Prologue
It was not easy to intrigue Carson Dexter. Considering he was the most feared man in the state, if not the country, it took a lot to gain his attention. One of his men told him that Mrs. Lauren Kaye wanted to speak to him. This did make him stop working.
He watched as the older woman, in her seventies, entered his office. It was strange for her to be here, in his nightclub, where he conducted a great deal of legal business. He saw Lauren had lost a great deal of weight in the last few months and as he sat back, he happened to notice the lack of spring in her step.
“Mrs. Kaye,” he said.
“Mr. Dexter.”
Without invitation, she took a seat in front of him. They had spoken many times over the past few years. Usually, their meetings left him somewhat frustrated. He had to admire the woman’s grit, though. Of course, when he first approached her to buy her fabric store, he’d done so with the intention of tearing it down to build something more profitable for himself.
Everything had changed by the fifth meeting, when he’d walked into her shop and met Willow Kaye, the older woman’s granddaughter.
He leaned forward, pressing the tips of his fingers together. “You’ve come to me, Mrs. Kaye. I suggest you start talking. I can only assume you’d like to make a deal with me?”
Lauren sighed. “You and I both know I don’t need security for the shop. I run a profitable business, and I don’t need your hooligans for protection either.”
She was unaware that he had men stationed close to the shop, just in case. Normally, he made people pay for his services, but for Lauren, it was free. Well, mainly for Willow, but he also made sure to keep Lauren protected.
“I…” Lauren stopped. “I know who you are and what you do. You’re not a good man, nor are you a kind man, but I know you won’t hurt her. At least, not intentionally.”
Carson stared at the woman, curious where this was going.
“Life is short, you know that, right? I’m sure all of us older people tell younger people how fleeting it is, and I can promise you, they’re all right. Life is way too short. Before you know where you are, you’ve lost your husband, your daughter, and you’re taking care of your granddaughter the best way you know how. Unfortunately, I have fallen to the same illness that took my husband and child,” Lauren said.
He knew all about her history. He’d met Archie, her husband, before. He was a good man, a fair man. Since he met Willow, he’d made it his personal mission to know every single detail about the young woman.
Willow Kaye was twenty-one years old, and when she was thirteen, she lost her father to a drunk driver, and three years later, her mother to cancer. At sixteen she was living with her grandmother, and he’d only met her last year. The moment he had seen Willow and witnessed her smile, he knew he had to have her. She belonged to him, and so, little by little, he worked his power. Lauren would be his biggest obstacle.
“You’re dying?” Carson asked.
“Yes, and I have to say I’m quite surprised you’re not happy about it. I’ll no longer be in the way.”
Carson got to his feet, not at all surprised to find that Lauren knew he wished to pursue Willow.
“Why have you come to me?”
“I’ve seen the way you look at her. I know of the men you’ve got stationed around the street. Even some of the customers that come to us are part of your little team. When I’m gone, Willow will have nothing. She’ll have no one and I know it’s going to break her heart. She has been dealt a bad hand, has known way too much loss.” Lauren bowed her head and he saw her hand clenched into a fist. “But, I know you’ll take care of her. You’ll keep her safe and you will make sure she never knows a moment of sadness again.”
“You’re giving me your granddaughter?” he asked.
“I’m asking you to love her. I’m asking you to find it in your heart to want more than pain. Willow is a sweet woman, and I know you’re not used to women like her. I’m asking you to take care of her.”
“And what do I get in return?” Carson asked.
Lauren smiled. “Something I imagine you’ve never experienced before in your life.”
He waited, curious as to what this older woman thought she was offering. Lauren stood.
“Someone who will eventually love you back. Someone who wants to know that you’re okay. Someone who no matter the danger will run toward you, and never want to see you hurt. I’m giving you the chance to have a family of your own.”
Carson wanted to laugh in her face, but he couldn’t.
“How long do you have left?” he asked.
“Three months.”
“I’ll take care of Willow.”
****
Three Months Later
Willow stepped into the fabric store and flicked on the light. Everything was as it should be. Nothing out of place. She sniffled. Today had been an awful day, just like the day she’d buried her father, her mother, her grandfather, and now, her grandmother.
When her grandmother had told her the news, she’d been so angry. For months, she had kept it from her, and Willow then felt guilty for being so angry.
She walked through the shop and was sure she could sense her grandmother there. Grabbing a tissue from inside her jacket pocket, she wiped at her nose. The tears could fall, but she couldn’t handle the snot. She came to a stop, and put her hand on a piece of quilting cotton. It was one her grandmother had admired in the last few days.
There had been a lot of people at her funeral. Friends and customers alike, all of them wanting to pay their respects to a woman who had touched them.
The sound of the door opening and closing made her whirl around to see who had stepped into the shop. They weren’t open.
Carson Dexter.
He stepped in and she couldn’t look away as he closed the door and quickly closed the distance between them. One moment, she stood alone, the next, his arms were wrapped around her. She breathed in the scent of his very expensive cologne. She hated that she needed this so damn much.
He wasn’t a good man.
Willow wasn’t a fool. She knew what Carson was capable of, who he was. Why people feared him. His name alone invoked fear in many. Yet, he was the only person who offered her any comfort. After her grandmother had told her about the diagnosis, Carson had come to the shop late one night and told her that if there was ever anything she needed or wanted, all she had to do was ask, and it would be hers.
She saw him at the funeral today. Even as people glared at him, he’d stood there, paying respects to her grandmother.
Tilting her head back, she looked up at him and was taken aback as he slammed his lips down on hers. At first, she accepted the kiss. At twenty-one years old, she’d never truly been kissed. He growled against her lips, and Willow felt an answering spark within her body.
This shouldn’t be happening.
“No!” She pulled away and screamed. “Today is my grandmother’s funeral! How dare you!”
Carson looked at her, and then cupped her cheek. “You’re right. Today is not the time for this, nor tomorrow, but know this, Willow. You belong to me, and there’s going to come a time when you’ll be ready.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips and within seconds, he was gone.