by Mia Knight
Lyla reached for him and he came towards her, a wild rush of man, power and need. He kissed her hard, punishing and cherishing at the same time. His hands roamed over her, digging into flesh, clutching at her clothes. With an angry growl, he set her on the desk. She grabbed his shoulders for balance as he lifted her dress and spread her legs. She had only a moments warning before his cock sank into her. She moaned into his mouth as he slid slowly but inexorably into her. He didn’t stop until he sheathed himself completely. When he yanked her jacket off, the condoms fell out of her pocket and bounced on the desk. Gavin pulled back from the kiss to yank her dress straps down and spotted them.
“No,” he growled as her dress pooled around her waist and he unsnapped her bra.
“No?” she gasped as he sucked on her pulse and pulled her tight against him.
“No condoms, no IUD.” He raised his head. “You should take your mom’s advice. Hook me, Lyla.”
“A baby?” she asked, mind whirling.
“We’re going all the way this time. My ring on your finger, my baby planted in your belly. No half measures. You agreed, baby girl.”
“When did I agree to all of that?” she demanded and bit back a moan.
He gripped her hair as he powered into her, hard strokes that left her gasping for more.
“You agreed to stay with me. Permanently. You think I’d stop at anything but having you bound to me every way possible?”
“But I didn’t know—” She let out a short scream and convulsed around him as she climaxed.
Gavin held back as he watched her come apart for him. When she was weak and trembling in his arms, he began to move again.
“You’re trying to kill me,” she moaned, grimacing against the nearly painful aftershocks.
“No, I’m greedy,” he corrected as he lifted her thighs so he could go deeper. He bared his teeth as he thrust. “If you’re pregnant, I’d be fucking ecstatic. That loyalty you have towards your parents, I want it. I need it.”
“You have it.”
“No.” He bit her bottom lip and tugged, but didn’t break the skin as he had in the kitchen. “I don’t have your loyalty yet, but I will. You’re still unsure of me. We’ll work past that.”
Gavin’s hands moved to her clit. She jumped and tried to pull his hand away.
“I can’t!” she groaned, head tucked under his chin.
“You will,” he decreed. “Come with me, baby girl.”
He knew just how to stroke and how much pressure to use. Lyla erupted again and this time he came with her, driving himself as deep as possible and then slumping over her, head resting on her chest as she sprawled on his desk. They stayed that way for a long minute before Gavin disengaged and carried her upstairs. They settled in bed, facing one another. That awful tension shimmering in the air around him dissipated.
Lyla stroked his cheek and watched his eyes close as if her touch brought him unspeakable joy. Her throat clogged with tears. “I love you, Gavin. Too much.”
His eyes snapped opened. “You can never love me too much.”
“It scares the hell out of me.”
He clasped her face. “Say it.”
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you.”
“You’ll marry me?”
Lyla bit her lip and he grinned.
“You love me, you marry me.”
“I do love you, but marriage...”
“Is inevitable. I already talked to a wedding planner.”
She tried to rise, but he kept her lying beside him. “Wedding planner? Are you insane?”
His smile had an edge to it. “The day you agreed to stay, I talked to him. He’s over the top. He’s handled some prestigious weddings. You can meet with him, go over details.”
“Details for a wedding,” Lyla said numbly. “You don't ask for much, do you?”
“We wasted years. I'm not wasting another month.”
“Month?”
“Didn't I tell you, baby girl? We're getting married by the end of the month.”
Lyla held up a hand as her stomach pitched and rolled as if she were on a roller coaster. “Gavin, we can’t—”
“Of course we can,” he said. “We'll have the wedding at one of our hotels, invitations are being made and anyone will jump at the chance to make your dress.”
“This is too fast!” she exploded, thumping his shoulder with her fist. “Within two weeks you show up and turn my life upside down. I've been blackmailed, pushed around, seduced, kidnapped and now ordered to marry you! When is it going to stop?”
“It won't stop until you’re mine,” Gavin said firmly. “I should have the other side of the business wrapped up by then and I'm not wasting anymore time. I’m tying up loose ends so we have time to build a life, a family.” His eyes searched hers. “Do you want that with me?”
“Holy shit, I'm not ready for this.”
“You will be. I'll make sure of it.”
Lyla bit her lip. “What about my parents?”
“Give them whatever you want. My money is your money. I'll get you a credit card and put you on my bank accounts.”
He gave her an allowance before, but this gave her even more freedom. She was stunned by his trust and generosity. “Really?”
Gavin flopped on his back and fit her into the curve of his shoulder. “You want them to pay for not being good parents to you, so be it. Let them be homeless. You want them to be millionaires, I don’t give a fuck. I don’t respect them. You’re you despite their influence. They have no idea how special you are. If they treated you right, I would have rewarded them. Instead, I watched your father skim hundreds, thousands, and then hundreds of thousands. I'm not going to lie and tell you that I didn't enjoy beating the hell out of him.”
“Why did you allow him to steal from you?” It was a question that had bothered her from the start. Five hundred thousand was a lot of money. Gavin wasn't the type to miss something of that proportion.
“I know your family is your biggest weakness. When I found you, I’d need a way told you here, keep you indebted to me. I let him dig himself a hole and waited to use him for my benefit.”
“And what if you never found me?”
“I would've found you, Lyla, sooner or later.” He shut his eyes and wrapped her close. “Stay with me while I take a nap.”
“Okay.”
Lyla stared out the window at the brilliant blue sky and wondered if she would ever have a simple life. Probably not. Not when she was about to marry Gavin Pyre. She never imagined that Gavin had marriage on his mind. He always managed to surprise her. His face, even in sleep, was fierce and dangerous. He loved her. She loved him. They were complete opposites and yet somehow they fit together. Lyla said a silent prayer before she dozed off.
***
Lyla woke alone, which pissed her off. She had always been a light sleeper, but now it seemed that she slept like the dead. It was dark outside, which meant she had been out for a while. She decided to shower and was in the process of shampooing when her hair snagged on something on her hand. She yelped and slowly jiggled her hair until it came loose. She lifted her left hand and froze. A beautiful diamond ring winked seductively at her. Lyla held her hand up to the spray and stared at a pale blue diamond set on a thin band decorated with white diamonds. It took her breath away.
“Gavin?” Her voice was weak.
Her hand began to shake. Of course she remembered talking about marriage, but the ring made it seem painfully real. Lyla washed the suds out of her hair, wrapped herself in a robe and ran downstairs. She found Gavin in his office on the phone. He quickly ended the call when Lyla flapped her hand in his face.
“You don't like it?” he asked warily.
“When did you buy this?” she demanded.
“Over three years ago.”
She was so shocked, she took a step backwards. “You bought this... before?”
“Yes, I've been waiting to give it to you for
a long time. You like it?”
Lyla eyes filled with tears. “I love it,” she managed before she launched herself at him. She wrapped herself around him and hugged him tight. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
She kissed him and pulled back. “We need to tell your dad.”
He grinned. “He might faint.”
“We need to tell him tomorrow... and Carmen. Oh, God.” Just the thought of their reactions made her chest tighten with anxiety.
“Don’t worry about it. Both of them will be happy for us,” Gavin said.
“I know, but... You said you wanted the wedding by the end of the month? How is that going to happen?”
“Money,” he said carelessly and kissed the palm of her hand. “I hope you know what kind of wedding you want.”
“What kind?”
“You know, colors, theme, that kind of thing.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “We can’t elope?”
Gavin burst into laughter. The lighthearted sound took away most of her anxiety. She liked seeing him carefree and happy. He was normally way too serious and intense.
“Aside from the fact that Dad would kill us, I want the big wedding.”
“Why?” If it was up to her, she would have a backyard wedding. She didn’t want to be on display, in the papers, gossiped about. Gavin was high profile enough to garner media attention, which she hated.
“I’m only getting married once and we have all the resources to make ours legendary. Plus, I want all of our business associates to attend.”
“How many guests are we talking?” she asked warily.
“I don’t know. My assistant gave some numbers to Armand, the wedding planner. You have an appointment to meet him by the end of the week.”
“Pushy.”
“Very pushy,” he agreed and tasted her lips. “By the end of the month, you’ll be Lyla Pyre.” His eyes glinted with hunger. “You ready for that, baby girl?”
“No.”
“Too bad.” He softened his words by kissing her again. “I have to take care of some business and then we can eat dinner. The cook is making something. Ten minutes.”
Lyla unwrapped herself from him and hurried out of the office. She finished her shower and then paced the room as she dialed Carmen who picked up on the fourth ring.
“Hey, girl,” Carmen puffed.
Lyla paused. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No.”
“Why do you sound as if you’ve been working out?”
“I’ve been working out with Vinny in bed,” Carmen cackled.
TMI. Lyla took a deep breath and blurted, “I’m getting married.”
Utter silence and then a weak, “No.”
“Yes.”
A bit louder, “No.”
“Yes.”
“No!”
“Yes,” Lyla repeated.
“Fuck yeah!” Carmen screamed. “Vinny, they’re doing it. Not fucking, getting married! Yeah! No. I don’t know. Let me ask her.” Carmen’s voice was frantic with excitement. “When are you getting married?”
“He wants to get married by the end of the month.”
“What? How are you going to do that?”
“A wedding planner. Armand?”
“You got Armand? Oh. My. God. This is insane. I’m so excited! Are you happy?”
“Yes.” Terrified, but happy. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“Obviously, you have to figure out what kind of wedding you want. I want to see the ring! Send me a picture.”
Lyla wrung her hands. “I want to elope.”
“You can’t elope,” Carmen said sharply.
“I know. Gavin won’t let us.”
“Thank God for that. Okay. Oh my God. We need to get you a dress and do you know what kind of flowers—?”
“I have no idea.”
“I’m the maid of honor, right?”
“Of course.”
“Better be. And Vinny’s best man?”
“I think so.”
“Better be,” Carmen said again. “Oh my God, I’m going on Pinterest. We should shop for wedding dresses tomorrow so you have an idea of what you want. I’ll send you ideas.”
The line went dead. Lyla stared at it and then shook her head. She wanted to call Manny, but this wasn’t something she wanted to tell him over the phone and they should tell him together.
Lyla went to the kitchen and saw that the cook prepared salmon and an amazing salad with wine and candles. The cook smiled at Lyla and explained the dishes before she left for the night. Lyla was pouring wine when Gavin came in.
“This is nice,” Lyla said.
“We just got engaged. We should celebrate,” he said and kissed her long and deep.
“You keep that up, we won’t eat,” she said.
“Fine with me,” he said, drawing her closer.
“Well, I’m hungry,” she said and pushed him into his seat.
Gavin went easily enough. They fixed their plates while Lyla stared at her ring.
“Carmen wants to look at wedding dresses tomorrow,” she said.
Gavin nodded. “Good.”
“I have to visit my parents,” she mused, thinking about their financial problems and her upcoming wedding. She hesitated and then said, “I don’t want my dad to walk me down the aisle. I want Manny to do it.”
“Dad would be honored,” Gavin said.
Her phone chimed. Lyla picked it up and saw Carmen’s text, demanding to see the ring. She took a picture and sent it.
“Why the blue diamond?” Lyla asked.
“Your eyes.”
Lyla looked up. “My eyes?”
“The diamond is the same color as your eyes. I knew you wouldn’t wear something over the top, but I wanted the ring to be unique.”
“It is,” she said and when the phone chimed, she told him, “Carmen agrees. Is Vinny going to be your best man?”
“Of course. He’s like my brother. Why?”
“Just making sure before Carmen confronts you.” She examined this man who she would soon legally be bound to. “You’re going to be fine with one side of the business and not the other?”
“I’m training someone to take over. He already knows parts of the business, but certain contacts need to be told directly.”
“Who’s taking over?”
“Its better that you don’t know.”
Yes. The less she knew about all of it the better, but, “Why are you so involved? I mean, you play the same role with your casinos as you do with the underworld, right? You’re at the top and usually don’t get involved in the day to day operations. Don’t you have, like, a manager or something?”
“I do have men I trust under me, but it’s my name that gives us credibility and strength. I get involved when it goes bad. In this case, I need to introduce the new crime lord and that has to be done in person.”
Lyla ate because the topic was beginning to make her feel sick. That was a part of their lives that would soon be a thing of the past. The meal was excellent and as she finished off her first glass of wine, she felt a tingle of something as she watched Gavin. He loved her and the strength of it scared and thrilled her. She would never be able to handle him, but she was okay with that. He was his own person and a force to be reckoned with. It was who he was and nothing would change him. She tried to imagine a baby cradled in his arms and felt her throat tighten with emotion. God. Gavin Pyre a father...
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“You want to be a father?”
“Yes. My mom had a hard pregnancy so she only had me. I always wanted a big family. You?”
“I always wished I had a sister or older brother, but I had Carmen and she was enough. For that matter, we’re both only children.”
“I’m up for the challenge of a big family if you are.”
Lyla tried to imagine kids running around the mansion and smiled. “I’m up for it.” He reached for
her and she tutted and scooted backwards. “We’re eating dinner!”
“We’ll eat after,” he decreed and hauled her into his arms.
Chapter Fourteen
Manny punched his fist in the air and danced around his dining room after Gavin announced their impending nuptials. Manny kissed his son on both cheeks before he wrapped Lyla in a hug and rocked her from side to side. When he set her down, he clasped her face.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
The tears rose unexpectedly and spilled over. “W-Will you walk me down the aisle?”
Manny staggered back as if her words mortally wounded him. “Walk you down the aisle?”
“My dad is...” Lyla shrugged. It was no secret that her father cared little for her. “I want you to do it, if you don’t mind.”
Manny took a deep breath. “It would be my honor.”
Lyla hugged him tight. “I’m so happy.”
“This is all I wanted for both of you,” Manny said solemnly.
“I’m going to look for a dress today. Carmen’s coming with me,” Lyla said.
“When’s the wedding?” Manny asked.
“By the end of the month,” Gavin said.
Manny didn’t look surprised. He nodded and clapped his hands together. “We have much to do. Let me know if I can help. This news has made me extremely happy.”