23. Ronan
23
RONAN
A s I pull up outside Tessa’s parents’ house, I scowl at the place she should have been made to feel safe. I’ve been simmering with rage since Tessa came home, her voice breaking as she told me what they did. She didn’t ask me to come here, and I didn’t tell her I was doing this. I don’t need permission. She’s my wife, and I’ll protect her in every way possible, even from her own parents. No one hurts her and gets to walk away unscathed.
I slam the car door and stalk up the driveway. I don’t bother knocking. Instead, I push the door open, the force rattling it against the frame.
When I walk into the living room and take in the sight before me of her parents sitting on their hideous floral couches casually drinking tea, I nearly explode. As soon as they see me, her father’s eyes go wide, and her mother stares up at me with a hand to her chest like she’s shocked that I’m here. For all the years he worked for our family, Mr. Murphy should have fucking known I’d show up. He knows how ruthless we are.
“You have some fucking nerve,” I say coldly. “I was pretty fucking clear at the wedding that you were not to contact her.”
“Ronan,” her mom says. “It’s not like that.”
“Shut up. Don’t say a fucking word because it’s all bullshit. You two are going to get one thing through your thick skulls. You are done . Do you hear me? Done. You don’t call her, you don’t text her, you don’t even think about her. She’s finished with you. Tessa is mine . She belongs to my family now, and you are not part of that.”
Her dad stiffens. “You have no right to come into my house and talk to my wife like that.”
“I have every right,” I snap, stepping closer. “You crossed the line when you dragged my wife back here under the guise of wanting to clear the air, just to ask for money. You hurt her. You hurt what’s mine. And I think you very well know what happens to people who do that.”
The way his expression falters and his face pales thrills the fuck out of me.
“We’re her family,” her mom says shakily. “Families help each other.”
“Family?” I laugh bitterly, the sound low and dangerous. “You abandoned her when she needed you the most. You made her feel like a burden. Like she was worthless. And now you have the nerve to ask for her help? Because you paid a measly fifty grand when she was kidnapped? Guess what, I spent millions. I would have spent my entire fortune to find her, and I wouldn’t have expected a fucking thing in return. Because that’s what real family does.”
“You made her marry you in exchange for that,” her father snaps.
“To save her from being married to a stranger,” I roar, taking a step toward him with my fists clenched. “To keep her from being pawned off like fucking cattle so you could solidify some fucking business deal.”
Her dad’s face flushes, and he balls his fists, but I cut him off before he can say anything. “Don’t bother trying to defend yourself. There’s nothing you can say to justify what you’ve done. You’re lucky she gave you the time of day, and you threw it in her face.”
Her mother wrings her hands together, her eyes darting to her husband. “We’re desperate. We’re in over our heads, and people are making threats.”
“Desperate?” I step closer, towering over both of them. “You want desperate? Let me make something clear. If you ever contact her again—if you so much as think about reaching out, I’ll ensure you understand what desperate really feels like.”
Her dad narrows his eyes, and I have to hand it to the guy. He’s not cowering like most would be by now, which just shows what an idiot he is.
“Are you threatening me?” he demands.
“No,” I reply, holding his eye contact. “I’m promising you. You don’t get to hurt her again. Not while I’m breathing. So, take this as your last warning. If I have to come to this house or see your faces again, I will put both of you six feet under. That is a fucking promise.”
The silence stretches, thick and oppressive. Her mom looks like she might cry, but I feel nothing. No pity, no remorse. Just the cold satisfaction of knowing I’ve made my point.
I turn on my heel and head for the door, pausing only once to glance back at them. “You had your chance to be her family. You blew it. And if I were you, I’d move the fuck out of Seattle because if you think things are difficult for you now, I’m about to make this entire city blacklist you.”
With that, I walk out, slamming the door behind me.
T he evening air is warm, carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers as I guide Tessa through the gardens. The sky above us is a canvas of oranges, pinks, and purples, the kind of sunset that makes you stop and stare. She walks beside me, her hand nestled in mine, her laughter soft and easy as we talk about nothing and everything.
“Where are we going?” she asks as I lead her down a stone path that winds through the estate's gardens.
The same place we said our vows.
“You’ll see,” I reply, glancing down at her with a small smile. “Patience, baby girl.”
Her cheeks blush, and she tilts her head to the side, giving me that look—the one that makes my heart clench. I’m not a perfect man. Hell, I’m not even a good man. But this sweet, soft, strong woman makes me feel like I’m a king. All I want to do with my life from now on is make her feel like the queen that she is.
We stop at the edge of a small clearing where the gardens open up, the sunset casting a colorful glow over the lush greenery. I turn to her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she looks up at me with so much love that it makes my heart race even faster.
“This is beautiful,” she breathes, glancing at the sky. “It’s perfect.”
“It’s about to get better.” I take a step back, letting her hand slip from mine as I drop to one knee.
Her eyes widen, and her lips part in a soft gasp. “Daddy… what are you doing?”
I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring box, flipping it open to reveal the enormous diamond nestled inside. The light catches the facets, making it sparkle brilliantly, but it’s nothing compared to the look on her face.
“Baby girl. You’ve turned my world upside down in the best possible way. I’ve spent my life wondering if I’d ever find someone who could love me, yet you make it seem so easy. You bring light into my life every day, and all I want to do is make you happy and make you feel loved, because you are. So much. You’ve breathed life into my heart, and I hope you’ll let me spend the rest of my days showing you how much I love you.”
She blinks, her eyes filling with tears as she stares down at me. “Daddy… we’re already married.”
I smile, shaking my head. “About that. I have to tell you something, baby girl.”
Her brow furrows, confusion flashing across her face. “What do you mean?”
I take a deep breath, my free hand reaching for hers. “The wedding ceremony… it wasn’t legally binding. The marriage license wasn’t real.”
Her mouth falls open, but I press on before she can say anything.
“I would never truly force you into marriage,” I explain, my voice firm but gentle. “But now I’m asking you to marry me for real. Not because you have to. Not because of a deal. But because you want to.”
Tears spill down her cheeks, and for a moment, she just gazes at me, her lips trembling. Then, without warning, she throws herself at me, knocking me flat onto the grass. I barely manage to catch her, with the ring box clutched tightly in my hand as she buries her face in my neck, her body shaking with sobs.
“Yes,” she cries. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Relief and joy flood me, and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close as we lie on the grass. “You sure?” I tease, brushing a kiss to her temple. “Because I’m not letting you change your mind. Once we’re married for real, there’s no end date, baby. No divorce.”
She pulls back just enough to meet my gaze, her smile radiant through her tears. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
I slip the ring onto her finger, the diamond catching the fading light as I lift her hand to my lips. “It’s official, then,” I say softly, my voice thick with emotion. “You’re mine.”
“I’ve always been yours,” she whispers, her lips brushing against mine.
“We’ll start planning our real wedding tomorrow. The wedding of your dreams.”
Shaking her head, she runs her hand over my jaw. “I don’t care about the wedding, Daddy. I care about the marriage. That’s the only thing that matters to me.”
I stare at her for a long moment, swallowing several times before I can speak. “It’s the only thing that matters to me too. We’re still going to have a real wedding, though. So, start thinking about where you want it to happen.”
She looks around the garden and then back at me. “I want it to happen here. Where we said our vows the first time.”
My eyes burn as I look at her. I nod and pull her against me tightly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Anything you want, baby girl. Right here sounds perfect.”
The horizon softens as the sun dips below the edge of the earth, painting the sky in varying colors. The stars begin to appear, faint but sparkling. Tessa and I lie in the grass, her head resting on my chest, her hand tracing lazy circles over my shirt. The quiet between us is easy, filled with the kind of peace I didn’t think I’d ever find. Only with her.
“You good, baby girl?” I murmur, my fingers running through her soft hair.
“Yeah,” she whispers. “But… there’s something I need to tell you.”
I tense slightly, glancing down at her. She lifts her head, her eyes meeting mine, and there’s a flicker of hesitation in them. “You can tell me anything.”
She nods, taking a deep breath as her fingers toy with the fabric of my shirt. “I knew,” she says softly.
My brow furrows. “Knew what?”
“I knew you were coming to Ireland,” she admits quietly. “And I knew you had your men watching me. I figured it out pretty quickly.”
Her confession takes me off guard, and for a moment, I’m silent, trying to piece it together. “You knew? Why didn’t you say anything?”
She smiles faintly, her cheeks tinged with a soft blush. “Because it made me feel safe. I never told anyone because I liked knowing you were there, even if you didn’t think I knew. It was like having a guardian angel, someone always watching over me.”
My chest tightens at her words, an unexpected wave of emotion washing over me. She presses on, her gaze unwavering despite the vulnerability in her voice.
“I started falling in love with you years ago, Daddy,” she says, her voice breaking slightly. “When I realized you or your men were there, it wasn’t just safety I felt… it was closeness. Like you were protecting me even from afar. Like I wasn’t alone.”
I stare at her, her words hitting me like a freight train. The realization of what it means, the depth of what we’ve always had, even before we acknowledged it, settles in my chest. I was meant to find her in that cell. She was always meant to be mine. Even before I knew it.
“Baby girl,” I breathe, my hand cupping her cheek. “You don’t know what it means to hear that. I’ve spent so long trying to keep you safe, trying to make sure nothing touched you. Hearing that it made you feel close to me… the same way it made me feel close to you.” My voice catches, and I shake my head, overwhelmed. “It means everything.”
Her eyes shine with unshed tears as she leans into my touch. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, baby girl. I will always love you until the day I die and then even after.”
A tear slips down her cheek, and I catch it with my thumb, leaning in to kiss her softly. The world fades around us, the cool grass grounding me as she melts into my arms.
We stay like that as the stars grow brighter, the air cool and crisp against our skin. She rests her head against my chest again, her fingers lacing with mine as we stare at the sky.
“Daddy,” she whispers after a while, her fingers roaming over my chest.
“Hm?”
“Fuck me out here in the garden?”
My head snaps up so I can look at her, the shock of her words making me temporarily speechless. “What?”
She giggles and moves to sit up then swings herself over my lap so she’s straddling me. “Fuck me here. We got married here. You proposed to me here. Now I want you to fuck me here.”
Heat rushes through me, and my cock throbs against her core. I’m a man of control, but even I’m not strong enough to tell her no right now.
After pulling out my phone, I type a quick text to our security.
Ronan: Turn off all cameras around the garden and stay away from that area for the next hour.
I might not be able to tell Tessa no, but I’m not taking any fucking chances that anyone else sees my girl naked. Because I’m a possessive bastard, and that’s not changing anytime soon.
As soon as a confirmation text comes through, ensuring we’ll be completely alone, my hands are on her, gripping, massaging, exploring. Her dress gives me easy access, and when I slide my fingers over the crotch of her panties, I groan. She’s soaked.
“You’re going to be a good girl and ride Daddy’s cock until you come. Understand?”
She bobs her head quickly, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “Fuck, yes.”
Moving both hands between her legs, I grip the pink lace and tear it with one swift yank. Tessa yelps and then giggles as I toss the thin material onto the grass.
“Unbuckle me,” I command.
Her hands tremble, but she moves them to my belt, fumbling with it. As soon as she gets it undone, she moves to my button and zipper. Our movements are frenzied and sloppy. We’re desperate for each other. It’s become a regular feeling between us. I’m not sure that we’ll ever get enough. I certainly won’t.
As soon as she pulls out my cock, she starts to stroke it. I grit my teeth, already close to the edge. I’ve never considered myself an exhibitionist, but there’s something about being out here and the possibility of getting caught that adds an extra layer of excitement to this.
“Get on my cock, baby. Slide that tight little pussy onto me.”
Like the good girl she is, she lifts her hips and lines me up with her entrance. In one swift move, she drops her hips and cries out as I fill her. Her pussy grips me so fucking tight I see stars, and they aren’t the ones in the night sky.
I squeeze one of her thighs while I move my other hand back to her clit, pressing on her sensitive nub. She whimpers and claws at my chest, her fingernails biting into my skin even through my shirt. When she starts moving her hips, I watch her perfect silhouette under the moonlight while she takes the pleasure she needs.
“Oh my God,” she whispers, her head rolling back.
“Don’t talk to God, baby. Talk to Daddy. Tell me how much you love me.”
She looks down at me, her eyes glazed over and her lips slightly puffy from biting them. “I love you so much. I can’t wait to marry you for real and spend the rest of my life with you.”
My grip on her tightens, and I thrust my hips up to fuck her harder, my own orgasm dangerously close.
“I love you too, Little girl. Now, be a good girl and come for me. Come all over my dick and milk me with that tight pussy.”
I flick her clit, over and over, in rhythm with our movements. When her body starts to tense, I reach up and tweak her nipple through the fabric of her clothes. She instantly comes apart, her cries and pulsing pussy pushing me over the edge right along with her. We try to be quiet but don’t do a very good job, and I’m thankful as hell that the gardens aren’t near any of the houses on the estate because I would kill anyone who heard her cries of ecstasy.
When she quiets, she collapses onto me, her cheek resting on my chest. Sex with her is the most amazing pleasure I’ve ever experienced, but this, right here, holding her in my arms, is everything.