McKenzie, Cooper - The Billionaire's Lady [Sequel to The Billionaire's Mate] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  With his pronouncement, the crowd took a step back from Leigh. Only one man stepped closer. Matt had followed her across the room, taking a position behind and just to the left of the younger woman. When she turned to look around the room a second time, he moved closer until only a few inches separated them.

  Leigh froze and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, her aggressive posture eased, and her entire being seemed to soften.

  Matt leaned in and sniffed at her neck then straightened again. He cupped one hand under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Do you know who I am?” he asked in a soft, grumbly growl that Margot recognized as that of an aroused shape-shifter.

  The thought that Matt could be a shape-shifter boggled Margot’s mind. Then she wondered why he hadn’t told her before now. Did he think she wouldn’t accept him? What else didn’t she know about her brother?

  “Yes,” Leigh murmured before taking another deep breath. “You are my mate.”

  Matt looked even more serious than Margot had ever seen him before as he stared down at the woman whose head only came up to his chin. “You will stop giving my sister a hard time immediately,” Matt ordered, his voice even softer. “And you’ll apologize to Margot and your pack for this outrageous behavior you’ve shown here tonight,” he ordered gently.

  “Yes,” Leigh breathed, looking completely under his control. “Margot, I’m sorry. I’m sure you will make a great mate for Adam. I wish you many years of happiness.”

  Her announcement sent another ripple of whispering through the room.

  Matt nodded, one corner tilting upward. “Good girl,” he said as he took her hand then turned to Adam. “Alpha Thomasson, with your permission, I’d like to claim this woman as my mate.”

  Adam looked from Matt to the woman who couldn’t take her eyes off the man beside her. “Leigh, is this what you want?”

  The woman nodded, “Yes, Adam. This man is my mate and…” she swallowed hard, “well, you know,” she finished with a glance toward Margot.

  “Yes, Leigh, we understand. Fate has brought you your match. Matt, are you certain about this? She’s-” Margot said.

  Before she could finish her statement, Leigh laid her free hand on his chest. “What’s she trying to say is that I’ve been a true bitch. I attacked her twice with the thought that if I got her out of my way, Adam would claim me for his woman,” she admitted softly.

  Soft gasps went up around the room, but Matt didn’t flinch. “That stops now. Otherwise you will find yourself over my lap as I paddle your bare ass until you can’t sit down. You are my mate and will act with dignity and respect toward everyone, shifter and human alike. Do you understand?”

  Leigh swallowed hard before nodding.

  “And from now on you will dress like a lady and not a slut.”

  Again Leigh agreed with a silent nod.

  “Words, mate. I need words.”

  “Yes, okay.”

  “Yes, okay, who?”

  “Yes, okay, sir?” Leigh whispered so only Adam and Margot could hear.

  Matt nodded, then leaned down. “Good girl,” he murmured just before he kissed her.

  Around the room sighs were heard as fate and destiny brought together another couple. When Matt finally broke the kiss, he looked at Adam and grinned. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll take my mate out for a walk around the grounds.”

  Adam nodded. “May you have many happy years together,” he said in the shape-shifter’s blessing of a mating.

  Without another word, Matt bent at the waist and put his shoulder into Leigh’s middle. She squealed as he straightened, but didn’t fight him. A path through the crowd opened to the front door. Everyone they passed smiled and wished them well. Once they were gone and the door closed behind them, the pack turned its collective attention back to Adam.

  “As I was saying, I have claimed Margot for my mate. We’ll be married as soon as we figure out how to do so without the entire world interfering.”

  “You could get married right now,” someone called from the back of the crowd. “After all, there are two ministers and a judge in the room. All you have to do is decide who you want to do the deed.”

  Adam looked at Margot. “What do you say, baby girl? Will you marry me? Here? Tonight?”

  Chapter 7

  Margot’s heart screamed “yes, yes, yes.” Her head countered with “wait a minute and think this through. You’ve only known him a week.” Her cunt threw in a completely inappropriate “fuck me here and now.”

  She knew Adam as well as the rest of the pack was waiting for an answer, but all she could think about was getting alone with him. Looking into his beautiful eyes, she said the only thing that felt right.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you tonight. But I want Matt here. And Sarah and your mother. And I need to speak with you alone.”

  Adam pulled her into his chest and leaned down. “Thank you, sweet mate of mine,” he whispered. Then he kissed her long, deep, and hot enough to raise the temperature in the room several degrees.

  After he lifted his head, he looked to the three men who were able to officiate. They’d stepped to the front of the crowd and looked excited at the possibility of being chosen to perform this special ceremony. “You three will all perform the wedding. You have one hour to work out who is doing what.” Then he turned to the pack. “Dinner should be ready in a few minutes, please enjoy. Margot and I will be back in a bit. Oh, and could someone call Sarah and my mother and have them join us as well?”

  As Clyde nodded and reached for his cell phone, Adam swept Margot up into his arms and headed through the crowd to the foyer. She ignored the laughter and friendly teasing of those they passed. He carried her across the foyer and headed down the hall toward his office. He didn’t put her down until they were in the room with the door closed and the lock secured.

  “So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked as he pushed her back to the wall then cupped his palms over her tits.

  Immediately her nipples contracted, sending shafts of need through her body. She felt her panties grow wetter as her cream overflowed. As usual, being alone with him made it hard to think of anything except getting naked and taking him deep inside her body.

  “Um, yes, well. I wanted to make sure this is what you want. We don’t have to get married, now or in the future. I’m happy just being your mate. I don’t have to be your wife, too,” she managed to get out before moaning as he drew circles around her nipples before taking the peaks between his thumbs and forefingers.

  When his grip on her nipples squeezed painfully tight, she squeaked in protest. Looking up she was surprised to find him frowning down at her like a thundercloud about to split the sky apart.

  “Now you listen to me, Margot Jackson, and listen well. I love you. I know it’s probably old fashioned, but I want you to be Margot Thomasson, or Margot Jackson-Thomasson if you prefer. I want the world to know that you are my mate, my woman, the one and only lady in my life. Now if you don’t want to marry me tonight just say so, and we’ll do it some other time with all the fuss and insanity that will come with a celebrity wedding.”

  “No, no fuss. I want to marry you now. Tonight. I don’t want to wait another day,” she said, reaching between them and undoing his belt. “But first I need you to claim me again. Right here, before you take me as your wife.”

  As soon as his belt was undone, she pulled the button at his waist free of its buttonhole, then reached for the zipper. As soon as it was down, she shoved his pants and boxers to his knees.

  At the same time, Adam reached for the bottom of her skirt and pulled it up, tucking the hem into the top of her dress, baring her from waist to toes and exposing the matching green silk panties she wore.

  He reached for her hips and in less than a second the thin material tore under the stress of his pulling on them. After pulling the silk from her body, he tossed the shredded panties over one shoulder to land on the floor in the center of the room.

  “You tore
my panties,” she pointed out as she wrapped one hand around his erection and slid from base to tip and back again. Her other hand reached lower and cupped his balls.

  “I told you to stop wearing them,” he responded in a deep, growly voice as he slid two fingers into her open cunt.

  “But,” she tried to argue, but the feel of his cock in her hand and his fingers inside her distracted her so much she couldn’t think of a proper rebuttal. “Kiss me,” she murmured instead. Releasing his balls, she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down so she could kiss him.

  As their lips mated, she shifted to stand on one leg while the other wrapped around his hip, pulling his pelvis even closer to hers.

  Breaking the kiss, she whispered, “What is it about your offices that make us so crazy?”

  He smiled down at her as his hand left her nipples and slid down her body and around to cup the flesh of her ass. “It’s not the room, sweet mate. It’s you. Being near you winds me up no matter where we are.”

  With that he lifted her high against the door. She released his cock and held onto his shoulders with both hands. He held her then for a moment before sliding her back down so that she sheathed his cock in one easy movement. They sighed into each other’s mouths as the joy of being one flowed over, through and around them. Adam held her as if he could stand there all day, but her body was screaming for more. Much more.

  “Fuck me now. Hard and fast,” she instructed, stabbing her fingers through his hair.

  “My pleasure,” he breathed.

  His hips shifted down and back, pulling all but the head from her core. Then he slammed back up into her, deep and hard. Leaning down, he continued kissing her as he set a fast pace. She had no problem keeping up with him, arching her hips to meet his as she held onto his shoulders as tight as she could.

  When she came less than a minute later, her internal muscles rippled around his cock. He muffled her cries with a deep, open-mouthed kiss. When she grew silent, he shifted his attention to her neck. With a murmured, “I love you mate of my heart,” he sank his teeth into the claiming mark there. Her shoulder muffled his howl of release as her sheath continued to ripple and milk his seed from him.

  Once his muscle-clenching orgasm eased, draining all his strength with it, Adam slowly sank to his knees, carrying her with him. After licking the bite mark closed, he rested his forehead on her shoulder and focused simply on pulling in panting breaths as they recovered.

  It was several long minutes before either could move. Finally she ran her fingers through his curly hair. “We need to clean up and get back to the party,” she murmured softly though that was the last thing she really wanted to do. She would prefer to move over to the couch and cuddle together before taking a nice long nap.

  “Mmmm,” he replied without moving a muscle. “They’ll have to wait until I can feel my legs again.”

  Ten minutes later, they returned to the party looking a little rumpled, but smiling, relaxed, and happy. Margot moved carefully, afraid to bend over too far for fear of flashing her bare ass the room. No one commented on their lengthy absence, but the older mated couples smiled with understanding, while the unmated ones looked on with envy. Margot could not meet anyone’s gaze without blushing.

  Sarah and Adam’s mother, Gwen, came through the front door about the same time. Sarah was carrying a pair of spike-heeled sandals while Gwen examined what appeared to be Leigh’s silk dress. The two women crossed the foyer and showed their bounty to Adam.

  “We found these on the steps. Has something happened we should know about?” Sarah asked, looking from Margot to her boss with a wide smile and one eyebrow cocked higher than the other.

  “Leigh found her mate.” Adam took the clothes and handed them off to a passing maid.

  “About damn time. I thought I was going to have to take a whip to her a couple of times recently to keep her from claiming you instead of the other way around,” Gwen said as Adam guided the women into the dining room.

  They filled plates from the buffet there then joined Clyde and several other council members in one corner of the living room. Margot kept an eye out for her brother, but he and Leigh did not make an appearance before they finished eating.

  “So, are you two ready to get hitched?” Clyde asked with a knowing grin as the catering staff cleared away the last of the dirty dishes.

  “Not without my brother,” Margot said just as the front door opened. Intimate laughter wafted ahead of the couple who stepped into view a moment later.

  They walked in holding hands. Matt was shirtless. Leigh was barefoot and wore his black three-button police department polo. The shirt hung on her nearly to her knees. Leigh’s perfectly coifed hair was a mess, and leaves and sticks were visible from both heads. Leigh walked gingerly, as if her ass hurt.

  When everyone turned at their entrance, for the first time since she’d met the woman, Leigh looked embarrassed. She turned and hid her face in Matt’s chest. He, on the other hand, looked over the crowd with a triumphant grin. When his woman moved to try and hide behind him, he held her securely by his side. Lowering his head close to hers, he murmured something in her ear. Leigh nodded and stopped fighting him, but was clearly uncomfortable wearing nothing but his shirt, even if it did cover more than the dress she’d arrived in had.

  “You’re just in time, Matt,” Adam waved him forward, not surprised when he pulled Leigh along with him.

  “In time for what?”

  “In time for my wedding,” Margot said with a smile.

  Matt nodded and took his place beside his sister. “Wondered how you were going to work this out,” he said to Adam.

  Margot watched as Adam shrugged. “Figured while you’re in town and the pack has gathered and we have an abundance of people willing to officiate, it was as good a time as ever.”

  She looked at him and wrinkled her nose of dissatisfaction. “If that’s how you feel maybe I don’t want to marry you tonight after all. Maybe we need to talk about this some more.”

  She turned, but managed only one step before hard, muscular arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her back against a long, hard body.

  He bent his head and licked the bite mark on her shoulder. That single touch drained all of the fight out of her. Lifting his lips to her ear, he whispered, “It was a joke, sweet baby. Do I need to take you back into my office and prove that I love you and want to marry you and be with you for the rest of our lives and beyond?”

  A shivery thrill shot through Margot, exploding simultaneously in her heart and pelvis. Turning her head, she looked deep in his eyes. “I love you,” she murmured before she closed the last inch between their lips and kissed him.

  Again she ignored the sighs and laughter from those around them.

  “I love you, too,” he said when they finally parted nearly a minute later.

  “So are you two getting married or not?” Matt snarked, which earned him an elbow in the ribs from his mate. In response he patted her ass which caused her to gasp, but Margot couldn’t tell if it was in pain or arousal.

  “Yes, we are getting married,” Adam stated. “Mother, Sarah, would you please join us?”

  Once the two women joined them at the front of the room, the rest of the pack crowded close as well. After taking Adam’s right hand in hers, Margot nodded to the three men who stood waiting in front of them. “Do your thing, gentlemen.”

  Two minutes later, the three men said in unison, “We now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  “You may kiss your husband, Mrs. Thomasson,” the judge said, which sent another ripple of laughter through the room at the change in protocol.

  “Thank you, I think I will,” Margot responded before turning to face her husband.

  Two minutes passed as they shared their first deep, passion-filled kiss as a married couple. Long before they separated, catcalls and whistles broke the silence of the room. Finally Adam lifted his head and looked around, “Are you all still here?”
he asked, clearly wishing they had all gone home.

  Looking at his beautiful wife, all he could think of was getting her alone so they could get started on their honeymoon. Bending, he swept her up high against his chest, careful to keep the skirt of her dress trapped between the back of her thighs and his forearm. Turning, he walked through the path that opened before them leading to the foyer.

  At the bottom of the staircase he turned back to the crowd with a happy grin. “There’s champagne and dessert in the dining room. Last one to leave please turn off the lights and lock the door.”

  “Aren’t you going to stay and celebrate with us?” Clyde asked with a laugh just before the small woman he’d introduced as his wife, Emily, shushed him.

  “No thanks, we have a honeymoon to get started,” Margot answered right before Adam turned and carried her upstairs.

  Chapter 8

  Margot lifted her head from Adam’s chest with a groan. She glared at the door where someone rudely pounded. “What?” she demanded.

  “It’s eight o’clock, and you’ve got thirty minutes to get up and get dressed. We have to get to the courthouse by nine-thirty,” Matt’s deep voice responded.

  “Why?” Margot pushed herself into a sitting position and tried to rub the sleep from her face.

  “Because you have paperwork to fill out to go along with last night’s ceremony. Oh, I also need you to be my witnesses.”

  “Witness to what?” Adam asked without opening his eyes or otherwise moving a muscle.

  Margot thought he’d still been asleep until that moment. They’d fallen asleep shortly after the last group of pack members had pounded on the door to say goodbye and wish them well in their marriage.

  “Witness my marriage. Leigh refuses to go back to Santa Fe with me this afternoon unless she has a wedding ring on her finger. Now haul your asses out of bed and get dressed. Something nice, okay?”