Chapter Ten
We enter her parents’ home, but the tension is still rolling off me. From the moment I realized that she fled the building to the moment I knew that pond fucking scum had his filthy paws on my beloved, my adrenaline was on kill mode. The only thing holding back the psycho in me was the reality of our future together. Life in prison would ruin everything.
“Well, is there something you wanted to say to us?”
“Mom, Dad—Sawyer asked to marry me.”
“About time,” her father says, shaking my hand. “So are your bodyguards going to back off now?” he questions.
“Bodyguards?” she asks, tilting her head and staring up at me.
“Nope. They’ll be watching when I’m working.”
“How many bodyguards?” she questions, pressing her finger into my chest. I want to bite it and hear her whimper, knowing her pussy would start flooding.
“As many as it takes to keep you safe. Normally, it’s three.”
“Three? That’s a lot.”
“Apparently not enough,” her father grumbles, pointing at the fucking bruise on her arm that tears at my heart. The damn marks shouldn’t be tarnishing her fair skin.
“It won’t happen again,” I grumble.
“Enough of the heavy. Let’s eat lunch before my shift starts,” her mother says. I’ve always liked her, even if she’d let Jilly Bean date at sixteen. Granted, my men and I never let that come to fruition, however, it was an option.
We eat, and they mention the wedding date. “Next week.”
Jillian’s head whips toward me so fast, she’s going to need the medics again. “What?”
“Yes. Like you said—we’ve wasted too much time already, so what’s there to lose? Besides, I’ve had most of it laid out and if you had stayed in the office, we would have filled out the information for the marriage license and gone over my will.”
“What? I thought…”
“You thought what?”
She pushes away from the table. I reach out and take her hand. “No, don’t do that, Jillian. We have a problem; we need to talk it out. No running, and no fighting.”
“I thought you were having me sign a prenup.”
“Oh, so that’s where that bullshit with Frankie came from.”
“Look at me, and listen to me well. I’ve worked hard up until now to build a future for us. Without you, without us, there is no future. I don’t give a damn about the money if I don’t have you in my life, Jillian.”
“You mean that?”
“Of course I do. Money is the last thing I’d ever want to debate with you. Say you’ll marry me, Jillian.”
“I’ll marry you…next week.”
“Thank you.” I scoop her up in my arms and then wave her parents off. “Have a good one.”
“Don’t forget to call us and give us the details,” her mother shouts as we reach the front door. All I care about is getting her home and completely naked. Now that we’ve cleared up that misunderstanding, I have plans for my sweet woman that involve a lot of make-up sex and then maybe some just plain old-fashioned celebratory sex.
I sit her in the passenger seat and drive, a bit perturbed that I sent my men home in a vehicle together instead of having them wait for me. There’s no chance to properly seduce her. We’ll have to wait until we cross the motherfucking threshold before I get my hands under her skirt.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault that Johnson’s a fucking animal.”
“I was talking about running away.”
“Yeah, I suppose I should have told you why I wanted Thorne there. After all, what else would engaged couples need a lawyer for while prepping for a wedding?”
“Exactly. That’s what Cynthia said.”
“What? She’s lucky she’s quitting or I’d fire her.”
“It’s not her fault. I brought it up.”
“You’re right. It’s just…I’m afraid of losing you, and today, that was almost the case.”
“I’ll be a little more careful.”
“Yeah, no more trains, and we visit your parents together or with one of your bodyguards.” She nods and slides her hand into mine.
“I love you so much, Sawyer.”
“I love you, Jillian.”
“So what’s going to happen about work? Will I be your assistant, or will you find someone else?”
“I think you’ll do very well for now, but is that what you want to do?” Lips pursed together in contemplation, she sits there silently for a moment.
“I’m not sure. The thought of you having another female assistant doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Why? You know I have no interest in them.”
“Look at Cynthia. She’s leaving, and she said it was necessary.”
“Yes. Her mother is ill, and she’s going to need care. I offered to bring her here, but it’s best if she goes back home to tend to her.”
“Oh. I thought Cynthia maybe had feelings for one of you, and she couldn’t handle it.”
“No, no. Cynthia never acted in any way flirtatious. There have been women…”
“Please don’t say you’ve dated.”
I reach over and press my hand to her lips. “Stop that nonsense now. I thought I made myself crystal clear before that no one else has existed. The model was literally just a photo op. As soon as we walked into the gala, we went our separate ways, and I ended up leaving. My brother walked out with her, and no one was any the wiser.”
“I didn’t bother looking at any more photos after the arrival photos.”
“Then you would have seen it was Nox leaving with her. He only had her driven home.”
“Oh.”
“Nox yelled at me that day, but I told him he had no idea what he was talking about because I wasn’t interested in you. Of course, it was a lie. I loved you for so long, so no one else could exist.”
“Thank you for staying true to me.”
“Always, Jillian.” He kisses my hand and as he does, the afternoon summer skies open up and let out a light rain. It’s nice because the sun still shines. “We’re nearly home.”
“I love the sound of that. Home.”
“Forever.”
We pulled into the driveway, and then I cut the engine. “Before we go in, sweetheart, I wanted to remind you that you have some spanking coming.” Her thighs slam together, instant heat floods her face, and her pupils dilate. “I’m glad we understand each other.”
“Now, come along, little Jilly Bean. It’s time to teach you a lesson about running away from me.”
“I promise I won’t ever do it again.” I’m betting she won’t, but I’m sure she’ll do something else to warrant my hands on her deliciously round ass.