24. Part Of Your Family
24
PART OF YOUR FAMILY
T hree hours later, Justine was struggling to keep the smile plastered to her face.
If she heard one more time what a beautiful couple she and Garrett were, she might scream.
They were more than just looks. It’s not like anyone talked to her about her job or what she did.
Half of the men she was introduced to just nodded at her, some sneered a bit, others all but patted her on the head as a blonde with no brain.
Maybe she experienced that when she was a kid growing up, but as an adult, they knew her as her father’s daughter. Her father bragged about her, they knew she was smart.
People that she met were at her job, and because of her career, they knew she wasn’t some airhead that didn’t have a thought in her brain other than fashion.
“Don’t let it get to you,” Laine said.
Laine had moved over and sent her a smile as she took Garrett’s seat.
“What’s that?”
“The looks that you are all surface and no substance. I’ve gotten them most of my life. Now I don’t care. I don’t need approval from anyone. I know my worth and value to society.”
It was the humorous way she said it. “I do too, but it’s hard not knowing anyone here.”
“I was new to the island too,” Laine said. “A few years ago. I’ve got a bit of a reputation as being a little out there. Whatever helps sell my artwork, sure.”
Laine was laughing. “Did Laine tell you how we met?” Carson asked when he moved closer to his wife.
“No,” she said. “But something tells me it’s a funny story.”
“Let me tell it,” Laine said almost bouncing in her seat. “I’d just finished one of my favorite pieces and Beyoncé was blaring on the radio. I broke out into dance like I always do and jammed my finger on the wall.”
“She has a mouth on her,” Carson said. “Silly swear words that took me time to figure out what she was saying while I was taking X-rays.”
“And the rest was history,” Laine said, giggling. “Well, I asked Carson for a baby, and he gave me two. Then we got married.”
There was a round of laughter to that statement. It had to be a joke.
“That is quite the story,” Justine said, her eyes moving around the table.
“What my wife is trying to say is that people are always going to talk. If you’re with a Bond family member, it will be more, but we are a tight group. It only happens so much, then it will stop quickly if it gets out of hand.”
“I don’t need anyone to protect me,” she said.
“Good girl,” Garrett said, moving closer. “She’s stronger than she gives herself credit for.”
It was nice to hear that. Something her father said to her a lot too.
“Justine, is that you?”
She turned her head to see her boss standing there. There were so many people here and she hadn’t gone off on her own far. She stayed at the table mainly or was with Garrett as he walked her around to introduce her to some colleagues.
“Hi, Joyce. It is.” She wasn’t surprised her boss was here or found her.
“I had no idea you’d be here today and when I saw the short blonde hair I had to make my way over when someone said it looked like you.”
“This is my boss, Joyce Conroy. Joyce, Garrett Mills.”
She was going to introduce the rest of the table that was there, but Joyce interrupted. “I know who the Mills are.”
Garrett reached his hand out anyway. “Nice to meet you. I should thank you for sending Justine to the island where we got the opportunity to meet.”
“Are you two together?” Joyce asked, her eyes landing on Garrett’s hands that were resting on Justine’s shoulders.
“We are dating,” she said. “Yes.”
“Wonderful,” Joyce said. “Maybe you two might decide to stay on the island and save me trying to fill that spot. How is it going, by the way?”
There went that forced smile again.
Garrett massaged her shoulders briefly.
“It’s going well, as you can see,” she said.
“There you go,” Garrett said. “Time yet for decisions to be made on Justine’s part.”
If he hadn’t added those last few words, she might have ground her teeth, but he had.
He was making it very clear to everyone that where she ended up was her decision.
Joyce looked around the table, then vacated quickly.
“See,” Selena said. “People leave when there is a united front of the Bond family.”
She saw the grin Selena had but noticed that Richard, Carson, and Gabriela weren’t smiling when Joyce made that comment. She suspected Garrett wasn’t either.
“I guess I’m glad to be part of it,” she said, not realizing that statement slipped until Garrett squeezed her shoulders again.
“Sorry it was such a long night,” Garrett said over an hour later while he was driving back to his condo. She didn’t think they were ever going to be able to slip out of there.
“That isn’t your fault. It was fun.”
He laughed. “It was fun when it started and we are going to end on a good note back at my place, but the few hours in between were tiring. I get it.”
“I hadn’t meant to say that about being part of your family,” she said.
She’d noticed that Gabriela and Selena had smiled over her words, but she wished she could have taken them back.
The last thing she wanted to do was put any pressure on Garrett.
“Maybe I enjoyed hearing it,” he said. “Unless you didn’t mean it.”
She weighed her words. “I meant it in that moment.”
He was silent for a minute. “I guess I’ll take it.”
“You’re laughing or want to,” she said.
“Not really. Just trying to take your mind off of everything. I knew people would talk about us there and both meeting the way we did.”
She wasn’t going to address the fact she’d overheard a few comments on the legend of the island thrown her way though it was said behind her back.
She didn’t believe in those things.
“That and how good-looking we are together.”
He laughed. “I get it. It’s tiring but funny too. Are you used to people dismissing you because of your looks? I guess it never occurs to me.”
“I was as a kid, but my father always set people straight. Since I moved here, I was normally only at work and people knew what I did for a living.”
“Which makes it hard for them to push you aside as a ditzy blonde.”
“Exactly,” she said. “Tonight just told me not that much has changed.”
She didn’t want to believe that, but it was hard to deny it when she witnessed it.
“What did Laine say to you?” he asked. “She’s had many people think that of her, but I’m positive she is laughing all the way to the bank while she threw a slew of colorful quirky swear words sent their way.”
“She pretty much said the same thing. What’s the thing about the swear words? Carson said something too.”
“Laine doesn’t swear. She just says funny things like frosty toenails and milkshake bellyache. I don’t know. Just whatever comes to her mind. It’s hilarious and we are used to it now. Carson used to swear a lot and now he does the same as her.”
“That’s kind of cute. Wait until their kids start talking.”
“We all can’t wait to hear the things that will come out of their mouths,” he said. “And here we are. Not long to get home.”
“Thank God,” she said. “My feet are killing me.”
“But those shoes look so hot on you.”
He was wiggling his eyebrows at her when he said it.
“That’s the thing about fashion,” she said. “It looks good, but that doesn’t mean it’s comfortable.”
“How about that dress?” he asked. “Does that need to come off fast too?”
“Very quickly,” she said, nodding her head.
“Good to know,” he said.
He parked and they got out of his SUV, then started to move toward the elevator.
When the doors closed and they were the only two in there, he backed her to the side. “What are you doing?”
“Getting a little frisky and stealing a taste in here. Problem with it?”
“No,” she said.
Her heart was racing.
She’d never been this free before, but didn’t care when Garrett’s hand went to her ass and jammed her into his groin as he kissed her.
When the elevator stopped, they both jumped back and realized it was someone else getting on before his floor.
He pulled her close and draped his arm over her shoulder, his mouth on her neck leaving a light kiss, shivers erupting in her body.
The minute they got to his floor, he pulled her out quickly, Justine almost stumbling over her feet in the heels, but he waited for her and then opened the door.
Once they were in, his mouth returned to hers, his hands grabbing the material of her dress and slowly lifting it.
When his hands landed on her bare ass cheeks, he said, “Why didn’t I know you had a thong on?”
“I didn’t know I had to announce it. With the way you normally look at my body, I thought you could have figured it out. I did turn for you.”
He snorted. “I was too busy trying to put a thought together in my head to notice it.”
“And now you know,” she said, letting out a nervous giggle. “Do you think we can do something different?”
“We can do anything you want,” he said.
“I want to do what I want tonight,” she said. “I mean, right now I don’t want to go in the bedroom.”
“Where do you want me?” he asked, his eyes almost drilling into hers. She could see he was hoping she didn’t lose her nerve.
She hoped she didn’t either.
“On the chair,” she said.
She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and tossed it across the couch, then started to unbutton his shirt, spreading it wide as it hung out of his pants now.
He gulped. “Want me to sit now?”
“Yes,” she said, pointing to a gray chair in the corner away from the windows. She wasn’t that bold that she wanted to worry about witnesses or shadows.
“Can you get a condom first?” he asked.
She pulled her clutch off the couch where she dropped it, unzipped the little pocket, and handed one over. “Here.”
“Do I want to know why you were carrying one with you?”
“Not that I thought we’d do this out in public, but maybe I’ve had this all planned out and wanted to be prepared.”
“Then can I say I like when you plan?”
“It’s going to get better,” she said. She nudged him into the chair, then undid the button of his pants, unzipped him, and pulled his cock free.
He adjusted his pants some, and she opened the condom, covered him, then lifted her dress. Her shoes still on, she adjusted her thong out of the way, lined up, and sat down quickly.
She let out a sigh and moved.
“Can I touch you?” he asked.
She opened her eyes and realized she was so focused on her body that she was more or less riding him. Using him for her release.
By the heat coming from his gaze, he didn’t seem to mind.
“No,” she said, testing things. “You have to keep your hands on the arms of the chair.”
She looked down and saw him gripping the gray upholstery.
“If you say so,” he said.
“Are you okay with it?”
“I’m okay with anything you want to do,” he said. She hesitated a second and then moved up and down. “But I want you to keep your eyes open.”
Her eyelids lifted. She hadn’t realized she closed them again.
“I’ll try,” she said.
“Then I’ll try to keep my hands off of you,” he said, smirking.
She stared into his eyes, lifted and lowered slowly. The intensity was building, the heat generating inside of her, her speed picking up.
He was lifting with her, encouraging her to do what she needed to get there.
Her eyes shifted down between their bodies. “Do you need help?” he asked.
She nodded. His hand went between her legs, found her swollen bud, and rubbed in circles.
Her head went back, she kept her eyes open, but she couldn’t look at him.
It’s not that she didn’t want to; she just lost the ability to make any conscious decision right now as her body was doing what it wanted.
And when he pinched her, all the endorphins in her body started to sing and gather between her legs, exploding out, as her orgasm was stronger than she thought could ever happen.
She was faintly aware of Garrett’s arms coming around her waist and holding her tight as he slammed up into her again and again until he grunted out the same as she had and landed back on the chair.
Her head dropped to his shoulder while he held her.
All she could think of was that it didn’t matter where she lived. As long as Garrett had his arms around her, all would be right in her world.