Stranded with My Stepbrother Chapter 136

McKenzie

As Ike spoke, my stomach sank lower and lower. Still, I kept a hold of Will’s hand, thinking it might keep him from punching the smug bastard.

“She’s nineteen. We’re not ‘working on the Masterson heir’ for another few years yet,” Will said, defending me. “And another thing, about college—”

“It’s so nice that your grandfather’s taking an interest!” I tried defusing that bomb quickly. “I mean, I’d never know what to study to be a proper tycoon’s wife.”

Will blinked at me.

“See? You can make this very easy, Will. Just like McKenzie here. It can be so painless you’ll hardly even feel the sting.” Ike purred.

“So, lie back and think of England?” Will replied bitterly.

He wasn’t wrong. We were both getting well and truly screwed.

“Something like that, yes,” Ike laughed. “And we’ll see what your grandfather says about your timeline. Perhaps he’ll allow you a few years, at least until our young McKenzie here has finished college. A bachelor’s degree.”

I could hear Will’s teeth scrape against each other. “That sounds great,” I said with false brightness. “Wouldn’t that be very generous, Will? Letting me finish my studies?”

“Yes, Will, wouldn’t that be very generous?” Ike grinned.

“We’ll discuss this when we get home,” Will said tightly to me.

My eyes widened. Why was he angry at me all of a sudden?

“Ooo, the couple's first quarrel. I’m sorry I’ll be missing it. We’re terribly busy at the office, and I’ve been away for about two weeks chasing you down. Someone’s got to put out the fires. But don’t worry, I can catch the highlight reel later.” Ike settled back in his seat, folding his hands over his chest as though he’d just had the best dessert after a fine dinner.

“Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not the first time we’ve quarreled,” Will grumped.

“It’s going to be a doozy, though. I can already tell.” Ike sighed happily. “You two are going to be hours of entertainment for me. I’ll get to watch… everything.”

My skin crawled at the idea of Ike watching us have sex. I must have made a face because Ike’s eyes lit up, and he added, “There are cameras everywhere in that house.”

“Thank you, Ike. You’re a great buddy,” Will grumbled. “I’m—”

“And here we are!” Ike said, cutting Will off mid-sentence.

I looked up just soon enough to watch us pass through a large, wrought iron gate flanked by stone walls. A long driveway led up to what could only be described as a mansion, not a ‘house.’ I don’t know what I’d been expecting, but this wasn’t it.

“Pfft,” I scoffed despite myself.

“What?” Will and Ike asked together.

“This isn’t a house. Oh my God, how out of touch do you have to be….” It was comical. Hysterical.

It was also overwhelming, and the calm I’d been carefully cultivating shattered. I began laughing so hard I had to hold my sides. And I couldn’t stop!

“Shit.” Will pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. “It’s okay, honeybee. Breathe.”

“So, if I break it, do I get to buy it?” Ike teased. Or half-teased. He sounded disturbingly serious, actually.

“I swear to Jesus, Ike, if you don’t shut your trap, I am going to hit you so hard they’re going to have to wire it shut for you!” Will barked. He rocked me gently and rubbed my back. “Let’s go inside, okay? We’ll get you lying down. I know it’s all been a lot. I’m not mad at you. And I hope you’re not mad at me. We’ll just sit and talk things out—without our friend.”

To my horror, I started to cry. Right in front of Ike! I buried my face in Will’s jacket and tried to hide it.

“We’re going. You go do whatever fucking sicko thing you’re going to do,” Will said to Ike. To me, he added, “Hang on tight, honeybee.”

I kept my face hidden, not wanting Ike to have the satisfaction of thinking he’d broken me. I heard the door open, and my world tilted a little. I heard Will’s feet crunch over fine gravel as he carried me, then I bumped against him as he went up a few stairs.

A door opened with a low whoosh.

“Polly,” Will said, the name rumbling in his chest. “I’m taking Miss Kent to our room. She is my fiancée. Please treat her exactly as you would if she were my wife.”

“Yes, Mr. Masterson,” Polly replied. “Shall I get Miss Kent some calming tea?”

“That would be lovely, Polly,” he confirmed.

I peeked over Will’s shoulder, not sure I wanted Polly seeing me cry, either, but curious about her nonetheless. She was a woman in her late forties with blonde hair that was just starting to go silver. She was short and stout and seemed pleasant enough.

“Don’t trust her. All the staff is hand-picked by Grandfather,” Will murmured in my ear.

That doused any hope I had of making a friend. “Oh.”

“And we are going to talk after you’ve had a rest and some tea,” he stated.

“Oh,” I repeated. “How… very British.”

He laughed a little. Another door swung open, and then he deposited me gently on a large bed. The duvet felt like a cloud!

“Okay, honeybee. You just relax. Let’s get these ridiculous shoes off you.” He reached down and slid my heels off, dumping them on the floor.

My dress suddenly felt too tight—well, not suddenly. It’d felt tight since I’d put it on, which I think it was supposed to. But now, I just couldn’t catch my breath. I struggled to get my arms behind me to unzip it.

Will slid his arms around me and pulled the zipper down, brushing my back with his knuckles. “Better?” he asked softly.

“Better.” I wriggled a bit to loosen the fabric, then took a few deep breaths. “Um… sorry I freaked out.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t sooner. Sorry I was an overbearing, violent, Neanderthal asshole,” he responded, sitting down next to me and twining his fingers with mine.

I gave a very undignified snort that would probably have made the social media rounds if we’d been in public. “You’re just mad I didn’t let you snap Ike’s turkey neck.”

He laughed. “It is kind of a turkey neck, isn’t it? Yes, I’m a little upset about that. But you did the right thing, and I did the wrong thing. I could have caused you a lot of pain, and I’m sorry.”

“So, this is us not talking until I’ve rested and had some tea?” I joked.

Will stroked my face, and I felt a lot of my panic subside. “This is just the prequel. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover later.” He leaned down and kissed me. “But that can wait.”

“Okay.” God, this mattress is nice. I let my eyes close for a moment. 

Just a moment.

***

“Miss Kent?” a familiar voice asked.

I blinked my eyes open to see Polly leaning over me. “Holy shit!”

She took a step back. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Miss Kent, but Mr. Masterson had to take a call. His grandfather.”

Confused, I asked, “What does that have to do with you waking me up?”

“I just thought now would be a good time for us to talk.” She sat down on the bed beside me. “Without others listening. Well, the wrong others.”

“Without Will listening,” I said, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed so we were sitting next to each other.

“Precisely.” She patted my knee. “I’m just worried that, since you’ve never been in a situation like this before, you might be confused about the rules.”

“Rules?” I echoed.

Polly nodded. “I can tell Mr. Masterson is very devoted to you. Certainly more than any of his other women, and to call you his fiancée! Oh my.”

I had the feeling she wanted me to ask about the ‘other women.’ But I didn’t. Will had been very clear on that point, and besides, if I wanted to know about the ‘other women’ that badly, I’d make him tell me. I didn’t want to hear a damn thing from her. “I guess that’s what you call the person you’re going to marry,” I replied instead.

Her expression soured. “Young lady, you’re nothing but a gold digger. Pure and simple. You’re immature, which is understandable given your age. But you are also unrefined and a little bit stupid, if you don’t mind my saying.”

“No, please, don’t hold back on my account,” I said sweetly.

She shrugged. “I won’t. You don’t belong here. You certainly don’t belong with Mr. Masterson.”

“I know.” I watched as the words threw her off balance.

“You… know?” she repeated.

With a grin as wide as the Montana sky, I said, “It’s an arranged marriage.”

Polly’s jaw went slack. “Arranged?”

“Yes. By Mr. Masterson Sr. You didn’t know?” I asked, feigning shock.

“No, I—”

“Rest assured, I’ll make sure to share your opinions on my suitability with him. I’m sure he wouldn’t want his grandson marrying someone immature, unrefined, and stupid,” I said.

That was the moment she realized how badly she’d screwed up. “Please don’t.”

“Why not? You were happy enough to tell me what you thought. If your opinion matters so much, surely Mr. Masterson Sr. wants to hear it,” I responded pleasantly.

Her face went pasty white.

I dropped my cheerful façade and leaned close to her. “Will’s on the phone with his grandfather right now, isn’t he? Why waste time? I’ll go find him, and we can get this over with.”

When I went to stand, she gripped my knee. “Miss Kent—”

“Maybe you’d know me better as Miss Killeen.” I brushed her hand aside.

What I suspected turned out to be true. She gasped. “He would never allow such a thing.”

“Why not? It’s strategic. Puts me publicly with Will so I can’t disappear like my parents did. Gets my parents off his back because they won’t do anything to Mr. Masterson Sr. if they think it will blow back on me. It’s, well, a masterful stroke, really.” I smiled at my little pun, even while knowing everything coming out of my mouth was true. It did not inspire good feelings about the situation.

And, I realized I hadn’t really thought about my parents in a while. I’d been too preoccupied with my own problems.

“It… does make sense,” she wheezed, bringing me out of my dark cloud.

“I know, right? What’s inconvenient about this whole thing is that Will and I actually do love each other very much. And we’re going to be as goddamn happy as we can be. I will do anything to make sure of that. So, why don’t you get your interfering, insulting, uppity ass to the kitchen and bring me my tea?” I suggested angrily.

Polly scrambled to her feet. “You won’t say anything to Mr. Masterson Sr.?”

“No. But I will to Mr. Masterson the Third.” I held up a hand when she began to protest. “I’m going to tell him not to involve his grandfather, but I need him to know he’s being disrespected in his own home, and that I am, too. He already told me not to trust you. Thanks for adding the final nail to that coffin.”

“I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. I’ll get you your tea,” she said glumly and trudged off.

I sat back down on the bed and scrubbed my face with my hands, wanting to scream.

Is there no one in this world we can trust?!