Own Me (The Wolf Hotel, #5)

by K.A. Tucker

“He can’t hurt either of us anymore.” He kisses my knuckles, his beautiful blue eyes catching the engagement ring he slipped on this morning. The gold band is thin, the pearl centerpiece perfectly round with an iridescent luster, surrounded by a cluster of tiny diamonds. It’s simple, and nothing like one might expect from the owner of Wolf Enterprise. It was his grandmother’s ring.

Who knew the hard-nosed billionaire tycoon who once intimidated me would be so sentimental? I smile. I did. At least, I figured it out somewhere along the way to falling madly in love with him. And now Henry Wolf is all mine.

“You’ll get there.” He takes my hand in his, his thumb sliding over the pearl. “And now you have a wedding to plan too.” A thrill radiates through me as I admire the ring again. My wedding to Henry. Because Henry will be my husband soon. It still doesn’t feel real, and I doubt it will until I’m walking down the aisle.

“We want,” I correct him. “It’s your wedding too.”

“Abbi, if it were up to me, we’d be driving to the courthouse from the tarmac as soon as we land, and I’d be fucking my wife by nightfall.”

wind my arms around his neck, my wrists entwined behind his head. “I’ve never been happier in my life,” I whisper, a bubble of exhilaration stirring as I lean in to capture his plump lips. “Same,” he murmurs

“Draw the privacy curtain,” Henry demands in a gruff voice. Could he make it any more obvious? Heat crawls up my neck as I catch Jack’s sly smile. “Yes, sir.” He taps his ring finger and mouths “Congratulations” before shutting us out with the thick gray curtain. I let out a yelp as Henry stands and spins us around, releasing me into the seat he just vacated. He drops to his knees. “What are you doing?” “You need to ask that?”

“We were rough on you last night.” His index finger slides along my folds before easing inside. I wince at the intrusion. “I’m okay.” “No, you’re not.” He hooks his arm under my thigh and pulls my body toward him, halfway out of my seat. “But you will be.”

“No one but me will ever taste you again, Abbi,” he purrs, his voice vibrating deep within me.

“Please don’t let us crash,” I pant, my body flushed from being so exposed, especially with two men in the cockpit who know exactly what we’re doing. “What a way to go, though.”

“I want to hear you, Abbi.” His fingers clamp down over my nipples, just shy of the point of pain. “I want everyone to hear how fucking good my cock feels, how much you love having it inside you.” He punctuates his words with his thrusts.

He pulls free and then does something unexpected by slipping a finger between my legs, coating it in a mixture of us. He holds it against my lips. With a grin, I open my mouth and suck hard, tasting the saltiness. A sexy smirk curls Henry’s lips. “How far my innocent little farm girl has come.”

voice hard. “Certainly, sir. Already planned on it.” “Please and thank you,” I add after a beat. Victor’s eyes catch mine in the rearview mirror, the corners of his crinkled with a smile. Henry leans in to whisper in my ear, “You wouldn’t dare be implying that I don’t have manners, would you, Abigail?”

He has exceptional manners when he chooses to use them, but he’s also accustomed to people jumping at his every command. “I didn’t think so.” He leans in farther until the light stubble along his jawline grazes my skin. “But I like those words on your lips. I think you’ll be using them later.”

“I knew she’d want to have a say on things, but I didn’t think she’d have our whole wedding planned before our plane landed. And all this? This was supposed to be Jed’s and my wedding. She’s just swapped out the grooms.” Which is especially surprising, given Mama was convinced Henry was the devil himself walking the earth until only recently. “I am definitely not Fuckface,” Henry grumbles.

I hold up my phone to show Henry the picture of Mama’s wedding dress, pulled from storage and hanging in my bedroom in Greenbank. “Ready to be sized for me.” He frowns. “Is that a bow?” “One of several.” He shakes his head. “Rethinking city hall yet?” I groan.

“She’s going to ruin our wedding.” “No, she isn’t.” Henry wraps his hand around my nape, his thumb drawing small, calming circles against my skin. “It’s your wedding. Tell her thanks, but no thanks.” “If only it were that easy.”

“My dear Abigail! Congratulations!” Margo’s seductive Parisian accent curls around my eardrum. “Hmm? For what?” I blink at the alarm clock. Nine a.m., which means it’s midafternoon in Paris. “Your engagement to Henry has made Page Six!”

“We’re getting married in Alaska next spring, before the hotel opens for the season.” The most important place in the world to Henry and now to me.

smile at the ceiling. “You are such a good friend.” “I could be a much better one if that possessive fiancé of yours would allow it.” Her musical laughter rings out. “I will see you in a few weeks.”

“You know what you can help me with, Raj? Tell me how to deal with a Momzilla who is trying to hijack every single element of my wedding.” He cocks his head, his hand collecting mine to study the ring on my finger. “Mr. Wolf neglected to mention that bit of news.” “Oh.” I flush. “It just happened yesterday.” A bright smile fills his face as he squeezes my hand. “Congratulations are in order, then.”

His sincerity tempers my frustration with Mama for the moment. “Thank you. It’s all come as quite a shock.” He gives my hand another squeeze and then releases it. “To you, maybe. I am not at all shocked that Mr. Wolf has asked you to marry him.” “Really? Why not?” “He is a different man since he met you.” “How so?” “Just … different. In a very good way.” I smile. Raj is so easy to talk to. “Can I help you with all these groceries?” “And leave me with nothing to do? No, thank you.” He flashes a grin.

I’d like to know the answer to that too. Maybe Henry got a call from Luca full of insinuations. How will he react to his new fiancée being painted a summertime whore, which is what I sensed from Luca’s tone and manner of questioning. Will Henry be embarrassed? Too embarrassed to go through with the marriage? I pace around the kitchen island, studying my ring, as a darker thought invades my mind. Is Henry regretting his hasty proposal already?

“Is he still being weird?” Miles pushes a hand through his curly mop of brown hair. “I spilled a folder full of paperwork in his office, and he helped me pick it all up without a word.” I burst out with laughter. “So, what you’re saying is he’s not his usual asshole self.” “Exactly. But don’t tell him I said that.” His gaze flickers to my finger. “It fits.” “It does.”

hold out my hand to admire the ring that apparently Henry sized on me one night while I was sleeping. Another sign that his proposal wasn’t hasty. But wait … “You knew he was going to propose?” He grins. “Who do you think was fielding all the calls between the jeweler?” “And you didn’t warn me?” I give him a playful shove. “He threatened to have my balls chopped off if it got out.”

“I seem to recall a certain assistant despising nylons so much that she peeled them off and flung them across my cabin halfway through her shift.” “Yes, but these are way more comfortable.”

This was not what I was expecting when I decided to come here today. “I think this is what they call an existential crisis.” He barks out a bitter laugh. “That, or a good old-fashioned midlife crisis.” “You’re only thirty-two. You still have all your hair.” A lush, thick mane that my fingers are itching to crawl through. “Yeah …” He doesn’t sound convinced. “I keep thinking about that girl that showed up last night.”

“I’m all that’s left of my bloodline, Abbi.” That knot in my stomach flares. Henry is feeling the weight of his family’s absence, as Luca suggested. I reach down to collect his hand from its resting spot on my knee and squeeze. “For now, yeah. Not forever. We can make as many little Wolfs as you want.”

“Okay. Thank you. Speaking of family …” I steel my shoulders. “We’re going to Greenbank for dinner on Saturday.” His eyebrow arches. “Are you asking me?” “No. I’m not.” I’ve never had the nerve to make plans for Henry without his okay, and by the hint of annoyance in his tone, he’s not too keen on it. “It’s sort of an engagement celebration.” “Will I be setting up picnic tables and fending off frisky church ladies?”

“No, and to be fair, you weren’t invited. You crashed that party.” He pushes the hem of my dress upward a few more inches. “If I recall, it was worth it.”

“Saturday night with Fuckface. Even better,” he grumbles. “Jed’s not that bad.” Now that he’s given up on us getting back together. “No, you’re right. We need to remember to thank him in our wedding speech for cheating on you.”

“You’re really selling this to me.” Henry grins. “Should be fun.” “It’s going to be painful. But if I don’t do this now, our wedding will be in a barn with my second cousins as bridesmaids, wearing gingham frocks, and I will be miserable by the time next spring comes. Please, Henry.” “Relax. Of course, we’ll go. It’s your family, and it’s the right thing to do.” “Thank you.”

“And I was thinking Ronan?” Henry’s hands stop his ministrations as he glares at me. “That’s a joke, right?” “Maybe?” I bite my bottom lip. “Would it be that bad, though? He is one of my best friends. And he helped save your life.” Henry’s jaw clenches as if he doesn’t want to be reminded of that. “I trust him like no one else. Except you, of course.” Henry sighs with exasperation, the pressure returning to my feet with renewed force. “Only if he wears the picnic tablecloth.”

“So, basically your friends are like you.” Filthy rich, complicated men who sleep around. “Nobody’s like me, babe.” Humor dances in his voice. “True.” I giggle.

“You know what else is a great idea?” His strong hands slide up the backs of my legs as he pushes my thighs apart. His eyes flare as they take in my bare flesh. “You bringing my favorite meal.” My head falls back with a moan at the first swipe of his tongue.

My heart warms. That he even thought to ask Miles is something, especially when he’s neck-deep in running an empire. “That was nice of you.” But I already knew Henry was capable of being thoughtful. I cringe, wishing I didn’t have to warn him. “They don’t drink.” He smirks. “Something tells me they will tonight.” “I have never seen a bottle of wine at our dining table in my entire life.” “Fine. More for us, then.”

Wait a minute. It dawns on me. “Are you nervous?” Incredulity fills my voice. “I don’t get nervous.” But his jaw tenses. “You are!” If my hands weren’t full, my palm would be slapped over my mouth. “I don’t believe this. The unflappable Henry Wolf is flapped!” By my family, nonetheless. “I’ll show you flapped.”

She turns to Henry. “And you. I know you love my niece, but are you sure you want to join this family?” “Don’t scare him off,” I scoff. “If he hasn’t been yet, I think you’re safe,” she throws back in a mock whisper.

She swings her focus to Henry. I hold my breath. “How is my favorite future son-in-law?” She charges forward to throw her arms around him. Henry’s eyebrows twitch as he stoops to return her hug, the only sign that he’s shocked by her pleasant greeting. “Hello, Bernadette.” “Oh, call me Mama if you want. Would ya look at that.” She scowls at the scab on his forehead, like a mother tending to her little boy’s injury. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch.” His gaze flickers to me.

“What is this?” Mama lifts the floral arrangement to inspect its copper vase. “Henry picked those out for you.” No need to bring Miles into this conversation. It’s the thought that counts. She tsks. “Well, we already knew he had impeccable taste, given his choice of future wife. This’ll make a fine centerpiece for our celebratory dinner. Thank you, Henry.” She whisks the flowers away.

I shoot a bewildered look at Henry before whispering to my father, “What have you done with Mama?” Daddy snickers. “I guess she realized this was a battle she wasn’t gonna win and decided to make the best of things. She’s been like this all week long. Why? Would you prefer the other version?” “No.” I shake my head in emphasis. “Didn’t think so.”

Henry goes around the table. “Bernadette?” “Oh, maybe just a smidge.” Mama holds up her glass, her cheeks rosy. “Don’t judge me too harshly, Reverend. This is a special occasion, after all.” “I would have to be a pot calling a kettle black, now, wouldn’t I.” Reverend Enderbey takes a sip of his wine. Aliens must have landed in Greenbank, Pennsylvania, recently and possessed bodies because Henry was right—everyone accepted wine with dinner.

“Who’s Jill?” Mama asks. Here we go. “Our wedding planner.” “You don’t need one of those pretentious fussy bodies,” she scoffs, waving me off. “They cost a fortune and all she’ll do is take over your wedding.” “Imagine that,” I force out through clenched teeth. Daddy clears his throat, and Henry presses his lips together to smother his smile.

“Mama, I am thrilled that you seem to have accepted Henry as my future husband.” Seem to being the operative words. “Truly, I am. But this is my wedding. Our wedding.” I collect Henry’s hand in mine. “And it’s going to be what we want.” “What you want? Or what he wants?”

“If it were up to me, Abbi and I would have married at city hall the day we landed back in New York.” Mama gasps, her fearful eyes flittering to Reverend Enderbey as if merely suggesting such an idea has earned our family a one-way ticket to the fiery pits of hell. “You wouldn’t dare.” “Oh, believe me, I would.”

“But that’s not what Abbi wants, and I will give her whatever she wants as long as in the end, she’s my wife.”

“Reverend, I know Bernadette asked you to officiate.” Henry smiles at the kindly man. “Would you still be willing to do that in Alaska?” Reverend Enderbey opens his mouth but falters, his gaze flittering to me, then to his son. Is it weird for him to marry Henry and me after Jed and I were assumed destined for a life together? Because, honestly, this may be a bit fucked up.

“She could win an Academy Award for her portrayal of the victim,” Aunt May had whispered then, rolling her eyes and patting my arm with comfort. “Ignore it.” But ignoring Mama’s antics is easier said than done. “She’ll come around,” Henry promises

“You don’t know Mama. ‘Hell hath no fury like Bernadette scorned.’” “I know she cares about keeping up appearances. How will it look to her congregation if everyone, including the reverend and Jed, has accepted this marriage and she refuses to? After she’s been running around, planning the entire thing for you?” “She’ll look petty,” I agree.

“That was smart of you to ask him to come to Alaska.” “I’ve handled my share of difficult people in the past. I know how to get my way.” I don’t doubt that for a second. Henry has had me agreeing to things I never thought I would. “You know, if she does come, she’ll be a pain in the ass the entire time at Wolf Cove.” “That’s fine. I’ll make Belinda deal with her.”