1
Gerrit
“Do you know what you’re doing?” I look up from my cell phone to my lawyer. I fight the urge to lash out at him for questioning my decision. It’s something I’m not familiar with. I take a breath knowing I’m more on edge than normal. This is what I pay him for, after all. I just need him to do his job.
“I know what I’m doing.” I go back to scrolling through my emails as we make our way across town toward the Cole house. I am formally going to meet my bride tonight. The clock has begun the countdown to when she will officially be mine. Finally. The wait has been unbearable.
“You’ve never once mentioned you wanted to get married. In fact, when I got married you told me to make sure I had an ironclad prenup.” He holds up my prenup in his hands. “This is not an ironclad prenup.” It’s also none of his damn business.
“It is for the first year.” I pull at the collar of my dress shirt. I am still wondering if I should revise that detail. I guess I don’t have to make any decisions tonight. I have a week before we walk down the aisle.
I was already a bastard. I’d pushed for this marriage. I’d made a deal with her father. I wanted her to be mine, but I also wanted her to not have to worry. That’s what the prenup was going to do. It would give her security in a situation that is out of her control. But now I wonder if I’ve given her an out. A reason to leave me. I can’t have that.
“Yeah, but then what happens after the first year? She will have millions of reasons to leave you then.” He holds up the papers. He’s right, but that wasn't my only plan to get my hooks into sweet Kennedy.
I need her. The first time I saw her had been at her father's office. I’d been there to talk business with him. She came strolling in like a breath of fresh air. Her blonde shiny hair made her look as though she was wearing a halo. My angel.
The smell of lavender trailed her. When she saw me sitting there she turned and gave me her beautiful smile. The two deep dimples that were in her cheeks were an added bonus that went straight to my dick.
I knew in that instant that I had to have her. That I needed to wake up to her every day for the rest of my life. I also knew that there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make that my reality.
I’d looked away from her. She probably thought I was silently dismissing her. When in reality I didn't trust myself with all the crazy thoughts I was having about William’s daughter. When I’d left his office I told myself I was going to leave it alone. That I needed to leave her alone. Someone so innocent shouldn’t be sullied by me. Yet, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to help myself.
As if I was a junkie needing their next fix I wanted to know more about her, so I began to dig. It didn’t take a man with my means too long to get information on her. Which included that she has a sister that is eleven months younger than her. The two are connected at the hip, it seems.
They’ve done everything together from going to college, to both of them majoring in liberal arts, and now they both sit on very prominent boards for different charities. That means they must be good at what they do because they are young.
I’m sure my future wife is very good at getting what she wants. If she smiled up at me with those dimples I’d cut her a check in a second. I grit my jaw thinking of other men having done the same shit.
“Toss the prenup.”
“Thank fuck. I’ll get started on another one first thing tomorrow.” I shake my head no. If you have a prenup, divorce will be fast. Not having one with the kind of money I make would be messy as hell and take years to resolve if I wanted to be a bastard and I would definitely be one of those if she tried to leave me.
“What are you saying?”
I pocket my phone as we pull up outside the Coles’ house. “Our meeting is over. Connor will take you wherever you need to go.” I open the door, stepping out. He tries to say something else, but I slam it in his face, done with this conversation.
What does it matter? She could take half of what I have and I’d still never burn through what was left. Not to mention the exorbitant amount of money I make in a day already.
I stare up at the giant mansion. Who needs all of this for four people? No wonder William is bleeding money. He cares more about his image than he does being financially sound. He can keep his image, and I’ll easily save his ass.
If you ask me, I think I’m getting the better part of the deal. When I brought the idea to him of me marrying his daughter in exchange for me saving him from financial ruin, he jumped all over it. He’d offered her up like a piece of cattle.
I was undeniably pissed off about it. Someone else could have swooped in and taken my beautiful angel before I even knew she existed. I tell myself that I’m not forcing her into this marriage. That I’m doing this to save her. I lie to myself.
The door opens, revealing my sweet Kennedy. Her eyes go wide when she sees me as if she’s frightened. She should be with all the things I want to do to her. In time, I remind myself. I must be patient. One week and I’ll know every inch of her body.
She’ll belong to me in every way soon.
2
Kennedy
I swallow when I see Gerrit standing outside my front door. I open my mouth, but no words come out. What is wrong with me? He stares at me with his emotionless face never giving anything away. When I first met him I was almost positive he disliked me. It was a shock when Dad said we’d be getting married.
Not only because I didn't think Gerrit liked me but because this isn't the 1800s. I thought the family tradition of arranged marriages would end with my parents’ generation. Why would our parents do this to us? Haven't they learned anything? My parents can’t stand each other, and neither could my grandparents. Out of all of the arranged marriages I’ve seen, none have turned out in a love match.
“Don’t stand there. Invite your fiancé in,” Mom hisses at me with a glare before she turns a sweet smile on to Gerrit. “Come in, come in. She can be a little daft sometimes.” Mom shakes her head, sending her blond locks that match mine flying.
“It’s fine.” He steps into the house, his eyes still on me. I take a step back, my heel catching on the rug. I start to fall but two strong arms wrap around me letting me know I’m not going anywhere. His touch makes my body feel something I know it shouldn’t. I push that feeling aside remembering what I’m here for.
“Thank you.”
He puts me back on my feet.
“Why don’t you go get yourself together and check on your sister.” It’s not a question but an order. I nod my head. I release my hold on Gerrit’s biceps. I hadn't realized I’d grabbed them. I must have done it when he caught me. I turn around, leaving the entryway as fast as I can without running.
When I round the corner, my sister grabs me, pulling me into a closet. I let out a small scream of surprise. She covers my mouth with her hand. She lets out a giggle before dropping her hand. I instantly feel better with her around. The two of us are thick as thieves and do everything together.
“Why are we in the closet?”
“Why were you staring at your future husband like he’d come here to murder you?”