King's Ransom by Marie Johnston

Author:Marie Johnston [Johnston, Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Marie Johnston

Chapter 14

Beckett

* * *

Talk about a rough night’s sleep. Hearing Eva scream as I was drifting off hadn’t accelerated my pulse as much as seeing her in nothing but a T-shirt and pale blue underwear had.

I’m sure we can be…adults about it.

Oh, dear Eva. My thoughts about sharing a bed with her were so adult.

Somehow I had kept my wits about me. Keeping this growing relationship between us from everyone else would be a lot harder if we shared a room. But it was sweet of her to offer.

So damn sweet, like how she’d taste if I pulled down those panties…

Groaning, I opened my eyes and made sure the blanket was still over me. The couch wasn’t half bad and I usually slept on my side anyway. It was almost long enough so I didn’t have to do an hour of yoga to straighten myself out.

My gaze landed on a pair of assessing eyes and I jerked. “Aiden, what the fuck, dude? Have you been watching me sleep?” I should be honored. He never even put down his laptop to gaze at Kate.

“What the hell is this engagement about?” he snapped.

Yep, he’d figured it out. No way would he believe any one of us could fall madly in love within days. “You know exactly what it’s about and it’s for Dad.”

“Grams was the one trying to set you up. Why pretend and not just tell him this woman will marry you for the payout?”

I bristled at his tone. Yes, I’d told Eva she’d get half, but unlike Kate, I wanted her to know she had an out. “So I can keep my status as less disappointing son.”

That got nothing more than an eye twitch. “Gooder.”

I ignored the use of my old nickname. “Besides, I heard Grams threaten both him and Kendall. This way, Grams is off his back and he doesn’t blame himself.”

Aiden’s matter-of-fact nod shouldn’t piss me off. He was so analytical. Like a sense of humor had skipped the firstborn. “You don’t want to stress him.”

Like you did. Dad loved Kate and probably thought she’d be able to chisel down to Aiden’s gooey center. Hadn’t happened. “How bad was his heart attack? Really?”

I caught a glimpse of the pressure Aiden was under. Fatigue gathered in the corner of his eyes and his black suit was rumpled from his bedside duty. His tie was loose to the point of why bother keeping it on and his short hair had been run through a few times. “If it hadn’t been for Kendall, he’d be gone.”

“I guess she’s not a gold digger then.”

“Even if she were, he’s a better human when she’s around.” He sat on the plush chair across from me. “He’ll be on blood pressure medicine and a low-fat diet. Kendall will make sure he goes on long walks.”

“He’ll hate that.” Dad was like a little boy jumping from toy to toy. Running and ranching helped focus his energy.

“He won’t with her. She’s slowing his life down and bearing some of the burden.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.