Compromising Kessen (Vandenbrook #1)(74)

“I was trying to be quiet, in case you were sleeping!” he screamed.

“Sleeping? After being kidnapped! I think not!” She kicked in his general direction just to show how angry she was, but did nothing but lift dust off the floor.

He scooted towards her and began untying her wrists.

“I think it was Duncan and Nick.” Her teeth were clenched. They felt so tight with stress she thought they might fall out from being held so firmly against her jaw.

“It was them, and I have proof,” Christian mumbled. “I have no idea why they thought this was a good prank. I was nearly out of my mind with worry.”

Kessen pushed Christian’s hands away and settled into the corner. “Just leave me alone.” She swore at him. It hurt too much to know he was worried about her, to know he cared even a little, when he was to be with another woman.

“No!” he barked.

“Excuse me?”

“I said no, I’m not leaving you alone. Not now—not ever. Now get up!” He was standing over her.

“No!”

“Please?” His voice was still gruff, but she relented. She did want to get out of this place, if only so she could go and murder the two men who had put her in this mess.

Kessen pushed up onto wobbly legs then promptly swooned, for the first time in her life, into Christian’s strong arms.

In her mind she was screaming, trying to push away, but he held her tight against his chest.

“No,” he said softly.

She was still fighting when she heard more noise outside.

The door flew open, revealing Duncan and Nick with huge grins on their faces.

“Oh look! You’ve found Kessen!” Nick said, as if he had no idea where she had been the entire time.

“Kessen, how wonderful that Christian has saved you!” Duncan said, patting Christian on the back. “He must love you very much. You must marry at once!”

Kessen felt a tear slide down her cheek as she shook the memory of the previous night away from her consciousness. He didn’t love her; he would have said as much or at least tried to fight off Jenifer, or paid her off for that matter.

Nick nudged Duncan, who pushed Christian, who got down on one knee in front of Kessen and smiled. “I do.”

“You do what?” Kessen asked, still sniffling.

“I love you.” The words didn’t seem real—the moment didn’t seem real. Was he being serious? She looked into his piercing eyes and smiled.

“And if you don’t believe him, watch this!” Nick opened up a small video camera and showed Kessen what had taken place over the last few hours.

“What’s this?” she asked curiously.

Christian rolled his eyes. “Oh, just the fake press conference for your pretend kidnapping, where I made a very real speech about how I feel.”

He stopped talking as the video played.

His face said it all in the video. Even if he hadn’t said it with his words, his face had said it.

“You love me!” Kessen yelled, a little too loud for such a crowded space. Duncan swore and covered his ears with his hands.

“Um, Kessen?” Nick whispered. “How do you feel about Christian now that he has declared his love?”

Kessen beamed. “He’s okay.”

Christian’s eyes widened into saucers while Duncan and Nick roared with laughter.

Kessen reached up to Christian’s face and pulled him into a long-awaited kiss. The only sound in her ears now was that of Nick and Duncan making gagging noises as they watched the free show.

Christian and Kessen walked hand-in-hand back to the house, both constantly stealing glances at one another as if stunned that this was now their reality.

They reached the house within a few minutes. Kessen outwardly groaned when she smelled the food. Apparently the Newberry employees were having a barbecue at their boss’s house. How nice.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that Kessen was able to be alone with Christian. He cornered her in the hallway as she was coming out of her room. There was no turning back.

“Where are you off to?” he asked, closing the distance between them with rapid speed.

Kessen gulped. “I was going to go downstairs.”

“To do what?”

Kessen thought about lying, then realized Christian could help her. Smiling sweetly, she touched his arm. “I was just going to find some paintball guns and do a bit of—hunting.”

“Hunting?” His eyebrows lifted in interest. “And what, dear girl, would you be hunting at this time of night?”

“Men.”

“Two of them?”

“Exactly two, no more, no less.” She leaned in towards his face. “You in?”

“They won’t know what hit them.” He grabbed her hand, and they were off.

It took less than ten minutes to locate weapons and less than five for them to put on enough camouflage to be able to hide in the brush outside.

They told Lady Newberry their plan. She was so excited to be involved she asked to help. It was simple; all they needed was for Duncan and Nick to be led out towards the garden where they would be sitting ducks.

Lady Newberry obliged; she told them to sit tight and went off on her way.

Kessen shifted uncomfortably on the grass while Christian moved next to her. They waited for about five minutes before they heard the boys approaching.