The Dealers

Chapter 24 - Noah

As I watched Lena get ready for work Saturday night, I was reminded that we were bonded and things were different. As much as I had marked her, she'd also marked me. I still felt her on my skin.

Lena was mine. I had even told her so. There was zero question about what we were or where we stood. If Dorian—or anyone for that matter—decided to try, I didn't need to hesitate anymore.

Still, I was apprehensive for Lena to go to work—especially since I had agreed to come by later but otherwise not hover the entire night.

I wasn't lying when I told Lena that Dorian regretted what happened between them. It was painted all over his face as he sat at the bar last night. Dorian clearly had something he wanted to say to her but, if she was smart—which, she was—she wouldn't give him the chance.

I feared that my presence at the club last night only motivated Dorian to act recklessly in the short while he was in town. Just the thought of him pressuring Lena into anything made me angry. I challenged his manhood in front of Lena and he wasn't one to back down. The fact that she left with me also probably riled him up.

"What are you going to get up to tonight?" Lena asked as we got ready to leave her house. She was heading to work and I planned to head back to the hotel that I was still renting.

"I have to take care of a few things." I told her.

Outside, I tossed my overnight bag into the trunk of my car and we said goodbye at her truck.

"I'll see you around ten." I told her with a forced smile because I wasn't thrilled about it.

Lena smiled up at me as I leaned in for a goodbye kiss. As much as I wanted to stay at the club for her entire shift, I could see how that was a bit overbearing. I told myself that it was only because of Dorian. Otherwise, I had no problem letting her handle the nightly lot that undoubtedly tried to hit on her.

Dorian wasn't just a random guy at the bar. He and Lena had history.

Closing the door for her after she climbed into her truck, I headed back to my car and we both left the gravel driveway. Arriving at the main road, Lena went left towards the club and I went right towards the hotel.

I surprised myself at how familiar I was becoming with the small town. Even without GPS, I was able to get around just fine.

Arriving at the hotel, I found my room freshly tended to by the maids but otherwise just as I left it.

I noticed that the laundry I had ordered to be taken out was brought back clean and folded on the bed. Slipping my clothes into a nearby drawer, I decided on a hot shower before I settled into business.

After a half hour of trying to get my frustrations out under the hot water, I abandoned any hope of finding some relief and got dressed.

Lena had been at work for some time but, I had to trust that she could handle Dorian herself. If nothing else, Jacob seemed to be on my side for once. He wasn't thrilled that his brother was there in general, let alone around Lena. If Dorian got out of line, I didn't doubt that Jacob would step in.

Still, it wasn't his place to step in. It was my place. She was mine and it was my job to make sure that she was safe.

Pulling on freshly laundered boxer-briefs and a pair of grey sweatpants, I took out my phone and settled on the bed.

Even as I laid there alone, my mind automatically drifted to Lena.

What transpired between us was nothing short of mind blowing. Even after all of my practice, I'd never experienced anything remotely close to what I had with Lena. At the risk of sounding pathetic, I was completely obsessed with her. More than just her body, I needed every part of her. She was my drug of choice and I was addicted.