Page 16 of Knife Volume 2

“I didn’t think it was an option for a long time,” she told them. “And then when I realized it was, that I could go to Cora instead of Kenny…” She knew Knife could hear them from across the room, but put it on speakerphone anyway, just to be clear she wasn’t hiding anything from him, and she continued. “There was no point in arguing with you about it, once I’d decided.”

It was the cold, hard truth, and her dad would appreciate that even if her mother would not.

“This is—” Her mother’s voice caught on another sob. “Tuesday, this isn’t something you do for a man, turning your back on who you are. You can’t take it back. You know that, right? Once those bonds are severed—”

“I know.” She kept her voice steady. “I know exactly what I did. I’m not confused about it.”

“He asked you to do this?” Her father’s voice had dropped into the register she recognized as full of danger. He might be human, but he could be more formidable than most wolves.

“Not only did he not ask me to do it, but he was furious when he found out what I’d done.” She paused and met Knife’s gaze. “He’d decided to give it three months, and then he was going to leave his club so we could be together. I didn’t know that, but I didn’t tell him my plans, either. We’re going to do better at communicating in the future.”

Silence on the other end, and then her mother sobbed out, “A biker! Tuesday!”

“Yes.” She didn’t offer anything else.

“Your grandmother says he works in the club’s butcher shop,” her dad said.

Her dad seemed to be trying to understand who this man she’d fallen in love with is, at least, so Tuesday told him, “I look forward to introducing you to him. I love him. I know exactly who and what he is, and I’m… he’s my mate. My wolf chose him long before I realized how hopelessly in love with him I am. I tried to walk away, but it didn’t work, and now we’re together.” She took a breath. “I hope, when you meet him, you’ll see how perfect we are for each other.”

A pause, and then, “I’ll figure out how to come with your mom when she goes for the next moon run.”

And that was a big deal, leaving town this time of year, but she only said, “Thank you, Dad. I love you both. I didn’t go into this with my eyes closed. Sometimes, every option sucks, and you just have to do the hard, impossible thing in order to get the life you want.”

When she disconnected the call, Knife kept working, lining up the drywall and checking the edges while he said, “I’d still do just about anything to switch things around, but you acted first, and clearly, you aren’t going to let me talk you out of it.”

“No. I don’t want to change you. I love who you are.”

He turned to face her, still holding the drywall sheet against the studs. “I loved who you were and still love who you are.”

She glared at him while trying to figure out how to explain the difference, but thankfully, he changed the subject. “I know your dad’s human since he played in the NFL, and because you told me he is, but he sounded a lot more like a wolf than a human.”

She grinned. “Yeah. He’s a badass. Even Kenny and Boone treat him with respect.”

He glanced at her and then looked back to his task. “We’ll invite them here for dinner when they come to town.”

She breathed out in relief. “Thank you. I want them to see where I’m living, but Dad will want to pay for dinner, and I find it’s best to let him, so the first meeting will need to be in the restaurant.”

“Totally up to you. Tell me where and when, and I’ll be there.” He held a screw against the drywall while pulling an electric screwdriver from a pocket. “I’ll move my bikes forward, so you can park your car in the garage,” he said while using the screwdriver, which was surprisingly quiet. “Unless you stop and have it washed on your way here, I figure you have a garage for it at your apartment.”

His garage was big enough for four cars, but it was two wide and two deep, so the first two cars would be trapped inside by the second two. And he had what looked like a woodworking workshop in one of the trapped bays, so there was only room for two cars and his bikes.

“I do have a garage, and thank you. The SUV is used to living outside.”

“One thing at a time, but I’ll add a carport to the side of the garage, and my truck can go under the carport.”

He really was going to have to let her help pay for some of the additions, but they’d have that discussion later.

Chapter 7

Knife woke the next morning with Tuesday curled warm and soft against his chest, her breathing slow and even. He’d worked until nearly ten the night before, finishing her closet so they could play today. The framing and drywall were done, the paint might need one more coat, but that could wait.

Last night, after the final brush stroke, he’d showered, ordered her into the pillory, locked her in, and fucked her ass raw, denying her orgasms at first before he’d ordered them one after another, her pulsing inner muscles milking his cock while he relentlessly pounded her hole. She was completely wrecked and exhausted when he finally released her, repositioned her in his bed, and crashed seconds after she did, with her lush body tucked tight against him.

Today, though, he needed to claim her properly. Before, she’d been his while in his house and on his property, but not fully his.

That’d changed, though, and they needed a scene that left no doubt that he’d fully claimed her, and that meant working over all three holes as well as nipples and clit — at the very minimum.

And then there was his wolf, who wanted to punish her for hurting herself and her wolf. His wolf knew damned well how fucking terrible it hurt to have the pack bonds severed, and his inner animal was still furious with her for doing it to herself. So Knife was going to let his wolf come to the surface and feel as if he had a part in punishing her while Knife belted her.