JAY JAY POV
2 weeks later
"Keifer, can we go out?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe of his home office.
Keifer didn't even look up from the documents he was reading, but I saw his jaw tighten. He slowly shook his head. "No."
"Keifer! I've been stuck in this house for two weeks!" I complained, throwing my hands up.
It was driving me crazy. Ever since we found out about the pregnancy, Keifer had turned into a total warden. I couldn't even go to the front gate to get the mail without two security guards trailing behind me like lost puppies. Even the rest of Section E had been acting weird—stopping by constantly, "checking in," and looking at the windows every five minutes.
"No, Jay. I have work, and I already told you—you can't go out without me," Keifer explained, finally looking up. His eyes were firm
"Keifer!" I said, my voice rising. "I'm pregnant, not a prisoner! I just want to go to the mall and buy some tiny socks. Or maybe just breathe some air that hasn't been filtered by your expensive AC system!"
"No," he said again, his tone final.
I stomped my foot, which was probably immature for a lawyer, but I didn't care. "You're being an obsessive lunatic again! This isn't just about 'pregnancy safety,' is it? You're hiding something."
Keifer paused, his pen hovering over the paper. For a split second, I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—guilt? Worry? But then it was gone, replaced by that cold, protective wall.
"It's a high-risk time, Jay-Jay. With the company expansion and the news about the baby getting out... I just can't take any chances." He stood up and walked toward me, placing his hands gently on my shoulders. His gaze softened, pleading with me. "Just stay here. Please. For me."
"Please na, I really want to go out," I whispered, looking up at him with my best puppy-dog eyes.
"Jay, my answer won't change," he said firmly.
I wasn't giving up that easily. I stepped into his space, pressing a lingering kiss to the edge of his jaw. "Does it change now?"
Keifer let out a low chuckle, his arms instinctively sliding around my waist to pull me closer. "No. It doesn't."
I moved my lips to his neck, trailing kisses over his skin. "How about now?"
"Nope."
I leaned down and kissed his collarbone, then looked up at him through my lashes, waiting for him to break.
"No," he said again, though his voice was losing its edge.
So, I leaned in and pressed a soft, slow kiss right against the corner of his mouth. I felt his breath hitch—just barely—at the contact. For a second, I thought I finally had him. His fingers tightened on my waist, pulling me flush against him until there was no space left between us.
His voice dropped into a low, amused rumble. "Jay-Jay… it's still no."
I groaned dramatically, letting my forehead thud against his chest in defeat. "You are absolutely impossible!"
"And you're persistent," he murmured, kissing the top of my head as if that was supposed to make me forget he was basically holding me hostage in this luxury mansion.
I pulled back, giving him my most offended, pouting expression. "So you're really not going to let me go out? Even after all that? I used my best moves, Keifer!"
He smirked, that arrogant "King" look returning to his face. "If you think a few kisses are going to change my mind when it comes to your safety, you're seriously underestimating how stubborn I am."
"So it's still a no?!" I asked, my frustration finally bubbling over.
Keifer simply nodded, his expression unmovable.
I'd had enough. I pushed him away with both hands, the irritation of being cooped up for two weeks finally exploding. "Fine! Stay in your boring office then!"
I turned and stomped to our room, each step echoing my frustration. I slammed the door so hard the frames on the wall rattled, then threw myself onto the bed, burying my face in the pillows.
"Asshole! Fucking asshole!" I cursed into the fabric.
Who does he think he is? I know he's worried, but treating me like I'm made of glass is the fastest way to make me snap. I'm Jay-Jay! I survived the most notorious high school section in the country, I survived his crazy family, and I survived law school. I am not some damsel who needs to be locked away.
I must have stayed there for twenty minutes, just fuming and plotting my revenge, when I heard the door click open.
I didn't move. I stayed face-down, making sure my breathing was heavy so he'd think I was ignoring him—or better yet, that I was actually asleep so he'd feel guilty for waking me up.
The mattress dipped as he sat on the edge of the bed. I felt his hand hover over my back before he gently rested it there, rubbing small circles through my shirt.
"Jay-Jay," he murmured, his voice sounding tired. "Don't be like this."
I didn't answer.
"I know you're bored. I know it feels like I'm suffocating you," he continued, his tone dropping to that low, vulnerable register he only ever used with me. "But I can't lose you. Especially not now. If anything happened to you or the baby because I wanted to be the 'cool husband' and let you go out unprotected... I wouldn't survive it."
I felt my heart soften just a little, but I was still too annoyed to give in. I shifted my head to the side, peering at him with one eye.
"You're still an asshole," I muttered.
He let out a short, dry laugh and leaned over, brushing a stray hair away from my face. "I know. I'm a possessive, overprotective asshole. But I'm your overprotective asshole."
"Aries lets Amy go out," I pointed out.
"Aries has two bodyguards disguised as shoppers following her at a ten-foot distance," Keifer countered immediately. "And Jare is currently losing his mind because Mia tried to climb out a window to go to the grocery store."
I blinked. "Mia tried to climb out a window?"
"She made it halfway down before the security cameras caught her," Keifer said, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Jare had to bribe her with three boxes of donuts just to get her back inside."
I couldn't help it; a small giggle escaped me
Keifer saw the opening and leaned down, kissing my temple. "How about this? We can't go to the mall. But I'll have the guys come over. We'll have a BBQ in the back garden. Private, secure, and you can see your friends. Is that a fair compromise?"
I looked at him, weighing my options. It wasn't the mall, but it was people.
"I want ice cream too," I demanded. "The expensive kind from the shop across town."
Keifer smiled, looking relieved. "I'll have a driver get every flavor they have."
"And you have to apologize for being a warden."
"I'm sorry for being a warden," he said, though he didn't look sorry at all. He looked like a man who had successfully kept his world safe for one more day.
Then he laid down behind me, his large frame warm against my back, and pulled me firmly into him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder as he tried to nuzzle into my neck.
"So... do I get more kisses now?" Keifer asked, his voice low and vibrating against my skin. He sounded way too hopeful for someone who had just grounded me for fourteen days.
"No," I said flatly, keeping my body stiff, though the way he was holding me was making it really hard to stay mad.
"Jay-Jay, please," Keifer begged. The King of Section E, the man who made boardrooms full of CEOs tremble, was actually whimpering into my shoulder for a kiss.
"You were mean," I reminded him, staring at the wall. "You said no to me like five times in a row."
"I wasn't being mean, I was being careful," he murmured, his nose brushing against my ear. "And it's killing me when you're mad at me. One kiss. Just one."
"Go ask your office files for a kiss," I huffed.
Keifer let out a frustrated groan and turned me over in his arms so I was forced to look at him. He looked so handsome it was annoying—his hair was a bit messy from my earlier pushing, and his eyes were soft and full of that intense Watson devotion.
"I'm sorry, okay? I'll try to be less of a warden," he promised, his thumb tracing my lower lip. "But I'm not changing my mind about the safety stuff. I love you too much to be reckless."
I looked at him for several seconds, trying to maintain my pout. But then I saw the faint dark circles under his eyes—probably from staying up late coordinating with Angelo—and I sighed.
"You're lucky you're cute," I muttered.
I leaned in and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to his lips. I tried to pull away immediately, but Keifer was faster. He caught the back of my neck and deepened the kiss, making it slow and possessive, reminding me exactly why I fell for this crazy guy in the first place.
When he finally let me breathe, he had a triumphant smirk on his face.
"Better?" he asked.
"Slightly," I admitted, my heart doing that stupid fluttering thing. "But don't think you're off the hook. I still want that ice cream. And I want the boys to bring the good speakers for the BBQ."
"Anything you want, Little Boss," he whispered, pulling me back into his chest. "As long as you're right here where I can see you."
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