He interrupted me with another kiss. This one was deeper and longer than the last. I sank into his body and wrapped my arms around his neck. When he finally lifted his head and rubbed his nose against mine, I barely remembered what we’d been talking about in the first place. Garret didn’t seem to have the same problem, though. “This is as personal as it gets, beautiful.”
“My dad—”
He brushed his thumb across my lips to quiet me. “You don’t need to worry about your father anymore. He’s my problem now. That’s why you married me, after all.”
He was right. I’d married him because I needed to get out from beneath my father’s thumb, but that didn’t mean that I’d planned to leave my father completely for my new husband.
I just wanted a little bit of breathing room.
I should have argued more with Garret because I’d already realized that he was the kind of guy who would take a mile if I gave him an inch. All those orgasms must have melted my brain, because I found myself nodding instead of opening my mouth.
It earned me another nose rub and gentle kiss before Garret proceeded to do exactly as he’d said he would. My pampering started out with a long, hot bath. I spent about half an hour in the tub before he washed and conditioned my hair. Once I was out and dried off, he treated me to breakfast in bed. But the pampering didn’t end there—Garret arranged to have a nail technician come to the house when he had to go out for a little while.
I’d been irritated that he left to do some work when he’d been so insistent that I couldn’t do the same, but my annoyance disappeared when he came back after my manicure and pedicure. My assumption had been wrong. He hadn’t been taking care of business. He’d been arranging to have the rest of my belongings packed up and moved to his house. As part of our agreement, I’d had most of my clothing and some of my favorite things boxed up and ready to go. That hadn’t been enough for Garret, though. I wasn’t sure why, but he’d wanted all of it in his house.
Immediately.
I wasn’t allowed to lift a finger during any of the unpacking, except to direct the movers where I wanted my possessions placed. It still made for a long day, and I quickly passed out wrapped up in Garret’s arms that night. I awoke the next morning to find that the pampering hadn’t stopped.
My new husband seemed determined to spend every moment of the week with me, getting me everything my heart desired. Garret wanted me to have whatever that might be, and it was fun for a man to be interested in my happiness for once. It was weird for a guy to ask me what I wanted. Even on the few dates I’d been on, guys always ordered for me. But this was different. He wanted my input. Wanted me to feel comfortable in his space. It was…refreshing.
Before I knew it, I was waking up on Friday morning to a house that felt like a home—complete with half of the closets in the dressing room packed to the gills with all the new stuff Garret had already bought for me—wrapped up in the arms of my super-sexy husband. It was a position I’d quickly grown used to, since he liked to hold me while we slept.
What I wasn’t accustomed to was waking up when the sun was barely in the sky to the sound of my phone beeping like mad. “That can’t mean anything good,” I groaned as I wiggled loose to grab it off the bedside table.
“No checking your phone until I get my good-morning kiss,” Garret insisted, wrapping his hand around mine and my phone as he captured my lips in a quick but thorough kiss. “There. Now you can see whose ass I have to kick for waking us up so early.”
I laughed as he let go of my hand, and I looked down. “Oh, crap. It’s my dad. He got back into town late last night and already heard about me not coming into the office. He wants to see me this morning, before he heads in. Which basically means right now.”
Without Garret’s help, I wasn’t sure that I wouldn’t have shown up at my dad’s house dressed in pajamas. He kept me calmed down and even insisted on us having a quick breakfast before we headed out, but I was still a nervous wreck about how my dad was going to react to the news of my marriage when we walked into his home office.
“Garret Hansen.” My dad’s eyebrows rose when his gaze dropped down to find our hands linked together. “What a…surprise.”
My dad left out the “nice” part of that phrase, but that wasn’t a shocker, considering the situation. “You two know each other?”
I didn’t know why Garret wouldn’t have mentioned it, since he’d had plenty of opportunity during any of our long talks this week. “We know of each other,” Garret replied.
“Well. Okay. I guess that makes this a little bit easier, if Dad’s already aware of who you are. I mean, because you’re a successful businessman and everything.”
“Have you resorted back to that dreadful chattering again, Keaton? Spit it out, girl.”
Garret stiffened at my side. I squeezed his hand. “Garret and I were married earlier this week, Daddy. We—”
My dad held up one hand to cut me off while he turned red in the face. “Do you realize the mess you’ve managed to land me in, Keaton?” he snarled. “Running off and getting married without telling me first. No engagement announcement in the Post. No engagement party. No wedding. No anything except a surprise announcement that you’re already married. What are people going to think?”
“I know it’s a little bit shocking, but—”
He rolled his eyes upward, as though he thought he’d find some patience falling from the sky. It was something I’d seen him do a million times when talking to me. So I wasn’t at all surprised when his gaze narrowed, then zeroed in on Garret, and he effectively dismissed me. “Leave us to let the men talk, Keaton. We’ll figure out how to handle this mess.”
“But, Dad—”
Garret squeezed my hand. “It’s okay, beautiful. I’m more than happy to speak with your father in private.”
My back stiffened at his tone. It was one thing for my dad to talk to me like that, but I wasn’t about to accept the same kind of treatment from my husband. I glared up at him, and he winked at me. The gesture let me know we were in this together, and the irritation I’d felt at his patronizing tone melted away. If he wanted to handle whatever power play my dad wanted to pull, I was more than willing to let him. That was why I got married, after all.
Chapter Six
GARRET
I hated acting like a chauvinist dick in front of Keaton. Clearly she’d grown up with enough of that, having this condescending jackass as her father. Her face softened when I winked at her, and I breathed a little easier knowing she’d caught on this was a ruse.
Her father’s eyes were shrewdly inspecting me, which would probably make most men shrivel in fear. I didn’t give a fuck and openly ogled my wife’s ass as she left the room.
Norris cleared his throat, but I ignored him. When the door was closed, I finally turned my attention back to him. He had aged well, his face sporting very few lines, and his neatly combed brown hair looked distinguished with streaks of gray at his temples. As usual, he wore a three-piece suit, and he was sitting behind a huge, old-fashioned mahogany desk. It was almost too big for him, and I held in a chuckle at the thought of what he was compensating for. Keaton obviously inherited her small stature from her father, and for someone who loved power, he’d have to create intimidation in other ways.
“Care to explain what the hell is going on?” he barked.
I moseyed over to one of the chairs positioned in front of his desk and dropped down into it before I answered.
“You asked for a creative solution.” I shrugged. “Marrying her ensured that I could be close to her throughout your campaign without her getting suspicious.” Not to mention she’s sweet, intelligent, funny, and sexy as hell. And fuck, was she a firecracker in bed, but I kept those thoughts to myself.
“I can see how that makes sense, but you should have consulted with me first, Mr. Hansen. Do you have any idea of the damage control I’m going to be forced to do?” He rubbed his temples as though just the thought made him weary.
“I run my campaign on family values for crying out loud! It’ll be months before I’ll be able to dispel the rumors that this was a shotgun wedding.”
I didn’t comment because, honestly, I didn’t give a flying fuck about how this affected the senator. My only concern was Keaton. Although the words “shotgun wedding” started to roll around in my head.
“And what’s your plan for when this is over?”
My vision started turning red at the thought of letting Keaton go, and I almost growled at the man. I barely kept myself in check, but managed it only because I needed to play this just right for Keaton’s sake. He was her father, and, despite his shortcomings, I knew she loved him.
“She thinks this arrangement is only for a year,” I informed him ambiguously. I didn’t bother to tell him that she was wrong. He’d figure it out eventually, and I didn’t want him trying to bully Keaton into leaving me.
Norris huffed and leaned back into his chair. “I suppose I have no choice but to go along with this ridiculous plan. I can’t have my daughter going through a divorce while I’m trying to garner the conservative vote. At least we’ll have almost a year to get back on track when it becomes clear that she didn’t wed because she was pregnant. Then after the election, you two can get a quiet annulment. It’s not like she’ll be a single parent, so it shouldn’t draw much media attention.”
The shotgun comment was still spinning in the wheels of my brain, and when the senator mentioned Keaton being pregnant, the idea solidified. It was the perfect solution. It would stop her father from trying to force a divorce when the year was up. He wouldn’t want the scandal. It would also create an unbreakable connection between Keaton and me. But more than anything, I wanted to see my wife carrying our baby. A little one that we created, that was a part of both of us. Just the thought of my woman sporting a baby bump had me hardening. I was anxious to get out of here and get started on knocking her up.
It hit me then. Well, fuck. She could already be pregnant. I’d never dug up that box of condoms. After that first night, I hadn’t even thought about it. The idea of being with Keaton and having anything between us was repugnant.
I’d never seen Keaton take a pill. Realistically, she could be on another type of birth control, but I’d popped her cherry, so it was entirely possible that we’d been having unprotected sex for a week. And considering the amount of time I spent buried in her delicious pussy, I’d be shocked if she wasn’t pregnant.
My reverie was broken when the senator spoke again. “At least I don’t have to worry that you’re after her for her money,” Norris said absently, as he had started working again. “I was hoping my daughter would marry someone with an impeccable pedigree, who would boost my image with the voters. But your money and reputation make you a suitable option for marriage. Maybe that will be enough for the next man to overlook her past entanglements.”
My hands clenched into fists on the armrests of my chair. The way he spoke about his daughter pissed me off, like she was a tool rather than a woman. However, it was the mention of another man that had the blood pumping through my veins. Rage boiled under the surface. I mashed my lips together in order to keep silent and slowly unfolded from my seat. I was done with this conversation. I just wanted to collect my wife, take her home, and spend the night making love to her.
“I don’t want Keaton working at the campaign office anymore. Or out stumping with you.” Norris looked up, a frown dragging the corners of his mouth down. “Keeping her safe is my priority, and that means staying away from the campaign.”
“Her appearance at my side is necessary,” he argued. “My constituents like being reminded that I’m a family man.”
I could feel the sinister expression forming on my face, and he shrank back a few inches in his seat. “I don’t give a fuck about your election, senator. My priority is Keaton. She’s not a show horse you trot out whenever you think it’s the most beneficial. You’ll have to figure out another way to exploit your fatherhood.”
Norris sat rigid at my accusation, his face turning red and splotchy with anger.
“Look at it this way, at least she won’t get into mischief and damage your campaign.” With that, I spun around and headed for the door. “And by the way, I quit.”
“Why did she agree to a temporary marriage?”
I figured he would have a bigger reaction to my decision, so I wasn’t expecting that question. It made me pause in my retreat, and I twisted my head to look at him over my shoulder. “To get away from you,” I stated bluntly.
Norris’s face crumpled minutely. It was barely noticeable, but I was trained to see the details. I was somewhat appeased at his distress because it showed that he had at least some love for his daughter.
I reached for the door handle but was stopped once more.
“Hansen.”
I glanced back with exasperation and lifted an eyebrow in question.
“She has a very soft heart. Don’t break it.”
I stared at him, my expression hard. Then I simply nodded in acknowledgment and walked out.
A servant directed me to the kitchen, where I found Keaton sitting at a counter, eating ice cream straight from the carton. Her expression was pensive, and it was fucking adorable. I made note of the flavor, peanut butter chocolate, and filed it away. There were some things that could only be learned by spending time with someone.
“Ready to go, beautiful?” I asked as I came up behind her and slid my arms around her waist. She jerked in surprise and lost her grip on the spoon. I laughed as it clattered on the granite, spattering ice cream everywhere. She was a jumpy little thing.
“Geez. How can someone so huge be so quiet?” she grumped. I chuckled again and placed a kiss on her temple, then took the spoon to the sink and threw away the empty ice cream carton. She was cleaning up the mess with a paper towel when I turned around. I grabbed it and took over, gesturing for her to sit again.
“My father hates it when I do that.”
“Get ice cream all over the kitchen?” I joked. “Seemed like it added character to this sterile room.”
Keaton giggled and shook her head. “No, he hates when I do things like eat straight from the carton.” Her cheeks pinkened as she gave me a shy smile. “But, I swear, sometimes it just tastes better that way.”
With a grin, I tossed the dirty towels in the trash before coming around the counter to stand between her legs. I grasped her heated cheeks and kissed each one before brushing our lips together. “My wife, the rebel,” I mused with humor. “Sexy fuck-me heels and ice cream right out of the carton. What am I going to do with you?”
Her face burned red as she answered, “Um, I have some ideas.”
“From the way you’re blushing, beautiful, I think we might be on the same page.” I winked and stepped back, pulling her off of the stool. “Let’s go home.”
…
Several weeks later, the car rolled to a stop at the corner of 42nd and 6th Avenue.
“What are we doing at Bryant Park?” Keaton asked curiously.
Jack opened the door of the Escalade, and I hopped out before helping Keaton from the vehicle. I grinned and pointed to the grassy area where there were groups of people scattered about, some lounging on blankets, others relaxing in lawn chairs. All of them facing a giant projector screen.
“It’s Monday.”
Realization dawned on her face, and she lit up like the Broadway lights. “Movie Nights in Bryant Park.” She practically squealed as she clapped her hands and bounced on the balls of her feet. “My mom used to drag me and my dad to these all summer when I was little. That was before she died and my dad went into politics.” Some of the happiness in her face dimmed as she finished.
I dropped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into my side. “You mentioned it in an interview once. I thought maybe we could start the tradition up again.”
Keaton looked up at me with her brown eyes shining. “Thank you, Garret.”
“Anything f
or you, beautiful.” I smiled before giving her a passionate kiss. Jack’s muffled laughter broke through the haze of desire blanketing us and reminded me where we were, stopping me deepening it.
“Public indecency is a pretty hefty fine, Garret,” he jibed.
I threw him a dirty look as I released Keaton to grab the blankets from the back of the car. Then I laced our fingers together and led her to an empty spot. The movie wouldn’t start for about another hour, but the place filled up on cool summer evenings. Once we were situated, she stretched out on the blanket, and I pulled her feet into my lap.
She sighed when I dug my thumbs into her arches. “Who was the most wackadoo person you ever had to do personal security for?” she asked lazily.
I laughed at her turn of phrase and thought about it for a second, then answered, “My firm was hired to help a scientist defect. The man was brilliant, but he gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘mad scientist.’ He was borderline schizophrenic. But the most challenging part of the assignment was keeping his hands off my ass.”
Keaton burst out laughing so hard that tears leaked from her eyes. She caught her breath and asked me another question. “What was your favorite TV show growing up?”
“Knight Rider.”
“What is your favorite flavor of gum?”
“Spearmint.”
“What’s your favorite sport?”
“Soccer.”
“Who is your favorite sports team?”
“The New York Red Bulls.”
“What’s your favorite board game?”
“Axis & Allies.”
This went on for the full hour until the movie started. We’d gone on several dates over the last month since our confrontation with her father, getting to know each other. On our first date, Keaton had confided that it bothered her that I knew so much about her and she knew almost nothing about me.
Bought for Protection (Bought by the Billionaire Book 3) Page 4