Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,56

for dramatic effect. Yeah, this guy was a massive prick. “Your particular talent.”

Agent Lewis shouted a few more orders, and it didn’t take long for the area to clear. When all was said and done, Nick, Bennett, Shaw, Poppy, and a few other lions were the only ones who remained.

“That’s it?” Poppy asked. “I’m free?”

“You know Lewis will get you to testify, so not quite. But, all in all, yes. You’re free from the ties that bound you to your uncle and cousins,” Nick answered.

“Shit,” she hissed with tears burning in her eyes. “This feels surreal.”

“I think we need to get you someplace nice. Maybe a long hot bath, a nice meal. It’ll help.” Nick winked at him. “You still owe me a day’s work.”

He turned in his heels, motioning for his crew to follow him.

Shaw stepped toward Poppy and closed her in the circle of his arms. “It’s over, love. It’s all over.”

“And Lewis didn’t even give you shit for going all Robin Hood!” The shock in her voice was palpable.

“They’ll have a hell of a time proving I did anything,” he said with a shrug.

“Hmm. Well, the fight is over, and my tits are about the freeze off. Take me home?”

Shaw smiled. “Yeah, I’ll take you home.”

“I meant your place,” she added when he took her in his arms.

“I got that,” he said before kissing her.

Home, indeed. He was never letting her go.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Shaw

It had only been two weeks since the final showdown, and there Shaw was, clenching the steering wheel. He had been doing that a lot lately. Ever since he had met Poppy. It was always for a variety of reasons. At that particular moment, he was definitely nervous. He raced around the car to open the door for Poppy. It wasn’t like she could do for herself just then. She was still wearing a blindfold over her eyes.

“Shaw, why can’t I just take this thing off?” she asked with a smile in her voice.

“Nope,” he answered, lowering her arms by her side. He followed the length of her arm until he interlaced their fingers together. “It would ruin the surprise.”

“Don’t let me fall,” she said as she teetered on her stilettos on the uneven cobblestone path.

Shaw wanted her to fall. Not physically, but emotionally.

He wanted her to fall completely in love with him. And not just because they were mates, but because she truly loved him, the man, the shifter, the hacker.

He led her all the way up to the front door of the establishment. He wasn’t even going to try to contain his smile. He felt really proud of this particular date and the twist he had put on it.

“Okay, love. It’s time.” He pulled on the blindfold, and he helped her remove the strip of silk from her eyes. He tucked it into his back pocket, watching emotions pass over his mate’s face.

Poppy’s brow was furrowed, and her beautiful mouth was pulled down into a frown.

“What’s this?” she asked, turning toward him.

Shaw was grinning from ear to ear. He was too happy with the surprise he had set up to keep it from her much longer. “It’s a wine tasting.”

Poppy’s face immediately clouded over, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you mean?”

During their first date, she had told him all about her bad experiences with a wine tasting during another date. He had brought her here with a specific plan in mind. He didn’t want to erase her memory, but he did want to give her better ones. Ones she could cherish.

He hoped that they could build something together.

“Do you trust me?” he asked her with a grin.

“You know I do,” she quickly responded. “But I just have to say that I am shocked you brought me here of all places.”

He pushed the door opened and immediately, a slender young man rushed toward them.

“Mr. Eagan, we’ve been expecting you. Right this way.”

Poppy’s eyebrows arched in curiosity as she shot him a wondering look, but Shaw pretended to zip his lips with his one free hand. The winery’s worker led them to a small, but bright room at the back of the enormous property. The back wall was made of windows, giving them the perfect view over the fields of the vineyard. It was beautiful, but not as wonderful as his mate.

“Okay, so this is pretty cool,” she conceded once they were alone. The sun was setting over the fields of grapes, casting a glow on the room. It was a