for her, waiting for her. He had obviously been keeping tabs on her. It was a creepy but flattering feeling wrapped together. Riley sighed and replaced the clipping.
Riley was about to grab the lid and replace that, too, when the overhead closet light reflected off something shiny in the bottom of the box. She brushed all the paper to one side and instantly started to shake. It was a necklace and unless she was crazy, it was hers.
With a hesitant hand, she reached in and pulled out the piece of jewelry. Riley dropped the box into her lap without thinking. She held up the necklace, letting it swing under the light. It had been many years since she’d seen it, but there was no mistaking it. This was the necklace her mother had given her long ago.
It was silver and had a delicate chain which Riley could easily see was broken. The clasps were missing. Riley reached up with her free hand and grabbed the pendant. She let it lay in her palm. It was a stunning silver lotus flower which was supposed to hold a small pink gem in the center. The gem was missing.
Riley’s fingers fumbled with the flower, trying to turn it over. When she finally did, there it was. Her proof. Etched into the back of the flower were her initials. RMH. Her mother had given this to her when she turned seven. Riley had mostly
kept it in her jewelry box in her bedroom, rarely wearing it. The last time she had seen it, that last time she had worn it, was the day of the car accident.
“I was wearing this in the crash.” Riley traced a finger over the small letters. “I lost it in the crash, which means…” Riley closed her eyes and a tear slipped free. “Jordan was there?”
Riley brought the necklace up to her chest and held it tightly with both hands as more tears came. What did this mean? Had he simply been watching her and come across the accident? That didn’t seem plausible. Had Jordan gone to the site after the fact and found her necklace? That didn’t seem likely, either.
She opened her eyes and stared at the ground. Now what?
* * * *
“So, your week is almost up. What are you sensing about your slave?” Ryan lifted three deck boards off the ground with ease.
Jordan picked up three more pieces of wood and followed his brother around to the back of Brody’s house. “You know, I have an awesome feeling. The last few days have been perfect and, well, not to get all girly on you, but I can read the love in her eyes growing. I knew the marked connection was strong. She’ll stay. I’m positive.”
Brody was standing on his deck with his hands on his hips. “Come on, lazy shits. I want to finish this before dark.”
His deck had been damaged in a storm. Heavy winds had knocked down a large, dead tree which had fallen onto his deck. As the other two brothers neared, Jordan growled in mock anger.
“Hey, your deck isn’t more important than Jordan describing his slave’s doe eyes.” Ryan dropped the wood onto the ground.
“Shut up.” Jordan did the same with his load.
Brody hopped down from the deck with a smirk. “I’d rather hear about other body parts of your slave.”
Jordan playfully punched his brother in the chest. Brody put his arms up in surrender before bending down to retrieve a deck board. “All right, all right. Just grab your screwdriver, lover boy.”
Jordan's Marked Mate [The Ward Brothers] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 9
