Russian Roulette: Family secrets [2021 version]

Ch. 31: No, I'm not that rich

Gareth pushed past Makenzie and rushed to his bedroom.

Not much seemed out of the ordinary. A few trinkets looked unknown to him, and a green plant next to his reading chair was definitely new. The bed had some throw pillows he did not recognize. In the bathroom, female products stood stacked neatly on one side of the double sink and in the cabinets. And his closet, which usually only held black and silver, held rows of her colorful clothes.

"I didn't move all of my things. I was afraid to snoop around your drawers." Mackenzie stood at the door with a worried frown. " If you feel I'm crowding you, I can move it back."

If she had messed up, she was not sure. Gareth had on a bewildered facial expression that she could not decode. Mackenzie had meant it as a present for him, one she thought he would be happy about; she did not have money to buy him things, not that he needed anything. Whiskey, even expensive bottles, were too impersonal.

It was the one gift within her power she had thought he would welcome.

"You're moving in with me?" Gareth asked when he found his ability to form sentences again.

He had thought their sleeping arrangement would have stayed the same, and their sexual interaction probably sparse and only when Mackenzie wanted. Theirs was a marriage of convenience. Though he loved her, he had not expected her to be his wife fully until they could show it to the world.

If ever.

"I'll move my things back," Mackenzie shrugged, saddened that he was not happy with her surprise.

"Hell no!" Gareth charged at her and grabbed her arms, making her drop the box with the corsage. "Stay, please. You can have as much of the closet and drawers as you need. Just stay."

Mackenzie peeked up at him. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" Gareth kissed her forehead and breathed in her perfume. It always calmed him, and he needed to calm his racing heart. Though it was counterproductive, with her breasts pressed against his chest, his heart had no chance of slowing down. "You surprised me, that's all. I had thought that since... You know. I wasn't sure you were ready for this step, so I hadn't asked. I didn't want to pressure you. Never doubt, I want you in here with me."

Mackenzie snuggled into his embrace. He was not mad. He was happy. Such a small gesture made him happy. Something she had thought was a natural thing for a married couple, Gareth had been ready to let go of for her. To respect the boundaries she had set up for them.

Sometimes, Gareth made her head spin with what he would settle for on her account. Mackenzie never intended for him to settle on anything. She wanted to make him happy and never feel like she was a weight on him or his life. Whatever love there was between them, it had to be enough to build on and carry them through. She would do her best while they worked on getting King, and after, she would give Gareth everything he could ever want from a life with her.

"Gareth, I want to go to bed with you every night, and wake up with you every morning." Mackenzie laughed a low and seductive laugh. "And I want you to fuck me any time you have the energy to do it."

Drawing in a wheezing breath through dangerously clenched teeth, Gareth tightened his grip around her. "By fuck, you mean?"

"Use me, Gareth, the way we both need."

Mackenzie belonged to Gareth now. She would never be naked in front of King and his men again and never tolerate other men touching her without her consent. There was no reason to stay away from Gareth. If she had marks on her, Gareth would love them because he had made them, and King would not get a chance to have a meltdown over it. He could go suck on a rock for all she cared.