Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
“I’m much better now that our sub has kicked my ass,” Keane said with a warm chuckle.
The instinct to put his hands on Keane’s waist was almost too much to resist. Something was different about his fri…his Master tonight. Something had changed, and the possibilities sent sparks through his system. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“You did what? You offered Garrett money to leave me?” Olivia practically screeched.
He noted that a burly deputy had started to walk into the area, and when he heard Olivia, he turned and walked away. The man had some sense.
Her dad did not. He should have run.
“The good news is he wouldn’t take it. Garrett stood right up and told me to go to hell and told me Keane wouldn’t take the money either,” her father announced.
“Did that really happen?” Keane asked with an amused smile on his face. He was looking at Garrett with a gaze he’d only seen reserved for women before.
Garrett nodded. “Offered us five million.”
“Five million!” Olivia yelled. “You offered the two best men I ever met in my life five million to leave me?”
“Now, Livie, I wasn’t actually going to pay them,” Jack replied with a wince. “I was going to show you how mercenary they were. But it turns out they weren’t at all. They didn’t care about the money. They only wanted you.”
“I’m surprised. Five million?” Keane asked. He moved to Garrett’s side, watching Olivia. But Garrett felt a hand on his waist, like Keane wanted the physical connection. “Did you negotiate at all? I think we could have gotten ten out of him. And for the record, Jack, I would have taken your money and still married your daughter. So we’re kind of even.”
Jack grinned. “Yeah, that’s good. We’re thinking on the same lines. See, Livie, we’re getting along. And Garrett did negotiate. I’m going to cube Keane’s truck and give it a place of honor with the other cubes, and Garrett’s going to buy him a new one.”
“What?” Keane’s brows rose. “Wait a minute. That’s my truck.”
“It’s a piece of crap, Master. Would you allow me to drive around alone in it?” Now that he looked back, he could see all the sneaky ways Keane had topped him over the years. He would insist on driving with Garrett because he wanted to get out of the house. Sure, he did. Keane was a homebody who didn’t love peopling, yet if Garrett needed to run an errand, he suddenly needed some fresh air. All because he didn’t want Garrett to be alone if the truck broke down.
“I wouldn’t…” Keane began, and then his jaw squared. “No. No, I wouldn’t allow you to drive it on your own because I think it could be dangerous.”
“And what do we do to dangerous things, Keane?” Jack prompted.
“Well, we should sell them if we thought we could get a dime out of it,” Keane argued. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of cash sitting around, so I don’t have car cubes as artwork in my office. I’m not having my sub go into debt so you can have another footrest.”
“I was thinking more like the support for a tabletop,” Jack mused.
“I think we can afford a truck.” Garrett handled the money for the most part. Keane could be stingy with it since they’d had so little in the past. “I’ll show you the budget for it, Master.”
The word kind of rolled off his tongue now. It felt right. It felt good to be able to call Keane that without worry because his girlfriend’s father was comfortable with the lifestyle.
“Dad will buy the truck, and it will be new and it will have all the bells and whistles and cup holders because his precious daughter is going to be driven around in it,” Olivia vowed, her voice low. “It seems only right since he was willing to put a good man in jail over a misunderstanding.”
“There was no misunderstanding,” Jack shot back. “You were drugged and someone tried to kidnap you. But I was wrong about the who. And yes, I will obviously be providing the truck, which will have all the comforts my baby girl needs.”
“Mr. Barnes,” Keane began.
Garrett would stop him, but some things had to be learned.
“Now you listen to me, Keane,” Jack said with determination. “I don’t want to hear about your pride. Pride’s got nothing to do in the face of family. I know I was a jackass. Believe me, that message has been delivered by several people tonight. The good news is I don’t have any other children I can lose my cool over, so this is it. I expect you two to marry her eventually so I don’t fuck up again. Livie, I’m going to get in that helicopter and head back to Dallas before Julian tries to bury me on my own land. The house is yours for another couple of days, but I’m watching. Your men promised to keep an eye on you. It goes against everything in my body to leave you, but you trust them and your momma thinks you need some time alone with them.” He leaned over and kissed his daughter’s forehead. “I love you. Forgive me so I don’t have to be in the doghouse with my entire family.”