After leaving Elle with the doctor for a checkup, I knock on Vidar's door and wait for him to open it. He does within a few seconds, he looks tired and drained. Eira has been teething and while I could work my magic with Liam, there's nothing I can do for that little demon baby. She has too much of that stubborn Viking blood in her, that's what I say at least.

"Pres, I have a problem." I say as soon as I close the door firmly behind me. Slamming the note on the desk, I wait for Vidar to read it. Once he does, anger wins out against tiredness and he immediately calls for Viper and Hacker to come to his office.

"When did she find this?"

"This morning. At her apartment, in her bedroom." I reply with gritted teeth, I should never have taken her back to that place, something could have gone really wrong. My stupid fault.

"Look Hacker will find some dirt on this lawyer motherfucker to blackmail his ass back in line."

I snarl, I want him to back off away from my woman, but I want more than that. The bastard deserves to suffer for every year that Elle suffered. Tears aren't a common occurrence for me, but hearing her story nearly broke me... and I could tell she had more to share at a later time. I was still yet to know what doc and Doretha saw in the hospital bed, unfortunately I have a vague idea of what it might be.

So a small threat from an anonymous source isn't enough for that fucker. I want to unleash Bolt on him, somewhere where no one can hear his screams for mercy, and I want to watch.

I realise I have become lost in my thoughts, Vidar just left me standing there as he opens the door for Hacker and Viper.

We work quickly and in silence, I'm mainly working on taming the rage that's bubbling in my veins. Unlike before, before I knew Elle, the rage is tethered to protecting her.

"I've got the bastard!" Hacker explains and Vidar hangs up the phone call to Astrid- even though she's just downstairs his protective nature knows no bounds.

"Elijah Davis? Lawyer three times over, yep I've got him."

We all crowd around the computer and watch as he trawls through all the fucker's dirty secrets. After only a few seconds of looking we find the jackpot. Hacker wanders off back to his room to create an untraceable router to release the threat and the three of us remain in the room, mainly so Vidar and Viper can talk me out of kidnapping the motherfucker.

"Calm down!" Vidar roars as he senses my rage returning.

"But you saw what that fucker was doing! The stuff he's involved in, how can you not want to kill him as well?"

"We do." Viper grits out carefully, "But this isn't some biker scum that no one in the community is going to miss? He's a lawyer with connections, we have to tread carefully."

I snarl and throw Vidar's arm from off my shoulder, I know he's right. The last thing any of us want is to end up in prison, Vidar's family is just starting out and I want a life with Elle. As much as it pains me, a light warning is all the fucker is going to get from us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leaving the office, I wander downstairs on the hunt for my sexy woman. I find her sitting with Doretha and Astrid, laughing along with Astrid. She looks relaxed, at ease. Instead of immediately interrupting them, I watch at a distance, enjoying her freedom and happiness.

Finally, she stands to hide a bottle from the devastatingly sad Doretha and I seize my chance. I move so I'm standing directly behind her. I realise in this very moment, as Elle look up at me with her captivating green eyes, that I love her. With all my heart. Totally and completely.

After I carry her, squealing and giggling, out of the bar and up the stairs I kick open my door. Before I place her on my bed, I take a moment to appreciate the view I have in front of me. Her gorgeously sexy little ass, well not little I guess.

"Der?" She questions anxiously, I realise she's still hanging upside down. Guiltily, I place her down on the floor before me and I let my hands roam over her body. They dip and flow along her sides, pausing around her waist to pull her closer to me. Then they find their way up into her hair and I lightly pull on it so her head is tilted back slightly, her neck exposed to my ministrations.

I bend down slightly and lower my lips to her neck. She arches into me, every inch of her body pressed to mine as she releases a low moan of pleasure. Nipping and sucking up until I find her sweet spot, I know I've found it because her knees buckle and she falls into me.

With a chuckle, I paw at her ass and haul her back up into my arms, she instinctively wraps her legs around my waist, her entrancingly hot core pressed against my lower stomach is almost enough for me to turn into a rutting beast.

Elle pull away from my lips and heaves in deep panting breaths. We stare at each other for a moment, her in my arms with her hands intertwined around my neck. Our breaths mingle, neither of us breaking eye contact with the other.

"I love you."

It escapes my lips before I can even second guess myself, before I can stop them escaping. The silence that follows nearly destroys me, even though it was merely a few seconds.

"Do you? Do you really?" She begs, her eyes frantically searching mine for a lie, for deception.

When she finds nothing in my eyes but love and adoration, a small sob of relief escapes her before her face is buried under my neck, my beard tickling the soft exposed skin of her chest.

"I love you too."

My heart thuds so deeply in my chest, professing my love for her in its own way. I love her so much it's all consuming.