Keegan POV:
“I can ride right now?” Claire asked happily. Vianne set her on the floor and she ran out of the room after her mother nodded.
Vianne turned to us. “She doesn’t need to be here for the rest of the conversation. But I have a few requests before I return. Mr. GI Joe here should go to the hardware store.”
“What for?” I asked, closing the distance between us.
“It’s not safe here. There are no locks to the gym, pool room, and the door that leads to the conservatory. Plus, all the outlets need to be child-proofed. She is pretty good about not plugging things on her own, but it is best to be cautious.”
I nodded. She was right. It wouldn’t be safe if Claire decided to wander. The flight of steps was steep, too, and one misstep might lead to a fall. The conservatory on the top floor was mostly made of glass windows, and there was a balcony that ran the length of it. The railing
Keegan POV:Clement stiffened. He rose to his feet, both of his hands clenched into fists. “Are you telling me that the bastard raped you?”She shook her head violently, looking over her shoulder to check on Claire and then back to Clement. “Keep your voice down. He didn’t manage to,” she added when her father sat back down. “I reached for the nearby lamp on the bedside table and hit him.”Clement visibly calmed but barely. He was sitting stiffly, his whole body radiating anger. Not that I blamed him. I felt the same way towards Brant and the situation as a whole. “After I knocked him out, I left him a note. I told him that his father would be receiving information that someone was stealing from him and that if he came for us again, I would disclose everything to his father and the media.”“You blackmailed him again?” I asked. “Do you have any idea what you have done? That man
Keegan POV:It was impossible to care for two people so quickly. Right? The idea of simply walking away or watching them leave me behind seemed to cause an ache to bloom in my chest. The reality of the situation was that if there was a chance of a future with Vianne and Claire, I would never truly be free of Clement. Because I was positive that he would want to be a part of their lives, they were a package deal. Could I live with that?I tried to tell myself that it wasn’t possible. That it was all in my head since I had been lonely and without real companionship for months in a large, silent house. I was a wolf, I told myself.I would always like to have somewhat of a family or a pack around me. But there it was, a little tear in my heart and mind. Hadn’t my father warned me that when the men in our pack fell, they fell hard and instantly? No. It simply couldn’t be and refused to dwell on it any longer. Trying to ignore the los
Keegan POV:“Oh, Keegan,” Vianne said from behind me. I turned toward her and smiled. I looked at Claire, who had her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at me?Like mother like daughter. “Claire,” I said softly, dejected as I looked away. I had never been at the end of a look from a little girl like that. I knelt beside the door I had to work on, putting my tools down, not sure what to say to her. I knelt beside the door I had to work on, putting my tools down, not sure what to say to her. I heard Claire sigh, and then, I felt her tiny body tackle me to the floor. Vianne chided her softly, but I could hear the laughter in her voice. Claire tugged on my hair so that I would look at her. “Don’t break your promise,” she pronounced each word as if each one was a statement. The promise was about what I had said to her when she had arrived. To take the hurt away, to make sure the monster never got her mother
Keegan POV:I headed downstairs from the gym. I had been working out non-stop to help release some of the pent-up frustration. Vianne was certainly not making things easy for me, though it hadn’t seemed intentional. It was mainly my over-active imagination and lustful thoughts. It hadn’t taken much to get me worked up again. Clement and Dennis had left about ten minutes after Claire’s secret promise to Clement. Vianne and I had made a simple lunch.Shortly after eating, Claire had fallen asleep on the couch and Vianne had asked me to take her to her room. After putting Claire down for her nap, I’d gone to check on Vianne. The bathroom door was slightly open. I had knocked on it so that I could offer her my laptop again when I heard a soft voice singing from beyond the door.Curiosity got the best of me and I peered inside. There she was, standing near the shower. She had left the bathroom door wide open, hot steam billowin
Keegan POV:The rest of the day passed by slowly and I spent the afternoon completely avoiding the woman that called to me like no one had before her. An hour after the incident in the office, she knocked on the door, letting me know that dinner was ready. When I had made my way to it, she was already gone. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration for the remainder of the day. Dinner was mostly in silence. Vianne only spoke when someone asked a question, though she was more lively when she spoke to Claire. Me, however, she answered in one or two words. I hated it but knew that it was for the best. How many times did I have to tell myself before I truly believed it?Claire kept looking between us and sighed, no doubt sensing the tension. After dinner, Vianne and I sat down with her daughter. We discussed all the rules and things she could tell her friends she made while at school. We had her repeat everything back to us until she got the sto
Keegan POV:I cursed the bastard that hurt her internally, slipping Claire under the covers. Vianne had remained downstairs to clean up our movie night mess and would come up to tuck her daughter in when she was done. As I turned on Claire’s night light, I found her wide awake, watching me closely. Her bottom lip trembled as her long lashes captured the tears in her eyes. “What is it, Claire?”“It’s starting again,” she whispered. “What is?”“You and Mommy act like her and daddy used to.” That had me shaking my head and I knelt beside her bed. “No, Claire,” I said hoarsely. A lump was stuck in my throat. “No way. It’s not like that at all. I will never hurt your mother. Ever.”“But you’re not talking to her.”I sighed and brushed a wayward curl from her face. There was no simple way to explain to her why things were th
[WARNING: The second half of this chapter contains smut. Read at your own risk.] Keegan POV: The conversation ended there. We arrived and there was a delivery truck parked near my porch. Vianne and I met up at the door as the delivery guy unloaded box after box. She seemed excited, looking at some labels as I signed. “I didn’t know everything would arrive so early, I was expecting most of it tomorrow.” There were boxes with animals drawn on them and others were plainly labeled. The delivery man handed me one last box. It had no distinguishing features. Instantly, I recalled her shopping list. The more I thought about it, the surer I was that it was her toy. I thought that some of the list were not real but apparently not. Vianne took the box that I literally gripped in my hands. I grumbled, helping her with the rest of the deliveries. I put everything in the hallway that led to our bedrooms. I left Vianne on her own devices and headed for the gym. The punching bag’s chain ratt
[WARNING: The first part of the chapter has explicit sexual content. Read at your own risk.] Keegan POV: I was on my back with a simple shift of her hips. It took me by surprise. “Vianne,” I grunted. She remained laying on my chest for a few moments to catch her breath before her hips started to roll gently. The feel of her nipples grazing my chest sent a jolt of lust through my blood. I groaned deeply, grasping her thighs where they met her hips and helping her move. I growled as I lifted myself up, hitting deep within her body. “Oh god… Keegan,” she moaned, pulling herself up. Her hands were on mine as she moved above me. I was groaning and grunting at the pace she set, riding me harder than I thought she was capable of. I enjoyed every second of it. I watched as she threw her head back. Her mouth parted slightly, a thin sheen of sweat coating her skin. I took one of her hands and led it between her thighs. We both circled around, barely skimming the wet skin, causing her to