“What was that for?” he all but whispered.
“I wanted to test it out.”
“And?”
“I'll make sure to buy you a new razor every week.”
The sound of his rich, full laughter filled the cab of the limo leaving Kate grinning like a complete idiot when he pulled back out and stood up.
Ethan rapped on the hood. “The little bird is embarking. Hold tight. I'll bring her to you.”
“Oh, girl, you got it bad. Real bad.” Celine shook her head but the effect was devastated by her goofy grin.
Kate didn't bother to deny it. Ethan Slade had taken a jackhammer to her defenses and laid them out flat.
And she wanted to enjoy it for as long as she could.
“Kate, Celine, meet Caroline Cotter.” Ethan stepped to the side and helped what had to be one of the most petite blonde’s she'd ever seen into the limo. “Caroline, Kate is your bodyguard; Celine is your stylist.”
Caroline gave a regal nod. “Thank you, sir, and you, ladies, for all your help. I hope I won't be too much trouble for you.”
Ethan gave a small smile, the corners of his mouth barely turning up. “It’s our pleasure, ma'am. Let us know if you need anything at all. I'll be in the vehicle behind you, and we have another vehicle in front.” Ethan gently closed the door and in the silence that followed, crickets could be heard from miles away.
Celine extended her hand. “I'm Celine. I'll be doing your hair and makeup.”
She gave a pointed stare at Kate, jump-starting her brain. “And I'm Kate, one of your bodyguards.”
After completing the greeting, Caroline withdrew her hands back to her lap and folded them gently, one on top of the other.
Celine stared pointedly at the champagne and arched a brow in Kate's direction. Kate shook her head, no. They both needed to wait on Caroline's lead.
The driver cranked the limo, turned in a wide arc and headed back out to the highway. Another solid minute stretched out in unbearable silence.
Celine started drumming her fingers on the armrest and Kate propped her elbow on the window and stared out. Her mind immediately went back to Ethan and the way his hands had felt exploring her body. Tonight, after the wedding, she was planning a big surprise for him. He'd made her lose control completely last night until she was just a mindless creature at his beck and call, something she enjoyed thoroughly, but she was going to turn the tables. Tonight, she’d make Ethan Slade beg.
“I can't take it. Someone open that bottle of champagne before I crack.”
Kate whipped around and stared at Caroline in shock. “Ma'am?”
Caroline ruthlessly twisted the hem of a shirt that probably cost more than most people make in a month. “I need a drink, Agent Kate, is that permitted? Or did my dad instruct you not to let me have alcohol before the wedding?”
Celine burst out laughing and yanked the chilled bottle from the ice. She had the foil off in a split-second. “No, we've just been waiting on you to give us permission.”
“Well, ladies, if I have any hope of making it through this without puking from nerves, we're going to need at least another bottle, and something a lot stronger than champagne.”
Celine poured a glass and handed it off to Caroline first who eagerly accepted it. She then extended one to Kate. “No thank you.” She had to keep a clear head and a sharp eye. Besides, she didn't really care for alcohol. It dulled the senses in general and slowed the thinking process. Overall it was just a sloppy messy thing to partake of.
“More for us.” Celine poured more in her glass and shoved the half empty bottle back into its ice bucket. “Caroline, do you want to talk about it?”
Caroline shoulders deflated, like someone stuck a pin in her balloon and all the air slowly seeped out. “I'm sure you've already guessed this is an alliance, a business merger, not a real marriage.”
Kate resisted the urge to let her mouth fall open, but Celine had no such compunction. “You poor girl. Call it off. You don't have to marry someone you don't want to; this is the 21st century for chrissake.”
“If only it were that easy. My father's plans are much higher than his current senator seat; he intends to be head of his own committee, and maybe even eventually run for president, and having me marry a one-star general climbing in the ranks with the Purple Heart for valor is a big piece of his golden ticket.”
“Then you need to find yourself an ex-convict with five kids out on parole. Make sure he lives in a trailer park too. That'll teach your dad not to interfere in your life like that.”
Kate whipped around to face Celine with wide eyes. “Celine!”
“What? I taught my parents the hard way when I was still a teenager that when they try to force me to do things, the consequences are much worse.”
“And I'm sure you spent your teenage years grounded and locked in your room because of it, right?” Kate knew she would have, but back then she’d still been under the heavy influence of her mother, a mindless yes ma'am, no ma'am, perfect child.
Celine waggled her finger in the air. “That's what bedroom windows are for. I spent more nights sneaking out of my house than I can count.”
Caroline gasped and placed her fingers over her mouth, the look of horror on her face like she spotted the creature from the lagoon. “You didn't?”
“You bet I did.” Celine refilled her glass and topped off Caroline's. “I wasn't doing anything bad, just making out with my boyfriend. I had a good head on my shoulders, just wasn't much on being controlled.”
Caroline sighed, “Yeah, well since I can remember, I've had a bodyguard or Secret Service. Then it was all-girls boarding school and private tutors. If I stepped one foot outside of the house without clearance from my dad, he would've called in the whole secret service.”
“That seems a bit drastic.”
“Not for Senator Cotter it's not.” Small angry lines formed around Caroline's mouth, but Kate saw something else there—understanding.
“Surely you don't condone him keeping you prisoner your whole life?” Kate asked.
“I really can't be mad at him. He’s had his reasons.”
“Like what?” Celine asked, leaning in closer to Caroline.
“Like the fact I had a twin sister who was kidnapped from the hospital at birth.”
The silence filling the cab could have taken down an entire city under its weight. Shock seemed to shackle her in place. Kate had to work to get her brain to function. “You had a sister?”
Caroline's lips twisted into a sad smile. “I had a sister for all of a couple of hours. A few weeks after the disappearance, police found her baby blanket and one of her socks at the edge of the river that ran through our hometown. Video surveillance caught the woman who stole her leaving hospital. They never found their bodies but dad said there’d been a storm and the river could have carried them really far.”
Kate reached across and gently touched the younger girl’s shoulder. “I'm so sorry.”
Caroline nodded, “Thank you.”
Kate continued, “But I still wouldn't let my father force me into a marriage I didn't want.”
“Have you met my father, the senator?”
“No, I haven't,” Kate said.
“When you do, you try telling him no and let me know how that works out for you.”
Kate’s eyes widened as realization dawned. Senator Cotter was Georgia Elise. And this is exactly what would've happened to Kate if she’d stayed home and done everything her mother asked.
Suddenly, dealing with the macho sexism at work didn't really seem quite so bad. “I may lose my job, but you say the word and I'll get you out of here. I have friends, I can fly you wherever you want and no one will ever know.”
“Yeah! An adventure! Count me in – wait I need to know where we're going so I’ll know what to pack.” Celine squealed clapping her hands together like an excited little girl.
“As much as I resent him for being so overprotective,” Caroline said.
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Celine snorted and rolled her eyes, “That's like saying lifetime in prison is a voluntary vacation.”
Caroline straightened and glared at Celine, “Like I was saying, my father has his reasons and I understand them. And if I was going to speak up I should've had the guts to do it in the first place. I can't call off the wedding now and make him a national embarrassment.”
“So you'd rather spend the rest of your life with a man you don't even know? What if he's abusive? What if he's mean?” Celine asked.
“The way these unions typically work, we probably won't even stay in the same house. I can still live my own life and he can live his.”
“And your daddy can trot out his perfect family for the cameras when he needs you.” Kate finished quietly.
Caroline downed her glass and held out her hand for more. “That's about right. Now let's quit having a Caroline pity party and help me get drunk so I can make it through the ceremony without puking.”
Chapter 17
Ethan and Aaron flanked Caroline's closed bedroom door. The girls had gone in hours ago and not come out, except for the occasional burst of laughter Aaron and Ethan were left to stand guard alone on the day of Caroline's wedding.
The nights with Kate had been indescribable. Hands-down, the most incredible sex he'd ever had. When Kate had lured him into the bedroom, he'd followed like the mouse after the Pied Piper. She'd pushed him down on the bed, and then she'd taken charge and Ethan had lost control.
On top, Kate took command and Ethan hadn't had to think or do anything but feel her soft hands and mouth on his body, driving him over the edge repeatedly until he passed out. Ethan woke late this morning to an empty bed and promised himself tonight, after the wedding, he'd pay her back double time. But even he admitted it to himself that it wasn't just sex, it wasn't just her body, her beautiful face, or soft skin that held him captive. Her quick wit and razor-sharp tongue kept him on edge. And even though she’d struggled in her career, she’d never backed down and because of that, because she was a fighter like him, he loved her.
Love? Love someone else? The hallway seemed to tilt beneath his feet and Ethan expelled a breath as if someone had punched him in the stomach.
Aaron shot him a questioning glance. “You okay? They tie that penguin suit a little too tight?”
Ethan shook his head but didn't speak; he couldn't find the words. The tuxedo had absolutely nothing to do with his inability to breathe. From the first moment he saw Kate he'd started falling, and never stopped.
But love? Ethan Slade loved no one. How did he even know that's what he was feeling? He didn't. Maybe this was just an overzealous attraction. Maybe it was because Kate was so different from the faceless women he usually hooked up with.
Maybe she was his one, just like Noni said.
Cold sweat broke out on his face and neck and Ethan reached up to tug at the ruthless starched collar. This damn tuxedo might just kill him.
“Man, you getting sick? You're starting to look a little green.” Aaron took a step away.
“Did they turn up the heat in here? Feels like a freaking furnace.”
“No, it's these monkey suits. I swear I have on more layers of clothing than I wore in cold weather mountain warfare school.”
“I'm getting back into regular clothes as soon as the ceremony is over, whether Grey likes it or not.”
And if those girls didn't hurry up, his dick was going on overdrive. He couldn't get Kate out of his mind, her smile, her silky hair, the way her tight hot sheath had milked him bone dry.
He was rock hard. Ethan glanced at his watch, they still had two hours before the ceremony started, with all the socialites arriving this shindig could go well into the next morning. And Ethan couldn't wait that long.
He banged on the door, listened as light footsteps padded across the room and Celine pulled it open just a crack. “What do you want?”
“Need to talk to Kate.”
Celine frowned. “You can't be in here, and she can't come out. She's busy. Now shoo.”
Could he wait another full three hours before he saw her?
Ethan pushed against the door, not really shoving hard enough to make Celine fall back, just enough force so that he could slip inside. What he saw made him lose his breath for the second time that night.
Kate stood in front of a huge floor length oval mirror in a wedding dress, turning left, then right, admiring herself in her reflection. Ethan's mind blanked, and he panicked. Marriage? He'd only known her for a couple of weeks.
Fuck she was beautiful.
Invisible shackles cinched around his wrist weighing him down, the weight of responsibility and commitment enough to take him to his knees.
Kate lovingly smoothed her hands down the front of the white dress and then met his gaze in the reflection, her soft expression almost seductive.
“I, I, I,” Ethan stammered out, grabbed the handle and then slammed the door shut. The twenty foot ceilings and extra wide hall shrunk like saran wrap cutting off his air. His mind whirled like a three-year-old on an out-of-control merry-go-round. Marriage. Kids. Commitment.
Kate.
“Watch the door, I got to take a piss.” Ethan managed to croak out and stumble stepped down the hall, hanging onto the wall for support.
“Ethan!” Kate called out from behind him.
Ethan stopped a few feet from the guest bathroom door and turned, bracing himself for he had absolutely no idea what. Kate rushed to him, a concerned look on her face, still wearing the wedding gown and looking too damn beautiful for words. “It’s not what it looks like. Caroline wanted me to feel how heavy all the pearls were. That’s it.”
His lips moved but nothing came out. She came to him taking his two hands in her own, anchoring him to her. Shackling him to her. Ethan gave a shaky laugh and pulled his hand away, wiping them down the front of his pants. “Don't want to get the wedding dress dirty.”
“We were just having some fun, playing dress-up, you know?” Her eyes searched him looking for what, he had no idea.
Dress-up. Girls did that, right? Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe this wasn't some crazy marriage trap. “Really?”
Kate's calm gaze met his own. “Yeah, I just wanted to know what it was like to wear a hundred thousand dollars. Caroline let us both try it on.”
A little bit of the tension eased from Ethan's shoulders. Clothes, makeup, and hair – that's what girls did, even if Ethan hadn't pegged Kate for that type.
His lungs moved a little bit, allowing him to draw in some much-needed oxygen. “I don't know what to say. I saw the dress and kind of –”
“Panicked?” Kate arched a black brow.
“Yeah, I panicked.” Ethan snatched her hands and raised them to his lips to press a soft kiss on her knuckles, lost in her gaze. “Kate, I really like you, a lot. And I want to see where this goes – but I'm not ready for marriage yet. And I've got to be honest, I don't know if I'm cut out for marriage.”
Ethan half expected her to throw his hands away from her, but she leaned down and pressed her own kiss to his knuckles. “Me either, silly. I vowed I'd never get married after my mom tried to force it on me, so if I go back on my word that means my mother was right. Don't know if I could live with that.” Kate said, smiling.
The ice-cold prison around his chest melted and warmth flooded his body. Ethan stepped in closer and cupped her cheek. “Now that we've gotten that nonsense out of the way, the reason I knocked on the door was for this.” He captured her mouth in a deep demanding kiss, tilting her head to the side to allow himself even more access. Their hot mouths collided, tongues sliding, mating as one.
Kate was perfection—everything about her—and he'd never get enough of her taste. He pulled away first leaving them both breathless and gasping.
“I have plans for you tonight, and this time it won't be me screaming.” Ethan said.
“Why do we have to wait until tonight? Let me get out of this dress and meet you in th
e bedroom. We have time right now.”
If his cock wasn't already rock hard, her whispered words made it so.
“Ugh, I can’t leave my post. Shit, sweetheart, you’re making this really, really hard for me.”
Kate nodded eagerly, gathered the dress and turned away heading back to the bedroom.
Caroline stuck her head out the bedroom door, an impish grin on her pixie-shaped face. “I need that dress back.”
* * *
Ethan escorted her back to the bedroom and shooed her inside. “Go, before I lose my control completely.”
Kate turned and blew him a kiss. The heart stopping grin he gave her just before he closed the door slamming home the realization she’d fallen in love with him. A Special Forces operative with an adrenaline addiction.
“Okay, get this torture device off me. I don’t know how you’re supposed to wear this all night.” Kate arched her back, reaching for the row of tiny buttons down the back.
Celine slapped her hands away. “You’ll tear it, let me.”
“You looked beautiful in that.” Caroline, in her satin white bride robe, walked from her stance at the window to the two girls.
“Okay, I've got the clasps undone. You can step out.” Celine helped Kate out of the dress and Caroline handed her a robe.
“Thank you.”
Celine lovingly carried the dress to the bed and smoothed it out with gentle motions. “Just because it's the dress of doom doesn't mean it's not beautiful.”
“I hate to say this girls, but we are a sorry bunch. Kate’s stuck guarding us while that swoon-worthy piece of man meat is right outside the door. I can't even get Aaron to kiss me, and Caroline, you're marrying some asshole you don't even know.” Celine spun around with her hands planted on her hips in a perfect imitation of super woman.
Her words were met with silence. Then Caroline cracked the first giggle. Someone pounded on the door and Celine snapped. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to my daughter please.”
“Oh God, it's your father.” Mortification rushed straight to her cheeks and Kate slapped a hand over her eyes.
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