Page 12 of Watch Me, Daddy

“After your arranged marriage to Anton Kozlov was already settled, your father found out some information that was kept hidden from him when the agreement was made.”

“About Anton?” I guessed.

“Yes. First, Anton is a regular user of a high-end escort service. While that is common for a man of his stature, he had several mistresses here in the city that he planned on keeping even after he married you. I’ve seen apartment leases in their names, meant for a year, others even longer. He even bought a house for one of them who is pregnant with his child.”

“I didn’t know any of that,” I whispered.

“That’s not the worst of it, Irina, but I think you already know that, don’t you?”

Instantly, my fingers pressed against my cheek. It was still sore from the bastard backhanding me.

“There were also an alarming number of incidences of domestic abuse that had been swept under the rug, either by paying off the right member of Congress or the police chief,” he continued.

“I do know that. He hit me, too,” I whispered.

“I know, sweet girl. I saw,” he murmured, his voice full of emotion.

His face twisted slightly in anger, and I flinched. He shook his head.

“It’s not you, Irina. It just makes me furious when a man treats a woman like that. Mark my words, that man will never touch a single hair on your head ever again,” he growled.

In that moment, I felt seen in a way that touched my heart, and I couldn’t help but be drawn to this man despite everything inside me that told me to run.

“What do you mean that you saw?” I pressed.

“My team broke into your suite when it was unoccupied one afternoon. We installed cameras to keep watch over you, to learn the Kozlovs’ routine, anything we might need to know to kidnap you in the safest way possible.”

“You watched me,” I said breathily.

Had there been cameras in my bedroom? Had he seen me changing too? If he had, had he liked what he’d seen?

He broke through my reverie when he cleared his throat. “Your father met with my sister Ada and Shane Kavanagh. Together, your family, the Kavanaghs, and mine agreed that the best way to dissolve the alliance with the least amount of bloodshed was to quietly kidnap you and rescue you from a future with Anton,” he explained.

“My father approved of this,” I said disbelievingly.

“Yes. Any other alternative would have ended in an all-out war. None of us wanted that.”

As much as his story made sense, it felt a little too good to be true. The Morozovs were a powerful family back in Moscow, but here, we meant little, especially to two powerful Irish organizations like the Murphys and the Kavanaghs. The likelihood of my father coming out of that meeting alive was slim, if it even happened in the first place.

For now, though, I would let it lie and remain cautious.

“Am I a prisoner then?” I countered.

“No. You’re my guest for the time being, for your safety,” he answered.

“You locked me in my room last night,” I replied.

“You’re a flight risk. Right now, you need protection, and I’m the one that’s going to give you that. You’re safe here in this house, and you’ll remain here until the danger from the Kozlovs have passed.”

“I don’t need your protection. I can take care of myself,” I scoffed.

The verbal sparring mounted the tension between us, and I smirked, knowing this was a battle I could win.

His mouth tightened into a firm line as he sat back in his chair, his expression hardening. A mischievous gleam came over his gaze, and he cocked his head, smirking a little in a premature victory. I stiffened, preparing myself for the worst.

“Did you enjoy your orgasm last night?”

My mouth dropped as a shocking jolt speared through me. I had thought I was prepared for anything, but I wasn’t for something like that.

---