Unconditional (Masters and Mercenaries #5.5)(43)

She wiped away a tear. It explained a lot. It explained why he didn’t want to have anything to do with her child. He still ached with the loss of his own. It explained what he meant by not being able to give her what she needed. He thought she would want siblings for Emily and she did. She couldn’t say she hadn’t imagined them coming from him. She’d had little thoughts about a boy with his eyes.

But she’d learned long ago that families weren’t so much about blood as they were about love.

And love was way stronger than grief in the end.

Jill patted her hand. Her sister was crying, too. “Well, at least we know why he left. That should be some comfort.”

“I don’t want comfort.” She’d fought for Trevor. She’d done it in a stupid fashion and, in the end, it had been more about her baby than love for him. He’d burned her love away the moment he’d walked out. Keith had walked away, but he hadn’t gotten very far. He’d left her and then went and became her champion. He cared about her. He might even love her. Wasn’t that worth a try? She didn’t want comfort. She wanted him. “I need to talk to Ryan.”

Jill shook her head. “He isn’t talking to Keith. He’s so mad that Keith walked out on you that he’s looking for a new investor.”

Drama queen. Her brother-in-law needed to be a little more patient. “Tell him to stop because I don’t intend to let Keith do this anymore. He’s been running for a long time. It’s time for him to stop.”

Karina smiled, sitting back. “I knew I liked you. Tell me what I can do.”

She would need Karina to talk to Taggart. She needed to meet her Dom on common ground. She would need to fight him on his terms. “I want to see Keith tomorrow night and I’m going to need a new contract.”





Chapter Eleven





Keith knocked on the door to Ian Taggart’s office with a sigh and a desperate desire to get the hell out of Sanctum. He’d only come over because the Dom had told him he had very important news about Ashley he wouldn’t discuss over the phone. Keith had tried to talk to the *, but he’d hung up after telling him to be here at seven and then hadn’t answered the phone again.

If he had any sense at all, he would have ignored the whole thing, but he didn’t have a lick of it when it came to her. He’d counted the hours, his brain going over all the bad things that could have happened to her.

More likely than not, Taggart wanted to make sure he understood his membership had been revoked and that he could never walk into this club again.

It was no more than he deserved. It might be time to think about going back to New York. Or maybe leaving the country altogether for a while.

“Come in,” a deep voice said.

He pushed through, ready to get this over with. He stopped in his tracks because Ian Taggart wasn’t standing in his office. Ashley was. She stood behind his desk, looking perfectly stunning in jeans and a T-shirt that molded to her every curve. Again he was struck by how lovely she was in her own clothes. He loved how she looked in a corset and thong, but she was so damn pretty in street clothes with her hair in a messy bun, looking like she’d just gone to the grocery store or just dropped off their kids.

And that was exactly why she wasn’t for him. That was why he’d compartmentalized their relationship. So he wouldn’t have to think about all the things she needed outside of the bedroom, outside of discipline.

“Come in, Keith.” Ryan held the door open for him.

Now he was brutally confused. Ashley wasn’t screaming at him and Ryan wasn’t punching him in the face. He’d kind of expected to have Ryan on his doorstep vowing revenge, not holding the door open for him. Unless this was a plan to murder him and hide the body. Taggart might even be okay with it. The dude probably knew exactly where to stash a corpse. He actually looked down to make sure he wasn’t standing on a thick sheet of plastic.

“Is something wrong?” A worried look came over Ashley’s face.

Ryan’s laugh boomed through the office. “He’s trying to make sure I’m not about to give him the Dexter treatment. Come on in, man. Ashley won’t let me off you.”

He stepped inside. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

“I sure would.” Ashley frowned at her brother-in-law. “You said you wouldn’t be an *.”

Ryan held both hands up. “I’m totally unarmed. Please have a seat, Keith. Ashley has a proposal for you.”

Something was wrong. Fuck. When your boss was a nosy * who ran a security firm, it was probably pretty easy to get medical records. “You two know.”

Ashley paled, but held her ground. “You told me, Keith. You told me you had a child who died.”

He’d said what he said because she’d pushed him past the breaking point. He’d never intended to let any of them know. He didn’t talk about it. He’d known Ryan for years and he’d never once mentioned it to his closest friend. “Yeah, but you know why.”

She nodded. “Yes, I do, but that doesn’t matter.”

A bitter laugh huffed from his mouth. “It matters, sweetheart.”

Ryan closed the door behind him. “It doesn’t matter to her. Please sit down. You owe her that much.”

She stood there, biting her bottom lip, her eyes pleading with him. God, he did not want her pity. He sat down and turned to Ryan. It was far easier to look at Ryan.