Silver Spoons Inc. 2

Billionaire Obsession

[Siren Publishing: The Stormy Glenn ManLove Collection: Erotic Romance, Alternative, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, MM, HEA]

Everyone makes mistakes, but mine might lose me the best thing that ever happened to me.

I loved Benji with all my heart, but I was afraid of what everyone would say if they found out I was gay, so I did the stupidest thing I could have done and I left, breaking Benji's heart in the process. Now, I'm back and I'm hoping Benji loves me enough to let me prove to him that I'm here to stay.

Finding Benji was the easy part. Convincing him to give me another chance was much harder. Saving him from whoever was trying to destroy his life might take a miracle. I'm nothing if not determined, but before I can have the man I love, I have to make his world safe, and I'm just the billionaire to do it.

Length: 39,000 words

BILLIONAIRE OBSESSION

Silver Spoons Inc. 2

Stormy Glenn

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

Billionaire Obsession

Copyright © 2020 by Stormy Glenn

ISBN: 978-1-64637-245-4

First Publication: August 2020

Cover design by Jess Buffett

All art and logo copyright © 2020 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

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PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul mates, true love, and happy endings.

You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

BILLIONAIRE OBSESSION.. 7

Chapter One. 7

Chapter Two. 16

Chapter Three. 24

Chapter Four 33

Chapter Five. 42

Chapter Six. 50

Chapter Seven. 59

Chapter Eight 66

Chapter Nine. 74

Chapter Ten. 83

Chapter Eleven. 92

Chapter Twelve. 100

Chapter Thirteen. 108

Chapter Fourteen. 117

Chapter Fifteen. 123

Epilogue. 131

BILLIONAIRE OBSESSION

Silver Spoons Inc. 2

STORMY GLENN

Copyright © 2020

Chapter One

~ Burke ~

"I found him!" Sergei Zhukov shouted as he ran into my office without knocking. Good thing I hadn't been in a meeting or on the phone. "I found Benjamin Hart, Mr. Burke."

My heart lurched up into my throat. I had to swallow hard before I could ask the question I'd been waiting to ask for three months. "You found Benji?"

"Yes, sir. His name just popped up in the State Health Insurance Agency's database from some coffee house over on the east side."

I grabbed the papers Sergei held out to me and quickly scanned them before sucking in a painful breath when I saw the address listed for the coffee shop. "He's still here in the city?"

I would have thought Benji had moved across the country with as bad as he had wanted to forget me after we broke up. He'd certainly moved out of his little apartment fast enough after I left. I knew. I'd gone back to see him and found the place rented to someone else. It had nearly broken me.

I'd had the world's most perfect man there for the taking, and I'd tossed him away because I was too scared of what others would think of me if I'd come out as gay. I'd told Benji I was leaving and simply walked away, despite Benji's pleas for us to work it out.

I'd been a coward, but this might be my one chance to redeem myself.

In the last three months, ever since I found out one of my best friends was gay when he claimed his executive assistant and married him, I'd learned that who I slept with was no one's business except the person in my bed. What others thought about me being gay wasn't my problem. Being without Benji was, and I was determined to get him back.

I just wasn't sure how I was going to do that.

"Bring everything you've found on Benji and then call the car around, Sergei."

"Yes, sir." Sergei was out the door a moment later.

I stared down at the photo of Benji for a moment, rubbing my thumb along the edge. The last time I'd seen him had been nine months ago. It felt like forever. Maybe it was. Maybe I didn't have a chance in hell of reclaiming the man who had changed my world, but I had to try.

I picked up my phone and dialed one of my best friends. "Knox, I know we have a board meeting in an hour, but I need you to reschedule it. I found Benji."

"You found him?" Colton Knox asked.

Knox was the Chief Executive Officer of Silver Spoons Inc. Our mutual friend, Decker Crosby was the Chief Risk Officer. I was the Chief Financial Officer. We'd met in college and become best friends almost from day one.

Together, the three of us had built Silver Spoons Inc. up from an idea and turned it into a billion-dollar corporation. We hadn't used a dime of our family's money. Just our own sweat and tears and a trust in each other that was closer than brothers.

I trusted no one more.

"He's still here in the city."

"Go then," Knox said. "We can have this meeting later. This is more important, Burke. Go get your man."

I knew he'd understand. Both Knox and Crosby knew how desperately I wanted to find Benji. I'd been looking for him for over three months. Until today, there hadn't been a single sign of him.

I hung up on Knox without saying goodbye, but I knew he wouldn't be upset with me. He'd been a basket case when Newton, who was now his husband, had turned his proposal down the first time. He'd been drunk for a week before me and Crosby pulled him out of it and kicked him in the ass to get him to go claim Newt. Luckily for Knox, Newt had a forgiving nature.

Except for when it came to how people treated Knox, apparently.

We'd lost more than one account due to Knox publicly declaring that he was gay and marrying another man. Newt had refused to do business with anyone who turned their noses down at him or Knox because they were gay. He'd been able to pull in twice as many accounts that didn't have an issue with it. We now had contacts in the business world we never dreamed of tapping into before now.

As CFO, I could honestly say business was booming.

I grabbed my suit jacket and pulled it on, then patted my pocket to make sure the ring I'd picked out for him was still there. I smiled when I felt it. Clutching the papers Sergei had handed me, I walked out of my office.

"Hold my calls and cancel all of my appointments for the rest of the day, Nina," I directed my secretary as I walked past her desk. "I'm not sure exactly when I will be back in the office."

"Of course, Mr. Burke. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No."

I walked with a determined clip toward the express elevator that would take me directly down to the parking garage. Express or not, it seemed to take forever to reach my destination. I knew Sergei would be waiting for me there, along with my driver.

Sergei used to be part of Knox's security detail along with his brothers, Ivan and Yuri. Sergei had gone to work for me as my personal bodyguard, and Yuri went to work for Crosby as his personal bodyguard. Ivan still worked for Knox.

Over the last three months, ever since Newt had been shot—twice—trying to protect Knox, we had restructured how we were protected. We'd placed the three Zhukov brothers in charge of our security, including the hiring, training, and assignments of those working under them. It seemed to be working out pretty well.

No one had shot Newt in months.

When the elevator doors slid open in the parking garage, Sergei was waiting for me with the door of my bulletproof SUV open. After he handed me the file in his hand, I climbed right in. Sergei climbed in after me, shut the door, and then rapped his knuckles on the partisan between us and the driver.

"Coffee shop, Mr. Burke?" Sergei asked as the car got underway.

I nodded as I flipped the file open and started reading as Sergei lowered the partisan and gave the driver directions to the coffee house. There wasn't much there. Hardly anything really. "The records you found didn't give a home address?"

Sergei shook his head. "The coffee house was listed as his place of residence."

"And it's his place of employment?"

"Yes, sir."

I frowned as I thought about that. Benji had been a chef at a fancy French restaurant when I met him a little over a year ago. What in the hell was he doing working at a coffee shop? What happened to the chef job?

He loved cooking and he was very good at it. I had spent hours watching him create dishes and desserts. I'd even gained a couple of pounds before my cowardice forced me away. It made no sense for him to be working as a barista.

The questions about what was going on with Benji were mounting.

Considering it was rush hour, I wasn't surprised that it took us nearly an hour to reach the small coffee shop on the east side of the city. Traffic was pretty thick.

It did give me a lot of time to think about the mistakes I'd made. A big one being leaving Benji because I was afraid. The even bigger problem was trying to figure out how to convince Benji to give me a second chance.

We hadn't been in love or anything, but there were certainly feelings there that could have easily grown into something more. I knew I had damaged what had been between us when I left. I'd been an idiot.

The chances of Benji even speaking to me, let alone taking me back, were pretty low. I just had to hope he didn't hate me so much that he wouldn't listen to me plead my case.

I wanted a second chance, and I was terrified I'd never get it.

When the car slowed and I spotted the coffee shop on the corner, I directed my driver to pull over across the street and a few cars down. As much as I wanted to see Benji, I needed to bolster my courage before I went in. This meeting could either make or break me.

I had a knot in my gut the size of a Buick.

"Isn't that Mr. Hart, sir?"

My head popped up and my eyes strained as I narrowed in on the man coming out of the coffee shop. My breath caught when the man in question tucked a lock of his blond hair back behind his ear. He had it in a ponytail, but several strands had fallen loose and blew around his face.

"Yes, that's Benji."

He looked a little thinner than the last time I'd seen him, he was a little paler, and there were stress lines on his face, but there was no mistaking those vibrant moss-green eyes.

Or that ass.

Benji had the perfect ass. It was what drew me to him in the first place. I'd been having dinner with a business associate and had wanted to compliment the chef on a meal well prepared. I had been stunned by how handsome Benji was as he came out to our table, but I'd become obsessed when he was walking away and I caught sight of his ass.

I'd been with men here and there ever since college, but never anything long term. Hell, never anything more than a night or two. I'd hidden my desires behind one-night stands when I was out of town and being with women in the public eye.

I'd spent a month getting to know Benji before he'd even allowed me to kiss him, another two before I'd been allowed in his bed. I'd never fought for something so hard in my life. I suspected that had been nothing compared to the fight to come.

Benji could be just as stubborn as he was sexy. My money had meant nothing to him. He treated me the same as he would the busboy at the restaurant. I often wondered if he would have done the same thing if he knew just how much money I had. Being a billionaire was slightly different than being rich. There wasn't much in this world I couldn't have if I wanted it.

Except Benji. I couldn't snap my fingers and have him. He'd made me work for everything, but the rewards had been worth more than gold.

God, I'd been such an idiot.

"Where's he going?" I wondered absently when Benji turned and walked through a door next to the coffee shop instead of heading down the sidewalk. I watched the building intently for any sign of Benji. A few minutes later, a light turned on in the second-floor window. I couldn't tell if that was where he'd gone, but it was a starting place.

"Sergei, get me everything you can on the coffee shop and that building. I want schematics and I want to know who owns them both."

Besides being my bodyguard, Sergei was a wiz at finding information. If he couldn't find it, it couldn't be found. He'd found Benji after all.

"It might take me a few minutes, sir," Sergei said as he pulled his laptop out of the console in the wall between us and the driver. He always kept a laptop in there in case I needed him to look something up, like now.

"I think I have time."

I wasn't going anywhere until I spoke with Benji.

I tapped my fingers on the armrest as I watched the building, still hoping for a sign of Benji. I'd stay there all night if I had to.

"The building is owned by William and Kate Kelso," Sergei said after a few minutes.

I glanced at the man. "And the coffee shop?"

"That is also owned by William and Kate Kelso, but it's operated by their daughter, Emma." Sergei flipped the laptop around and showed me a Facebook picture of a dark-haired woman with a big smile on her face standing with a bunch of other people.

"Are there any pictures of Benji on there?"

"Let me check." Sergei pulled the laptop back around and started doing his thing.

I went back to staring out the window.

"There's only one, and it was taken by a customer." Sergei swung the laptop toward me. I grabbed it and stared down at the picture of Benji. He wasn't the main character in the picture. That was Emma. But I could see his profile in the background.

"Yes, that's him."

I handed the laptop back to Sergei. "Save that picture for me."

"I can send it to your phone if you like."

I nodded and glanced back out the window. My brows furrowed as I watched two men muscular walk into the building. There was something about them that sent a wave of apprehension through me.

I opened up the door and climbed out.

"Sir!" Sergei shouted as he scrambled to climb out after me. "Sir! Mr. Burke!"

I was smart enough to wait until Sergei and my driver joined me before starting across the street.

"Sir? We don't even know which apartment is his. If you give me a few more minutes—"

"No." Something told me I needed to be inside the building right fucking now. I held up my hand to stop a taxi coming down the street then broke into a jog to get to the apartment building. I glanced at Sergei as I pulled the door open. "Be ready for anything."

Sergei snapped straight. "Sir?"

"Two men just went into the building. There's something off about them."

I couldn't put my finger on it, but I trusted my instincts, and they were screaming at me that Benji was in danger.

"Then you'd better let me go first, sir."

Yeah, I knew that.

I totally dismissed Sergei's words when I heard a shout from the floor above, followed by a loud crash. I pushed through the door then ran up the stairs as fast as I could.

"Sir!" Sergei shouted as he followed me.

When I reached the second floor, I didn't have any trouble figuring out where the noise came from. The door of the apartment to my right was wide open, and I could hear shouting from inside.

Sergei ran past me as I headed in that direction. The only reason I slowed was because of the gun in his hand. I knew he could handle whatever was going on in that apartment better than I could. By the sounds of shouting and things crashing onto the floor, I was right.

My driver placed his hand on my shoulder and held me in place when I tried to run into the apartment. I hated it, but I understood it. The Zhukov brothers trained their men well, and protecting me was Boris's first obligation even if he was my driver.

I swallowed tightly when everything went quiet inside the apartment. "Sergei?"

"All clear, sir," Sergei called out a moment later.

I drew in a fortifying breath, afraid of what I would find when I went inside, and afraid of what I wouldn't, and then stepped inside.

I was immediately aware of where the shouts and crash had come from. The apartment was trashed, and Sergei stood over two men lying on their stomachs in the middle of the room, his gun pointing at them.

"Sir, could you call the authorities?"

"Where's Benji?" I asked instead.

My answer came a moment later when a soft voice from the kitchen area called out to me. "Burke?"

"Benji?" My gaze snapped in that direction. In my heart, I'd always been afraid I'd never see him again, and yet here he was.

He just wasn't alone.

Chapter Two

~ Benjamin ~

I gently bounced the sleeping baby in my arms as I stared at the one man I never thought I'd see again in my lifetime. It had been nine long months, and I had thought the pain of losing him had faded.

I was wrong.

"What are you doing here?" I could tell from the way the man winced that I hadn't been able to keep my bitterness out of my voice.

I didn't care.

I had a right to be bitter.

"Whose kid?" Burke asked as he gestured to the baby in my arms.

"None of your damn business." He'd lost the right to know anything about me when he kicked me to the curb. "You need to leave."

That's what he was good at after all.

I nodded toward the two men lying on the floor. "And take them with you."

I still couldn't believe they had found me. I had been so careful. I got paid under the table, and since my landlord was also my boss, my rent was taken directly out of my paycheck before I even saw it. I never signed on the dotted line for anything. I stayed away from my old neighborhood. I never called any family or friends.

I'd done everything possible to hide, and yet they had still found me.

How?

My eyes narrowed as I glanced back to Burke. "Did you bring them here?"

It would make sense. They had all arrived at the same time.

"What?" Burke snapped. "No. I don't even know who they are." His frown drew his brown eyebrows down low over his forehead as he looked at the two men on the floor. "Who are they? What did they want? Why are they here?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just go, Burke."

I had enough crap on my plate. I could only deal with so much crap at any one time. I didn't need to add to it by having my heart broken again.

That just might break me.

"No, I'm not leaving," Burke said as he crossed the room to stand in front of me. "Not until we talk."

"We have nothing to say to each other."

I was positive of it.

Burke had made his wishes more than clear when he left me all those months ago. He couldn't be out and be gay, and I couldn't be straight. That didn't leave a lot of wiggle room for either of us.

"Oh, baby," Burke murmured, "we have so much to talk about."

I flinched away when Burke tried to caress the side of my face. I couldn't have him touch me, not after everything we'd been through. My life was too chaotic right now, and I didn't think I had the strength to deny him when I wanted him so badly.

I shook my head and then held my breath when the baby in my arms let out a little grunt. I was surprised I'd been able to keep Jamie asleep through all the yelling and shouting, not to mention the destruction of my apartment. He could sleep through a tornado, but one creak of a floorboard and he was wide awake.

"Whose baby is it?" Burke asked again.

I shot the guys on the floor a quick look before shaking my head and looking back at him. I wasn't about to jeopardize Jamie because Burke was curious. "None of your business."

Burke's mouth took on an unpleasant twist as he glanced around. "Is there somewhere we can talk privately? Just the two of us?"

I rolled my eyes, knowing Burke wouldn't leave until we talked. He carried himself with a commanding air of self-confidence that carried over into everything in his life. I both loved that about him and hated that about him.

Right now, I hated that about him.

"We can talk in here." I started for the only bedroom in the place. I shared it with Jamie. I paused when I passed the men on the floor and then looked at the man standing over them with a gun. "If they move, shoot them. They tried to take my baby."

The man holding the gun glanced behind me then gave me a nod. I had no idea what he'd seen when he looked at Burke, but I didn't care. I didn't care about any of this. All I could see was the frustration ahead of me as I tried to find another job and another place to live that would hide us from the people hunting us.

When we reached the bedroom, I walked over and gently laid Jamie down in the crib. I covered him with a blanket before turning to look at Burke. "Close the door."

Burke did as I asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. He crossed his arms over his wide chest then glanced at the crib. "So, is he your kid?"

"Yes."

Sort of.

Burke's face was a stone mask, so I had no idea what he thought of my admission.

"Okay, then," he said after a minute. "I can do kids."

"What?"

Burke pushed a hand through his dark brown hair. "I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess I'll have to now. My grandparents will be thrilled, of course. They've wanted me to have kids for a while now. This just makes things easier."

Was he insane?

"What in the hell are you talking about?"

"You." Burke pointed to me." Me." He pointed to his own chest. "And your kid." He pointed to the crib. "Together."

My jaw dropped.

He was insane.

"Burke, you—"

"I made a mistake, Benji, a huge one," Burke finished for me, not that that was what I was going to say, but whatever. "It took me one minute after I left you to figure it out, six months to admit it, and another three months to find you again."

My heart ached, painfully. He'd been looking for me? I wanted that so much…and yet, I didn't. "Burke, I can't do this, not right now."

Burke swallowed tightly. "Then when?"

God!

I shoved my hand through my hair, dislodging the band holding my hair back until the blond strands fell around my shoulders. "My life is shit right now, Burke, and I have no idea how to fix it. I can't deal with your issues, too. You'll have to decide if you're gay or straight on your own."

"Oh, I already decided that." Burke grinned as he winked at me. "Turns out I'm gay."

My nerves tensed. "What?"

This was not the same man who had left my apartment all those months ago, swearing he couldn't be gay. This guy seemed more settled in his skin.

I clenched my hands. I was furious at my vulnerability to this man. "You need to leave," I snarled through clenched teeth. "I don't have time for your shit right now."

Burke crossed his arms again and then leaned back against the door. "I'm not going anywhere, not until we talk."

"There's nothing to talk about." Didn't he understand that? "You left me, Burke. Remember?"

"I do remember that, Benji."

I closed my eyes as the sound of his voice saying my name washed over me. It felt like a knife to the chest. Tears sprang to my eyes and trailed down my cheek. "Burke, please."

My breath hitched in my throat when I felt a hand curve around the back of my neck. I was pulled forward into Burke's arms, my face pressed to his neck. I shuddered when his arms wrapped around me, holding me tight to his muscular body.

"Tell me what I can do to help, Benji."

"I need to not do this right now, Burke. I have too much on my plate. I have to deal with those men out there and then find a new apartment to move to, and that means I'll need to find a new sitter. I'll have to find a new job and—"

I opened my eyes when the warmth of Burke's body faded as he leaned back.

"What do you mean you have to move?"

"It's not safe here anymore."

Burke's brow flickered with a mixture of concern and confusion. "They're going to jail, Benji. You don't have to be afraid of them."

I shook my head. He didn't understand. "They know where I live."

A shadow of alarm touched Burke's face. "What aren't you telling me, Benji?"

My shoulders slumped. "They want to take Jamie from me."

"Why?"

I pressed my lips together and shook my head.

Burke cupped my face between his hands and tilted my head back until our eyes met. "Tell me, Benji. I can help you."

Tears flooded my eyes again. "No one can help me."

Burke's lips spread into an irresistibly devastating grin. "Try me."

I dropped my head against Burke's chest. "Oh, Burke."

Burke's fingers threaded through the hair at the back of my scalp. "Tell me, baby."

Yeah, my resistance sucked.

"Jamie is my nephew," I whispered. "My sister's kid."

"Jenna?"

I'd forgotten I'd told him about my twin sister. "Yeah."

"So, why do they want to take him from you?"

"Jamie's father is a powerful man, a married man. If his affair with Jenna came to light, he'd be ruined. It would be even worse if anyone discovered he'd had a child with her. He tried to convince Jenna to give Jamie up for adoption, but when that didn't work, he started threatening her. He's got some family out of the country lined up to adopt Jamie, but Jenna doesn't want to give him up."

"Where's Jenna now?" Burke asked.

I couldn't hold back my sob of despair. "She's in the hospital. She was attacked while she was pregnant with Jamie. They had to take him early because of her injuries. She would have lost him otherwise."

"Bloody hell, Benji." Burke's arms tightened. "When did this happen?"

I leaned back and rubbed away the tears on my cheeks. "Jenna was attacked about a month ago. Jamie came home with me two weeks ago. I've been taking care of him since then because Jenna can't leave the hospital yet. She's still recovering from her injuries."

"The biological father did this?"

I waved my hand toward the living room. "They did this, those men out in the living room. They work for that asshole. I can't prove it was them, but I know it was them, and now that they know where I live, I have to move. They think they can just come take him because Jenna is in the hospital. I've done everything I can think of to protect him, but none of it is working. I didn't even put his name on the birth certificate, but it's like it doesn't matter to this guy. He just wants to get rid of Jamie so there's no evidence of his infidelities."

Burke's smile brought an immediate softening to his features. "Why don't you pack a bag for a few days for you and Jamie? I'll take care of the rest."

I quirked and eyebrow questioningly. "The rest of what?"

"Everything."

"What are you—"

There was a knock on the door, interrupting my question. "Mr. Burke, the police are here. They'd like to speak to you and Mr. Hart, get your statements."

Burke leaned down until I felt his warm breath on my ear. "It was a simple break-in as far as you know. That's what you tell the police. They followed you home and broke into your apartment. They destroyed the place looking for something to steal. Do not tell them you suspect these men work for Jamie's father. Without proof, you can't accuse them of anything."

My breath caught as fear zipped through me. "You said they were going to jail."

"Oh, they are. I'll make sure of it. But if these guys work for Jamie's father, I don't want them tied to you."

Wait…

"They already know who I am," I said. "Why do you think they broke in here?"

"Trust me, baby. I got this."

I leaned back and glanced down when Burke started to fiddle with something. "What are you doing?"

"Here, put this on." Burke dumped a gold ring out of a black velvet bag onto the palm of his hand. He put the bag back in his jacket pocket and then grabbed the ring and slid it onto my finger.

It was a beautiful ring, simple, silver-colored, with five diamonds in the top of the band.

"What's this?" I whispered a as a lump formed in my throat. I'd always dreamed of getting a ring from Burke. I just didn't think it would ever happen.

I wasn't quite sure why it was happening now.

"That's an 18K platinum wedding band featuring two carats of princess-cut diamonds."

I swallowed tightly, unable to tear my eyes away from the ring now gracing my finger. "Why do you have a wedding band in your pocket?"

Burke's deep chuckle sent a shiver of lust through every part of my body. "How else am I supposed to ask you to marry me?"

My head snapped up. "What?"

"Sshhh." Burke pressed a finger to my lips. "They might hear you."

"Burke—"

"Hurry up, baby. The police are waiting to talk to you."

I wanted to stomp my foot, but Burke was already walking away. He opened the door and whispered something to the man who'd had the gun before walking over to pick Jamie up out of his crib.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked when he started walking out of the room with the sleeping infant.

"Pack a bag, Benji."

Why did I feel as if I was being railroaded?

Chapter Three

~ Burke ~

I was shocked as hell that Benji wasn't screaming and yelling at me. I was kind of running roughshod over him, but it was working. Not only was he packing a bag to come back to my place, but I'd gotten my ring on his finger.

I considered that a win.

There were two police officers standing in Benji's destroyed living room when I walked back in. The men who'd been on the floor had been removed. I hoped that meant they'd been arrested and were currently on their way to jail. I'd raise holy hell if they weren't.

"Boris, would you go assist Benji, please?"

"Yes, sir."

I turned to the side as Boris passed me and then walked farther into the living room. "Officers, I'm Alexander Burke. I understand you need to speak with me?"

One of the officers flipped to a new page on his notepad. The other one stared at me with his mouth hanging open, telling me he, at least, knew who I was.

"What can you tell me about what occurred here tonight, Mr. Burke?" the first officer asked me.

"I was on my way over to visit with my fiancé when I heard shouting. My bodyguard, driver, and I came in to find two men trying to steal from my fiancé and destroying his home. My bodyguard restrained them until you arrived."

"They were stealing from him?" the guys asked, obviously doubting me.

"I assume that's what they were doing. Why else would they destroy the place if they weren't looking for stuff to steal?"

The officer shrugged nonchalantly. "It could be anything. Drugs, weapons—"

"I assure you, officer. My fiancé does not do drugs, nor does he own a weapon. I think it was more of a case of them wanting to steal from Benji because he's my fiancé."

The officer glanced around the small apartment then looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Are you married, officer?"

The guy nodded.

"And how much did you pay for your wife's engagement ring?"

The guy shrugged. "I don't know, like twelve hundred dollars. Why?"

"I paid over twenty-two thousand dollars for Benji's engagement ring, and the only reason I got him one so cheap is because he wouldn't allow me to buy him a more expensive ring."

The guy's eyes rounded. "If you have that kind of money, then why does he live here?"

"Because Benji refuses to move in with me until we're married. He's old fashioned that way." I grimaced as I glanced around at the destroyed room. "Although, I think that's about to change. I can't leave him here if he's not going to be safe."

I smiled as I glanced down at the infant in my arms. "He had my son with him when those men broke in here. If anything had happened to either of them…" I shook my head. I didn't even want to contemplate what might have happened to Benji and Jamie if we hadn't shown up.

"My attorney, Andrew Lancaster, will be down in the morning to press charges against the two men who assaulted my fiancé. If you have any questions before then, my bodyguard can provide you with his number."

"Thank you, sir," the officer who recognized me said. "That won't be necessary. We have your statement, and that should be sufficient to get these guys before a judge."

His partner looked at him funny, but didn't say anything.

"Benji will be going home with me until I can find him a more secure apartment or convince him to move in with me. If you need to speak to him or me, we can be reached at the Silver Building downtown."

"Thank you, sir." The officer grabbed the arm of his partner and started dragging him toward the door. I smirked when I heard him ask, "Do you know who that was?" before they even reached the corridor.

I waited until the door closed behind them before turning to look at Sergei. "I want you to bring in some men to pack everything up in this apartment and ship it to my penthouse. I also need you to send someone you trust to guard a woman in the hospital."

I'd be damned if I allowed Jamie's sperm donor to harm Jenna. I might not have ever met the woman, but I knew how much she meant to Benji. When we'd been seeing each other, he had talked about her all the time.

"I trust all my guys, but I've got a couple who would be good for the job. They have medical training, so they'd know who needs to be in to see her and who doesn't. Also what medications she might need. No one will get past them unless they are supposed to."

Damn, I hadn't thought of that.

"Benji," I called out, "what hospital is Jenna in?"

Benji appeared in the doorway, his eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to have one of my men assigned to guard her door."

Benji's fine blond eyebrows lifted. "You can do that?"

I chuckled. "I can do that."

He really had no idea how much money and power I actually had. He might be afraid of Jamie's sperm donor because he thought the guy had power, but he hadn't seen anything yet.

"Mercy General," Benji replied. "Room two-thirty-two."

Sergei was already pulling his cell phone out when I looked back at the tall Russian.

"What were her injuries, Benji?"

I hated asking when I saw the sadness that came over Benji's face, but I needed to know what I was working with. Did she have to stay in the hospital or would a home health nurse work?

"Concussion, numerous facial contusions, two broken ribs, a punctured lung, internal injuries, and her leg is shattered in four places."

Jesus!

"And you said she's been in the hospital for a month?"

Benji nodded.

"When is she supposed to be released? The reason I'm asking is if she could have around-the-clock nursing care, would the doctor let her come home now?"

Benji frowned as he glanced around. "Here? She couldn't even get up the stairs, and there's no elevator."

"No, baby, my penthouse."

"Why would she be going to your penthouse?"

"Because that's where you and Jamie will be."

"Burke—"

I held up my hand to stop Benji. "There's no point in arguing with me, Benji. It's the safest place for all of you. I have an entire security team that works for me, and my penthouse is more secure than Fort Knox."

"Burke, I can't ask you to—"

"You can." I pointed to the ring I'd placed on Benji's hand. "That ring right there says you can." I was kind of surprised it was still there.

Benji's brow flickered a little as he glanced down at the ring.

"Baby, let me do this for you." I walked over to stand in front of him and then curled one arm around his neck. I held Jamie with the other one. "Let me take some of this load off of your shoulders so you don't have to carry so much. I promise I'll stop issuing orders…at some point."

I had no idea when.

It was kind of ingrained in my personality.

"Just give me a chance to prove to you that I'm a good guy. Please?"

"I always knew you were a good guy, Burke," Benji replied. "That was never our problem."

I wasn't so sure of that. Good guys didn't run away like cowards.

"Please?" I knew I'd won this round when Benji's shoulders slumped. I pulled him into my chest and pressed my face to the top of his head. "Thank you, Benji. I won't let you down."

Benji's eyes were narrowed again when he leaned back. "If you fuck this up, you won't be just letting me down." He nodded to the infant sleeping against my chest. "You'll be letting him down, and his mother."

I nodded my understanding. This was my one shot. If I screwed up, Benji wouldn't just kick me to the curb. He'd rip out my heart and feed it to me.

"Go finish packing." I gave him a little push toward the bedroom. "I have a few phone calls to make."

I waited until Benji walked away before pulling out my Bluetooth and connecting it to my ear. Then I used my cell phone to call Knox's private doctor to request his presence up at Mercy General. I wanted him to take a look at Jenna and see what kind of condition she was in. I was hoping she could come home with us if she had around-the-clock care. If not, I wanted her to have the best care money could buy.

She was getting upgraded.

Next, I called Jerome, our butler, and asked him to arrange for a brand new crib and whatever a baby might need for a few days to be put in my spare room. I'm sure he thought the request strange, but no stranger than anything else one of us had asked for.

My next call was to Knox.

"How'd it go?" Knox asked as soon as he answered. "Did he slam the door in your face?"

"No, not exactly, but there has been a development." I quickly gave Knox a rundown on everything that had occurred since we had pulled up in front of the apartment building until when I called him.

It was kind of a long list.

"He didn't give you a name?"

"Name?" I asked.

"Did he tell you who Jamie's father was?"

"Oh, no. He just said he was someone powerful."

"Hmm."

"I need to figure out how to keep this guy from taking Jamie. Benji says he's got a family out of the country all set up to adopt him, except his name isn't even on the birth certificate. I don't think that's legal, especially since it goes against the mother's wishes. Only, she's in the hospital recovering and can't fight this asshole right now. I need some ideas."

"How invested in this are you?"

I glanced toward the bedroom doorway where I could see Benji darting back and forth as he packed bags for him and Jamie. I knew without a doubt I would do anything for the man. I'd gotten my foot in the door because Benji had needed me. I had to make myself indispensable to him so he could never get rid of me.

"Totally invested."

"Then I think I have an idea, but you're probably not going to like it."

I sighed. "Tell me."

"Do a Brittany."

I know I was tired and stressed out, but that did not explain why that made no sense. "Come again?"

"Get this girl to sign something that says you're the father so you can get your name on the birth certificate. Send Sergei to get a DNA test from her and then one from you and then have him make sure the two match on a DNA report that says the kid is yours. Once you have that, there isn't anything this guy can do to take Jamie away because it won't be his kid."

I was stunned for a moment and then I started to laugh. I couldn't even stop laughing when Benji stuck his head out of the bedroom and stared at me.

I had been so pissed when Brittany Fox had tried to convince me she was pregnant with my kid. I'd asked for a pregnancy test, knowing how obsessed she was about marrying a rich man. When she showed me a pregnancy stick, I'd threatened her with a court order to make her go to a reputable lab and have a test done.

I had been equally furious and devastated when I learned that not only was she not pregnant, but she had never been pregnant. Furious because she had tried to trap me into marriage by saying she was pregnant with my kid. Devastated because having a kid hadn't sounded that bad. I just hadn't wanted to have one with Brittany.

I'd take Jenna's kid any day.

Once my amusement at the situation waned, I was able to talk to Knox again. "I'll do it."

"Seriously?" Knox asked. "I thought you were laughing because it was a stupid idea."

"No, I was laughing because it's the perfect idea, and you probably wouldn't have thought of it if Brittany hadn't tried to trap us both into marriage by saying we knocked her up."

She'd tried the same thing Knox, only they had never slept together. Of course, that had led Knox to declaring to the world that he was gay and marrying Newt, so it had worked out for them, and little Miss Brittany Fox had gone away after shooting Newt because she needed some serious help.

"I'll get started on my end. Can you call Andrew and ask him to draw up the papers and bring them to Mercy General, room two-thirty-two? I want this dealt with as quickly as possible so Jamie is no longer in danger."

"I can do that," Knox said.

"I'm bringing Benji and Jamie back to the penthouse. I've already called Jerome and asked him to dig up a crib and whatever stuff a baby might need for a few days and put it in my spare room."

"I'll ask Mary to make you all something to eat. I'm sure you'll be hungry by the time you get here."

"Probably."

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Burke? Newt and I are at your disposal."

"I'll let you know. Right now, getting Benji and Jamie out of this apartment and then up to the hospital is at the top of my list. Depending on Jenna's condition, she'll either be coming home with us or be transferred to another hospital."

"How bad is she?"

"From what Benji says, it's bad. Several broken bones, punctured lung, internal injuries." I tried to draw in a calming breath as I glanced down at the baby on my chest, but it just wasn't possible. "They beat her up when she was pregnant, Knox. She almost lost him."

"Fuck!"

"They had to take Jamie early. He's so small, Knox. Like a little doll. He couldn't weigh more than seven or eight pounds. Hell, I think I've lifted books heavier than this kid."

"Any chance Sergei got pictures of the guys who broke into Benji's apartment?"

"I guess so. Why?"

"I want him to start looking into them, find out who they are working for. I think it might be a good idea to start building a case against these guys. I'll have Andrew get a copy of the police report when he goes down to the station."

"Yes, that would probably be a good idea."

I wasn't happy with the fact that I still didn't know who the father was. That was something I'd have to talk to Benji about, but not right now. I knew he was too worried about Jamie's safety and his sister's health to worry about that right now. Hopefully, I could help fix some of that for him, if not all of it.

"I'll call you if anything else comes up," I said. "We're headed to the hospital next."

"I'll call Andrew right now and have him get those papers down to you for Jamie."

"Thanks, Knox."

"It's no problem. You helped me out with my love life. It's only fair that I help you out with your love life."

"We're both screwed when it's Crosby's turn."

Knox chuckled. "I know, right?"

"I'll talk to you later, man."

"Later."

I hung up and slid my phone back into my pocket. When I glanced to Jamie again, I found a pair of inquisitive brown eyes staring back at me. "Well, hello, Mr. Jamie."

Chapter Four

~ Benjamin ~

I walked out of the bedroom just in time to hear Burke talking to Jamie. I paused and stared, shocked by how natural he looked with a baby in his arms. The man really should pursue his grandparents' wish for him to have kids. He'd probably be great at it.

I rolled my eyes.

I really needed to stop thinking like that. Burke wasn't going to stick around. He didn't do that. He'd already proved that. I don't know what he was playing at right now, but it wasn't going to end well for me. I was headed for heartache.

I set the two bags I'd packed down on the floor then walked over to take Jamie from Burke. "I need to get him ready to go."

It was a process.

Burke followed me when I carried Jamie back into the bedroom and laid him down in the middle of the bed. I ignored him and quickly changed Jamie's diaper then dressed him in footed pajamas and his outdoor bunny suit.

I picked him up and started for the door when I realized I'd forgotten one very important item. I gasped as I turned to look at Burke. "We need a car seat."

Burke smiled as he glanced toward Boris. "Run to the closest store and buy a car seat. Be as quick as you can, but make sure you get the best quality and safest one you can find. We'll get a better one tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Boris rushed out of the room.

"Burke!"

The crazy bastard’s eyebrow arched as a sly grin spread across his lips. "Yes?"

"Jamie doesn't need two car seats."

"He needs a car seat right now so we can get him home, but tomorrow, I'll do a little research and find the best one for him." Burke reached over and rubbed his finger over Jamie's chin. "Nothing is too good for this little man."

Disconcerted by this version of Burke that I'd never seen, I pointedly looked away. "I guess we should go."

"You're right," Burke said as he walked over and picked up the two bags I'd set down then started across the room. "We should get going."

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked as I followed Burke out the door of my apartment.

I'd never been to his place. He'd always come to my apartment to see me. It wasn't until after he left me that I realized we never went to his place or even out in public because he was trying to hide his relationship with me.

"The first place we're going is up to the hospital to see your sister. I called my personal doctor and asked him to go up and take a look at her to see if she has to stay in the hospital or if she can come home with us. If she has to stay in the hospital, I'm having her moved to St. Angelo's Medical Center because it is a much better hospital. I'm hoping the doctor will allow her to come home with us. I'll arrange for her to have a twenty-four-hour nurse if need be, but I think you and her would feel better if you weren't apart."

Burke glanced over his shoulder at me just as we reached the bottom of the stairs. "Whichever happens, you need to know I've assigned Jenna a bodyguard to watch over her, one with medical training. He'll know what she needs and he'll keep her safe. No one is going to get to her unless they go through him first."

My relief was instant. The need to hug Burke rode me strong, and I had to fight my own battle of personal restraint to stay where I was. "Thank you."

"I told you I would take care of this, baby, and I will."

I had no idea what to say to that, if anything.

Was there anything to say?

I followed Burke out the front door and across the street to a large black SUV. Sergei opened the passenger door while Boris went around to the back of the vehicle and opened the hatch, taking the bags from Burke.

My eyes widened when I looked inside the SUV. It didn't just have two bench seats, one behind the other, like most large SUVs. It had two bench seats facing each other. It was like a limousine on steroids.

I glanced at the car seat sitting in the middle of the bench seat farthest to the back of the vehicle. As car seats went, it was actually a fairly good one. I didn't own a car so there was no reason for a car seat, but I'd looked at them after Jamie came home just in case I eventually got a car.

I climbed into the car and fastened Jamie into the car seat before buckling myself in. Burke climbed into the other side and buckled up. Sergei slid in and sat across from us, closest to the partition separating us from the driver.

When the car started moving, I glanced at Burke. "We're really going to the hospital?"

"We are."

My heart skipped a beat at the devastating grin Burke gave me. No man should look that hot just from smiling. And, after he left me the way he did, I should be a whole lot more immune to that sexy grin than I was.

I was doomed.

Burke's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, glanced at the screen, and then put it to his ear. "Andrew." He nodded a couple of times. "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I want. Okay, we'll meet you at the hospital. I'll want those papers filed just as soon as she signs them." One more nod. "Okay, we'll see you then."

He hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket then turned to look at me. "That was my lawyer. He's going to meet us at the hospital."

"Why?"

"I'm taking the steps necessary to keep anyone from ever taking Jamie from Jenna. It's going to take a little fancy footwork on all our parts, but it'll keep Jamie safe."

I regarded Burke with somber curiosity. "How?"

"If I can get Jenna to agree, I'm going to claim him as my kid. Once my name is on the birth certificate and we have the DNA tests to prove I'm the father, there's nothing anyone can do."

"What?" That wasn't possible. He wasn't the father. He'd never even met Jenna. "How can you do that? You're not his father."

"True, but no one will know that except us."

"Not if you have DNA tests," I insisted.

Burke grinned again as he reached across the baby to pat the hand I had resting on the edge of the car seat. "Don't worry. Jamie's DNA tests will say I'm his father."

"Burke—"

"I'm not trying to take Jenna's baby from her. I'm just trying to ensure she has time to recover without this hanging over her head. She doesn't need the stress and neither do you. It can't be good for either of you."

Well, that was true.

"I…I don't know what to say."

I really didn't.

"Just help me convince Jenna that this is the best thing for everyone," Burke said. "I've even had my lawyer draw up a paper saying I won't ever try and take custody from her, so I don't want you to worry about that. I just want you all to be safe."

I nodded absently, still stunned.

"Now, as far as anyone will know, I met Jenna through you when we were dating. In my bid to prove that I was straight, I slept with her. That's why we broke up. When I came back for you, I discovered that Jamie was my kid. The timeline will match up."

It actually did.

"Are you sure you want everyone thinking you cheated?"

Burke shrugged. "Well, considering how much I was fighting the idea of being gay, it makes sense. You and I will know the difference." Burke flashed me another one of those grins that made me feel as if the ground was shifting beneath me feet. "And just think, you'll be the good guy because you forgave me and took me back even after I screwed up."

I was pretty sure that made me an idiot.

I turned to look out the window, unsure of what to say. I'd been feeling like that pretty much from the moment Burke walked through the door. My mind was chaotic. I wanted Burke here more than I wanted my next breath, but I didn't trust him not to leave again. He'd done it before. Why should now be any different?

By the time we pulled up in front of the hospital, I was so tired, my nerves throbbed. I just wanted to go home and sleep, but that wasn't an option. I needed to deal with this situation with Jamie and Jenna.

Besides, I had no idea where I'd be sleeping tonight.

When I went to unbuckle Jamie, Burke beat me to it. "I've got Jamie. Why don't you grab the baby bag?"

Yeah, I could do that.

I climbed out of the car and walked around to the back. Boris was already standing there with the baby bag.

"I would be happy to carry it for you, Mr. Hart."

I nodded as I walked around him and then over to the side of the car where Burke was waiting for me. It was a little strange to be referred to as if I mattered or was someone more important when I wasn't.

I came from a middle-class family. My father had been a high school principal and my mother had been a teacher. That was how they’d met. Jenna and I had lost both of them in a car accident when we were twenty. Now, I just had Jenna and Jamie, and I'd do anything I could to keep them safe, even dance with the devil.

I smirked when Burke wrapped an arm around my waist.

Speaking of the devil.

"Something amusing?" he asked.

"Not that you'll ever know," I replied.

Burke chuckled, but didn't dig, and I was grateful for that. There were just some things that needed to remain private.

"If you see Jamie's sperm donor or any of the guys who have been hassling you, say something, okay? I can't protect you if I don't know who I'm fighting."

"I've never actually met any of them before tonight." I didn't want to meet them again either. "The father had shown up to see Jenna a couple of times back when she was living in her apartment, but it's like he waited to make sure she was alone. I never saw him."

"What happened when Jenna got hurt?"

I really didn't want to think about it, but I guessed I had no choice. "After he tried to convince her to give Jamie up for adoption, Jenna told him that she didn't want anything from him, but she wasn't giving Jamie up. He was pissed, but the threats didn't really start coming until she was about six months along."

"What sort of threats?"

I frowned as I thought about Burke's question, my mind rolling over the memories of the last few months. "It was nothing concrete in the beginning. Phone calls where someone would hang up, the feeling like someone was following us home, stupid stuff like that. When Jenna was about six months along, she lost her job and had to move in with me, and that's when things escalated."

"Escalated how?" Burke growled.

I glanced at him in surprise at the harsh tone. Burke's jaw was clenched.

"Benji?"

"Oh, um, I got mugged, and then things started going bad at the restaurant, people getting food poisoning and complaining about the food. Of course, I got fired. After that, it was almost impossible to find a job. I'd have one just long enough to make it to my first paycheck, and then I'd get fired for something stupid."

"Is that why you were working under the table?"

"No, after Jenna got attacked, I decided I needed to be invisible so I couldn't be found. I met Emma one day on the bus on my way up to the hospital to see Jenna. This was before Jamie was born. We got to talking and the story just came out. She took me home to meet her parents and told them everything. They hired me and offered to pay me under the table and allowed me to use the apartment above the coffee shop."

"You do know we found you because your name came up in the State Health Insurance Agency's database, don't you?"

"What?" I'd never applied for medical. "But, how—" I gasped as I realized what had happened. "It had to have been Kate. She kept telling me that Jamie needed to have medical insurance and he could be listed as my dependent. She probably signed me up."

"I doubt she meant any harm, but I suspect that is how you were found."

"Yeah." I couldn't be mad at Kate. She meant well, but I really wish she had talked to me first. Her and Walter, her husband, had been so good to me since their daughter, Emma, dragged me home and spilled my life out. I loved working for them, but now I'd have to leave.

I hated that.

"Tell me how Jenna got injured."

"I don't know much other than the fact that she was attacked. I was out job hunting. It was dark by the time I got home and found her on the living room floor. I called an ambulance and the police. They said she must have come home during a break-in, but I know it was them. They weren't just beating her up—they were trying to kill her."

"She was attacked in your apartment?"

"Our old apartment, before we moved. After she was attacked and had to stay in the hospital, I moved us to that one-bedroom. I didn't want her going back to that place, and I certainly didn't want Jamie going there. Luckily, that was right around the time I met Emma."

Apparently, that hadn't worked out well either.

"Well, let me tell you about my penthouse. There are two elevators, one for guests and one that is our private express elevator. It is only accessible if you have the passkey."

"Who has a passkey?"

"The owners, who include me and my two best friends, Crosby and Knox, and Knox's husband, Newt, our bodyguards, and our help, who have all had extensive background checks. I'm sure Sergei is arranging for you to get one as we speak."

"Why?"

"Because that is where you'll be living."

I wasn't going to argue that right now, but tomorrow was a different story.

"There are four sections to the top floor," Burke continued. "The lobby where the elevators are and three penthouse suites for Burke, Crosby, and me. Large sliding doors separate each penthouse. We can pull them back to allow access between all three places. This is useful for when we throw large parties. Otherwise, they stay closed and we each have our privacy."

"And you're at the very top?"

Burke nodded. "That's why they call it a penthouse, baby."

I shot Burke a narrow-eyed look.

He chuckled and then continued. "Our security lives on the floor directly beneath us, along with everyone who works exclusively in the penthouses. You'll meet them when we get home. Jerome is Knox's butler, but he often subs for me and Crosby as does Mary, who is Knox's cook."

"Why don't you have a butler and a cook, too?"

Burke shrugged. "I'm sure my grandparents wish I would get them, but I just don't see the reason for it. I can clean up after myself, answer my own door, and cook for myself, even if I am not as good as you." Burke groaned. "I don't think I've had a good meal since the last one you made for me. I miss your cooking."

My heart skipped a beat.

"I could cook for you."

Chapter Five

~ Burke ~

"I would love that, baby." I couldn't even begin to describe how much I would love that. Benji was an amazing cook. "I just don't want you to overtax yourself. You need to rest and get some of this stress off your shoulders."

"Cooking helps me relax."

I mentally pumped my fist. "If you feel up to it, but don't go to too much trouble."

"That's Jenna's room right up there."

I glanced down the hallway. I instantly recognized the large man standing beside the door, his hands casually clasped in front of him. "That's Dmitri," I explained. "I think he's a cousin of Sergei's or something."

"Another Russian?"

I shrugged. "They're all Russian."

I never really noticed it before now, but all of the men who worked security for Silver Spoons Inc. were Russian. I'd have to mention that to Knox and Crosby and see what they thought of that.

"I trust these men, Benji. They are trained to do their job, which is protection, and they are all very good at it."

"It's a little scary needing a bodyguard."

"I'm used to it. Just remember to do what they say when they say it. Their sole job is to keep you safe, and like I said, they are trained for it. Boris even took defensive driver training so he could get me out of trouble if someone started following us or shooting at us. Sergei and his two brothers are in charge of training them, and they expect the best."

"Jeez, do you have your own security force or what?"

That was not a bad idea. One more thing to talk to Knox and Crosby about.

"No, just guys we hired to keep us safe."

Right before we reached Jenna's room, I spotted Andrew standing by the nurses' station talking to the doctor I'd requested. "Baby, why don't you go in and see your sister? I need to talk to someone."

I waited until Benji walked into Jenna's room before heading over to where Andrew and the doctor were talking. "Gentlemen."

"Mr. Burke," Andrew said as he eyed the baby in my arms. "Sergei sent me the DNA records, and I've gotten the papers you requested drawn up. As soon as you and Ms. Hart sign them, I'll get them filed with the courts."

"Good, I'll being going in to talk to her in just a moment." I turned my attention to the doctor. "Can she go home with us or does she need to stay here? I'm not opposed to hiring around-the-clock care for her if that's what she needs."

"Considering her condition when she came, I believe she needs at least another week under hospital observation. If her condition continues to improve, I'm not opposed to her going home, as long as she has someone to care for her twenty-four hours a day."

I nodded my understanding. "I'm having her transferred to St. Angelo then. She can get better care there. I also want you to take over her case, get her whatever she needs, even if it seems trivial."

"You might want to think about bringing a plastic surgeon in," the doctor said. "The wounds on her face are going to scar over pretty hard if they are not treated properly. She's young, and these things are going to stick to her for life."

"Can you recommend anyone?"

"I can."

"Then call him and bring him in to see her. Like I said, I want her to have whatever she needs. Cost is not a problem. Just bill everything to me."

"I'll arrange a transfer to St. Angelo and then call my colleague and see how quickly he can fly out here to see her. He's based in Los Angeles."

"I'll fly her out there if I need to."

"Robert will fly out here if I ask him."

"One last thing." I lifted Jamie and held him out. "Can you look him over real quick? They had to take him early due to Jenna's injuries, and I just want to make sure there's no lasting aftereffects because of that."

I had no doubt that Benji had taken the best of care of his nephew, but Jamie was just so little, and he'd had quite the scare tonight. It was always better to safe than sorry.

"That won't be a problem." The doctor took Jamie out of my arms.

I followed him over to a gurney set against the wall and watched as the doctor unwrapped the baby and examined him from head to toe. It didn't take long and the doctor was smiling as he wrapped Jamie back up.

"I'd say this little guy is as right as rain." The doctor handed him back. "He's a little small, but that makes sense since he was taken early. He should be fine. Just keep an eye on him, and if you have any worries, you have my number."

"Thank you, Doctor." I cradled Jamie to my chest again and then reached out and shook the doctor's hand. "I'm sure we'll be calling. We're kind of new to this."

The doctor chuckled. "Being a new parent can be scary, but your son is fine."

My son.

That had a nice ring to it.

I walked back over to where Andrew was standing. "I'm going to go talk to Jenna. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Take your time, Mr. Burke. I'm fine."

It was after eight o'clock at night, and the guy was still on the clock. He definitely needed a raise. I'd just add that to my list of things to talk to Knox and Crosby about.

I nodded at Dmitri and then pushed the door of Jenna's room open and stepped inside. Benji was sitting in a chair next to the bed, holding his sister's hand as he talked to her. They both looked in my direction when I stepped into the room and shut the door behind me.

They also both had wary looks in their eyes.

I was shocked by the sight of the woman lying in the bed. I knew she and Benji were twins so they would look alike, but it was like a punch in the gut to see the female version of Benji lying in a hospital bed, all beat to shit.

Her sunlight blonde hair was longer than Benji's but not quite as lustrous. The pain in her moss green eyes almost gutted me, especially since it was hard to see them through her swollen features.

For a woman who had been in the hospital for a month, I thought she'd be more healed than this. She looked as if she'd just gotten beat up. Her leg was in a cast, she had an IV in her arm, and bandages covering several spots on her face.

She looked as if she had been through hell.

"Benji?" I walked over to stand next to him, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Is Jenna up for holding Jamie?"

"Yeah, I think so."

I stepped past Benji and carefully laid Jamie down on the hospital bed next to his mother. "Hello, Ms. Jenna." I smiled at the woman. "I've very much enjoyed getting to know your son."

Tears sprang to Jenna's eyes as she stared down at her son.

I stepped back to give her a private moment with Jamie, but stayed close enough to help if there was an issue. I don't know how long I stood there watching the pair reunite before arms wrapped around me.

"Thank you, Burke," Benji whispered.

I grabbed Benji and pulled him close to me before bending over to press a kiss to the top of his head. "Anything for you, Benji."

And I meant it even if Benji didn't believe me. I still had a lot to make up for, and only time would do that. I just had to keep on proving to Benji that he could depend on me until he started to believe it.

"Jenna," I said after a few minutes, "I'd like to talk to you about this situation with Jamie and his sperm donor." I refused to consider that man Jamie's father. "I have an idea of how we can get this man out of your life permanently."

At least, I hoped so.

"You think you can get him out of our lives for good?"

"I do, but it's going to take a lot of trust on your part." I shot her a cocky grin. "And a little fabrication."

"I'm listening."

Okay then.

"You know Benji and I were dating for a while just about the time you got pregnant." I had no doubt that she knew. She was Benji's twin sister after all. "You also know I fucked up when I left Benji because I was scared of everyone knowing I was in a relationship with another man."

Jenna glanced at Benji. "I know." Her eyes were narrowed and flaming with anger when she looked back. "And I should skin you for hurting him like you did."

I smiled despite the threat. "Not all of us are as comfortable being out and proud as Benji is. It took a lot of soul searching for me to even admit to myself that I'm gay, let alone the entire world."

"And have you?" Jenna asked. "Have you admitted it to the world?"

"I've admitted it to the people who are important to me. I could care less what the rest of the world thinks."

Jenna smiled. "Go on."

"The story we are going to go with is that Benji and I were dating while I was still fighting being gay. In a bid to be straight, I slept with you, and that's why Benji and I broke up. When I got my head out of my ass and came back, I discovered you had given birth to my son."

Jenna's face paled. "Your son?"

"Only on paper, Jenna. My lawyer has a document for both of us to sign that states I am his father and that I will not try and take custody from you at any point. What we are basically doing is giving him my name and giving me the power to protect him. My bodyguard has drawn up a DNA report that says your DNA and my DNA match as Jamie's biological parents."

Jenna's frown was immediate. "How does that work?"

"Well, Jamie and I both have brown eyes and brown hair. If anyone was to look at Jamie, they'd never be able to tell he isn't my kid, and the report Sergei got for me says Jamie shares my DNA with you."

"I don't know."

"Once my name is on Jamie's birth certificate and word gets around that I have a son, there's no way this guy will have a chance in hell of taking Jamie from you. We'll have the courts on our side."

Maybe.

If we weren't caught.

"He'll just contest it," Jenna insisted. "I think he's getting a lot of money for Jamie in that adoption deal or something. That's the only reason I can think of for him to go to these lengths to get him."

"Who is he anyway?" I glanced between Jenna and Benji. "Who is this boogeyman who has the two of you so scared?"

Jenna looked at Benji, who nodded his head.

"Tell him, Jenna. He needs to know."

Jenna sighed and kind of folded in on herself. "Senator Baines."

My eyebrows rose swiftly to the top of my hairline. "Senator Walter Baines?"

Jenna nodded. "Do you know him?"

"We've met." And the guy was an ass. Somehow, it didn't surprise me that he'd pull something like this. "He's currently having an affair with the mother of one of my best friends. She's hoping to charm him enough to marry him."

"He's already married," Jenna insisted.

"No, he's not."

Jenna gasped and paled. "He told me he was."

Now, I felt like crap.

Hot, boiled crap.

"Jenna, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he was just telling you that so you'd never try to get him to marry you. He's been feeding that same line to girls for years. He's married, but she doesn't understand him. She doesn't love him like he needs to be loved. Blah, blah, blah. He's not married. He hasn't been married in over twenty years, not since his wife died."

"Oh, god, I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not." I reached over to gently pat Jenna's arm. "You got taken in by a pro. Why do you think he makes such a good politician? He's a conman, and he's good at getting people to see what he wants them to see."

And that might actually be a problem.

"I need you to take the power out of his hands, Jenna. As long as he thinks he can get his hands on Jamie, he won't stop coming after him. If we take the power away from him by taking his connection to Jamie away, he can't win."

I'd ensure it.

"Let me be Jamie's father, even if it's only on paper."

Jenna sniffled and then wiped at her eyes before glancing down at her son, who had fallen asleep somewhere during all of this. "I'd sign him over the devil himself to keep him out of Walter's hands."

A burst of laughter flew out of Benji's mouth. When I glanced at him, he quickly pressed his lips together and shook his head.

I frowned before looking back at Jenna. "Can I have my lawyer come in so we can sign the papers?"

Jenna glanced at her brother again. "Benji?"

"I trust him, Jenna. Burke's just trying to help us."

"You trust him even after what he did?" Jenna asked.

I turned to look at Benji, curious about that answer myself, and met a set of moss-green eyes staring back at me.

Benji smiled. "Yes, Jenna, even after that, I trust him."

My heart sang with delight, and a whole lot of relief. Having Benji's trust, even if it just pertained to taking care of Jamie, was half the battle. Trust had to come first because I'd broken his trust when I left.

Getting him to admit he loved me as much as I loved him was next on my agenda.

Chapter Six

~ Benjamin ~

Life became a whirlwind after Jenna gave her agreement. The lawyer came in, and Jenna and Burke signed a bunch of papers. After the lawyer left, the doctor was next. He explained to Jenna about her being transferred to a better hospital and the other doctors he'd called in to treat her.

Tears of happiness flooded Jenna's eyes when the man told her about the plastic surgeon Burke was hiring to see if he could do anything about the wounds on her face.

I could have kissed him for that alone.

We waited until the transport team arrived to take Jenna to St. Angelo's Medical Center. They had to dope her up for the ride, but I suspect she was quite excited to be flying in a medical helicopter with a handsome, muscular bodyguard at her side.

That wasn't something that happened often in our world, if ever.

I felt a little lighter as I watched the helicopter lift off and fly away. "Thank you for this, Burke."

He really didn't have to do it.

Flowers would probably have worked.

I was easy.

I turned to look at the tall, imposing man. "What are you getting out of all of this?"

People just didn't do things like this out of the goodness of their hearts, even though I did know Burke had a good heart. I might have been angry at him and hurt, but I never forgot that part.

"You."

"Huh?"

Burke smirked. "I get you, baby, or at least a chance with you."

I was still lost, and Burke must have seen it in my face because his smirk turned into a chuckle as he drew me into the circle of his arms.

"I just want a chance with you, Benji, an honest chance."

My eyebrows lifted of their own accord. "So, you changed my world."

"No!" Burke frowned. "Well, yes, but that's not why I did it. That world was weighing you down so much, you couldn't even see me. If I can take some of that load off of you, then maybe you might give me a chance to show you that I really do want you, that I'm not an idiot, and that I can learn from my mistakes."

Burke smiled then, and it sent my heart beating so fast, I was afraid it was going to beat right out of my chest.

"Maybe it will give me a chance to prove to you that I mean it when I say I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"What?" I gasped.

Burke lifted the hand with his ring. He stared at it for a moment before turning it over and pressing a kiss to my palm. "This doesn't have to be just for show, Benji. I picked this ring out not to pretend to the world that we were engaged so we could save Jamie. I didn't even know about Jamie when I bought it for you. I picked it out because when I saw it, it reminded me of you."

"Me?"

"It's a perfectly formed circle, never ending. It's simple, but glamorous at the same time. Pure 18K platinum so it will stand the test of time. It's strong, just like you are. It shines and sparkles with diamonds, just like you do, but it's understated, not showy." Burke shot me one of his cocky grins. "Just like you."

I wasn't so sure about that. Anything with five diamonds in it was pretty damn showy as far as I was concerned. I'd never seen a ring this expensive before, and that was a little scary.

All of this was scary.

"I don't want you to answer right now." Burke pressed one more kiss to my palm before curling my fingers up into a fist as if he was afraid I was about to fling the ring off my finger. "But please, think about it."

Just to be clear… "What exactly am I thinking about?"

"Spending the rest of your life with me."

I swallowed tightly. "That's what I thought."

"Will you give me a chance, Benji?"

I wasn't ready to say no, but I wasn't ready to say yes yet either. "Can I think about it?" I didn't want to hurt Burke's feelings, but I really needed to think about it, and frankly, I was too exhausted to do anything but go find a flat surface before I crashed.

Burke smiled, but I could see sadness in his brown eyes. "Of course. Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."

I hoped not, because I was pretty sure I needed him at this point.

"Ready to head home?"

I nodded.

The trip from the helicopter pad down to the car in the parking lot and then across town to Burke's penthouse was a lot like how the rest of the day had gone. A whirlwind. I felt as if I was just along for the ride.

Add in the fact that I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open and I couldn't stop thinking about what Burke had said, and I was feeling pretty lost and confused. All of my loneliness and confusion welded together in one upsurge of devouring longing for a man who might not be mine.

By the time Boris opened my door in the underground parking garage of Burke's building, I was fighting off tears. I was simply ready for this day to be done.

"Come on, baby."

I kept a tight hold of Jamie as Burke escorted me to the elevator, followed by Sergei and Boris with our bags. The trip up in the elevator took just minutes so I knew we were in the express elevator Burke had told me about. I was just glad when we reached the top and the door opened to the lobby between the three penthouses.

"I'm the penthouse in the middle," Burke explained. "Knox and Newt's place is on the left. Crosby is on the right, but he's in London right now."

That meant less people to deal with in my book.

"Does this penthouse come with a bed?"

Burke's left eyebrow raised a fraction. "It does."

"Any chance I can use it? I'm dead on my feet, Burke, and Jamie is going to be up in a couple of hours. I need sleep."

Like now.

"Of course, of course."

Burke turned and opened the door before grabbing my arm and pulling me in after him. I could have cared less what the place looked like as he led me through it, but I did catch glimpses of cream-colored couches and dark tiki coffee tables as we passed them.

I wanted to look more, but my eyes were starting to droop. "Where can I put Jamie?"

"Jerome set up a nursery for him. It's right here."

Burke opened the door, and I stepped in. I'd been expecting a basinet or something. I was not expecting a fully outfitted nursery, right down to a set of baby monitors sitting on top of the dresser. A white crib complete with a colorful blankets and bumper guard sat on the far wall. There was also a matching changing table and bookshelf filled with books and stuffed animals.

I took a few steps inside the room. I knew my jaw was hanging down as I slowly turned in a complete circle, but come on. This place was insane. "How did you do all of this? You haven't even known about Jamie for a day."

"I'm afraid I can't take credit for it. Jerome did it."

"Jerome the butler?"

Burke nodded. "I called him and asked him to create a nursery for Jamie. What do you think?"

"It's amazing." This was nothing like the crib I'd had pushed up against the wall back in my apartment.

"I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed to take care of Jamie."

"Well, I think you've done it." And then some. I walked over to the changing table and laid Jamie down. "Can you get the baby bag? I want to change Jamie and get him ready for bed."

"It’s right here, Mr. Hart," Boris said as he walked in with the baby bag. He set it down next to the changing table. "Ms. Mary is making a bottle for the little guy."

"Thank you."

"I'll go get it for you, Benji," Burke said as he turned and walked out of the room.

Boris smiled. "Don't worry. Ms. Mary has three grandkids. She knows what she's doing."

"I wasn't worried," I replied, even though I had been. "Burke only employs the best people."

I quickly and efficiently changed Jamie's diaper and then put him in a different outfit, one he could sleep in. Burke walked into the room just as I finished and picked Jamie up. I took the bottle he held out then walked over and sat in the rocking chair in the corner. Jamie immediately latched onto the nipple of the bottle and began eagerly eating.

These were the times I liked the most. Just sitting there holding Jamie, watching him eat or sleep. It was quiet except for the sounds of Jamie's slurping.

"His name is James Alexander."

I stilled for a moment then slowly raised my eyes. Burke had his hands in the pockets of his slacks as he leaned casually against the doorframe. I swallowed tightly when I met Burke's stormy brown eyes.

"It is."

I hadn't thought he'd caught on to that.

"You named him after me."

James Alexander.

Alexander James.

Yeah, there was no way I could escape that connection.

I had named Jamie after Burke. Jenna hadn't been awake to name him, and I knew from our conversations before she was attacked that she had no names picked out. I'd chosen the first one that had come to mind. I figured Jenna could always change it later if she wanted to, but she hadn't. She loved the name, so it stuck.

"I did," I admitted. There was no point in lying. "I've always liked the name."

Burke nodded, but didn't say anything. Still, I could see an ocean of emotion floating in his eyes. I wished that I could read what each and every one of them was, but it had been too long and Burke was still a mystery to me.

I set the bottle on the edge of the dresser and then transferred Jamie to my shoulder. Even though I had looked away, I could feel Burke's eyes on me as I gently patted Jamie's back. Burping a baby after a meal was an absolute must.

The resulting air bubble tummy ache the very first time I'd forgot that rule had sent me and Jamie straight to the emergency room the first time. I'd been in a panic, even while the hugely amused doctor explained to me what was going on. I'd never forgotten to burp Jamie since.

I heard Burke chuckle when Jamie let out a burp worthy of a lumberjack. I just hoped there was no spillage down my back. It had happened more than once.

As carefully as I could, I stood and carried Jamie over to the crib. I laid him down and then covered him with the light blanket folded at the end of the crib. I stayed bent over the crib for a moment, slowly stroking my hand down Jamie's back.

He'd been born into a horrible world. I was clawing at everything to build him a new world to grow up in. There were times when I felt I was sinking and others where I could see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I just hoped that light wasn't an oncoming train.

I stood up straight when Burke crossed the room only to watch him grab the baby monitor off the dresser. He turned one on and then the other before flashing me a smile. "Ready for bed?"

I nodded as I headed for the hallway.

Burke turned on the lamp on the dresser and then walked to the doorway. He flipped off the light before looking back at the crib. I had no idea what he was looking at, but he nodded and walked out of the room, pulling the door almost all of the way closed.

I blinked in surprise when he reached down and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, baby. Let's get you to bed."

Oh, I would be so ever grateful.

I followed Burke like an eager child after an ice cream cone. He led me to a room two doors down. After opening the door, he held it open for me. I stepped inside and glanced around. I instantly realized I was standing in Burke's bedroom.

Besides the massive bed in the middle of the room, I could see hints of Burke everywhere. A book on the nightstand. The burgundy-colored robe thrown carelessly over the end of the bed. A bottle of Clive Christian No.1 on the dresser. A pair of Berluti Dune leather buckle shoes pushed halfway under the end of the bed.

Wait.

How did I know all of this stuff? My shoes cost me twenty bucks. How in the hell did I know Burke wore two-thousand-dollar Berluti shoes? Or wore Clive Christian No.1? Had I paid that much attention when Burke had been around before?

I must have.

That was the only way to explain it.

Unfortunately, my sudden insight also told me I was way out of my league. Who spent two thousand dollars on a pair of shoes? That was insane. I was pretty sure I could get shoes just as nice for a tenth of that price.

This was never going to work.

"Let me help you."

I jolted when Burke's hands brushed my sides as he grabbed the hem of my shirt and started pulling it up. I dutifully raised my arms, unsure of what else to do.

Besides, it felt nice to have someone take care of me for once. I'd been in caretaker mode for so long, I could barely remember a time when I wasn't. I just wanted a few minutes to feel as if the world wasn't weighing me down.

Was that too much to ask?

"No, baby, it's not."

Oops.

Had I said that out loud?

"Let me take care of you, Benji," Burke murmured as he pulled my shirt off over my head. "Just close your eyes. Let me do all the work."

I did as Burke suggested, and before I knew it, I was naked and being led into the bathroom. As tired as I was, I didn't have the energy to argue with Burke when he tugged me into the shower.

I groaned when hot water splashed down on my skin. I didn't really need a shower, but I totally understood the merits of it when Burke started washing my hair.

I might have groaned again.

I admitted nothing.

I stood there like a wet noodle as I was scrubbed from head to toe, rinsed off, and then led out of the shower and dried with the fluffiest warm towel I'd ever felt in my life.

Who knew heated towels were a thing?

"Come on, baby," Burke said in a calm, soothing voice. "Just a few more steps and then you can rest."

Rest sounded good. Glorious.

I couldn't wait.

Burke led me back into the bedroom and over to the massive bed I'd seen when I walked into the room. The covers had already been flipped back so when he had me sit down and then lay back and stretch out, I was able to slide right under them.

My eyes closed again before my head even hit the pillow. I heard Burke moving around in the room, but I didn't have the energy to open them to see what he was doing. Not until the mattress depressed next to me and I was pulled into his arms.

"Burke."

Burke pressed a kiss to the top of my head before sliding his hand down my back. "Go to sleep, Benji. Nothing is going to happen tonight. Just sleep."

Nothing was going to happen tonight?

Did that mean something was going to happen at some point?

That thought both terrified me and excited me.

I had obviously lost my ever-loving mind.

Chapter Seven

~ Burke ~

Sleeping with Benji in my arms was an effort in futility. I doubted I got a single wink. I never expected the first time we actually slept in the same bed, I'd be holding him and watching over him instead of recovering from a mind-blowing orgasm.

When we'd been together before, I had never spent the night. I'd always left at the end, afraid of the commitment involved with actually sleeping with someone. I'd never stuck around to see where things might go in the morning.

I'd never done a lot of things.

We always stayed in at his place, had dinner at his place, and fucked at his place. We'd never done anything that would have clued another human being into the fact that we were in a relationship.

I planned to change that.

I wanted the entire world to know we were in a relationship. That he was mine and I was his. I'd tattoo it on his forehead if I thought I could get away with it. A ring would do nicely in exchange.

I lifted my head and looked toward the baby monitor on the nightstand when I heard a small whimper of sound. I waited a moment to see if there was another one. When I heard a second one, I carefully moved out from under Benji and then tucked the blankets back around him before climbing out of bed.

I grabbed a pair of lounge pants and pulled them up my legs and then walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the nursery. Jamie was just gearing up to go full blast when I plucked him out of the crib and held him to my chest.

"Hey, now, nothing can be that bad."

From the smell, it could.

I wrinkled my nose as I carried him over to the changing table. I'd never done this before, but how hard could it be? I grabbed a clean diaper, some diaper wipes, and baby powder, things I'd seen people use in movies and TV commercials.

As soon as I popped open Jamie's diaper, I knew I'd made a mistake.

"Holy—" I held Jamie in place with one hand and covered my mouth with the other, gagging.

How? He was maybe seven, eight pounds tops. How did something so small create a rancid smell that bad? It might possibly be the worst thing I'd ever smelled in my life.

I had to swallow several times before I could get to work removing that smell. I briefly considered saving it to use as germ warfare. I was sure there was a market for it somewhere.

I could make millions.

Billions.

Oh well. I already had billions, but this would be easy money. They wouldn't have to do anything to it to make it lethal.

It took longer than I wanted to admit to get Jamie cleaned up and wrapped up in a clean diaper. It took two diapers before I got it right. By the time I was done, I was positive Jamie was laughing at me.

I prayed it wasn't gas.

I disposed of the dirty diaper and then carried Jamie into the kitchen. I knew there was a bottle of formula on the counter. I just wasn't sure how exactly to make a bottle, but I could read directions.

When I reached the kitchen, I grabbed one of the cans of formula and read the side. Twice. Once I felt I could make a bottle without poisoning the poor kid, I went about it. It was a little awkward using only one hand since the other one was cuddling Jamie close to my chest, but I got the job done.

Made a mess, but I still did it.

As soon as the bottle was warm enough, I tested it on my wrist. I had no idea if I was doing it right, but that's what people on TV did. Jamie certainly seemed to think I'd done a good job when I stuck the nipple in his mouth. He started sucking the crap down like it was the finest aged whiskey ever distilled.

I smiled as I started rocking back and forth, watching Jamie eat. I slowly made my way out to the living room where the floor to ceiling windows were located. It gave me the perfect view of all the city lights. I wasn't sure it was a view a newborn infant could appreciate, but I could.

"What are you doing?"

I turned to find Benji leaning against the wall by the hallway entrance. He was dressed in my burgundy-colored robe and nothing else. I could see his bare feet sticking out the bottom of the large robe.

He looked adorable.

"Jamie and I were just having a little snack."

Benji smiled as he walked into the living room and right up to me. I inhaled a shaky breath when he stood right in front of me, and his heady scent wrapped around me. I was pretty sure the sleepy-eyed look he wore added to his allure at that point. All I wanted to do was pull him into my arms and cuddle him.

"He's asleep," Benji whispered.

I glanced down and then slowly smiled. The nipple had fallen out of Jamie's lips and a droplet of formula clung to the corner of his mouth. I handed Benji the bottle and then carefully brought Jamie up to my shoulder. It didn't take more than a couple of gentle pats on his back before he let out a burp.

"He needs to be changed before we lay him back down."

"Already done."

Benji's eyebrows lifted. "You changed his diaper?"

I grinned, amused by the shock on Benji's face. "Why is that so surprising?"

I wasn't about to admit it took three diapers before I got it right.

Benji shook his head. "I guess I just never imagined you changing diapers."

"I guess I kind of have to now." Technically, on paper and to the whole world, Jamie was my son. Only a few people would know he actually wasn't, and one of them stood in front of me. "We should probably get this little guy laid down then get to bed ourselves. Morning will be here soon enough."

When Benji nodded and turned, walking back down the hallway, I followed. As much as I liked seeing him in my robe—and I really did—I hated the fact that it was so big and bulky on him. I wanted to see his ass.

I had fantasies about Benji in his jeans.

When we reached the nursery, I carefully laid Jamie down in the crib and then pulled the blanket up over him. I didn't know much about babies—although, I suspected I'd learn soon enough—but I hoped he slept for a few more hours.

I wrapped an arm around Benji's waist and started leading him out of the room. "We should try and get some more rest."

That was my story and I was sticking to it.

I wanted Benji back in my arms more than I wanted to breathe. I wanted to consume him with a hunger that shook me. I couldn't believe I had almost lost this because of my fear of being gay. I had almost missed out on the best thing in my life.

When we reached the bedroom, Benji hung up my robe and then walked around to his side of the bed and slid in. He turned and faced away before pulling the covers up over his shoulders. I braced myself and took a full breath before slipping out of my lounge pants and sliding between the sheets.

For a moment, I debated what I wanted to do, and then I thought to hell with it. I scooted closer to the middle of the bed and then reached out and grabbed Benji, pulling him back into my arms. I had just enough time to tuck Benji's head under my chin before he stiffened against me.

"What are you doing?"

"It's called cuddling, Benji."

I smirked when Benji sighed. I spread my hand wide against his abdomen, pressing him back against me.

"Burke—"

"Sshhh."

"I thought you said nothing was going to happen tonight?"

"It’s morning," I whispered right before I pressed my lips to the warm skin below his ear.

My hand shook as I reached out to caress one round globe then the other. Benji's skin was so silky soft. I could touch him for days, years. Hell, centuries. Benji's skin felt glorious.

I grabbed a condom and slid it over my cock before digging the lube out from under my pillow and opening it. I squirted a liberal amount onto my cock and spread it around. My dick was so engorged, so sensitive, I thought I might not make it inside of Benji before I exploded. I gripped the bottom of my shaft until the sensation to come lessened.

Once I was in control of myself again, I squirted more lube onto my fingers and then dropped the bottle onto the bed. I spread Benji's ass cheeks and slowly pushed my finger into him.

Benji's heavy panting and small whimpers nearly drove me to my knees. The man spread his legs farther apart, giving me a glorious view of the full cock and tight ball sac that hung between his legs.

I thrust my fingers, one at a time, until he was stretched enough to take me. It took four fingers. I was shaking with need by the time I was done.

I felt an overwhelming urge to slam my cock in Benji's inviting hole, to claim the man, but I also wanted to make our time together special. I wanted Benji to always remember this, first of what I hoped would be many times together, fondly. We'd been together before, but this time was special. This time, I knew who I was and who I wanted.

With that in mind, I picked Benji up and swung him around. Benji squeaked and grabbed my arms, which worked out just fine for me. I lay back on the bed and placed Benji's body so that the man straddled me.

"You have to take it from here, Benji."

Benji grinned and sat up on his knees, reaching behind him. My breath caught in my throat when I felt Benji's hands grip my cock, guiding it to his tight entrance.

"Fuck," I groaned as Benji sank down on my hard shaft. I could barely breathe with Benji being impaled on my cock. Benji's hot silky channel tightened around me as I thrust up into him. I groaned, arching up into Benji's body as I gripped the man's hips tightly with my hands.

I turned us sideways and grabbed Benji's ass. I watched pleasure blossom across Benji's face as I trailed my fingers down between the man's butt cheeks to where my cock impaled Benji.

I moved Benji's hips away from my body, slowly drawing my cock back until just the head remained. Benji's mouth hung open and rapid little pants huffed out. His eyes were wide, dazed, his skin flushed.

He was glorious.

I slammed Benji back down on my cock. I wasn't sure whose cry was louder, mine or Benji's. I just knew I needed to do it again. I lifted Benji away from me then rammed into him over and over again.

The pleasure was explosive. Every inch of Benji's hot grip wrapped around my cock. It didn't matter if I pulled most of the way out or was buried to the root; Benji surrounded me, caressed me with his silky tight skin.

I pulled out and rolled Benji onto his back and then covered him with my body. I grabbed his legs and wrapped them around my waist, spreading them farther when I leaned down to kiss Benji's lush lips.

Benji lay there, his breathing rapid, punctured only by his moans. He gripped my arms and hooked his ankles around my waist when I started to push into him. The harder I thrust, the more Benji's head thrashed on the bed.

I was in heaven watching Benji. The man was more responsive than anyone I'd ever met, even when he didn't say a word. I knew when I hit Benji's sweet spot. Benji's entire body stiffened, and he cried out as he seemed to try and crawl into me.

I took note of that particular position and continued pumping into the tight hole holding me, aiming for Benji's sweet spot with every thrust. I had to use one hand to hold Benji's hips up close to mine when Benji's body started to melt into the mattress.

I used the other hand to tweak Benji's nipples. I sucked up a deep mark on Benji's neck. When Benji's hands moved up my arms to my shoulder and his fingernails dug in, I knew I was done for. I wasn't going to last another minute, maybe another second.

"Benji," I groaned, "I can't—gonna—"

"Yes!" Benji screamed. His entire body shuddered. "Yes!"

I pounded into Benji, losing all sense of restraint, intent on savoring the feelings of desire racing through every fiber of my being. Benji's whole body stiffened. A loud cry sounded in my ear and streams of hot, wet cum filled the space between us.

I gritted my teeth. I had just enough time to lift my head from Benji's neck before his inner muscles tightened down on me and ripped my orgasm from me in a white-hot blaze of fire that consumed every inch of me.

"Benji," I roared as I filled him with my release. Benji's body milked me for every last drop. My body languid, I collapsed. I planted little kisses against Benji's neck as I waited for my heartbeat to return to normal.

"Can't breathe."

I lifted my head and looked own into Benji's flushed face. I chuckled and rolled us over until Benji lay over my chest. I refused to remove my cock from Benji's ass until I absolutely needed to.

I pressed a kiss to the top of Benji's head. "Sleep, baby."

I was content to lay there and hold him for the rest of the night.

Hopefully, for the rest of our lives.

Chapter Eight

~ Benjamin ~

Once again, I found Burke walking Jamie in the living room as he fed him. It had been a surprising sight the first time. It made me smile the second time.

"Good morning."

And it was a good morning. I hadn't expected Burke to come barreling into my life yesterday, and I certainly hadn't expected to wake up to the proof of what we'd done the night before dried on my stomach. I'd almost been loath to wash it off, but I refused to walk around with dried cum on my skin.

That was just weird.

Burke turned toward me and smiled. "Morning, baby. Breakfast is about ready. You hungry?"

"Starving."

I walked over and stopped in front of Burke and then leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Jamie's head. When I glanced up, Burke was staring down at me with something in his eyes that made me instantly think about being back in bed with him.

"Do I get a good morning kiss?"

I grinned before leaning up on my toes to press a kiss to Burke's lips.

"A man could get used to this, you know?"

"Used to what?" I asked on a whisper.

"Waking up to a beautiful face."

I knew my face was flushing because I could feel the heat. I still couldn't look away from the glint in Burke's eyes. "Are you sure about all of this?"

"I'm sure, Benji. I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I want you and Jamie and Jenna in my life." Burke leaned down to press his forehead against mine, our eyes just an inch apart. "And I want the whole world to know you're mine."

I wasn't exactly against that idea.

"What did you have in mind?"

Burke grinned. "Well, after breakfast, I figured we'd go up to my office for a little bit. I have some papers I need to look over, and then I'll take my fiancé and my son out to lunch."

I swallowed down my fear. "Lunch?"

"I'm taking you to Esquires."

My eyebrows shot up. "You actually think taking Jamie to a place like that is a good idea?"

It was one of the fanciest restaurants in the city.

"People need to see us together, Benji."

"Yeah, but…"

"You want me to ask Knox and Newt to come with us? I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"I'm not afraid of being alone with you, Burke." Last night should have proved that. "I'm afraid of going to a place where a salad costs more than my rent."

Burke's deep chuckle did not make me feel any better, even if the man's amusement was a great sound to hear. It had been a while.

"Baby, don't worry about the cost. It's being seen that's the important part, and Esquires is the place to be seen."

Well, that part was true.

"It actually might be a good idea for Knox and Newt to go with us," Burke said. "They can back up our story about Jamie being my kid."

"Can I meet them first?" I asked. "I think I'd be less nervous if I actually knew the people we were having lunch with."

"I would love for you to meet Knox and Newt."

Burke set the bottle down and then effortlessly slapped a rag over his shoulder. His movements were slow, but assured as he lifted Jamie and placed the infant against his shoulder. I smiled when he began to gently pat Jamie's back with his hand. 

"Oh, we also need to drive over to my grandparents' place. We should do that before lunch. I don't want them finding out about you and Jamie through the grapevine. I'd rather tell them myself."

Something nasty began to churn in my stomach. "Your grandparents don't know that you're gay?"

"Oh, no, they know. Remember I said that I'd already told the important people?"

I nodded.

"Well, they're two of the important people."

"Who are the others?" I really didn't want to ask, but I needed to know.

"Knox, Newt, Crosby, and a few people who work for us. Mostly Mary, Jerome, and our personal bodyguards."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much," Burke replied. "Besides you, there's no one I really consider important."

That was kind of sad.

"You don't have any friends?"

"I mean sure, there's people I hang out with on occasion, but Knox and Crosby are my best friends. I don't trust too many people with my secrets." Burke's lips thinned for a moment before he said, "In my experience, secrets can be used against you if you're not careful."

"Is this something I need to be worried about?" It wasn't like I spilled my guts to everyone I met, but I didn't always hold everything in either.

"Unfortunately, it is. You're now engaged to a very wealthy man. That means people are going to come out of the woodwork to try and scam you or get you to give them money or even get you to plead their case with me to get my money."

I narrowed my eyes. "How much money are we talking here?"

We'd never discussed money before. I knew Burke had some simply because of the quality of the clothes he wore and the bodyguard and penthouse apartment. There were a few other clues like his cologne and shoes and such, not to mention the ring he'd put on my finger.

But I'd never actually stopped to think about how much money he had.

Burke snickered. "A lot."

"How much is a lot?"

Burke stared at me for a moment before sighing. "Let's just say, if there's something you want or someplace you'd like to go visit, I can make it happen."

"I don't want your money, Burke." I wanted that made clear. "I never have, and if you want to get that fancy lawyer of yours to draw up some sort of pre-nuptial agreement stating that, I'll sign it."

Burke's breathing hitched right before he reached out and grabbed me around the neck, pulling me close. "Does that mean you're going to marry me?"

"Ye—" The rest of my acceptance of his proposal was smothered under Burke's lips. I groaned as I leaned as close as the baby between us allowed.

"Thank you, Benji," Burke whispered against my lips. "I swear you won't regret it."

I prayed I was making the right decision, but only time would tell. I'd fallen for Burke when we'd been together before, and that feeling had never waned, even when he broke my heart. If he was willing to come out of the closet for me, I was willing to give him a chance.

"Let's get you some breakfast and then we can get our day going."

"You want me to take him?" I nodded toward Jamie.

"I've got him."

I followed when Burke started walking. I hadn't had enough time the night before to really know where I was going. When we walked right past a large dining room, I almost let out a sigh of relief. It was way too big for just the two of us.

Burke led me to a smaller dining area right off the kitchen instead. An older woman was moving around in the kitchen, dishing plates of food. She shot us a smile when we walked in.

"Good morning, Mr. Burke."

"Morning, Mary." Burke glanced at me over his shoulder. "This is Benjamin Hart, my fiancé."

"Good morning, Mr. Hart."

I smiled. "Good morning."

Mary walked around the counter and set two plates down on the table before turning toward Burke. "Is this the little precious one I made a bottle for last night?"

Burke turned Jamie and then cradled him in his arms. "Yes. This is my son, James Alexander Burke, after my grandfather. We're calling him Jamie."

"Well, he's just adorable."

I smiled at the older woman as she began to coo at Jamie. I knew people tended to be drawn to babies, but I was always partial to people who adored Jamie.

"Would you like me to take him while you eat?" she asked.

"I've got him, Mary," Burke replied, "but thank you."

Burke sat down at the small dining table. I slid into the chair across from him where the other plate was located.

I smiled up at the woman watching us. "Thank you for breakfast."

"Oh, you're welcome, honey. If you need anything else, just call me. I'll be around somewhere."

I watched Mary walk out of the room then turned back to Burke. "You said she works for Knox?"

"She kind of works for all three of us, me, Knox, and Crosby, but Crosby is gone so much of the time that she spends most of her time going between my place and Knox's. Jerome, too."

"How do they feel about that?" I asked right before I dug into my food.

Burke shrugged as he moved Jamie to one arm, holding him in place against his chest with a hand. He picked up his fork with the other one. "They seem to be okay with it. It's never been a question."

"But, isn't it hard for them working between all three penthouses? What if you are all throwing a dinner party at the same time or something?"

Burke chuckled before standing and holding his hand out to me. "Come with me."

I followed Burke back out to the living room. He dropped my hand and then walked over to the wall. He hit a button on a small electronic pad built into the wall. A low buzz sounded. A moment later, the wall started to retract, flowing effortlessly into the other wall.

"What—"

I was confused as hell.

"Knox, Crosby, and I are all pretty close, maybe even closer than brothers. We don't tend to have dinner parties alone. We usually open up the walls between all our penthouses. That way, Mary and Jerome are only working once instead of separately. If we have something more intimate planned, we let them know and they make arrangements for that."

"Huh." I couldn't imagine living this close to someone, but the arrangement Burke and the others had with Mary and Jerome sounded pretty practical.

Weird, but practical.

"We don't trust a lot of people in our personal space," Burke said as if he could read my mind. "We know we can trust Mary and Jerome."

"And your security guys, right?" I asked as I followed Burke back to the small dining room.

That would be helpful.

Burke chuckled. "Yes, and our security."

I smiled as I went back to eating. I wasn't sure what to think of all of this, but I knew I'd have to figure it out at some point. I'd made a commitment to Burke, and that meant I needed to have an open mind. There were parts of this I wondered if I'd ever understand.

"You said we need to go to your office?"

Burke nodded. "I have a few phone calls to make."

"Will it be okay to take Jamie with us?"

"Of course," Burke immediately replied. "He can always come with us, and right now, I'd kind of prefer it. You just have to remember to tell everyone he's my son. No one can know he's not."

"Even your grandparents?"

Burke grimaced. "I won't lie to my grandparents. They raised me after my parents died. I couldn't do that to them, but I believe once I explain the situation to them, they will understand. I expect my grandmother is going to want to throw us an engagement party, though, so you'd better be prepared for that."

I swallowed tightly. "An…engagement party?"

What exactly did that mean?

"Oh yes." Burke's chuckle was pure evil. "It will be one of the social events of the season, believe me."

I couldn't have prevented my shudder if my life depended on it.

"I wish I could tell you that an engagement party was the only social event we'll need to attend, but that isn't true. Part of being in this world involves making social connections. As my future husband, you'll be expected to attend them with me."

Burke flashed me a grin that I wasn't sure I believed.

"Don't worry. They aren't all horrible."

"Give me one example of them not being horrible." I doubted he could do it.

"I can give you a couple. Attending a red carpet function can be pretty interesting, especially when you get to hobnob with movie stars you'd only seen on the big screen. Some of the museum galas I've been to are pretty fascinating, although I really enjoy the ones they hold at the Smithsonian. There's always so much to see, and we get to see it before anyone."

Okay, I could see where that would be fun.

"My personal favorite is the fundraiser we have every year to raise money for camps for inner-city kids. It started out as a few parents trying to raise money to send their kids to camp, but over the years it's turned into a pretty big event. The best part is that they invite a bunch of inner-city kids to this big fair complete with rides and booths and everything. It's a blast."

I smiled. "Sounds fun."

"It is. Jamie won't be old enough to really enjoy it this year, but next year, he'll have a blast."

"You really think he'll be around next year?"

I was surprised when Burke nodded. "I know he will."

"How?"

Burke grinned. "He's our son, isn't he?"

Now, what did that mean?

"Burke—"

"Benji, you're not going anywhere, are you?"

"No."

"Then I doubt Jenna and Jamie are going anywhere either, which means, Jamie will be in our lives a year from now." The smile quickly fell from Burke's face. "Unless you think Jenna won't allow us in his life after this."

No, Jenna would never do that.

I shook my head. "I guess I'm just afraid to hope."

Burke's smile spread across his lips again. He reached out to grab my hand, threading our fingers together. "That's okay, love. I can hope for the two of us until you believe it."

I hoped it didn't take long.

Oh hey, look at me. Hoping already.

Chapter Nine

~ Burke ~

I could feel Benji's anxiousness as we pulled up in front of my grandparents' mansion, but I couldn't do anything about it. Only time and trust could do that. A whole lot of trust. I felt as if I had a little bit of that since Benji agreed to truly marry me, but I knew I didn't have his full trust. Not yet.

Benji's hand tightened on mine. "Are you sure we have to do this?"

"Baby, it's going to be okay. I promise. My grandparents are going to love you."

"You did tell them you're gay, right?"

"I did."

Benji winced. "How'd they take it?"

"Better than I imagined actually. They were concerned with how this was going to affect me socially and in my business, but once I assured them that I had that handled, they were very supportive."

Benji's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Benji, my grandparents love me and just want me to be happy. As long as the person I'm with loves me back and makes me happy, they don't care what kind of plumbing they have."

"I bet they never expected me."

"You'd be wrong. I told them all about you." I smirked when Benji's mouth dropped open. "In fact, my grandfather used some of his contacts to try and help me find you."

"Your grandparents know who I am?" Benji whispered as if afraid to speak any louder.

"You're the man I love, Benji. Of course they know who you are."

Benji sucked in a breath as his eyes snapped to mine. "You love me?"

I smiled and reached out to wrap my hand around the back of Benji's neck. I pulled him close until our lips were so close, I could feel his panting breath. "I love you very much, Benjamin Hart, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

"I didn't think…" Benji licked his lips. "I didn't think I'd ever hear you say that."

"And the fact that there was ever any doubt in your mind will always be my greatest regret." Benji should never doubt that he was loved or that he was wanted, and that was a burden I would always carry with me. "I promise I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know how much you mean to me."

I sucked in a breath when Benji's eyes flooded with tears. I quickly reached up to wipe them away. "Oh, no, baby, don't cry."

Damn it, I hadn't meant to make him cry.

"I waited so long to hear you say that."

I was an ass.

I grabbed Benji and pulled him as close as I could. When the seatbelt interfered, I unbuckled it and then hauled Benji into my arms. I pressed his head against my throat and fisted my hand in his hair.

"I'm so sorry, Benji. Please, believe me. I never meant to hurt you. I was just so confused about what I wanted. It seems stupid to say, but it wasn't you, it was me. It was never about you."

I felt as if the hole in my heart was growing bigger, deeper. I wanted Benji with every fiber of my being, and he was slipping through my fingers because I'd been so stupid, caring about what others thought instead of what he thought, the most important person in my life.

I deserved to have him slip through my fingers.

"Tell me again."

I leaned back so I could look down into Benji's eyes. I brushed the hair back from his face then settled my hand on his cheek. "I love you, Benji."

A smile split Benji's lips as wide as they could go. "I love you, too."

My heart stopped.

I was sure of it.

"You love me?"

Benji nodded. "I love you back then, too."

"Fuck," I groaned. "I really was stupid."

"Don't worry." Benji patted my cheek. "Now that I know you love me, I'll make sure you're not that stupid again." He leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to my lips then moved back over to his seat. "And no more swearing around the kid."

My eyes snapped to the infant in the car seat across from us. I winced even though Jamie was clearly still sleeping. Yeah, I really needed to watch my language, especially if I hoped to have Jamie in my life in any way in the future.

Yeah, that was going to take some getting used to.

I chuckled.

"What?" Benji asked.

"I can't wait until we introduce Jamie to Crosby. He hasn't met a swear word he didn't become intimate with, and he's been all over the world. He knows how to swear in at least seven different languages."

Benji frowned. "That doesn't sound promising."

My amusement morphed into a big grin. "Oh, it is."

I was sure of it.

I unbuckled the baby seat and then waited for Jamie to climb out of the car before I followed him. As much as I wished Sergei didn't have to join us in my grandparents' house, I knew he did. He was there to keep us safe, and I wasn't about to stand in the way of that.

I kept a firm hold of Jamie's car seat and grabbed Benji's hand before starting up the steps. Sergei fell into step behind us. I knew Boris would stay with the car and alert us of any trouble. As aggravating at it was, there was also a sense of relief in the knowledge that my bodyguards were there.

I knocked on the door and then pushed it open. This was the home I grew up in after my parents were killed in a car accident. This was the house I remember from my childhood. Knocking was a courtesy.

"Nana? Gramps?" I called out. "I'm home and I brought company."

They knew I was coming. I'd called this morning to tell them I needed to talk to them. I hadn't told them I was bringing company. I'd wanted to surprise them.

"Alexander?" my grandmother called out as she walked out of the kitchen. She was wearing her usual slacks and dress shirt, but had her gray hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Hey, Nana." I kept a firm hold of Benji's hand as I walked forward and then leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. "I brought company."

Nana glanced from Benji to the baby and then back to Benji. "I guess you have." She smiled as she held her hand out to Benji. "Victoria Burke."

"Benjamin Hart." Benji shook her hand.

"And who is this handsome young man?" Nana asked as she glanced back down to Jamie.

"This is Jamie," I replied. "I need to speak to you and Gramps about him. It's important, Nana."

Nana's eyebrow arched as she gazed up at me. "I see. Well." She waved one hand toward the living room. "Why don't you go sit down and I'll drag your grandfather out of his hobby room?"

"What is he working on now?"

"Oh, I have no idea. As long as it keeps him out of my hair."

My grandfather was into working with his hands. He built everything from miniature sailboats to birdhouses, anything to keep him busy and out of Nana's hair. The day he retired was the day she lost her mind.

Well, maybe a week later after the novelty of having him home fulltime wore off.

"Come on, baby." I tugged on Benji's hand. "Let's go sit down."

I pulled Benji into the living room and walked over to sit on the couch. As much as I wanted to hold Jamie again, leaving him sleeping in his car seat was the best option right now. Besides, he'd be awake soon enough.

I took a seat on the couch, set Jamie down on the floor at my feet, and then pulled Benji down to sit next to me. "You hanging in there?"

Benji gave me a small smile.

"It's going to be okay, Benji."

"Your grandparents are going to hate me."

I wrapped an arm around Benji's shoulders and pulled him closer. After pressing his head to my shoulder, I rested my cheek on the top of his head. "They are not going to hate you, Benji. I promise."

We'd already had this discussion, but I didn't think Benji would believe me until he actually sat down and talked to my grandparents and saw for himself how wonderful they were. They'd need to know the entire story about Senator Baines, but once they did, I had no doubt they would do everything they could to help us.

They hated bullies just as much as I did.

And they were going to love Benji.

I glanced up when I heard a soft gasp and then smiled at my grandparents. I gave a little shrug with my shoulder so Benji would know to sit up. "Benji, these are my grandparents, James and Victoria Burke."

Benji stiffened and then sat up quickly. "Hello."

My grandparents each sat down in one of the chairs facing us after my grandfather reached over and shook Benji's hand.

I smiled as I watched Benji take in my grandfather. He wasn't your typical grandfather. He might have gray hair and tinker in his hobby room, but he was still a Burke, which meant dress slacks, crisp white shirt, and his signature bowtie.

I could see my grandmother's sly glances at the car seat at my feet. I smiled as I reached down and unbuckled Jamie.

"Would you like to hold him, Nana?"

She glanced at Benji. "Is that all right?"

"Of course," Benji replied, as I knew he would. He could probably see the desire to hold Jamie in Nana's eyes as much as I could.

I picked Jamie up as carefully as I could and then stood and stepped over to my grandmother. I gently laid the sleeping baby down in her arms and then stood back and watched her fall in love with the small infant just as quickly as I had.

One glance was about all it took.

I walked back over and sat down next to Benji, reaching for his hand this time. "I've told you about Benji."

My grandfather nodded. "I know you've been looking for him, son."

I smiled as I gave Benji's hand a little squeeze. "I found him yesterday."

Jeez, was it only yesterday?

"We've had a lot of time to talk, but the most important thing"—I lifted Benji's hand to my lips and pressed a kiss to his soft skin—"is that Benji forgave my stupidity and he's agreed to marry me."

Nana glanced up from Jamie and smiled.

My grandfather merely raised an eyebrow. "Is this what you want, son?" His eyes bored into Benji. "God knows I love my grandson, but he can be a bit obtuse at times."

Benji surprised me by chuckling. "Yes, this is what I want. I love him. I always did."

"Good." And that was it as far as my grandfather was concerned. "Now, tell me about this handsome young man."

"This is Jamie, my…uh…" Benji glanced at me. I nodded. "My nephew."

"He's adorable," Nana said.

"He's also in trouble," I said.

Nana shot me a surprised look. "This little man?"

"Look, there's no easy way to say this, but I convinced his mother to tell the world that Jamie is my son, right down to putting my name on the birth certificate."

My grandparents froze.

"Why on earth would you do that, Alexander?" my grandfather asked. "You just got out of that mess with that Fox woman. Why sign yourself up for more trouble?"

"Who is this woman?" my grandmother asked.

"As Benji mentioned, Jamie is his nephew. His sister gave birth to him two weeks ago. She was attacked and—"

"Attacked?" my grandfather snapped.

Jamie started crying.

Benji jumped and hurried over to him. He took him from my nana and began pacing with him. I suspected he needed the connection. This was hard for him to talk about, or to hear.

"Explain yourself, son."

"Jenna was attacked. She's in the hospital. In fact, they had to take the baby early because of her injuries, which will keep her in the hospital for at least another week."

"Who could be so cruel as to attack a pregnant woman?" Nana asked.

"Jamie's biological father."

Nana gasped.

My grandfather set his jaw.

"He didn't want her to keep the baby in the first place, but when she insisted, he decided he was going to make money off of Jamie. He's already got a family out of the country all set to buy him. Jenna doesn't want to give him up. That's why I told Jenna to name me as the father, so I can help her keep her kid."

"Oh, my word." Nana pressed her hand to her mouth.

"I need—" I shot a quick glance at Benji. "We need your help convincing everyone that Jamie is my son. I can't let this bastard take him away from his mother."

"No, of course not, Alexander," Nana said, "but is this the right way to go about it?"

"As soon as he found out my sister was pregnant," Benji started, "he started telling her she had to give him up. When she refused, and even though she said she never wanted anything from him, the harassment started. He cost her her job. He cost me my job. We both lost our apartments. And then he attacked her while she was pregnant with Jamie. And if that wasn't bad enough, now that Jamie is here, he's trying to steal him and make money off of him."

"When I found Benji," I added, "two men had broken into his apartment, and they were trying to physically take Jamie from him."

"Who is this man, son?" my Gramps asked.

"Oh, you're going to love this." I snorted. "Senator Walter Baines."

Nana's eyes narrowed.

My grandfather's eyes went as cold as steel. "Walter Baines is Jamie's father?"

"He's Jamie's sperm donor. I'm his father."

"You know he's a powerful senator, don't you, boy?"

I nodded. "I do."

"Then how are you going to fight him?"

"I'm already listed on Jamie's birth certificate as his father and I have the DNA tests to prove it." I saw my grandfather's lips twitch, and I knew he knew what I'd done. "The story we are giving everyone is that I was dating Benji, but still fighting being gay so I slept with his sister. After leaving, it took me a while to get my head on straight and then to find Benji again. Once I did, I discovered that Jenna had given birth to my son. The timelines match up."

"I'm not thrilled with the story," Benji said, "but he's right. The timelines do match up."

"I've already moved Benji and Jamie into my penthouse, and he's agreed to marry me. I also had Jenna moved to St. Angelo's Medical Center where she can get the best treatment, and I've placed a guard on her door."

"How can we help, Alexander?" Nana asked.

"I need you to throw us an engagement party and drop a bug in your friends' ears about me having a son. We're planning to have lunch with Knox and Newt at Esquires today, so that should get tongues wagging."

Nana glanced between me and Benji. "The engagement is real then?"

"It is." I wanted that made clear. "Our engagement is not part of this thing with Jamie. We'll be getting married no matter what."

"Burke is right," Benji said. "The two situations are connected because Jamie is my nephew, but I do love Burke and want to marry him."

Nana smiled. "Well, that changes things."

"Benji has been taking care of Jamie since he was born because Jenna couldn't. She wasn't even awake to name him, so Benji did." I looked straight at my grandfather. "His name is James Alexander Burke."

"Well, now." My grandfather smiled as he sat a little straighter and puffed out his chest. "That's a fine thing."

We ended up taking my grandparents to lunch with us to Esquires. I wasn't sure it was a good idea until my grandparents ran into some friends of theirs and introduced Jamie as their new great-grandson. I knew the news would be all over town within hours.

Let the games begin.

Chapter Ten

~ Benjamin ~

Lunch had been fun, even if it had been a tad nerve-wracking, but my feet were killing me. I couldn't wait until we reached the penthouse so I could take my shoes off and rub my feet.

Burke needed to stop off at his office first.

I followed him off the elevator when the doors opened, glancing around as the nice waiting room. "This is your office?"

It was pretty swank. The elevator opened right up into the waiting room. There were plush cream-colored chairs lining the walls on each side of a wide corridor that led to a receptionist's counter. There were doors to the left and to the right of the counter.

Burke walked up to the counter and introduced me to the woman behind it, telling her that I was always to have instant access to him and his office, and then he turned and walked through the door on the left.

I just followed along, having no idea where I was going.

"Our offices are set up kind of like the penthouse, all right next to each other," Burke explained, "except Crosby is in the middle since he's hardly ever here. Knox and I both have corner offices."

That made sense.

As we walked down the corridor, we passed an area that was like a room off to one side without a wall. There was a desk there, but nobody was behind it.

"This is Knox's office." Burke pointed to a door off to one side. "That's Newt's office. They work closely together."

I caught an undertone of amusement when Burke said that. "What's so funny?"

"Newt used to be Knox's executive assistant. When they got engaged, Knox gave him a promotion to COO. He was supposed to find and train his replacement. We're still waiting."

"Is he having a problem finding someone qualified for the job?"

"No." Burke chuckled. "He's having trouble finding someone who won't try to get Knox into bed with them."

"Oh." I blinked up at Burke for a moment before frowning. "Is that something I need to be worried about?"

"No." Burke leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. "I'm only interested in having you in my bed."

A few minutes later, as Burke introduced me to his executive assistant, I had to wonder if he was wrong. She was dressed to kill, complete with a plunging neckline on her silk blouse and a skirt so short, there was almost no point in wearing it.

She was smiling up at Burke with stars in her eyes.

"Nina," Burke said, "this is my fiancé Benjamin Hart. Benji, this is my executive assistant Nina De'Angelo."

Her bright smile dropped faster than a stripper's panties at a bachelor party. "You're getting married?"

Burke grinned. "I am."

"To him?"

I narrowed my eyes when she pointed at me. I didn't know if Burke could hear the disdain in her voice, but I sure could.

"Yes, Nina," Burke replied. "Benji and I are getting married."

Nina's Botox-injected brow almost wrinkled. "But…you've always dated women."

And I bet she was hoping to be one of those women.

"I have dated women in the past, but Benji helped me see that I wasn't happy with women." While he shot me a smile, I doubted he saw the rage flaming to life in Nina's eyes. This woman wanted to end me. "He's made me see how unhappy I was."

When Burke turned back to face Nina, she had a big smile on her face. "I hope you'll be very happy together."

She was lying through her lipstick-red lips.

"Thank you, Nina," Burke replied. "I'm sure we will be."

I could feel the invisible daggers the woman was shooting at me as I followed Burke into his office. Oh yeah, she wanted to push me off the top of the Silver Building.

She hadn't even noticed the baby carrier Burke was holding.

Thank goodness Jamie had slept through everything.

"That woman wants to push me off the top of your very fancy office building," I told Burke as soon as the door closed behind us. I set the baby bag down next to the door and walked over to lean against Burke's desk.

"What?" Burke frowned as he stared at me. "Don't be ridiculous. Nina is my assistant. There's never been anything between us."

I wasn't being ridiculous, but I wasn't going to argue with Burke about it. "I'll bet she's crying in her clutch purse right now." Okay, maybe I was going to argue. "Seriously, Burke. She's really hating me right now."

Burke huffed as he set Jamie down next to his desk and then walked around it to sit down. "You understand that I can't help how other people feel, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Then believe me when I say there has never been anything between me and Nina. She's my executive assistant and that is it."

"Oh, I believe you." I set Jamie's carrier down by the door and then walked over to stand between Burke's legs. "I just think she believed she could eventually win you over and I put a kink in her plans."

Burke's frown deepened as he glanced toward his office door. "You really think—"

I crossed my arms and leveled a stare at Burke. "Very."

Burke's eyes moved to mine. "You're not worried I'll fall for it, are you?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned, but not about you. You I trust." I nodded toward the door again. "It's her I don't trust. That's a sexual harassment suit waiting to happen."

Burke shook his head as he started going through the stack of mail on his desk. "I need to find a sixty-year-old married lesbian with six kids and glasses as thick as Coke bottles."

I chuckled, but I couldn't say I disagreed.

"Just watch yourself, and I'd suggest you never let yourself be alone with her. Keep Sergei in here if you have to or have him wire your office video. If she tries to say something went on, having video proof to contradict her story might help."

Burke mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"What was that?"

He sighed and glanced up. "My office is already under surveillance."

Burke pointed to a spot on the wall behind him and then to the wall above the door. I wouldn't have noticed them if he hadn't pointed them out.

"Knox, Crosby, and I all decided we needed to have our offices wired in case of emergency. Not only is everything recorded, but someone is watching the surveillance cameras at all times, even at night."

I narrowed my eyes. "What isn't under surveillance?"

"Our bedroom."

Good to know.

I grabbed Jamie's carrier and walked it over to the corner of the room. I set it down on the floor, turned it so Jamie was facing the wall, and then I walked back over. I stepped in between Burke and the desk, settling my butt on hard mahogany wood.

"So, you're saying we can't fool around in your office without it being recorded?"

Burke leaned back to allow me space then laid his hands on my thighs. "There are ways to get the cameras turned off."

I arched one brow. "Oh?"

Burke smirked. "There's a little button under the edge of my desk. If I push that, it alerts the security guys to turn off the cameras. Once I push it again, they turn them back on."

"Fooled around in your office a lot, have you?"

Why did that make me so jealous?

"Actually, no. I've never had anyone in my office before, but I can see that's about to change."

Just as Burke reached under the edge of his desk, Jamie started to cry. I groaned and let my head fall back on my shoulders. "Damn, cock blocked."

I knew Jamie was just going to get louder. I scooted out from between Burke's legs and walked over to unbuckle Jamie. I picked him up and his pacifier. If I was lucky, I could get him to use it until I got him upstairs.

I tucked Jamie into my chest and covered him with a blanket. He quieted almost immediately, but I knew I wouldn't have long before he started up again. Patience was not in his vocabulary.

The phone on Burke's desk rang. He picked it up and put it to his ear. "Yes, Nina." After a moment, he nodded. "Yes, put him through." He held his hand over the speaker. "I need to take this."

"Okay, I'm going to take Jamie upstairs, get him fed and changed. He's had a pretty eventful day. I think he's due for a very long nap." I yawned before I could stop myself. "Maybe I'll take one, too."

"If you give me a few minutes, I'll join you."

I smiled. "I doubt either of us would get any rest."

"No, but we'd both feel better."

I chuckled as I walked around the desk. I pressed a kiss to Burke's cheek and then started for the door. "I'll see you upstairs."

"Take Sergei with you."

I glanced over my shoulder. "Don't you need him here?"

Burke shook his head before gesturing to the cameras in the wall. "I'm good."

Yeah, I could see that.

I nodded to Sergei as I walked out of the office and started down the hallway, completely ignoring Nina, even though I could feel her hatred beating against me as I walked away.

I'd almost made it to the elevator before I remembered I'd forgotten to grab the baby bag. I handed Jamie to Sergei. "I forgot the baby bag. I'll be right back."

"Mr. Hart," Sergei called after me as I hurried back toward the door on the left side of the reception area. "Sir? Mr. Hart, you can't just—"

The door closed on the rest of his words.

I walked down the corridor at a fast pace, knowing I didn't have long before that pacifier wasn't going to pacify Jamie any longer. He was tired, hungry, and in need of a good, long nap.

We all were.

Today had been interesting, informative, and fun, but it had also been as stressful as hell. I enjoyed getting to know Burke's grandparents, but going to Esquires had been like being in a fancy fishbowl. Everyone had been staring and whispering.

I was more than ready to be closed up in the privacy of Burke's penthouse for a little while. I needed to decompress without people whispering behind my back. I wasn't sure how Burke did this every day. It was nerve-wracking.

I slowed when I realized Nina wasn't at her desk and the door to Burke's office was ajar. Heated voices could be heard from inside. I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to know what they were saying.

I crept closer to the door, but stayed off to one side of the opening. When I felt a presence beside me, I whipped around to find Sergei standing there. I held a finger to my lips and then pointed to the doorway. Sergei frowned, but didn't say anything.

I turned my attention back to the doorway when I heard Burke's voice rise.

"Nina, I insist that you stop this at once!"

Well, that wasn't good.

I peeked around the corner, but as soon as I saw Burke pinned up against the window with a red lipstick stain on the curve of his jaw, my anger turned redder than Nina's lips. I stepped into the doorway and planted my hands on my hips. "What the hell is going on in here?"

Burke looked horrified.

Nina had a small smirk on her lips.

I wanted to pull her hair out.

"You want to get your hands off my fiancé?"

"You can't expect a man like Alexander Burke to settle for a man like you," Nina said. She didn't move away from Burke. "He could have anyone he wants."

I raised an eyebrow as I glanced at my fiancé.

Burke's eyes were rolling.

I glanced back at Nina and then held up my hand. "I believe this proves he does have who he wants."

Nina seemed to lose all of her composure when she saw the ring on my hand. She clenched her fists as she screamed, "What you're doing to him is sick. How is he ever going to be able to hold his head up in public if he's with you? He's never going to have any friends. He's never going to have a woman hold him close at night or love him the way he needs."

"You mean a woman like you?"

When her face reddened, I knew that was exactly what she meant, with her being that specific woman.

Wasn't going to happen.

"He can never love you like he could love a woman."

This time, I wanted to roll my eyes. "Considering I had his dick up my ass this morning, I'd say you were wrong."

When she went to speak again, I held up my hand. "Look, just stop while you're ahead. There isn't anything you can give him that I can't."

Nina smirked as if she thought she'd won. "You can't give him children."

I snickered when I heard movement behind me.

"Mr. Burke, your son is—" Sergei began before stopping abruptly when he reached my side. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Not at all, Sergei," Burke said as he brushed past Nina and walked over to take Jamie from him. "You can always interrupt me if you have my son."

"Your son?" Nina's stricken voice rang through the large office. "You have a son?"

"I do," Burke said as he turned to look at Nina. "Benji's twin sister was nice enough to act as a surrogate for us. Now I have the best of both worlds in my son, part of me and part of the man I love."

I actually liked that story more than the one where I looked like an idiot for taking an unfaithful man back. Wonder if I could convince Burke to go with that one instead?

"Nina, I think it's time for you to clean out your desk."

I was very proud of myself when Burke said that. I didn't pump my fist into the air in victory. I didn't gloat. I didn't even shout out, "Hell yeah." I just stepped over to stand next to him, keeping my mouth shut.

"You're firing me?" Nina screeched.

God, the bitch was loud.

"Sergei, would you see to it that Nina gathers her personal belongings and is escorted from the building?" Burke asked. "I'll also need you to have someone change all passwords and login information."

"Of course, Mr. Burke," Sergei replied. "I'll see to it personally."

"You can't do this to me!" Nina screamed when Sergei grabbed her and escorted her out of the office. "Get your hands off me!"

I leaned closer to Burke. "I get to interview the next one."

"Done," Burke replied without hesitation.

He was smart like that.

"She's bat-shit crazy. You know that, right?"

"I do now." Burke shook his head as he stared out the door. Nina was still screeching. "She seemed so qualified."

"I guess you never know about people."

Burke grimaced as he looked back at me. Apprehension came to life in his eyes. "I'm really sorry about this, Benji. I swear I never even saw her in that way."

I smiled up at him. "I believe you."

Burke's eyebrows lifted. "You do?"

"Yes, I do. I wouldn't be marrying you if I didn't think I could trust you."

"You can, baby. I promise."

My smile grew wider. "I believe you."

And strangely, I did.

Chapter Eleven

~ Burke ~

Today had been a complete clusterfuck. If Benji wanted reasons to break off our engagement and leave me, he had plenty. I was pretty stunned that he was still here, but I wasn't stupid enough to remind him of how I'd fucked up.

I was still shocked that Nina had made a play for me the way she had. I'd never once felt anything for the woman beyond appreciation for how good she did her job. And I'd certainly never gotten the vibe from her that she might be interested in me.

I was just glad she was gone.

She was a little bit crazy.

"Tired, baby?" I asked Benji when he walked into the living room after getting Jamie off to bed.

"Exhausted." There was a small slump to Benji's shoulders as he sighed. "I just don't think I can sleep. My mind is racing. It doesn't want to shut off."

"I might be able to help you with that," I said as I walked over to stand in front of him. I inhaled sharply at the instant lust that filled me as I stared down into Benji's gorgeous face. Had heaven ever created a more beautiful man?

The need to hold Benji in my arms was a physical ache. I leaned down and brushed our lips together. "Need you, love."

"Yes." Benji reached for me.

I picked Benji up in my arms and carried him down the hallway, straight to our bedroom. I gently set Benji on his feet and cupped his face, pulling it toward me. My gaze locked onto Benji’s luscious and tempting lips. They were perfectly made for kissing.

They were made for me.

I slanted my mouth over Benji’s, trying my best to devour the man. I wasn’t about to lose the chance to taste heaven.

I slid my hands up Benji’s sides, and then wrapped them around him, pulling his body closer as I took over the kiss, tilting my head for better access. Benji opened, allowing my tongue to do whatever the hell it wanted to.

I pushed Benji back onto the mattress, following him down and swinging my leg over Benji until I straddled the man’s thighs. I never once broke contact with the man's lips. Benji whimpered when I pulled back from him. I wanted to go on kissing him, but I had other plans for him.

I reached for the buttons of Benji’s pants, unzipping them and then shoving them down the man’s legs. I paused to stare. Benji might be only five feet ten inches tall, but his luscious legs went on for miles.

I shook my head to clear the lust fogging my mind and grabbed Benji’s shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing onto the floor.

I watched as Benji stretched his arms over his head, swallowing hard. Benji might not know he was doing it, but I was fully aware of the lust filling the man’s green eyes. I watched them darken to emeralds as I ran my hands over Benji’s abdomen and then traveled down to his thighs, my fingers grazing over Benji’s silky skin.

"So pretty," I whispered as Benji spread his legs apart, giving me all the room I needed. I quickly climbed off of the bed and stripped out of my own clothes, dropping them on the floor. I grabbed the lube and a condom before getting back onto the bed, kneeling between Benji’s legs.

I patted Benji’s hip. "On your hands and knees, beautiful."

My breath stuttered in my throat as I watched Benji roll over, dropping his head down to the mattress and sticking his ass up into the air. My entire body shook with need, with the control it took to not ram my aching cock into the little pink puckered hole twinkling up at me.

I ran my hands up and down Benji’s nicely rounded ass cheeks before dipping into the crease between them. I circled Benji’s tight little entrance with my finger, playing with it, teasing it until it was pulsing with need.

I grabbed the lube and poured a generous amount onto my fingers before going back to play.

Benji’s breath hitched when the tip of my finger breached him. I grinned and did it again and then waited for Benji to adjust before moving it. I thrust my finger in and out of Benji’s ass until his tight ring of muscles rippled around me.

"So sweet." I kissed the shoulder right in front of me as I gently worked my finger into Benji’s ass.

My heart soared as I slid a second finger into Benji, and then a third. When Benji began to push back onto my fingers, little whimpers escalating to deep cries of need, I knew he was ready. I pulled my fingers free.

I ripped open the condom pack and rolled the condom down my aching cock and then pressed the head of my cock into Benji’s puckered entrance, pushing slowly until I slipped in.

"That’s it, Benji," I crooned as I inched in by tiny increments. "You feel so damn good."

"Burke," Benji answered as he gripped the sheets, rocking back against me.

I could hear the strain in Benji’s voice. There was an edge to it that told me that Benji was close to coming already. I loved that I had that effect on him.

"More," Benji begged breathlessly. "Please, more. Harder."

The next time I pulled back, I slammed forward. Waves of indescribable ecstasy washed over me as Benji’s tight ass welcomed me. Benji shouted, whimpered, cried out my name as I began to fuck him like a man possessed. I was falling, spiraling out of control. My body shook from the sensations Benji’s body gave me.

Benji leaned forward, resting his shoulders on the bed as he lifted his ass higher. I groaned as the angle changed, and I was able to thrust just that much deeper. I fucked Benji harder, pounding our flesh together and making Benji cry out.

Every time I slammed inside of Benji, the man let out a whimper and tried to pull me in deeper. His pants and moans were getting louder, and his inner muscles were starting to spasm around my aching cock, adding to our pleasure.

I pounded my cock into Benji’s ass with a single-minded purpose—to drive my love totally out of his mind. I fell forward, angling Benji’s face to claim his lips, kissing him as my hips snapped at a high rate of speed.

An explosion rocketed through my body, the sensation racing down my arms and then scattering to the four corners. My mind was fragmenting as I shoved my cock into Benji’s ass, thrusting rapidly.

Benji arched his back, letting out a guttural sound. The tightening of his inner muscles told me the man had found his release. I reached around Benji and grabbed his cock, stroking it, milking every last bit of cum from him as I slammed my cock into Benji’s ass harder, faster, deeper.

I grunted as my cock erupted, my balls emptying as endless spurts of cum filled Benji’s ass. My hands tightened on Benji’s hips as I thrust erratically, barely aware of Benji’s body trembling beneath me. I was pulsing, throbbing, dragging air into my lungs as the pleasure sweeping through me seemed to go on forever.

As the throbbing in my body slowly ebbed, I gently kissed Benji’s neck and then pulled my cock free and disposed of the condom before dropping down onto the mattress beside Benji.

When I finally got my breathing under control, I lifted my head and looked down at the man that had just rocked my world. Benji's eyes were closed, his mouth slightly parted, his face flushed with fading desire.

He had never looked sexier.

"Think you can sleep now?"

There was a slight curve to Benji’s lips.

He never answered me.

* * * *

"Are you sure this is all really necessary?"

I chuckled as I watched Benji get stuffed, poked, and stitched. "Yes, love. It's very necessary. First impressions are everything."

"I've never wore a tux in my life."

"Well, you look fantastic." He looked like a million bucks. The black tuxedo he was being fitted for clung to his frame as if its only reason for existence was to show off Benji's body, and it was doing a spectacular job.

Tonight was our engagement party and, if the gossip vine was anything to go by, it was gearing up to be quite the event. Benji and I were both getting a last fitting before we headed out.

"Where is this thing being held again?" Benji asked.

"Knox Grand Hotel. It has a large ballroom on the second floor." I hadn't mentioned to Benji that I'd rented out the penthouse suite. Once the party was done, my grandparents were going to take Jamie for the night and I was going to take Benji…on every flat surface I could find.

Benji was a little pale when he glanced at me. "You'll tell me if I'm using the wrong fork or something, right?"

"It's not a sit-down dinner, love. Nana set up a buffet so people could mingle. The forks are all the same size."

"Thank goodness for that."

I didn't care if Benji used a spoon if it made him more comfortable. Social etiquette was not nearly as important as Benji.

"There will be waiters serving champagne and hors d'oeuvre along with the buffet, which will mostly consist of finger foods. The thing to remember is to put just a few things on your plate and never anything that might drip down onto your tux."

Benji grimaced as he rubbed his stomach. "I don't think that's going to be a problem. I doubt I'll be able to eat anything."

"I know you're nervous, but there's nothing to be nervous about. It's going to go fine, Benji. I promise." I walked over to stand next to the small tailor's platform Benji stood on. "I won't let you embarrass yourself."

I knew that was at the heart of Benji's anxiety. He could run naked down Main Street and I wouldn't care. Well, I would. I didn't like to think of everyone staring at his beautiful naked body, but maybe he could run down Main Street in his underwear.

I still wouldn't care.

"What you need to remember is that I care very little about what these people think. If I never made another friend or another business deal, I'd be fine. I have close friends, I have a crap ton of money, and I have you. I'm good, babe."

I stroked my hand over the side of Benji's face before cupping his cheek. "We are doing this for one reason, and only one reason. To let that asshole know you, Jenna, and Jamie are no longer available to play his sick games."

"Does that mean you wouldn't want an engagement party under other circumstances?"

"I would, but I'd have a small gathering with just my family and close friends, something probably held at my grandparents' house. Or maybe we'd get together with Knox, Newt, and Crosby and paint the town red. We would not be hosting the social event of the season."

Truth be told, I kind of wanted to keep Benji to myself. Not because I was worried about what others might think when they discovered I was marrying him, but because I wanted every second of his attention. I didn't want to share.

I was selfish like that.

"It's time, sir."

"Thank you, Jerome," I said without looking away from Benji. "Please have Sergei bring the car around."

"Already done, sir."

I loved employing efficient people.

"Ready, my love?" I asked Benji as I curled my hand around the nape of his neck.

"You sure it's okay to leave Jamie here?"

"It is. Mary and Jerome will guard him with their lives, as will the security team deployed in the lobby, elevator, and parking garage." I'd had Sergei call in a whole hell of a lot of people. Between the penthouse and the party, we were more than covered.

I hoped.

"I don't like being away from him for so long."

"The party won't be that long," I assured Benji. "Four or five hours tops."

Benji blanched. "Four or five hours?"

"The time will pass faster than you know it."

Benji snorted. "I'm pretty sure it's going to drag on forever."

He was probably right, but I wasn't about to admit that. Parties like this usually dragged on longer than the day. They drove me crazy. I tried to avoid them or duck out as quickly as I could after making an appearance. Unfortunately, this time, we were the guests of honor. We couldn't leave.

"Knox and Newt will be there to help us pass the time."

"Your friend Crosby isn't coming?"

I shook my head. "He's on his way back from London, but he won't be here in time for the party."

Benji gave me a curious look. "What's he doing in London?"

"We recently acquired a company in England, a clothing manufacturing plant in the northern regions close to the border. There were some problems with the transfer of power from the former owner to Silver Spoons Inc. so he went over there to resolve them. That's kind of what he does. He's the Chief Risk Officer for the company."

"What's that?"

"The CRO is the guy who is responsible for making sure problems don't exist."

"Sounds…"

I chuckled. "It sounds like a frigging nightmare."

I wouldn't want the job for love or money, but Crosby seemed really good at it. He always had been. Sometimes, his mind moved at lightning speed, solving puzzles before he was even finished figuring out there was one.

Too bad his love life didn't figure things out just as quickly. He went through men like I went through underwear.

"Come on, love. Time to go. Our guests are waiting."

Benji's eyes rolled. "Oh yay."

I couldn't help myself. I grabbed Benji and smothered his lips beneath mine, kissing him until I felt his fingers clench on my shirt. Benji's eyes were dazed when I lifted my head and stared down into their deep green depths.

"I promise to reward you when we get home."

Benji's eyebrow arched. "Reward?"

I knew my grin was cocky, but I couldn't help it. Holding Benji in my arms made me practically giddy. "Oh, I'm definitely going to reward you…all night long."

Benji gulped. "Okay, maybe going to this engagement party won't be so bad."

I wasn't holding my breath.

Chapter Twelve

~ Benjamin ~

I knew there were things I'd have to get used to if I wanted to be a part of Burke's life, but I really hoped we kept the parties events to a minimum. I wasn't a real big party person. I never had been. I preferred quiet nights spent at home curled up with Burke.

I certainly wasn't into fancy parties.

As we walked into the Knox Grand Hotel ballroom, my jaw dropped. Everything was white—the walls, the table clothes, the curtains on the large windows—except the decorations, and they were all gold.

We paused in the doorway. I don't know if Burke was waiting for something or just giving me time to take it all in, but I wanted to turn around and run the other way. Only his hand on the low of my back kept me where I was.

"You sure we have to do this?"

I could hope.

Burke chuckled. "I'm sure, baby."

Damn.

"We should mingle and go find my grandparents."

Them I liked.

I felt the pressure of Burke's hand on my back as he escorted me through the massive room. We stopped every few feet, and I stood there while Burke chatted with people I'd either never met or had only seen in magazines.

It was weird.

"Hello, beautiful."

Burke tensed before slowly turning to face the man who'd spoken. "Steven, I didn't know you'd be on the guest list."

"I wasn't, but you know I love a good party." The man chuckled. "I snuck in with a bunch of my mother's friends. I figured there might be a little honey here tonight that needed rescuing."

I shuddered when Steven turned his gaze on me. There was something predatory in his eyes that made me feel as if I needed a shower.

"And who is this delightful creature?"

Burke's arm slid around my waist. "This is my fiancé, Benjamin."

"Your…" Steven stared for a moment then tossed his head back and laughed. "You're putting me on. The great Alexander Burke engaged to a man? Who are you trying to fuck with tonight? What bitch has her claws in you now?"

"I'm serious, Steven." Burke's voice was steady, but I could hear a thread of steel in it. "Benjamin is my fiancé." Burke snapped his fingers and Sergei stepped forward. "Please escort Mr. Bravos out. He's not on the guest list."

Sergei gave a quick nod before stepping forward. "Please come with me, sir."

"You can't throw me out!"

"Actually, I can." Burke smirked. "It's my engagement party."

Steven's jaw dropped. "Your engagement party?"

"You didn't know that when you decided to crash it?"

"My sister just said it was the social event of the season and…" Steven's brow furrowed. "You're really marrying a man?"

"I am."

"Why?"

I tried not to get offended at that question, but it wasn't easy. The man's tone was filled with total disbelief.

"Because he makes me happy," Burke replied.

Steven stared for another moment before asking, "Are you shitting me?"

"Not at all." Burke pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and swiped his finger over the screen. He smiled as he brought a picture up. "Would you like to see a picture of our son?"

"Your son? You have a son?"

Burke smiled wide. "I do. His name is James after my grandfather. He's just a couple of weeks old. He's adorable." Burke turned to screen so Steven could see.

"He is kind of cute," Steven replied before looking back at Burke. "You're marrying a guy and you have a kid? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Burke stiffened again, but this time I had no problem understanding why he was upset. "There's nothing wrong with me, Steven."

"But, except for Knox, you're one of the biggest man whores I know. You're going to give that all up to play little family?"

All right, this needed to end.

Now.

I leaned up on my toes and pressed a kiss to the underside of Burke's jaw and then took the phone out of his hand. "I'm going to go find Nana and Gramps. I want to show them the new pictures of Jamie. Come find me after you toss this guy out."

"I will, babe."

Walking away and hearing Burke's deep voice filled with rage was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I wanted to find a hole to climb into, but I knew he was depending on me.

I searched the room until I spotted the people I was looking for and then made a beeline for Burke's grandparents. "Nana."

"Oh, Benjamin." Victoria Burke smiled at me as she tilted her head. I planted a small kiss on her cheek. "It's so good to see you. Where's Alexander?"

"Oh, he got stopped talking to someone." I held up my phone. "I have new pictures of Jamie."

"Oh." I turned the phone so she could see the screen and then started flipping through the newest pictures we had of Jamie. "He's only a couple of weeks old, but it feels like he's growing so fast."

Nana patted my arm. "They do that, dear."

"Victoria."

I glanced up. An older woman around Nana's age had walked up to us. I was hoping the smile on Nana's face meant she was a friend.

"Helen." Nana leaned in and did air kisses on each side of the woman's face. "I'm so glad you could come."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Helen smiled back, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Where is the happy couple?"

I held my breath.

Nana slid her arm around mine. "This is Benjamin, the young man my grandson is marrying."

Nope, the smile did not reach Helen's eyes.

But the distasteful twist of her lips was plain to see.

Two could play this game.

"Would you like to see pictures of our son?" I asked.

The smile fell right off Helen's face. "Your son?"

"Well, he's really Burke's son, but he'll be mine too just as soon as we're married. And since we used my twin sister as a surrogate, Jamie is pretty much part Burke and part me."

"Jamie?"

"James Alexander Burke." Nana beamed. "They named him after my husband."

I hadn't known I was doing that at the time, but now I was glad I'd done it.

I flipped the phone around. "Isn't he adorable?"

Helen smiled, but it wobbled. "Yes, adorable."

"Maybe now that Burke has settled down with a family," Nana said, "you can get Steven to find a nice girl…or guy…and settle down. Give you those grandkids you've always wanted."

Wait, this woman was related to Steven?

"Are you talking about Steven Bravos?"

Nana nodded. "Yes, he's Helen's son."

Yeah, he would be.

"He was just talking to Burke a few minutes ago." I glanced over to where I'd left Burke, but he no longer stood there. I started searching the rest of the room. "I don't see him now, but he's got to be here somewhere."

"Well, I'll go find him." Helen sent Nana another smile before glancing at me. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you."

I waited until the woman walked away before leaning down toward Nana. "Friend of yours?"

"Not on your life." Nana chuckled. "But, she's a great gossip. And you played your part perfectly. By the time this party ends, Helen will have told everyone that my grandson used your twin sister to have a child with his male fiancé."

I hoped that was a good thing.

"Are you sure you're okay with all of this?" I couldn't help feeling guilty that the woman was having to lie.

"Do you love my grandson?"

"Very much," I answered without hesitation.

"Then I'm okay with it." Nana patted my arm again. "I've never seen Alexander so happy as he was when he brought you by the house last week. You keep making him happy, and I'll support you any way that I can."

"I'm going to do my best."

"Let's mingle, dear, and keep that phone handy. I intend on bragging a lot."

I laughed as I began to escort Burke's grandmother around the room. Some of the people she introduced me to seemed truly happy for me and Burke. Others just plastered smiles on their faces, but I could see the truth in their eyes.

No one was outright hostile, but I knew a lot of people didn't understand Burke marrying me or why his grandparents supported two men getting married. By the time we'd done a complete circuit around the room, I didn't know whether to jump for joy or stab myself.

I wanted Burke.

I glanced around the room again, searching for him. My heart sank when I didn't see him. "Nana, have you seen Burke?"

"No, but he has to be here somewhere. You don't leave your own engagement party. It's considered very rude."

I kind of thought it was very rude to leave your fiancé at your engagement party as well, but maybe I was wrong. I'd never been to one of these fancy high society events before.

"I'm going to—"

"Victoria," someone behind me said. "I'm so glad I caught you."

My eyes widened for a moment before I turned to face the last person I wanted to see.

"Senator Baines." Nana held out her hand. The man grabbed it and brought it to his lips. "It's so good to see you." She grabbed my arm again. "Have you met Benjamin? Benjamin, this is Senator Walter Baines. Senator, this is my son's fiancé, Benjamin Hart."

I grabbed Nana's arm so I wouldn't have to shake the man's hand. "Senator."

The urge to wrap my hands around the guy's throat and strangle him was very strong.

I restrained myself.

The man squinted at me. "Do we know each other? You seem very familiar."

"I believe you are acquainted with my sister, Jenna."

It was fun watching the blood drain from the man's face.

"Oh, Jenna," Nana said. "What a godsend that woman is. A true angel."

The senator tore his eyes away from mine and glanced at Nana. "An angel?"

"Oh yes, Jenna is Benjamin's twin sister, you know. She offered to be a surrogate for Alexander. With them being twins, it's almost as if Alexander and Benjamin actually had a child together." She patted my arm. "Do you have those pictures, dear?"

"Of course." I pulled Burke's cell phone out of my pocket again and then swiped across the screen until I came to the pictures of Jamie. I held the cell phone up for the senator to see. "This is our son, James Alexander Burke."

"He was named after my husband," Nana said in an excited, giddy voice. "James is so thrilled he could almost bust. Jamie has the Burke brown eyes and Alexander's lovely brown hair. He's absolutely perfect. Don't you agree, Senator?"

"Oh yes, he's quite the looker," the senator replied as he stared down at the picture of Jamie. He sounded like he was trying to gargle glass. "You used a surrogate, huh?"

"I know," Nana said. "I was skeptical at first, too, but James insisted on a DNA test."

The senator's bushy eyebrows rose. "You had DNA tests done?"

"Well, yes, of course," Nana replied. "We were worried Alexander was being taken advantage of like when that horrible Brittany woman tried to convince him she was pregnant with his child, but the tests proved Alexander is this little darling's biological father."

I smiled when I saw the fury building in the senator's eyes. His entire scheme to steal Jenna's baby was sliding through his fingers. He wasn't going to make a single cent off my nephew.

And Nana was helping me.

"Now that we have the DNA tests and the birth certificate with Alexander's name on it, plus the parental rights paperwork Jenna signed and our lawyer filed with the courts naming Alexander as the father, the only thing that is left is for my grandson to marry the love of his life so they can live happily after ever."

I was actually starting to believe it might happen.

The senator's mouth spread into a thin lipped smile. "I'm so happy for you. Congratulations."

I smiled from ear to ear, however. "Thank you."

"Have you seen your sister?"

"Oh no," I replied. "After she gave birth to Jamie, Burke sent her away on holiday to rest and recover. I'm hoping she'll be back soon, though. I'll be sure to pass on your regards."

"Yes, do that."

Not a chance in hell, asshole.

Chapter Thirteen

~ Burke ~

My anger became a scalding fury the second I looked across the ballroom and spotted Benji and my grandmother talking with Senator Baines. I knew nothing good could come from that conversation.

"Knox." I nodded my head toward Benji.

"Oh shit," Knox murmured.

Exactly.

We wanted word to trickle down to the senator that Jamie wasn't his, but not like this. I didn't want Benji in the man's crosshairs. The senator could be vicious when he wanted to be, and Benji had no protection against monsters like him.

"Let me use your cell phone."

Knox frowned as he glanced at me. "Use your own."

"Benji has it."

Knox rolled his eyes, but he pulled his cell phone out and handed it to me. I quickly dialed my cell phone and then watched as Benji answered it.

"Baby, don't say a word, okay? Just listen."

Benji didn't move.

"Can you step away from my grandmother and the senator for a moment?"

Benji pressed my cell phone to his chest and then leaned down to whisper something in my grandmother's ear before walking several steps away.

"Good, now listen. When you go back over to my grandmother, I want you to tell her that Mary called and she needs you back at the penthouse. Something came up with Jamie. Tell her he's teething or something."

"He doesn't have any teeth, Burke."

"So, tell her Jamie is cranky, whatever you have to do to get away from the senator."

"Why do you want me to get away from him?" Benji lifted his head and started looking around. I knew he was searching for me. When he glanced in my direction, I stepped out from behind the pillar I'd been behind. The moment he spotted me, a smile spread across his lips.

"I don't want that man anywhere around you."

"It's fine, Burke. Your grandmother is taking care of it."

"My grandmother?"

Benji snickered. "She has him eating out of her hand."

What the hell was he talking about?

"Benji—"

"She already told him how happy her and your grandfather were that the DNA tests proved Jamie was yours because they were afraid you'd been hoodwinked by a woman saying she was pregnant. She's also thrilled to death that my sister offered to be our surrogate so that our son would be part me and part you. She says my sister is an angel."

Some of the tension fell from my shoulders as I chuckled. "An angel, huh?"

"Yep." Benji grinned at me from across the room. "She also told him that now that the lawyer has filed all the right paperwork with the courts, all that is left to do is for you and me to get married and live happily ever after."

Maybe my grandmother had it in hand after all.

"You should come join us."

"I'll be right there." I waited until Benji had hung up and walked back over to my grandmother before gesturing to Knox and Newt. "Come on, I want a witness."

Before I could reach Benji, an older blonde woman in a short golden evening gown walked up to the senator. It was definitely not a gown for a woman of her age. It was barely a dress for a woman half her age. It only came to midthigh, and the front plunged nearly to her bellybutton, showing off a large portion of her fake breasts. I could almost see her nipples.

The gold clutch purse, golden-colored heels, and diamond necklace she wore made her look like a sparkly hooker. The blood-red lipstick and nails seemed totally out of place with all that gold.

I almost turned and headed in the other direction. Only the knowledge that I'd be leaving Benji in the line of fire kept me headed toward him.

"Hello, love," I said as I wrapped an arm around Benji's waist. I planted a kiss on Benji's cheek before bending down to do the same to my grandmother, and then I turned my attention to two of the people I hated most in the world. "Senator Baines. Mrs. Crosby. Thank you for coming." I gestured to the two men who had walked up with me. "You know my business partners, Colton and Newton Knox."

Knox held out his hand. "Senator."

The senator's lips thinned as he shook Knox's hand.

Knox pulled Newt to his side. "This is my husband and the COO of Silver Spoons Inc. Newt, this is Senator Walter Baines and Crosby's mother, Pamela Crosby."

"Where is Decker?" Pamela asked. "I've been trying to reach him for days, and he's not returning my calls."

Smart man.

"He's out of the country on business, ma'am," Newt said. "Unless the economy suddenly plunges into the Atlantic, I doubt he'll be back for another few weeks."

I almost smirked when Pamela's lips pinched.

"That's still no reason for him not to return my phone calls."

"I don't believe he has cell phone service where he's at, Mrs. Crosby," Newt said. "Cell phone towers are kind of spotty in Africa."

Her plucked eyebrows lifted. "Decker is in Africa?"

"Oh yes, ma'am. We recently acquired a fabric manufacturing plant. There were some problems with the transfer of ownership and Crosby had to…" Newt paused. "I'm sure you don't want to hear all of this. It's a total snore fest." He shook his head. "I don't know how Crosby does it. I'd be bored right out of my skull within an hour. I'm so glad I was named COO instead of CRO. I wouldn't want his job for love or money."

I turned and pressed my face into Benji's hair to keep everyone from seeing the smile on my face. While it was true that we had recently acquired a fabric manufacturing plant, and there were issues with the transfer of ownership, it was not in Africa. It was in England.

Right problem, wrong continent.

Crosby was also already on his way back from London at that very moment. I just wasn't going to inform his mother of that. Newt had given a few days of reprieve from the she-bitch.

"COO?" Pamela asked. "What's that?"

Newt's chest puffed out with pride. "Chief Operating Officer."

"You're the Chief Operating Officer of Silver Spoons Inc.?"

"When Newt and I got married," Knox said, "I gave him half of my interest in the business and promoted him to COO."

Pamela's eyes rounded, which wasn't really a good look on a woman with false eyelashes. "Ha-half your interest in the business?"

"I'll be doing the same with Benji when we get married," I added. "I'm not sure he'll want to work for the company, though. I'm pretty sure he'll want to stay home with Jamie until preschool at least. After that, who knows."

There was a calculating glint in the woman's eyes as she stared at me and Knox. "You both gave away half your interest in your company because you got married?"

I nodded.

Knox nodded.

"Why would you do that?" she asked. "That's billions and billions of dollars."

"Why wouldn't we?" I asked. "I love Benji and I know he loves me. Why wouldn't I want to share my world with him?"

"But, what if you get divorced?"

I chuckled, but it wasn't an easy sound. "Don't go having us getting divorced before we've even gotten married. That's bad luck."

"Well, surely you signed a pre-nup."

I was pretty sure Pamela had a lot of familiarity with pre-nuptial agreements. She'd been married so many times, Crosby didn't even attend the weddings anymore. And each one of them ended with her having nothing, which was why she was always after Crosby.

Knox shook his head. "Don't need one."

"How does Decker feel about all of this?"

"He's in full support of it."

That calculating glint grew brighter. "Well," Pamela said in a sickly sweet voice, "I'm happy for all of you. Please do tell Decker to call me when he comes home. I really must speak with him."

Newt smiled brightly. "I'll be more than happy to pass on your message just as soon as I see him."

I chuckled. I knew how that worked. Newt had been Knox's executive assistant before they got married. He had this thing with Knox where, if he didn't look at him, he didn't "see" him, and therefore, he didn't need to pass on messages.

"Alexander, dear, I think your grandfather wants to speak to you and Benji," Nana said. "I'm sure he's going to try and give some speech, and if he does, he's going to start talking about fishing or something just as insane. You've got to convince him not to. If anyone gives a speech tonight, it's going to be me."

"Of course, Nana." I knew she was trying to get us away from the senator because my grandfather didn't fish.

God, I loved this woman.

I held out one arm for my grandmother and the other for my fiancé. "Benji, join us?"

After they had both latched on to me, I smiled at the senator and Crosby's mother. "Thank you again for coming."

Both of them smiled, but they were the fakest smiles I'd ever seen in my life. That actually made me feel good about what had just happened, even if I wasn't thrilled with Benji having to deal with the senator without me. It could have been a disaster.

I could hear Newt talking to Knox behind me as I walked Benji and my grandmother across the room where my grandfather was sitting with a few of his friends. I couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but I suspected it had something to do with Crosby's mother. Knox was trying to convince Crosby to take out a restraining order against his mother. She was bad news.

When I glanced over my shoulder to see if they were following us, I noticed Pamela in a deep conversation with Senator Baines. From the frown on her face and the wild way her arms were flapping around, I suspected it wasn't a friendly conversation, which made sense. Pamela had been trying to get her hooks in the senator for quite some time.

God, they deserved each other.

"Thank you for whatever you said, Nana. Benji told me that you had the senator eating out of your hand."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Nana chuckled. "I think you're still going to have trouble with the senator, but for the moment, he doesn't know if his plans are going to fall through or not. I suspect, once he's had time to think about it, he'll try something. He's not a man who gives up easily."

I knew she was right, and that didn't sit well with me.

"Suggestions?"

Nana smiled as she patted my arm. "Let me take care of it."

Nana had a calculating gleam in her eyes, much like Pamela had had, but hers didn't make me sick to my stomach. It made me feel better. I had no idea what she had planned, but Senator Baines would be a fool to mess with Victoria Burke.

She didn't take prisoners.

"Smile, dear."

"Yes, Nana."

Nana let go of my arm when we reached my grandfather. She held out her hand to him. "I need you, James."

My grandfather stood without question and took her hand. Nana led him to the middle of the floor and then grabbed a champagne flute for her and my grandfather. I didn't know what she was up to, but I knew it was going to be epic.

I grabbed champagne flutes for me and Benji when the waiter passed us. "Make sure everyone has a glass," I told the waiter.

He nodded and moved off.

I held the glass in one hand and rested the other one on the low of Benji's back. "Be ready to be in the limelight, love. Nana is getting ready to spin our story just a little bit more."

"Oh man," Benji whispered. "Everyone is staring."

They were.

"It's almost over, Benji."

Nana grabbed a gold-colored butter knife off of one of the tables and tapped the side of her champagne flute until everyone stopped talking and turned to look at her. She smiled as she sat the knife down and then faced the crowd.

"I want to thank all of you for coming to help celebrate the engagement of my grandson Alexander to the love of his life, Benjamin Hart. I'll admit James and I were a bit concerned when Alexander came to us and told us that he was marrying a man, but then we had a chance to meet Benjamin and get to know him."

Nana shot Benji a smile, which he returned.

"Benjamin, after knowing you even just a small amount of time, I know you will give Alexander the one thing all of our money couldn't buy him. Unconditional love. I've never seen him as happy as he has been these last few weeks. Knowing he is going to have that love for the rest of his life makes us very happy. Welcome to the family, my dear."

"Thank you," Benji said even as he edged closer to me.

I slid my arm from the middle of his back around to his side and then pulled him closer to me. I knew he was uncomfortable being the center of attention, but we needed this scene to play out. Besides, this was our engagement party.

I still had plans to throw him a smaller, more intimate one with just friends and family. I just wanted to wait until Jenna could leave the hospital. I knew he'd want his sister to be there.

"And bless his heart, Benjamin not only brought happiness to Alexander, but he brought joy to this old woman's heart. Benjamin's twin sister graciously agreed to be a surrogate so that Alexander and Benjamin could give me a great-grandchild. Little James Alexander Burke was born just a few weeks ago, and I am not bragging when I say he is the most adorable baby ever born because he is."

The crowd facing Nana chuckled.

Nana held her hand out to Benji. "Give me your phone, dear."

Benji quickly handed my cell phone over then leaned over to whisper to me, "I like this scenario much better than the other one. Surrogate beats unfaithful lover every time."

I had to agree with him. I looked a lot less like an idiot using his twin sister as a surrogate than if I'd simply slept with his sister because I couldn't figure out if I was gay or not.

The timelines still added up.

Nana held it up and gave it a little wiggle. "I have pictures of my beautiful little boy if anyone wants to see them."

The crowd laughed again.

"James and I couldn't be happier for Alexander and Benjamin. We hope all of you enjoy yourself as we help them celebrate the start of what is bound to be a wonderful life." Nana lifted her champagne glass into the air. "To Alexander and Benjamin. May your life together be everything you hope it will be."

She winked at us as she took a sip of her champagne. Benji and I both took a sip of ours before I gave Benji a little push and we walked over to join her and my grandfather.

"Thank you, Nana." I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

I knew exactly what she had done. Not only had she secured Jamie as my son, but she had let everyone know her and my grandfather both approved of my marriage to Benji. The Burke family had a lot of sway in high society. People would be hesitant to go against them even if they didn't agree with two men getting married.

I turned away from Nana and shook my grandfather's hand. "Thank you, Gramps."

"You just take care of your family, son, and we'll call it even."

"I plan on it."

"God, I hate these things."

I snorted out a laugh. "I know, right?"

"Your grandmother loves them, so what can I do?"

"I'm planning a smaller, more intimate engagement party for Benji with just family and a few close friends. I want to wait until Jenna can come home from the hospital. I know Benji will want her there."

Gramps patted my shoulder. "You're a good man, Alexander. You've made your grandmother and I very proud."

Something wistful flooded my eyes. I always knew my grandparents loved me. Hell, they had raised me after my parents died when I was a kid. And I always knew they were proud of me, but it was kind of nice to hear it.

"You've got a good man there as well," Gramps continued. "Don't fuck it up again."

I chuckled. "No, sir."

I knew what I had and I wasn't going to fuck it up.

Chapter Fourteen

~ Benjamin ~

Once again, I felt as if I was dragging ass as I followed Burke into the hotel suite he'd rented for us for the night. One of these days, I'd follow Burke with a bounce in my step. It just wasn't going to be tonight.

"Tired, love?"

"God, yes," I groaned.

"We can head home if that's what you want."

"Are you insane? You said Mary was going to keep Jamie overnight. Granted, I adore him, but I don't think I've gotten a full night's sleep since before he was born." I'd pretty much sell a kidney for a straight eight hours of sleep right now.

"Come with me, love. I'll help you relax." Burke grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bedroom.

"Burke," I groaned when he stopped and then turned to face me.

He pulled my jacket off then gave me a little push, and I fell back onto the mattress. His brown eyes turned to heated mocha as he climbed up onto the bed between my legs. He grabbed the hem of my shirt and started pulling it up. "Let's get this off, okay?"

I nodded then leaned up so he could pull the shirt over my head. I felt a little anxious when I lay back down on the bed until I saw the heat in his eyes as he stared down at my naked chest. There wasn't a universe created where I looked anything like he did. I had some muscle definition, but nothing like what Burke had.

He still looked down at me as if he wanted to eat me.

I sucked in a breath when his hand stroked down the middle of my chest. I forgot to breathe when Burke's fingers went to the buttons on my pants. The sound of my zipper lowering echoed loudly through the room. Burke scooted back to kneel between my legs. He grabbed the hem of each pant leg then slowly pulled my pants down.

I couldn't understand why he was going so slow. It would have been quicker for me to stand up beside the bed and take my pants off. I wished he'd hurry up.

I was going to combust.

Once I was naked and lying there in the middle of the mattress, Burke just stood at the end of the bed and stared down at me.

"Burke?"

"You're gorgeous," Burke whispered as his gaze roamed over every inch of me. "Just look at you."

"I'd rather look at you."

Burke's eyes snapped up to me before an easy grin crossed his lips. My pulse pounded as I watched him strip off his clothes, one article at a time.

"Jesus, and you think I'm beautiful?" I whispered once he was naked.

The man had obviously not looked in a mirror lately. He was a massive, self-confident man who had an air of authority about him and the appearance of one who demanded instant obedience.

I wanted to do whatever he said.

I slowly looked him over, starting at the top of his close-cropped hair, then moved down. His lips were firm and sensual. The set of his chin suggested a stubborn streak, but there were touches of humor around his mouth and near his eyes.

I liked that.

He looked very powerful, his chest broad and muscular. His chest narrowed down to slim hips and muscular thighs. What hung between those thick thighs made my ass clench. I just wasn't sure if it came from anticipation or fear. This man clearly had every reason to brag. His balls hung heavy from a thick thatch of dark curls. His cock—sweet mercy—his cock pointed up nearly to his belly button. It was heavily veined and nearly as thick as my wrist.

I couldn't take my eyes off of Burke as he walked around the bed to the nightstand. My cheeks heated when he grabbed a bottle of lube and a condom. Burke had a smile on his face as he tossed them on the bed beside me and then climbed onto the bed.

I leaned back into the pillow when he loomed over me. I wasn't scared exactly. I was…I don't want to say I was intimidated, but yeah. The sheer size of the man was a little intimidating. And then I saw the sparkle in his beautiful brown eyes, and every worry I had faded away into nothing.

I smiled up at him.

My mouth dropped open when Burke scooted down between my legs, his face hovering right over my cock.

"Burke!" My scream when Burke sucked my cock into his mouth was probably heard in the entire hotel. I had never felt anything like that before in my life. It was as if he was trying to suck my brains out of the end of my dick.

He just might.

I curled my hands into the blanket as Burke began to swallow, his mouth moving up and down on my throbbing cock. The heat was unbelievable. The suction was even better. When the man started using his tongue on me, I was pretty sure I'd died and gone to heaven.

I whimpered in protest when Burke pulled off my cock and leaned back. I was close, oh so close. I could feel my orgasm hovering just out of reach.

Burke's grin was of pure male satisfaction due to the sounds he was getting out of me. The man had a right to be prideful. He could practically peel me like a grape when he had my dick in his mouth. I simply came apart.

I almost cried when he sucked my dick back into his mouth. It was warm, wet heaven. It was perfect. I could feel the telltale signs of my orgasm approaching. My balls drew up tight to my body. I felt a tingle gather in my groin. I held my breath…waiting…anticipating.

I felt Burke move as he reached up beside me, but I didn't care what he was doing. Every ounce of me was occupied with his mouth on my dick. Burke sucked hard, swallowing me down until the tip of my cock nudged the back of his throat.

At the same time, I felt a bit of pressure at my ass, then an invasion that had me screaming as I bucked up and filled Burke's mouth with cum as my world exploded.

Damned if the man didn't swallow every drop.

I felt boneless, like I was floating. Every nerve in my body had short-circuited. I knew I was never going to be the same again.

"Benji."

I opened my eyes to find Burke looking down at me with a tender look in his deep brown eyes.

"Did you enjoy that, baby?"

I nodded. "That was…" Even as intelligent as I was, I wasn't sure I had words adequate enough to describe the life-altering experience I'd just had. "Thank you."

"I'm not done with you yet, Benji. I just wanted to see your eyes for this part."

I frowned. "What part?"

Burke's grin grew.

My breath caught when Burke pushed another finger into my ass. The burn was there, but slight. Strangely enough, it only added to my arousal. I wasn't into pain by any means, but there was an edge to being filled by Burke, whether he was using his fingers or his dick, that simply set me off.

Burke pushed just the head of his cock past my tight ring of muscles then leaned up, looping his arms under my thighs. When he leaned over me, I was practically folded in half, but I wouldn't have missed the expression of pure bliss on Burke's face for all the money in the world.

"So pretty," he whispered as he gazed down at my ass. "I could watch you taking me all day long."

My eyes widened as Burke's massive cock slid farther into my ass, until his balls rested against my ass cheeks. My ass was stretched almost to the point of pain, but not quite. But there was something alluring about hanging on the edge between pleasure and pain.

Damned if I knew what it was.

Burke's big arms cradled my thighs as the man loomed over me. "Ready?"

I didn't think so, but I nodded anyway.

Burke slowly pulled out until just the head of his cock remained locked inside of me, and then he thrust forward. His cock brushed over that special spot inside of me, and I suddenly couldn't breathe. I clutched at Burke's arms.

Burke thrust again, and then again, hammering that special spot inside my ass. The pressure built until I didn't know if I’d died or touched heaven.

When the man leaned over me, one arm bracing him next to my head and the other arm wrapped around my thigh, I couldn't stand it. "Burke!"

"Are you going to come for me, baby?"

"Yesss." The pressure that had been building up inside of me erupted. I shot ropes of pearly white cum out of my throbbing dick and all over me and Burke.

Burke grunted as he drove himself deep inside of me then stilled. I groaned as a wet heat filled my ass, warming me from the inside out. My ass was overflowing with copious amounts of cum. I was covered in cum and sweat. I ached in the most delicious manner.

It was wonderful.

The man dropped down over the top of me, panting heavily. "Damn, baby, I think you broke me."

I chuckled as I reached up and slid my fingers through his sweat dampened hair. "I'll glue you back together again."

Burke grinned at me. "You just might at that."

* * * *

This time I had a definite bounce in my step as I followed Burke out of the elevator in the lobby of his penthouse. After getting pounded into the mattress until my entire body felt like liquid, I'd gotten my first full night's sleep in weeks.

"Excited to see Jamie?"

I grinned. "Yeah."

"Mary will bring him up as soon as we call her. Do you want to shower first or see him first?"

"Ug, shower." We'd had a long soak in the hotel's luxurious spa tub last night, but I really wanted a quick shower and to change into my comfy clothes.

Burke chuckled as he opened the doors to the penthouse. "Want company?"

"Of course." I pushed past Burke and walked into the penthouse. I jumped when I felt a swat land on my ass, but kept walking, heading for the bedroom. When I reached the living room, my steps slowed. "Burke."

The wall to Crosby's apartment was gone.

Chapter Fifteen

~ Burke ~

I frowned as I stopped next to Benji and stared at the opening. "Huh, Crosby must have gotten back early."

"The wall is gone, Burke."

I chuckled. "It does that, Benji. Remember? We can pull back the walls between all three penthouses so we can have more space for joint parties and such, and close them back up again when we want privacy."

"Then why is it open now?"

I frowned again. "I don't know."

It made sense for the doors to be open if Crosby was home, but then he'd more than likely be in my penthouse, and I didn't see him. "Go ahead and get the shower going, Benji. I'm going to go track Crosby down." I glanced over my shoulder Sergei. "Would you call your brother and see if Crosby is at Knox's place?"

Sergei gave a nod. "Of course, sir."

I sent Benji a reassuring smile as I waited for Sergei to make his phone call. "Go ahead and start the shower, babe. This will only take a moment."

By the time Benji walked away, Sergei was placing his cell phone back in his pocket. "Mr. Crosby is not at Mr. Knox's penthouse. Ivan says he hasn't seen him."

"Huh, then he must be home." I started for Crosby's place, Sergei right on my heels. It didn't take more than a few minutes to search the entire penthouse. The empty penthouse. There wasn't a sign of Crosby anywhere. There wasn't even a sign that he'd been here.

"Sergei, call Ivan again. Tell him we might have a situation. Have him put Knox and Newt in lock down."

"What's wrong, sir?"

"I don't know." I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something felt out of place. "I just want to be cautious until we know all three penthouses are clear."

"Yes, sir." Sergei pulled his phone out and dialed his brother.

While he spoke to Ivan, I started doing a little more investigation. All three bedrooms and attached bathrooms were empty as were the guest bathroom, kitchen, office, and living room, but I still felt as if something was off.

By the time I stood in the entryway between my penthouse and Crosby's, I knew I was right, but I also couldn't figure out why I knew that.

"Sergei, did you…" My voice trailed off as I caught the flash of something sitting by the fireplace in my penthouse. I walked over to get a better look.

The sense of dread I felt when I realized I was looking at a pair of golden high heels almost took me to my knees. "Sergei, you need to get some more guys up here now."

"Sir?"

"We have an intruder." I was positive of it. I didn't know how Pamela had gotten into Crosby's penthouse, but I knew she had no business being in mine. "I'm going to get Benji and take him over to Knox's place."

I wanted my love out of the line of fire before we started hunting Pamela down. "And you need to set eyes on Ivan and make sure he's not being held at gunpoint."

I'd put nothing past Pamela Crosby.

Sergei seemed to hear the urgency in my voice. He hurried out of the room. A moment later, I heard the door to the penthouse slam shut. I blew out a breath as I headed for the bedroom to get Benji.

"Hey, babe," I called out just in case Pamela was around anywhere listening. "You get the shower going?"

"B-Burke," Benji called out.

I stopped before I reached the nursery doorway. The tremble in Benji's voice pulled my heart right out of my chest. I braced myself and then stepped forward. "Baby, what are you—"

I took in the room at a glance. Pamela wasn't there, but Senator Baines was, and he had a gun pointed right at Benji's head. Benji knelt on the floor in front of the man, tears tickling down his pale cheeks.

"It's okay, baby." I hoped he read the promise in my eyes. There was no way I was going to let anyone hurt him. We had a long life of love and happiness ahead of us, and no psycho with a gun was going to stop us.

I raised my eyes to look at the man casually lounging in the chair behind Benji. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want," Senator Baines replied. "I want my son."

"Jamie is not your son. He's mine."

The senator pointed the gun at the wall right beside me and pulled the trigger. I admit it. I jumped when the bullet ripped a nice-sized hole in the wall next to my head.

I narrowed my eyes as I glanced back at the man. "Are you insane?"

"No, not at all. I just want my boy."

"Why? So you can sell him to some couple overseas? Is a jail term worth a few thousand dollars?"

The senator chuckled. "I'll have you know, the product of my loins is worth half a million dollars."

My jaw dropped. "You sold your son for half a million dollars?"

What sort of idiot would do that? Hell, what sort of idiot would offer that much money for a kid? Adopting was much easier, and cheaper. Even hiring a surrogate was cheaper.

I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense. It's cheaper for someone to hire their own surrogate and have a child with their own DNA than to buy a baby."

"You would think so, wouldn't you, but my buyers are rich, very rich, and they want one with the genetics they know of. Once I showed them Jenna's picture, they were very eager to pay whatever the asking price was."

Wait…

"You slept with Jenna on purpose, didn't you? You wanted to get her pregnant so you could sell her baby."

Benji gasped.

Senator Baines chuckled. "I did. She's a very beautiful woman."

"Why would you attack her? You had to know it could have killed both Jenna and Jamie."

"My men were very careful not to hit her in the stomach, although, I do admit they went a little overboard. They were merely supposed to rough her up a bit so she'd stop all her nonsense."

"Why didn't you just let her have the baby and try not take him then?" The attack totally didn't make sense to me.

The senator's eyes narrowed. "She threatened to go to the press and I couldn't have that. There's too much at stake here."

The man was a known womanizer, which prompted my next question. "How many women have you done this to?" Jenna couldn't be the only one. "How many times have you gotten some poor girl pregnant only to take her baby away and sell it?"

"It's the cost of doing business, my boy. Surely you understand that. Your history is not that lily white."

"I've never gotten a woman pregnant."

"Does the name Brittany Fox sound familiar?"

My eyes widened before a burst of laughter shot out of my mouth. "I never got Brittany pregnant."

"She seems to think otherwise."

"She's also bat-shit crazy." And currently locked up in a loony bin. "Not only was she not pregnant with my kid, but she has never been pregnant, and I have the medical documents to prove that."

"The same way you have DNA tests that prove Jamie is your biological son?"

I grinned from ear to ear. "Yes."

I locked my legs in place and stiffened when I felt a brush of air blow over the back of my neck. I took a step to one side of the doorway and leaned against the frame, clasping my hands behind my back.

I felt the cold press of a gun in my hand.

"I don't know how many women you've done this to, but I'm not going to let you do it to Jenna. I'm not giving you Jamie."

"I could just shoot you both and take him."

"You could, but you don't know where he is, and he won't be brought back here unless one of us calls for him." I knew I shouldn't have said that the moment the words came out of my mouth.

"You will make that phone call."

I shook my head. I couldn't turn that sweet, innocent little boy over to this madman.

"Benji!" I shouted when Senator Baines pointed the gun at Benji and pulled the trigger. Benji collapsed on the floor, a pool of blood spreading out from beneath him. I started to rush toward him when Baines jerked the gun up and aimed it at me.

"Stay right where you are, Burke."

Rage fueled my words. "You're not going to get away with this."

"I already have," the senator replied. "Now, make the phone call."

I still had a gun in one of my hands, but the senator was aiming right for me. I had no doubt he'd pull the trigger before I could even get the gun out from behind my back.

But I also knew we weren't alone.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket with my free hand. As I started dialing Knox's number—because I wasn't about to call Mary—I fumbled the phone and dropped it.

I took a step forward then stopped. "I'm just going to pick up my phone. Don't shoot me."

"Just hurry up."

"It would help if you weren't pointing that gun at my head." I slowly reached down and grabbed my phone then stood back up. Before I dialed, I glanced at the senator again. "I have one question. How in the hell did you get into my penthouse?"

The senator snorted. "Pamela. How else?"

"Pamela Crosby let you into my penthouse?"

"She let me into her son's penthouse. After talking with her, she told me about the doorway that went between your apartments. Since she had a key—"

"Crosby would never have given her a key."

The senator shrugged. "She had one made so she could snoop when he wasn't home. How else do you think she keeps track of him?"

Oh, Crosby was going to be so interested in that bit of information, and so pissed that he hadn't figured it out.

"Where is she then?"

"That stupid bitch thought she'd get a piece of the action if she let me in here. I got tired of listening to her flap her lips so I knocked her ass out and put her in your bed."

Well, looks like I needed a new bed.

"Is she alive?"

"How the hell would I know? But it makes a great story if she's dead. Your fiancé shot, you shot, her dead in your bed. The tabloids will be talking about it for months."

It did, but it wouldn't go down like the senator hoped.

I stepped back to the doorway and called Knox. "Hey, Mary, it's Burke."

"You okay, man?"

"No, no, we're fine. Just a little tired from last night's party."

"Ivan and Sergei have everyone waiting for you to make a move. We've got you on the camera Sergei had placed in the nursery so we can see everything that's happening, and Burke, I'm recording it all. Medics are on their way."

"That's good," I replied, trying not to look as relieved as I felt. "Hey, any chance you can bring Jamie back now? Benji really wants to see him. He misses him."

"Not a chance in hell. Mary and Jamie are locked up tight with five of our best men."

"Good, then we'll see you in a few." I hung up and slid the phone back into my pocket. "Jamie will be here in a minute, but even if you do get your hands on him, how to you expect to get out of here?"

"Same way I came in, express elevator to the parking garage and a limousine to the airport. I have a private jet waiting to fly me to Dubai, which, I am sure you are fully aware, has no extradition treaty with the United States. Between what I am making off of Jenna's kid and the money I have stocked away from my other sales, I should be able to live like a king for the rest of my life."

Well, now I knew there was plenty of money for Jenna and the other women to go after once this idiot was out of the way.

"You're still not going to get away with this."

I was positive of it.

When the senator started to roll his eyes, I knew this was my opportunity. I dropped to the floor in an instant and brought my gun around, aiming it at the man. Before I could pull the trigger, someone else did.

Senator Baines cried out and dropped his gun before lifting his hand to grab his arm. "You shot me!"

"You're lucky I didn't kill you," Sergei said as he stepped into the room, a gun in his own hand. "My apologies, Mr. Burke. This parasite never should have been able to gain entry into the building let alone your penthouse. It will not happen again."

"He had help," I pointed out as I crawled across the floor to Benji.

"I am aware, sir, and Mrs. Crosby is being looked at now."

I glanced up at the man. "She's alive?"

"Yes, sir."

I wasn't sure whether I was happy or not.

"Baby?" I wasn't quite sure where to touch Benji, but I had to know if he was alive.

"Fuck me," Benji groaned as I turned him over. "Getting shot sucks."

Oh. My. God.

My heart started beating again as I grabbed Benji and pulled him into my arms. "Where are you hit, Benji?"

"My arm."

I looked Benji over until I was assured the through and through in his arm was his only injury. It didn't look life-threatening, but I still felt an overwhelming urge to strangle the senator.

"Sir."

I grabbed the towel that was suddenly thrust in front of my face and wrapped it around the wound. Benji whimpered when I applied pressure. "Sorry, baby. I have to."

"No, I know. Just hurts."

And I hated adding to his pain. I wanted him to know nothing but happiness and joy.

This was not it.

"Still going to marry me?"

It was an honest question.

"Just try and stop me."

"Good." I brushed the hair back from Benji's face with my free hand. "I might be a tad bit obsessed with you."

Benji chuckled. "I'm good with that."

"You know things are going to get a bit crazy, don't you? Once this gets out, it's going to make a great TV movie."

"I want someone as sexy me to play my part."

"There is no one as sexy as you."

I was sure of it.

Epilogue

~ Burke ~

I bounced Jamie in his front carrier as I watched Senator Walter Baines's life get dissected across every news outlet in the world. It had been going on for days, and I doubted it would stop anytime soon.

As soon as the news had broken, women started coming out of the woodwork, demanding their babies back. So far, the count was up to twenty-three women he had gotten pregnant and then taken their babies and sold them on the black market.

I knew from Knox's father that a full FBI investigation was underway with the intention of returning the stolen babies to their biological mothers. The people who had bought them didn't have a leg to stand on since buying babies was illegal and they had never gotten the mother's approval for the black market adoptions.

I didn't think it was going to be as easy as simply tracking the adopting families down, but it was a start. I hoped that the women who had been wronged sued the pants off the senator and his estate.

Well, sued Walter Baines and his estate anyway, because he was no longer a senator. He had been removed from his political seat by unanimous vote of the entire senate. I'm pretty sure that was the one and only time they all agreed on something.

My watch beeped. I looked down at it before glancing toward the hallway. "Jenna, time to go."

It was a little weird getting used to living with Jenna and Jamie in the penthouse full-time, but Jamie had grown on me and Benji was so much happier with his sister being where he could keep an eye on her.

I knew there would come a time when Jenna and Jamie moved out to live a life on their own, but for now, I was having fun playing uncle. And if I paid for Jenna to go to the college of her choice, assigned a full-time bodyguard for her, and had her living here with us until then, I was okay with that.

It made Benji happy, and making Benji happy made me happy.

Jenna came rushing down the hallway as fast as her crutches would allow, her school bag over her shoulder. She stopped in front of me and gave Jamie a kiss on the top of his head. "Call me if you have any problems."

"We've got this, Jenna. Go. Learn stuff."

Jenna giggled then leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "See you after class." She raced out the door, her new bodyguard right on her heels. I was glad we'd been able to find her a female bodyguard, one who wasn't averse to wearing hip clothing that would help her blend in. It made Jenna feel more at ease, and it made my job of keeping an eye on her easier.

I watched the door close behind her before looking down at the baby asleep in the carrier attached to my chest. Babies smelled so good.

Another beep went off on my watch. "Benji."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

I chuckled as Benji came down the hallway, trying to fix the tie around his neck.

"I'm never going to get these things right."

"Then why wear one?" I asked.

"Because I'm having lunch at Esquires with Nana."

"You know Nana won't mind." She adored Benji.

"I mind."

"Okay, come here." When Benji reached me, I turned him and then fixed his tie for him. I had a lot of practice. Once I was done, I pressed a kiss to Benji's lips. "I'll be in the office when you get back. Come find me."

"How's that new assistant working out for you?"

"Not sure yet," I said as I thought of the new executive assistant Newt and Benji had found for me. "He seems efficient enough, and he hasn't made a single pass at me, but he keeps dropping everything or running into walls."

"He's just nervous, Burke. Give him some time to settle in."

"I will, baby." If he didn't injure himself first. Speaking of injuries… "How's your shoulder?"

I still died a little inside every time I thought about watching the senator shoot Benji. I doubted I'd ever forgive myself for letting it happen.

"I'm good, Burke. You know that. Even the doctor said I was as good as new."

"I know, but I worry."

"I'm fine. Promise." Benji stretched up to kiss me, which wasn't easy considering we had a baby pressed between us. "Okay, I need to go or I'm going to be late and I don't like keeping Nana waiting."

"I'll see you when you get back, love."

"Don't forget that we're having dinner with Emma and her folks tonight," Benji reminded me. "I can't wait to cook for you all."

I smiled at the unusual friendship that had formed between us and the people who had tried so hard to help Benji. For that alone, I could grow to love them.

I paid off their mortgage instead.

"I won't," I promised.

One more kiss for me and a kiss for Jamie and Benji was out the door, Boris following after him. He wasn't allowed to step one step outside our penthouse without Boris at his side. I wasn't going to lose the love of my life now that I had him back.

I turned when I heard the door between my penthouse and Crosby's start to slide open. Considering the man had been called back to England before he even arrived home, and then was gone for another month, I was surprised to see him.

I knew from Sergei that the man had finally gotten home a couple of hours ago. I thought he'd sleep the day away, so I was kind of surprised to see him standing there.

"Hey, man," I said. "Good to have you home."

"Good god, man," Crosby exclaimed, "what is that attached to your chest?"

THE END

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