“The only reason I didn’t put a stop to this ridiculous farce of a marriage was because you had me convinced it was the best way to keep her safe. Under your watchful eye. I mean, who could do it better than the owner of Hansen Security himself? But judging by what you allowed her to wear tonight, you clearly have zero control over my daughter. If I’d known how you’d choose to handle this situation, I never would have hired you in the first place. So I’m cutting your contract short and expect you to file the necessary papers to put an end to your marriage. Immediately. I’ll have my PR team figure out a way to weather the storm somehow. You’re fired.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Senator. First of all, you seem to be forgetting that I already quit. Second, you don’t have the power to kick me out of Keaton’s life. I’m her husband, and that’s not going to change.”
“Security? Hired?” I echoed softly, my stomach turning with nausea. I looked up at Garret, shaking my head, in denial of what I’d just heard. But when I saw the contrition in his eyes, I knew that what my father had said was true. “You’re one of my father’s hired goons? You married me because of him?”
“Fuck no,” Garret growled, his fingers tightening around mine.
“Then why were you at—”
I stomped my foot in frustration when he pressed his lips against mine to shut me up. “I’ll explain it all to you after I take care of your father, beautiful. I promise.”
“But—”
“Not in front of him, Keaton. After the shit he just pulled, he doesn’t deserve to be a part of our lives. My explanation is for you and you alone. He gets nothing from us.” His free hand slid between us and lightly brushed against my stomach.
At his gentle reminder of what was at stake here, I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. When that didn’t cool my temper, I counted to ten super slowly. Once I had it semi under control, I opened my eyes and nodded. “Do whatever needs to be done about him”—I waved my arm in my dad’s direction—“and then you owe me one hell of an explanation for all of this.”
“I see you’re not just dressing inappropriately now, you’re swearing, too.” My father shook his head in disappointment. “See how low your marriage to Hansen has already brought you? This is why I can’t trust you to make decisions for yourself. If you wanted to get married, you should’ve just told me, and I would’ve found you someone suitable.” He sent a scathing look Garret’s way. “If we get you a quick annulment, I might even be able to line up an appropriate match for you before the election.”
“Over my dead body,” Garret growled. He released my hand and yanked my dad up by the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. “Or better yet, yours. Because that’s exactly what you’ll be if you try to take Keaton away from me. Dead and buried somewhere nobody’ll ever be able to find the body.”
Oh wow! Did my husband really just threaten my father’s life?
“You can’t talk to me that way. I’m not scared of you.”
“You should be.” Garret leaned closer, until he was right up in my dad’s face. “I’m the head of a billion-dollar security empire. Do you really think yours would be the first body I had to hide?”
Double wow. Did the father of my unborn baby just admit to knowing where the bodies were buried because he’d put them there himself?
My dad looked as shocked as I felt as he stared up at Garret with wide eyes. His skin was pale, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. I didn’t recall ever seeing him scared before, but he definitely was now. My husband had apparently put the fear of death in him, and it had soothed a little of my anger. But only a teeny tiny portion of it.
“Do you understand where I’m coming from on this?”
My dad gulped and nodded frantically.
“Keaton’s mine now, and she’s going to stay that way no matter who I have to go through,” he warned. “Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to be one of those people.”
“I d-d-don’t,” my dad stuttered, shaking his head.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that.” Garret released his hold on my father, smoothing down his tuxedo lapels before taking a step back. “And it’ll be a simple thing for you to accomplish. All you need to do is stay away from Keaton, and we won’t have a problem.”
“I can do that.”
I snorted in disbelief. My father’s helicopter parenting was what got us into this situation in the first place. I found it hard to believe that he was going to be able to let go of me so easily, no matter how scared he was of my husband.
Garret’s gaze slid toward me for a moment. He must have thought the reason for my reaction was different, because he turned back to my dad and conceded, “Unless she reaches out to you first. Whatever Keaton wants, she gets. Even if it’s a relationship with you.”
This time, my dad’s nod was stiff. I had a feeling it was probably because his preference was that I didn’t decide to extend an olive branch his way, since he no longer had a way to control me. He didn’t even bother looking my way as he edged around Garret and walked past me to head back to the Four Seasons. If he had, he would have found me covering my belly with my hand as I thought about what he was going to lose if we never spoke again. It made me miss my mom even more, and my eyes misted over with tears.
Garret moved to stand next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“Are we ever going to tell him about the baby?” I asked softly as we watched my father walk away.
“That’s up to you, beautiful. If you want him in the baby’s life, we’ll tell him. If you don’t, we won’t.”
I felt him shrug, and the jostling reminded me that I didn’t want to be quite so close to him at the moment. Not until we had a serious conversation about what I’d just overheard. I thought about pulling away from him, but then I noticed the utter desperation in his expression, and my anger ratcheted down a notch or two. “We need to talk.”
“I know you’re pissed at me, but I swear I can explain.”
“You can, huh?” I jammed my elbow in his side and turned to stare up at him. “You can explain to me about how I was just a job for you when we got married? That you were okay with a one-year contract because your deal with my father would be over by then, since the election would be over? How you totally lied to me about your reasons for needing a wife? Because there isn’t an inheritance, is there?”
He shook his head, but I quickly discovered it wasn’t in response to any of the questions I’d just asked when he firmly gripped my arm with one hand and pulled out his phone with the other. “We’re not having this conversation here.”
“We’re not?”
He swiped the screen of his phone and pulled up a number before putting it against his ear. “Meet us at the entrance to the hotel. Now.”
I rolled my eyes and let him lead me along the sidewalk. “It’s like you expect Jack to be a miracle worker or something. It’s Manhattan. There’s no way it’ll only take him a minute or two to drive from wherever he’s parked—”
I broke off when I saw Garret’s car pull up to the curb in front of the Four Seasons. When I glanced up at him, I caught the satisfied tilt of his lips. “It’s Jack,” he said, as though that explained everything.
I scowled and jammed my elbow into his side again. “I wouldn’t be so smug if I were you, because you’re going to need a much bigger miracle to get me to forgive you.”
Chapter Ten
GARRET
I knew I was in trouble, but I couldn’t help grinning when Keaton tried to elbow me in the ribs again. She was so fucking adorable. I barely felt it, but I let out a quick little exhale to give her the impression that it had stung. I knew it would ease some of her wrath if she felt like she’d hurt me back in some way, and I would take any advantage I could get. It wasn’t that I didn’t have guilt for keeping things from her, but I’d had a damn good reason in the beginning. I should have told her sooner, but I didn’t want to risk her trying to end things before I could get
her fall for me. She glanced up at me, and I quickly schooled my features so that she didn’t see my smile.
“Please give me a chance to explain?” I asked gently as I held out my hand to help her into the car. Her eyes softened the tiniest bit, and she let me assist her. When we were both seated, she was to the right of me, so I took her left hand and gently drew my fingers over the skin, stopping to play with her wedding ring, then lifting it to my lips to kiss it. Peeking up through my lashes, I saw what I’d been hoping for.
The ice was slowly melting, if only by centimeters.
Keaton cleared her throat and shook her head as though she was emptying it of unwelcome thoughts. I hoped they involved my mouth and her naked body. Those images were certainly filling my own head, and I was determined to take care of the misunderstanding as quickly as possible so we could get to the makeup sex.
“So talk,” she demanded, trying to sound authoritative but only managing light irritation, especially since I’d flipped her hand over and flicked my tongue over her pulse.
I sighed. “Your father did hire my company to protect you.”
Keaton tried to pull her hand away at my statement, but I wouldn’t let go. She scowled at me, but I just smiled and went on.
“When I found out you’d signed up for Luxe Connections, it seemed like the perfect answer. I could keep you close without arousing suspicion and end things when the campaign was over without you ever knowing about your shadow detail.”
Her coffee-colored eyes shimmered with tears, and when one escaped, I used my thumb to wipe it away.
“Hear me out before you get upset, beautiful,” I requested somberly. She took a deep breath and lifted her hand in a gesture for me to go on. “Then, on our wedding day, I opened that car door and was nearly knocked on my ass by the beauty who emerged. My attraction to you was fierce and instantaneous.” I scrubbed my free hand over my face and groaned, though my lips tipped up into a devilish grin. “I wanted to throw you over my shoulder and find the nearest private place to have my wicked way with you.”
She snorted, her lips tipping up and making my smile widen.
“It wasn’t just how fucking beautiful you were, though. I could see the beauty inside you, and damn, your rambling was cute as fuck. Something inside me clicked into place, something I hadn’t realized was broken. And I knew, right then, I was never letting you go. You were meant to be mine—you owned me.”
Keaton sighed. “You’ve given me the freedom to be myself that I never had with my dad. And even though you are overly possessive a lot, which I probably shouldn’t admit is sexy as hell, I still feel uninhibited.” Shaking her head, she placed her hand on my arm as she frowned at me. “You also promised me that you would always be honest with me.”
I cupped her face in my hands and stared into her gorgeous, dark eyes. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have kept anything from you. I’m sorry.”
I ran the pad of one digit down her cheek before leaning in and rubbing my nose across hers. “You are the only woman who has ever made me want a future that included love and a family, beautiful. I want it all. But only with you.” My smile melted away, and I turned very serious, staring deep into her eyes. “Be as mad as you want, Keaton. I’ll happily take any punishment you give me.” I narrowed my eyes in warning. “Except leaving me. I can’t live without you. So, you’re going to have to get over it eventually, because I love you and I’m fucking keeping you.”
Keaton’s lips tipped up at one corner, and she sniffed, blinking rapidly, obviously trying not to cry.
“I love you, too,” she mumbled. “So, don’t be a freaking asshat anymore and keep your promise to be honest with me. Got it?”
“Got it. I’ll never lie to you,” I said sincerely. “As for being an asshat”—I winced—“I think we both know it’s inevitable that I will fuck up in the future.” Keaton giggled and raised an eyebrow as though to say, “You think?” I shrugged and chuckled. “Let’s make a deal to always talk things out and make up naked.”
Keaton nodded with faux seriousness. “I’m agreeable to this plan, Mr. Hansen. Orgasms are an acceptable payment for your yuck-ups.”
I laughed and wrapped her up in a strong embrace, just holding her.
After a while, Keaton moved over me so she was straddling my legs, and I palmed her sexy ass. The position alone had my cock rising to attention, but when she lowered herself fully onto my lap, it fucking turned to granite.
Bending my head, I kissed all around her face before nibbling at her lips. Then my tongue swept inside and swirled around hers. My skin began to sizzle with heat, need building up inside me. Ripping my mouth away, I closed my eyes and touched my forehead to hers. A groan rolled up in my throat when she wiggled restlessly, and her hands, still locked around my neck, played with the ends of my hair.
“How about some makeup sex right here, right now?” I drawled with a playful wiggle of my eyebrows.
“I really wish you wouldn’t,” Jack piped up from the front.
He popped the bubble we’d been floating in, causing Keaton to jolt, and a deep blush spread across her cheeks. I tossed him a frown, but he just smiled innocently back at me in the rearview mirror.
Keaton tried to scramble off my lap, and I let her but kept her snugly against me. “I guess we’ll wait until we’re home for the makeup sex,” I told her in a low voice. “But we’re going to make out like a couple of horny teenagers for the rest of the drive.” She giggled and blushed even harder when I winked at her and slid my hand down her back to squeeze one of her ass cheeks.
She glanced back self-consciously, so I grasped her chin and brought it back around to face me, then sealed our mouths together before she could overthink it. It didn’t take long before she once again forgot where we were and melted into me, her hands cupping my face and her body moving restlessly against me. One of her hands slipped into my lap and cupped my erection.
“Shit. Baby, if you don’t stop rubbing yourself all over me, I’m going to fucking come,” I rasped against her lips. “If you make me come in my pants in the back of a car like a fucking teenager, there will be consequences.”
“Hmmm, consequences. That sounds interesting,” she sassed with a smirk.
I narrowed my eyes and hardened my jaw, giving the impression of anger, though what I was really doing was suppressing the urge to laugh. She was so fucking adorable.
“I think it might be time to break out the cuffs.”
Her eyes widened a little, and she lost the smirk with a hard swallow. “Um…handcuffs?”
My roguish smile grew as I nodded. “Mmhmm. Bad girls get restrained while their man torments them.”
She still looked a little uneasy, and I got serious for a minute. I would never do anything she didn’t like or that made her afraid of me.
“Do you trust me?” I asked solemnly. She nodded without hesitation, and when she realized that, it cleared away some of the nerves. “Then believe me when I say that I would never hurt you. They are fur-lined Cozy Cuffs, beautiful.” I locked my gaze with hers. “I will always take care of you. Even when I’m punishing you,” I finished with a wink. The anxiousness in her eyes dissipated completely and was replaced by a spark of curiosity.
“Now, that leaves only one question.” I put my finger to my chin and stared at the roof as I pretended to contemplate. “Which method should I use to torment you? I could kiss and touch you and drive you fucking mad until you are so desperate, you beg me to let you come. Or I could make you come so hard, over and over, that you’ll be so fucking exhausted you pass out.”
She shivered and wiggled her ass, and her brown eyes practically glowed with burning need. I held her still again and inhaled deeply, trying to get myself under control. I hadn’t been kidding about coming in my pants. My dick was a steel fucking rod. I told it to have patience, but he had other ideas, and images of fucking my wife in the back of my Escalade wouldn’t stop flashing in my head.
Shit. Shit. Shit. My eyes darte
d to the scenery outside the window and desperately hoped we were almost home.
Hallefuckinglujah.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I spotted my brownstone. We pulled into the garage a minute later, and I lifted Keaton off of my lap and climbed out of the car faster than I expected, considering my stiff condition. Then I reached all the way in and hauled Keaton out, lifting her right into my arms and marching to the door.
I placed my thumb on the pad and waited for it to scan my print.
“Hey, Garret?” I glanced over at Jack, not really paying attention, my focus on getting my wife naked. “Next time we replace your car, we’re getting one with privacy glass.”
Keaton buried her head in my neck, her laughter muffled against my skin. The lock on the door disengaged right then, so I didn’t even answer him as I rushed into the house.
“That was kind of rude,” Keaton admonished me with a giggle.
“I don’t give a fuck,” I grunted as I took the stairs two at a time. “If I don’t get inside you soon, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”
We entered the bedroom, and I gently dropped her onto the mattress. I pointed to her and gave her a stern look. “Don’t fucking move, beautiful,” I commanded.
I went into the closet and grabbed a box I’d stashed back there after an impromptu foray into a lingerie store one day. Then I rummaged through a drawer for the handcuffs that Miles’s wife had jokingly sent as a “wedding present.”
Items in hand, I returned to the bed and nodded at Keaton, who was exactly where I’d left her. “Good girl,” I murmured as I set everything on the bedside table.
I held out my hand, palm up, and waited for her to grasp it. She took it and sat up, then got to her feet when I tugged a little and stood back to give her room. My eyes coasted over her body, and I licked my lips in anticipation of tasting her. Crossing my arms over my chest, I let her see the heat in my eyes as I watched her intensely. “Strip,” I commanded.
Bought for Protection (Bought by the Billionaire Book 3) Page 7