All Chapters of MARRIED TO MY EX-FATHER IN LAW.: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

63 Chapters

POSSESSIVE

Lola is in the kitchen with Hannah when it happens.They're making tea, laughing about something stupid, when two of Ocean's men walk in. She recognizes them from security, Marco and Tony. Mid-level guys who usually work the perimeter.They don't see her at first. She's partially hidden by the open pantry door, reaching for honey."...can't believe he actually married her," Tony is saying. "His son's leftovers. That's desperate even for...""Careful," Marco warns. "Boss might hear you.""Boss isn't here. And come on, you're thinking it too. She's damaged goods. Divorced. Used up. What's he thinking, bringing trash like that into his house?"The honey jar slips from Lola's fingers.It doesn't break. Just hits the counter with a loud thunk.Both men turn. See her standing there.Tony's face goes pale. "Oh shit...""Out," Hannah says, her voice hard as steel. "Get the fuck out of this kitchen right now."But Lola can't move. Can't breathe. The words echo in her head.Damaged goods. Used

FALLEN

I'm looking for Hannah.That's my only excuse for being on the third floor, which is mostly Ocean's private space. His bedroom. His study. Areas I usually avoid.But Hannah mentioned something about needing to grab laundry from up here, and I offered to help, and now I'm walking down the hallway like an idiot trying to remember which room she said.The door at the end of the hall is slightly open.That must be it. The laundry room or storage or whatever.I push the door wider. "Hannah, I can't remember which..."The words die in my throat.It's not a laundry room.It's Ocean's bedroom.And Ocean is standing in the middle of it, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.Water droplets slide down his chest. His hair is wet, pushed back from his face. Steam drifts from the open bathroom door behind him.He just got out of the shower.And I just walked in on him.Oh god."Lola." His voice is startled but not angry. "I didn't know you were up here.""I'm so sorry, I was looking for Han

OCEAN'S FALLEN

I stand in my bedroom for a full minute after Lola runs out.Just stand there. In a towel. Dripping water onto the floor. Trying to process what just happened.She walked in on me. Saw me half-naked. Saw the scars I usually keep hidden.And the way she looked at me before she fled...Fuck.I know that look. I've seen it enough times in my life to recognize it.Desire.Lola looked at me with desire.Not gratitude. Not fear. Not pity for the scarred criminal who saved her.Want.Raw. Unmistakable. Want.And my body responded. Instantly. Which is why I grabbed a shirt so fast. Why I let her run instead of stopping her.Because if she'd stayed one more second, if she'd kept looking at me like that...I don't know what I would have done."Fuck," I say out loud. To my empty bedroom. To nobody.This is bad. This is so fucking bad.I get dressed. Try to calm down. Try to think rationally.She's twenty-three. Traumatized. Healing. Living in my house because she has nowhere else to go. The powe

CROSS THAT LINE

I can't sleep again.It's become a pattern. Lie in bed. Stare at the ceiling. Think about Ocean. Give up and wander downstairs.Tonight is no different. Except when I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see light coming from under Ocean's study door.He's still awake too.I should go to the kitchen. Make tea. Leave him alone. He's probably working on something important.But my feet carry me to his door instead.I knock softly. "Ocean? Are you busy?"Silence. Then footsteps. The door opens.He's in sweatpants and a t-shirt, hair messy, glasses on. I didn't know he wore glasses. They make him look softer. More approachable."Lola. Is everything okay?""I couldn't sleep. Saw your light on. I can go if you're working...""No." He steps back. "Come in. Please. I could use the distraction."His study is warm. Cozy. Bookshelves covering every wall. A massive desk covered in papers. A leather couch by the fireplace."What are you working on?" I ask."Financial reports. Tedious stuff." He close

LOVE IS WORTH THE RISK

I can't stop hearing her laugh.It's been two days since that night in my study. Two days since she almost stayed. Since I almost kissed her. Since everything nearly fell apart.And all I can think about is the way she laughed.Not the polite laugh she uses during dinner sometimes. The real one. The one that came out when I made some stupid joke about one of my captains getting chased by a cat. The sound filled my entire study. Made her eyes crinkle. Made her throw her head back.Made her look free.I'm sitting in a meeting with Vincent Romano and I can't focus because I'm remembering the way Lola laughed in my study at three in the morning."Ocean? Your thoughts?"Vincent is looking at me expectantly. So is everyone else around the table.Fuck. What were we talking about?"I agree with Daniel's assessment," I say, hoping Daniel said something relevant.Daniel shoots me a look that says we'll talk about this later.The meeting drags on. Territory agreements. Profit sharing. Things tha

WHAT IF?

I'm in love with Ocean Moretti or noooo, I insanely like Ocean Moretti.The realization hits me at three in the afternoon while I'm reading in the conservatory. Just hits me out of nowhere like a physical thing. Like someone punched me in the chest.I set down my book. Stare at nothing.I'm in love with him.Not just attracted. Not just grateful. Not confused about my feelings or mixing up safety with desire.I'm actually, genuinely, completely in love with the man who married me to save my life."Fuck," I whisper to the empty room.This is bad. This is so bad.Because Ocean doesn't feel the same way. He can't. I'm just... I'm just a responsibility to him. A woman he saved. Someone he feels obligated to protect.That's all I am.The thought makes my chest ache.I think about him constantly. When I wake up, I wonder if he's already awake. When I'm reading, I want to tell him about the book. When something funny happens, I want to share it with him first.I look forward to dinner more t

OCEAN DOESN'T KNOW

The meeting takes place in the back room of Dmitri's club. Three AM. The time when honest people are asleep and deals get made in shadows.Ethan arrives with a folder of documents. Blueprints. Schedules. Financial records. Everything stolen from his father's office over the past two weeks.Dmitri is already there, drinking vodka. Marco Romano sits next to him, looking nervous. The kid is twenty-five, eager to prove himself, stupid enough to think this will end well."You're late," Dmitri says."I'm careful." Ethan sets the folder on the table. "Everything you asked for. Ocean's shipment schedules for the next month. Security rotations. Client lists. Financial vulnerabilities."Dmitri opens the folder. Studies the contents. His expression doesn't change but Ethan sees the glint of satisfaction in his eyes."This is good. Very detailed.""I told you I had access to everything.""The question is whether it's accurate. Or whether you're setting us up." Dmitri's eyes are cold. Calculating.

IT'S NOT GENTLE

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTI can't do this anymore.Can't sit across from Ocean at dinner pretending I don't want to reach across the table and touch him. Can't make polite conversation when all I want to do is tell him how I feel. Can't keep living in this house, loving him, while he sees me as nothing more than a responsibility.It's killing me.Tonight is worse than usual. Ocean is wearing a dark sweater that makes his gray eyes stand out. His hair is slightly messy, like he's been running his hands through it. He's tired—I can see it in the lines around his eyes—but he's still here. Having dinner with me. Like he always does."You're quiet tonight," he says."Just thinking.""About?"You. Always you. Every minute of every day is about you."Nothing important."He doesn't believe me. I can tell by the way he's looking at me. Like he's trying to read my mind.We eat in silence for a few minutes. The tension is thick enough to choke on.Our hands both reach for the wine bottle at the same

DON'T COMPARE ME TO HIM

I'm making a mistake.The thought screams through my head even as I'm kissing her back, even as my hands are buried in her hair and she's making those soft desperate sounds against my mouth and every single part of me is telling me to never let go.But I have to let go. Because this is wrong.I pull away. Force myself to step back even though it feels like ripping my own heart out of my chest."Lola, stop."She's breathing hard, looking at me with those big eyes, her lips swollen from my kiss. God, she's so beautiful it actually hurts to look at her."Why?" Her voice is so small. So hurt."Because this isn't real." The words taste like ash in my mouth but I make myself say them anyway."What are you talking about?""What you're feeling right now. It's not real." I put more distance between us because I need space to think clearly and I can't think when she's close enough to touch. "You're confusing gratitude with attraction. You're mixing up feeling safe with being in love.""I'm not

TRAUMA BONDING

I can't believe I did that.I can't believe I actually told him I loved him. Just blurted it out like some desperate idiot. And then I kissed him. Threw myself at him like some pathetic girl who can't take a hint.And he rejected me.Not just rejected me. He psychoanalyzed me. Told me I was confused. That I didn't know my own feelings. That I was experiencing trauma bonding.Trauma bonding.Like I'm some case study in a psychology textbook instead of a person with actual feelings.I'm so stupid.I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the whole humiliating scene over and over in my head. The way I practically begged him to love me back. The way my voice cracked when I told him how I felt. The way he looked at me with pity in his eyes while he listed all the reasons why this could never work.God, I want to disappear.The worst part is that he was kind about it. He didn't laugh at me or tell me to grow up. He was gentle. Understanding. Which somehow makes it so much worse becaus

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