Kellen groans and pulls me back into him. “Don’t even suggest that. I’d probably do it.”
We sway silently for a bit, and then he says, “I didn’t go to Dozer’s wedding. I was still in California wrapping things up. It’s nice to have everyone together in one place.”
“It’s pretty incredible that so many of the company could come,” I remark, given what I know about Jameson and how they work all over the world.
“Bebe picked a date far enough out that Kynan was able to maneuver jobs and contracts so that most could attend. She’s the heart and soul of this group.”
“I can see that.” I glance over at Bebe and Griff sitting at the main table, laughing, their heads tipped close. “I’ve been to a few weddings in my time, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a happier bride.”
Griff says something to her, and Bebe’s smile goes from radiant to soft, as if he just shared the most precious secret in the world.
The groom looks at his bride like the world would end without her.
“Bebe’s had a hard life,” Kellen says as he slowly spins me. “She deserves happiness.”
“I notice she doesn’t have any family here, other than her mom and son.”
Whereas Griff has a ton, along with a lot of personal friends. All of Bebe’s are from Jameson.
“Did she tell you about her past?” he asks.
“Not really. I spent the majority of the time talking to Griff as Bebe had her face glued to the computer screen.”
“Bebe was in prison before she came to Jameson.” I wasn’t expecting that, and I stumble. Kellen’s strong arms keep me upright, and he uses the opportunity to draw me closer. “She got sent away for a very long time for hacking into our country’s nuclear code database.”
I gasp. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
“Not kidding. But she only did it because the Russian Mafia threatened to kill her son. They were going to sell the codes to the Chinese. She accessed the codes as they asked, but she laid a trail of digital bread crumbs leading them to her so she’d get arrested before the codes could be downloaded. She did what they asked to save her son but protected our country by making sure the codes never got out.”
My heart squeezes for Bebe. “She sacrificed herself.”
“She did. But Kynan busted her out of prison to come work for him.” I stumble again, but Kellen holds me up without missing a step. “He did it through legal channels. Called in a very big favor through the federal government.”
“Was Griff involved in the case?”
“No. He was actually contracted to kill her—”
“What the fuck?” I whisper harshly, throwing a glance over my shoulder at Griff.
No way.
Kellen laughs and places a finger over my lips. “Let me finish the story. Griff was working undercover, trying to bring down some Russian mafioso on a completely different case. To test his loyalty, they sent him to take her out after they learned she’d gotten out of prison.”
“Well, clearly he didn’t kill her,” I drawl.
“Clearly.”
“You work for a strange group of people.”
“The stories I could tell you would probably have you running away.”
“Never would I run from you,” I vow. Kellen slides his hand to the back of my neck, and he kisses me hard.
He lifts his mouth and grins. “Let me fill you in on everyone.”
Over the next two hours, we dance, hang with his coworkers, who really are more like family, eat good food, and toast with champagne, all while he tells me story after story.
I’m shocked by many of them, and I find myself jabbing him in the ribs when we’re alone just to clarify certain facts.
“Jackson is engaged to a real-life princess?”
“Let me get this straight… Sin and Saint were jewel thieves?”
“Wait… Barrett is the president’s niece? She’s the one who’s pregnant, right? And she got kidnapped and then rescued by Cruce?”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that Kynan is married to the Joslyn Meyers. She’s only my favorite actress in the world.”
“Dozer worked for NASA—like, he’s a rocket scientist?”
It goes on and on and only serves to make me realize how special this diverse group is.
And what a great leader they have in Kynan McGrath. He takes chances on people. He bends rules to protect those who mean something to him. He thinks outside the box, and he’s never afraid to take on a fight.
“You’re really lucky to have landed a job at Jameson,” I tell him.
“I am,” Kellen admits. “Luckier to have met you.”
A thrum of joy skitters over my heart. Kellen is so free with his words and emotions, I know I’m truly the lucky one.
Bebe and Griff do all the standard wedding stuff. He pulls off and pops her garter from his finger, which practically smacks Ladd in the face. When the bouquet is tossed, Anna catches it, which is wasted prophecy since she and Malik recently got engaged during a hot-air balloon ride.