The Boss’s Runaway (Possessive Kingpins)

Jae was gone a lot from the house for a few days. I had no idea what was happening. Now the truth was out, things were going to change, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t want them to. I liked being Song Jae Han’s little secret. I felt safe and free in his world, where my brother didn’t know how to find me.

Now, Kon would come for me, and Jae would have no choice but to let me go. If I knew my brother, my punishment would be an arranged marriage somewhere harder to escape. Knowing my luck, it would be in Siberia.

The familiar sound of the front door locks opening pierced my cozy silence of staring out the window with a mug of tea in hand.

Jae walked in with Suna hot on his heels. I blinked at them, surprised.

“You didn’t tell her anything, did you?” Suna asked, folding her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes. “Men.”

“What is it? What’s happened?” Worry immediately clouded my thoughts. Was this it? Was I going back to the Ivanov bratva tonight without a chance to say goodbye alone with Jae? Did Suna blame me for endangering their family?

She turned on her heel and headed through the house toward the bedrooms. “Come find me after you two talk.”

“What happened?”

Jae approached me, his hands reaching for my waist. For a man who didn’t like to be touched, he sure seemed handsy since the other night. I leaned into his solid strength, comforted by it.

“I saw your brother.”

I stiffened, worry making me antsy. “Where?”

“At Luna. Don’t worry. He’s alive,” Jae said.

I swallowed the hard knot of guilt in my throat. My first worry had been that Kon might have hurt Jae, not the other way around. “Okay. What did he say?”

“As you predicted, he wants you back and will go through with the arranged wedding in some shape or form.”

That knot slid lower down my throat, cutting off my ability to speak for a moment. I didn’t realize I was crying until Jae ran his thumb beneath my eye.

“Don’t cry, Kat. He’s not worth your tears. No matter what he wants or how angry it makes me, I won’t hurt him.”

I blinked at Jae. “I wish I was good enough to worry about that. It’s not why I’m crying.”

“It’s not?”

I shook my head miserably. “I dragged you into all this, made trouble for you, and it’s still going to happen anyway.” The confession weighed heavily on my heart. It was a feeling I’d had about myself since I was old enough to understand my role in the brutal bratva my brother had made.

Jae cupped my face, tilting my head back firmly so I had no choice but to let him see the misery in my eyes. “You seem confused, Kat Ivanov, so let’s make something clear. From the second you let me have you—no, it was before that. From the moment you touched me in the warehouse and fell into my arms, I was never letting you go. Konstantin can’t have you, even if it means war… because you’re mine.”

My heart leaped as hope and crushing fear swept through me.

“Go and see Suna and let her help you get ready,” he said quietly. He pressed a long kiss to my forehead, still cupping my face as if it was something precious to him.

“Get ready for what?” I asked, humbled and in awe of his steadfast confidence and how he’d instantly transformed my fear into joy.

“The wedding. We’re getting married at sun-up,” Jae said quietly.

My mind blanked at his words. What? I tried to pull away, but he held me tightly.

“There’s only one way to fix this, and you’ll do it. There’ll be no running or fighting me.”

I shook my head. I’d never run from Jae. He was the man I’d only ever run toward—my safe harbor in the dark. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

His parents would be angry, and maybe his men too. He was risking his reputation to keep me safe.

“Kat, your touch is the only one I can stand. You’re mine, and I’ll keep you until your last breath, whether you want me to or not. I told you, I’m not your white knight. I’m the villain stealing the girl,” he said quietly.

“I don’t care what you say. You’ll always be my white knight.”

“Yet, I’m not going to ask you to marry me. That isn’t a no I would accept from you, so there’s no point. Not very knightly behavior.”

I grinned. “I don’t know. The white knight didn’t give sleeping beauty much choice when she woke up. It was more—come with me or die.”

He considered my words, his eyes warm without a hint of the cold reserve I’d seen when I’d met him. “In that case, maybe I am a white knight, but only ever to you, princess.” He leaned in and kissed me soundly until I sagged against his chest and wished his sister wasn’t along the hall. “Now go and get ready. We’ve a wedding to get to.”

We got married as soon as the registry office opened downtown. Suna had procured a pretty white day dress, and she and her husband, along with about fifty armed men, were witnesses to our vows. The rest of the Lucianos were there, except for Antonio, who lived in Chicago. Suna was the only other Song present, apart from Jae’s security. I didn’t dare ask him if his parents were attending, and I knew his younger sister was kept on a tight leash.

We exchanged simple vows and signed the register. I had no idea how he’d pushed through the paperwork, but things often went that way in our world. Was there no rule that couldn’t be broken or red tape that couldn’t be cut if the price and incentive were high enough?

We left the registry office and bid goodbye to the Lucianos.

“Where are we going now?” I asked as Jae led me to the car.

He rounded the other side and got in the back as the driver pulled out into the traffic. “We are going to announce the news to Dami and my father.”

I hid a gulp at the reception I’m sure it would get. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Blood stains are a bitch to get out, and I’m wearing silk,” I joked.

Jae pressed a button to raise the privacy partition in the car. I raised an eyebrow at him as he patted his lap.

“Didn’t you hear, princess? I promised to spend the rest of my life keeping you safe, and that includes from my parents.” He tugged me so I straddled him and pushed my silky skirt up to reveal stocking tops.

“And what are you doing right now?” I teased, letting out a small groan as he leaned in and licked a red-hot stripe down my neck, making me shiver.

“Consummating this marriage, so there can never be any doubt you are my woman, and no one will take you from me,” he said, sliding a hand up my thigh, heading for the damp lace pressing against his hardness. “Now, keep it down, that partition only shields the eyes, not the ears, and I want to be the only man to know how it sounds when you come undone.”