30
MYKEL
I took her face in my hands. I breathed in as I leaned closer to meet her lips. Finally, our lips connected. Everything stopped—my breath, thoughts, heart, and time.
And she gasped, parting her lips. She tasted sweet like honey and had never been addicted to anything or anyone. If this was the life of having someone to go home to—to kiss, care for, and love, I could be here at this moment for the rest of my life.
On my trip back, all I could think about was my wife—to be with her and kissed like this right now. I fucking missed her like crazy. Seeing her, kissing her, feeling her against my skin would cure this insanity called falling in love. Yes, I fell in love, so fucking fast like a train ran out of its rail, wrecking into my chest.
Until a clearing of a throat brought me back to the world.
“That’s my granddaughter you are kissing, Mykel,” Lex just scolded me.
As much as I’d love to kiss her more, the old man was watching. Adley broke first, laughing.
“Who happened to be also my wife. I can’t also kiss her, whom I missed for two days?” I wanted to growl at the old man, but it would not impress my wife for disrespecting her grandfather.
I sat on the empty chair beside Adley, across from unimpressed Lex Kross.
“Well, welcome back, Mykel.”
I turned to her. “You’re here and not in the penthouse. It felt empty going home, and you were not there.”
“Can’t Adley visit her grandfather now?”
I narrowed my eyes at Lex but felt Adley’s hand squeezing my knee made me stop throwing back sarcasm. “I’m not forbidding her if that’s what you mean. If you only stopped sending your people, things would have been better. And you warned me to stay away from Adley, remember?”
“And you disobeyed me.” He poured a coffee into a cup and offered it to me.
I took it from him before I looked around. “Thanks. What’s with the additional men?”
Adley and Lex exchanged a look.
“For me?” I chuckled with the absurdity. “I’m touched.”
“Not for you,” my wife answered.
“What are you not telling me?” I looked at Adley, who looked more beautiful than ever.
“Why does it have something to do with you if Grandpa wanted to add his security?”
“Threats, baby. I knew what kind of threats, whether empty or not. It comes with being who has a lot of things to lose. You know what I mean?” I sipped my coffee and picked a pastry.
“How’s your trip? I thought your flight would not be until tonight.”
“I wanna go home and see you. I couldn’t sleep, concentrate, and work after your last words before you hung up in my face.” I quoted in the air. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She wanted to roll her eyes, but Lex raised her to behave politely. She sighed. “You would disagree, I get mad, and we will fight. Rest, you know what will happen. And I already told you not to fly back until you finish your business meetings.”
“Dash is handling it. He flew last night to represent on my behalf.”
“I don’t like what you’re doing, compromising your job because you didn’t get what you want.”
My frown deepened. “If you just told me, we wouldn’t have this conversation, but you made Blaze promise that I shouldn’t know whatever it is you are hiding from me, Adley. What is it all about?”
“Do you two need marriage counseling?”
“Sorry, Grandpa.” She behaved ladylike again.
“This stubbornness, she got it from you.”
“Among other things,” Lex agreed.
“I wanna take her home.”
“It’s not up to me, and don’t look at me as if I held her against her will.” Grandpa sipped his tea.
“She came here because you wouldn’t leave her alone.”
“Mykel.” She squeezed my arm.
“She’s my only granddaughter. It comes with the territory.”
“I came here because I wanted to see Grandpa. And what is it that I heard you’re filing a restraining order?”
“If they cross the line again.”
“Look, if you two won’t sort out your differences and always argue because of me, I’m not going home to you.” She pointed at Lex and me. “And I’m not coming to visit. I’m so sick of this.” She stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the vast landscape.
I faced Lex. “I know you felt betrayed that I chose not to listen to you, but I did what was right.”
“Marrying my granddaughter in Vegas. For God’s sake, Mykel, as if she isn’t a Kross and you’re a nobody? And I wasn’t aware—”
“In my defense, you hate me—”
“He doesn’t hate you,” Adley butted in.
“I found out from someone irrelevant, and you confirmed on your—what do you call that? Social media. It’s a slap to my face.”
“I promised my mom because she wasn’t there either. And I’m making a promise to you now—”
“Mykel, what are you doing?” Adley glared even further.
“I’m going to marry you again. I’m making a promise right now, and I want to prove to your grandfather that I’m serious about our marriage. We’re going to get married in any place you like.” Then I looked over at Lex. “You can invite everyone. I want you to know that I never regretted my decision. She’s everything to me, okay?” My admission made Adley gasp. “Now, if you have something to throw at me, go ahead. Let’s hear it.”
“I have a proposal now that you’re here.” Of course, we were back on business. I wanted to wring his neck right now. “I had a chance to talk to Adley last night that I wanted to sit and discuss what matters at hand.”
“Is it about Adley’s inheritance?”
“Among other things.” This seemed urgent and crucial, which made me worry somehow.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Look, despite what you did, I don’t hate you. I told Adley about that last night too. But this matter needs an urgent solution, which would favor your wife. Since Adley doesn’t have a lot of experience handling billion-dollar corporations, I want you to take my position if I retire.”
I snorted, mocking him. “Are you fucking serious right now?”
“Mykel,” Adley scolded me.
I snapped my head at my wife, glaring. “What? You’re also in favor of this bullshit?”
“Mykel, if you won’t listen to us, I suggest you leave.”
