The Arrangement Duet Box Set

by Madison Quinn

  From the beginning, his family welcomed me with open arms—never questioning why we were together or the quickness of our “marriage.” They welcomed me into their family and treated me like I belonged there. They showed me what family really meant and for that they’ll never know how grateful I am. Although I officially became a part of their family at the wedding a year ago, today makes it so much more official to me.

  “You look beautiful, Kenzie,” Nicholas whispers as he leads me to the small altar where the officiant is waiting for us.

  “Thank you,” the tears are in my eyes when I find his. He’ll never have any idea how much today means to me—there just aren’t enough words to for me to tell him.

  Throughout the ceremony, our eyes don’t leave one another. Rather than writing our own vows like the first time, today we recite the traditional vows that the officiant leads us with. We went back and forth deciding on what to do with our vows, but eventually we agreed to stick with the more traditional ones for this ceremony. A year ago, I never could have recited those words; we needed something at that time that spoke to our situation. Today, is different. This wedding may not be official in anyone’s eyes, but the traditional vows are a perfect fitting for our traditional wedding after a very nontraditional marriage.

  “You may now kiss the bride,” I don’t think the words were done being said before Nicholas’s lips were on mine. His arms wrapped firmly around my waist, holding me against him as he kisses me as if no one else was here with us.

  “I love you,” I whisper the moment he pulls away.

  “I love you so much, Kenzie, you have no idea.”

  We make our way down the aisle, hand in hand, to the small reception area that is set up further down the beach. We’re not having a traditional reception since there are so few guests. Instead, it’s more like a family dinner. Everyone is seated at one large table where we have dinner and a few drinks together, before parting ways. Julie, Carter and Hunter head back in the golf cart to the other side of the island, while a boat takes the officiant back to a larger, nearby island where a small plane is waiting for him.

  “Ready to start our honeymoon, Mrs. Parker?” Nicholas asks as he leads me to the master bedroom.

  Instead of answering him with words, as soon as we’re in the bedroom I reach up and kiss him. His hands run over my dress touching me everywhere he can. I push the suit jacket off before unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it down his arms.

  “I want to undress you,” he whispers.

  “Please,” I reply.

  “You don’t know how much I wanted to do this on the plane—”

  “The plane?”

  “On our flight to Fiji—you went and changed in the bedroom and I wanted so badly to go in there and undress you,” he slowly lowers the zipper on the back of my dress.

  “Really?”

  “When he said you may kiss the bride, and I did, the only thing I thought about was how I could find a way to get you alone and get you out of that dress.”

  “Really? Even though…”

  “I wanted to say fuck it all, Kenzie. All I wanted in that moment was you, naked and beneath me as I made love to you.”

  “Nicholas…”

  His words surprise me; I knew things changed just before our first wedding, that much was evident when we came home from the club that one night. But, I hadn’t expected him to be thinking about that when we kissed that day, even if it did cross my mind.

  “It nearly killed me to know that you were in that back bedroom, undressing, without me. I wanted to go back there with you, to see what you wore under the dress. To find out if you felt as good as I imagined you had, to find out if you wanted me just as I wanted you in that moment.”

  “I wish you had… come back into the room with me I mean.”

  “I was so worried about fucking things up, but it didn’t mean I didn’t want you any less. I wanted you then just as much as I want you right now.”

  He slips the dress from my body before groaning at the undergarments I’m wearing. A simple white, strapless lace bra and panties are the only thing I’m left standing in. Both items are completely see through, leaving nothing to the imagination. When I picked out what to wear under the dress, I wanted to give Nicholas a little surprise when I hoped he would undress me afterwards. From the look in his eyes, surprise is exactly what he is.

  “Fuck me, baby,” he whispers. “You look stunning, so fucking sexy.”

  We make love all night; catching only short naps here and there, but even then, we’re always touching each other somewhere. The following morning, we make love on the balcony off our bedroom while watching the sunrise. For the week we’re here, there is no one else but us. There’s no press, no one taking pictures of us, no security following us… it’s just the two of us. And it’s absolutely perfect.

  The End

  Sneak Peek

  Garrett

  Dark Water Security Series

  Hope

  I’m back in the kitchen preparing dinner for Mr. Meyer and the new security guard he’s meeting. I’ve purposely kept myself busy today, trying to forget what I saw over the weekend but also trying not to think about what it will be like living with someone other than Abby. I know if it became too much I could quit and go back to Abby’s apartment, but I’m tired of being dependent on her. I did that for far too long before.

  I shake my head, willing myself not to go there. It’s nearly six o’clock which means time for dinner to be served. I plate the chicken marsala and pasta dish, a new recipe that I tried today. I’m in the middle of setting everything on the table when I hear Mr. Meyer enter the room.

  “Ms. Williams, I would like to introduce you to my new security member, Mr. Garrett Foxx.”

  The moment I turn around, I freeze. The person standing next to my boss is the man from both one of the best and worst nights of my life. The night I’ve tried to forget, the night that has kept me from sleeping night, and the night that changed my life forever. His brown eyes stare back at me, neither of us saying anything. He looks exactly the same as he did that night: his light brown hair is still cut short, his muscles fill out his clothes perfectly—I feel the heat rush to my cheeks remembering just how firm those muscles were.

  “Mr. Foxx…it’s nice to meet you,” I finally mange to say quietly.

  “Ms. Williams…” The shock in his eyes likely mimics my own.

  “Mr. Foxx will be looking over the apartment after dinner to recommend any security updates I might need,” Mr. Meyer explains while Garrett and I continue to stare at each other. “I was hoping you could show him the living quarters before he leaves tonight, if you’re free.”

  “Of course, Mr. Meyer.” I leave the room and rush towards my apartment, desperate to get away from the memories flooding my head.

  Seeing Garrett brought back every memory from that horrible night. Everything came rushing back and hit me like a tidal wave all at once. I can feel myself starting to panic, my breathing becoming quicker as I struggle to take in air. The room starts to go dark just as I slide myself down the door until I’m on the floor. I put my head between my knees, willing myself to calm down before I pass out.

  I can’t do this…I cannot have a panic attack right now. It’s been almost a year since my last one; I’ve been doing so much better lately, and then BAM, the last person I expect shows up and brings everything back. How am I going to work with him every day? How am I going to live with him? How am I not going to have another panic attack every time I see him? I can’t do this…I can’t—

  Reaching into my pocket, I grab the phone that is never out of reach. Without even looking, I call the only person who will understand what I’m going through right now.

  “Hi, Hope!” Abs answers the phone on the first ring in her normal bubbly way.

  “Abby…” my voice is barely more than a whisper as I try to slow my breathing down.

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “No,”
I answer honestly. I’m not okay; I’m about as far okay as someone can be right now. I start pacing the floor, but hoping it would help calm me down, but it doesn’t.

  “Do you want me to come over? What do you need?” Abby has been here with me before, she knows without me saying what’s going on right now. She might not know the details, but she knows enough. She’ll never know just how much I appreciate everything she’s ever done for me; without her, I don’t think I’d be standing here right now.

  “Can we… meet somewhere?” I manage to pant out.

  “Of course, there’s a coffee place two blocks from your apartment. Do you need me to pick you up?”

  “No, I can meet you there. In an hour?” Maybe walking the two blocks will help, though it might not. I should probably take her up on the offer, but my mind is going in so many directions so fast that I can’t seem to make decision to save my life right now.

  “Absolutely. Are you sure you’re okay until then?” She doesn’t bother to hide the concern in her voice, not that I would expect her to.

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes, if you need to meet earlier.”

  “Thanks, Abby.”

  “Anything for you, you know that.”

  I hang up the phone, feeling slightly better than I was before talking to her. I make my way to the bathroom, washing away the tears and panic from my eyes so hopefully it’s not as obvious to anyone else what is going on. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone other than Abby about that night. She’s the only one who knows about it and the fallout from it that lasted months. She is the only one who would understand what seeing Garrett did to me and why.

  “Ms. Williams.” Mr. Meyer knocks on the door but does not open it.

  I take a deep breath, trying to find the strength to get through the next few minutes before I can leave to go meet Abs. I only need to show him the apartment and then I can leave. I can do this…it’s only a few minutes at most. I can manage.

  “Mr. Meyer, Mr. Foxx.” I open the door, forcing any emotion from my face as I do.

  “Mr. Foxx, I will wait for you in my study. Ms. Williams, thank you for taking the time to show him the living quarters.”

  “This way, Mr. Foxx,” I gesture for him to come into the apartment. “This is the shared living room, kitchen, and eating area. Off the kitchen is a half bath and the private entrance which leads to the stairwell in the parking garage.”

  I lead him down the hall, taking a moment to point out my bedroom and the vacant one that I assume he’ll be moving into at some point. I’m rambling and I know it, but it’s the only thing keeping me from having another panic attack. If I focus on the task of showing him the apartment, nothing else can happen.

  “Hope…”

  “Please don’t,” I beg quietly. I can’t lose it, not now, and definitely not in front of him.

  “Can I—”

  “Mr. Meyer is waiting for you in his study. Do you need me to show you the way?” I ask without looking at him.

  “No, I remember where it is.” He hesitates with his hand on the door knob. When he turns to me, I know he wants to say something but I silently beg him not to. The moment the door closes I grab my purse and rush out the other entrance to go meet Abs. I need to get out of here; I need her to tell me how the hell I’m going to be able to do this. Losing this job isn’t an option, not after it took me so long to finally get the courage to work again.

  “Alright, what the hell has you so shaken up?” she asks as soon as I collapse into the chair across from her only minutes later.

  “My boss hired a new security person,” I answer as if that explains everything.

  “Right, you knew this though,” she reminds me.

  “I met him tonight.” I take a gulp of the strong coffee. “It’s Garrett.”

  “Garrett? The guy from…OH…” she realizes what I’m not saying.

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow.” She silently sits back in her chair, the look in her blue eyes telling me she knows exactly what seeing him did to me. “So, what happened once you saw him? Did you…?”

  “My boss introduced us and I darted into the apartment as fast as I could.”

  “It brought everything from that night back?” I nod in confirmation. “Did he say anything?”

  “Not then, but I had to give him a tour of the apartment we’ll be sharing. When my boss was back in his office, he said my name and I swear I nearly lost it.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Nothing. I don’t know what to do. I can’t quit my job, Abs, I can’t. I need this to work out, I need to get back on my feet. But how am I going to do that when I’ll be seeing him every day?” She puts her hand over mine, stopping me from tearing apart the napkins; something I hadn’t even realized I was doing until that moment.

  “Hope, you’re not going to do anything,” she calmly says. “You’re going to go to work, do your job and that’s going to be your focus. You don’t have to talk to Garrett if you don’t want to and you definitely don’t have to talk to him about that night. I’m sure he’ll be out of the apartment with your boss most of the time anyway. So maybe you won’t actually see him that much.”

  “We’ll be practically living together!” I hiss.

  “You’re going to be sharing an apartment,” she corrects. “You will still have your own space; you can go to your bedroom and be alone whenever you want to.”

  “You don’t understand, Abs. The moment I saw him…it…everything came rushing back. It hit me so fast.”

  “And you survived. Did you have a panic attack in front of him and your boss?”

  “No.”

  “Did you cry in front of your boss?”

  “No.”

  “You dealt with it. You’ve come a long way. A year ago seeing him would have immediately brought you to the floor in that dining room. You wouldn’t have been able to hold it together until you got to your apartment.”

  I know she’s right. Coming from anyone else, the words would be empty but she knows where I was a year ago. She knows where I was two years ago. She was there nearly every step of the way. I swear if it wasn’t for her I probably wouldn’t be here.

  “I know. But how am I going to deal with seeing him every day? It’s going to be a constant reminder of that night.”

  “What’s your other choice, Hope? Do you want to quit?” she asks even though we both already know my answer.

  “No! I’m finally starting to get the hang of the job and I actually enjoy it.”

  “So, you need to find a way to deal with seeing him every day because it doesn’t sound like he’s going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe just be…co-workers. You don’t have to be best friends with the guy just because you had sex. But if you’re going to stay at your job, you’ll need to find a way to coexist. Maybe you can find a way to think of him as something other than the guy from that night?” She signals the waiter for another round of coffee for both of us. Even though it’s late and I shouldn’t be having another cup, we both know my sleeping is already shit so having another cup won’t change anything.

  “How? How am I not going to see him and not think about what happened? He looks exactly the same!”

  “I don’t know. It’s not going to be easy. Maybe you can talk to him—”

  “No!”

  “You said you felt something for him that night,” she reminds me. “You told me over and over again how comfortable you felt with him, how you two just seemed to click even though you just met. I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t have gone back to his hotel room if you didn’t feel something for him that night.”

  “And look where it got me!”

  Even as I say the words, I know the argument that’s coming. It’s the same argument we’ve had hundreds of times over the last two years. The one where she tries to convince me that one had nothing to do with the other, even though she couldn’t be more wrong.

  “What happened had
nothing to do with your decision to go upstairs that night and deep down you know I’m right.”

  “Maybe,” I lie. No matter how many times she’s told me that the outcome would have been the same if I hadn’t gone upstairs, I can’t help but wonder what if I hadn’t. What if I had gone home after the wedding and called my dad? What if I had called him on my way home? What if—

  “If you don’t truly think you can do this and want to quit, you know you can always move back in with me.”

  “I know,” I finish the gulp of coffee. “But I don’t want to quit. You’re right…I need to find a way to deal with this.”

  “Good, now we’re getting somewhere.” She smiles. “So, tell me, is he still as hot as he was that night?”

  Want to read more about Garrett?

  Each book in the Dark Water Security Series can be read as stand alones.

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