by Carter Blake
The man frowns, and something transfers unspoken between them, before he gives a small nod, then turns to lead us to our table.
Like a fucking baseball bat to the head, it strikes me who she is.
It can’t be. But I know with certainty that it is.
Brynne fucking Jeffries. Colin’s little sister.
How the hell had I not recognized her until now?
My stomach twists at the memory of the woman who had been dragged through the mud along with her family.
She’d been innocent of their crimes, but it hadn’t stopped the media from making her just as much the villain as her father and brother actually were.
Money laundering. Shady deals. There were even rumors that the family had connections with the Russian mafia. But the real scandal was when both Colin and his father had the charges dropped, despite the substantial evidence against them.
Sure, the family went bankrupt, but already they were rebuilding, rebranding, and making the same crooked deals they were before.
I’d always wondered what had happened to the girl. The last time I’d seen her she was just an awkward kid, with thick-rimmed glasses and braces. But even then, I’d seen something in her. A goodness. She wasn’t like the other girls I knew. She was…special.
Brynne’s brows draw down when she sits across from me, and catches me watching her.
Do I call her out on who she is?
No.
She’s hiding for a reason. And I don’t blame her. Her name is attached to all shades of scandal.
Something inside of me stirs.
Something protective.
Primal.
A need to not only consume her, but to keep her safe.
Chapter 7
Brynne
All through dinner I can feel Harrison’s gaze on me.
Hot.
Intense.
Searching.
Marcelle nearly revealed my identity. And for one panicked moment, I thought Harrison would put the pieces together.
But he hasn’t. If he had, he wouldn’t be sitting across from me now. He’d be long gone. Along with my career. I can’t let anyone at the school know who I really am, not without risking being fired. Scandal isn’t permitted. Even if it wasn’t my scandal. My name alone would disqualify me.
“You haven’t eaten much,” Harrison says, eyeing me over his wine glass.
“I’m not very hungry.” My stomach won’t stop doing summersaults. I should never have agreed to this dinner.
“Harrison,” a woman’s trill voice rings above us.
“Hello Patricia,” Harrison says, standing and taking her outstretched hand.
I recognize her immediately. I taught her son last year. A nasty little boy with a tendency of putting gum in girls’ hair. But his parents contributed a large donation to the school, and his mother is on the parent council, so my concerns were only met with harsh words about how I needed to be more observant in class.
Her seeing me with Harrison is almost as bad as him realizing who I really am.
“Ms. Sweet?” Her brows go up when her gaze rests on me. “Isn’t this…a pleasant surprise.” There’s a bite of disproval in her words that I can’t miss. She turns back to Harrison. “Your daughter is in Ms. Sweet’s class this year, isn’t she?”
A muscle in his jaw twitches as he holds the woman’s gaze. “Ms. Sweet and I are old family friends. We’re just catching up. There’s nothing wrong with that. Is there?”
Old family friends. Is he lying or does he know?
“Of course not.” The woman laughs, but there’s no humor in the sound. “Well, I’ll let you two catch up.” Her gaze holds mine, and there’s a warning in it. “I’ll see you at school, Ms. Sweet.”
I give a small nod and watch her walk away.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
I knew this was a bad idea. I should never have agreed to this.
“Are you okay?” Harrison asks, genuine concern in his voice.
“No.” My hands are shaking, and my stomach is twisted in so many knots, it’s painful. I push my chair back and stand. “I-I should go.”
I don’t wait for his response. I make a bee-line for the exit, not even thinking about how I’m going to get home. All I know is I have to get out of here – now.
“Brynne.” Harrison catches up with me outside.
When I don’t stop walking, his hand wraps around my waist, and I’m pulled against his chest.
“Stop.” The command in his voice has my already unsteady legs trembling.
“I-I ca-can’t be here.” I can barely breathe. Panic claws at my throat.
Everything I’ve worked so hard for is titling over a very fine ledge.
“Okay. Let’s go. I’ll take you home.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder, and leads me to the limo that’s waiting a few yards away.
He doesn’t remove his arm even when we’re inside the car. Just continues to hold me protectively. Or at least that’s what my body wants to believe, because it melts into him, and all the fight I had a few moments ago dissipates.
“That…woman…” I can barely get the words out. “She hates me already. She’ll use…this…as an excuse to get rid of me.”
“She won’t,” he mutters against my hair. “Trust me.”
“You can’t promise that.”
He places his hand under my chin and tilts my face up. “Yes, I can. Your job is safe. I’ll make sure of that.”
“If I do what you want.”
He frowns. “No. There are no stipulations.” His lips twitch up and his thumb strokes across my jaw. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you in my bed.”
A small moan builds in my throat, but I manage to suppress it. “I-”
“I know. You can’t. You shouldn’t. You won’t.” He traces the outline of my mouth, gaze dark. “But you want to.”
“Yes,” I admit. “I want to.”
His grip tightens and he exhales heavily. “You want to be safe. I understand that. You’ve worked hard for what you have and you don’t want to let anything get in the way of that.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“Am I wrong?”
No. He’s absolutely right. I shake my head.
“I’m not dangerous, Brynne.”
I laugh at that. He’s the most dangerous man I’ve ever met. Because he’s the only one who’s ever truly held the ability to break my heart.
I can’t let him do it again.
“We have different definitions of danger.”
“Maybe. But I won’t hurt you. And I won’t let anyone else hurt you.”
I sigh, shakily. God, I want to believe him.
“Trust me, Brynne.”
Trust him? With what? My secrets. My body. My heart.
“I’ll take you home if you want.”
No, my body screams. I don’t want to be alone.
I want him.
Desperately.
I need his touch. Even if it’s just one night.
Chapter 8
Harrison
I’ve only kissed the woman, but I know I’m in deeper than I ever thought possible.
There’s nothing I won’t do to make her mine - to make sure no one ever hurts her again.
I brush my lips over her forehead, and let out a low, uneven breath, then tell the driver to take us back to my place.
Her body is molded against mine, her fingers clenched around my shirt.
“Harrison?” I hear the mixed emotions in her voice. Fear mixed with want.
“I’ll take care of you, sweetheart.” I can’t fucking wait to get her home, to tear her clothes off and bury myself balls deep inside of her.
I need it, and she needs it too. The connection. The release.
When we pull up to my house, I don’t hesitate taking her hand and guiding her inside, up the stairs towards my bedroom.
Once inside the room, I pull her towards me.
> “Harrison.” Her eyes are wide, her lips trembling with anticipation and a hint of fear.
“You’ve got nothing to fear, love.” My hand slips under her dress, brushing over her breast, the nipple hardening against my touch. I have to stifle the groan that builds in my throat. “I’m going to take care of you tonight. And every other night from now on.”
A small whimper escapes her lips, but I can see the disbelief in her eyes.
“Trust me, Brynne.”
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and her fingers move to my belt.
I capture her wrists. I know what she intends, but I don’t want to rush things. I’m going to take my time. Devour every inch of her body. The primal part of my brain wants nothing more than to consume her, torment her until she surrenders fully, and admits she’s mine.
Slowly, I undress her, taking my time as I expose each delectable inch of her skin.
“So fucking beautiful.”
For a moment, I’m lost in her beauty, and my chest tightens with emotions I’ve never felt before.
I cup her cheek and run my thumb across her bottom lip. Her mouth parts slightly, her gaze hungry and wanting.
Need whirls through me like a fucking cyclone. My balls ache and my cock is like steel, ready to dive deep and explode within her, and I have to fight the urge to take her swiftly.
I travel down her body, kissing, licking, sucking on her neck, breasts, stomach, trailing down to the soft curls between her thighs.
Her hands are in my hair, and her eyes are half-lidded and slightly glazed when she looks at me, burning with passion and need.
As I lick her clit she jerks in response, arching towards my mouth.
“Harrison,” she moans.
The taste of her is pure heaven.
I slide my tongue inside her and fuck her with short, rapid strokes. Her body is tight, tense, and trembling with her building orgasm. I know she’s close, I can feel her body quivering with the need of her release.
As she goes over the edge with a cry of pure pleasure, I can’t hold back the groan that reverberates from my chest.
My self-control is crumbling. And I know if I don’t take her soon, I’m going to fucking explode.
Lifting her, I carry her to the bed and lay her down, then slowly strip out of my clothes. She watches me with hooded eyes, most of the uncertainty gone, replaced with desire.
“I’m going to make you mine now, Brynne,” I growl out as my cock springs free of its restraints. I crawl onto the bed, spreading her legs with my knees. “I’m going to make you mine, and no other man will ever touch you again.”
Chapter 9
Brynne
Even if I want to, I can’t resist him.
From the moment I saw him in my classroom, I knew deep down if he wanted me, I wouldn’t be able to say no. The need to touch him, to feel him inside of me is overwhelming.
When I look up and catch his gaze, his lips twitch up in a smug grin.
Arrogant.
But I don’t mind.
Not right now.
If anything, it just makes him sexier.
Part of me hates him for the way he makes me feel, but I can’t focus on that, not when he’s touching me, not when every fantasy I’ve had since I was fourteen years old is about to come true.
The muscles in his body tense as he strokes himself, blue eyes never wavering from me.
I reach out to run my hands down his abs and whimper. His thumb strokes across my clit and I swear I can feel the touch in every nerve ending in my body.
It’s been too long since I’d been touched, too long since I’ve touched a man. And my senses are overloaded.
His lips are on mine, and he growls into my mouth, “I can’t wait to be inside of you.”
It’s too much. My heart is racing, my breath coming fast and hard. My body yearns for him in ways I never thought possible.
“Then don’t wait,” I whimper, shocked by the need in my voice. “Please.”
He positions himself above so that his cock is nudged against my pussy, and I wiggle beneath him desperately. His fingers grip my hips, holding me steady.
A rush of excitement shoots through me as I watch the swollen head of his cock ease into me. He’s huge, and I can feel the pull of my muscles as I stretch to accommodate the width of him.
In one hard stroke, he buries himself inside of me.
I let out a gasp as my fingers dig into his shoulders. When he starts to move, I’m all but helpless against the pleasure that races through me. He eases back, and I wrap my legs around his waist, locking him to me, needing everything he’s willing to give me.
He slams into me, lodging his cock deeper than before, sending out a flood of pleasure racing through my body. His lips cover mine as his hips begin to move fast and steady, and I swear I feel each stroke in the very center of my being.
His kiss becomes more urgent, and I return it, taking his mouth every bit as hard as he takes mine. Our tongues roll and clash, our lips molding against each other.
Heat races through me. A pleasure so intense, I know I’ll never be the same afterwards.
My heavy breaths become moans and I clench around his cock as the pressure tightens within me.
When I finally come, the orgasm is so forceful, so intense that I feel like my soul is being ripped from my body, becoming one with his.
He slams into me one more time, before his muscles tighten and I feel his own release explode within me in a rush.
“My God, Brynne,” he groans into my ear.
Rolling onto his back, he pulls me with him, so that his arms are wrapped around me in an intimate embrace.
When I try to pull away, he doesn’t let go.
“Stay,” he growls, holding me tighter. “Stay the night.”
“What about Penny?”
“She’s with her grandmother. She won’t be back until tomorrow night.” He kisses my hair. “Plus, that was just a warm up. I have every intention of making you scream my name more times tonight.”
I laugh, snuggling closer. I know this feeling can’t last. That if I was smart, I would leave now before my emotions get any more involved.
But this – him – his strong arms wrapped around me, it’s like a dream.
The trouble with dreams are you always have to wake up.
Chapter 10
Harrison
Morning sunlight pours through the window, casting a golden hue on Brynne’s flawless skin. I caress her cheek with my knuckles, and she lets out a soft whimper in her sleep.
I explored every inch of her perfect body last night, and I know she’s going to be sore today. But I want her again. My cock is hard as I press against her, nudging her legs apart. Her eyes blink open, and a small smile curves her lips.
“Good morning,” she says huskily.
“It is a good morning when I wake up to your beautiful face.”
A trace of red creeps into her cheeks. “What time is it?”
“A little after ten.”
“Oh my God.” She starts to sit up, but I pull her back towards me. “I never sleep this late.”
“Considering we didn’t do much sleeping last night, I think-”
“Daddy?” A small voice echoes across the room.
I jerk my gaze to the door to find Penelope standing there, staring wide-eyed at Brynne. Thankfully, the sheets cover our nakedness, but I can still see the confusion in her eyes. I’ve never brought a woman home to meet her, let alone have one stay overnight.
Brynne lets out a small gasp, pulling the covers even tighter around herself.
Shit.
“Penelope. I told you to-” My mother reprimands Penny from the hallway, but stops short when she catches a glimpse of Brynne in my bed. “Oh my.”
Fucking perfect.
“Mother. Can you please take Penny downstairs while I get dressed?”
She gives a tight nod, then ushers Penny away.
“This isn’t happening,” Br
ynne mutters, rolling out of bed and gathering her clothes. “I knew I shouldn’t have stayed.”
I pull on my pants. “It’ll be fine. I’ll explain-”
“Explain?” There are tears in Brynne’s eyes, but she blinks them away before they fall across her cheeks. “There’s no explaining this. The minute she tells one of her friends, I’ll be out of a job.”
“She won’t tell anyone. And if she does, I’ll take care of it.”
Brynne shakes her head wildly as she finishes pulling on her dress. “I knew this was a bad idea. I never should have come here.”
I take her by the shoulders and force her to look at me. “We did nothing wrong.”
“You have no idea how wrong this is.”
“Why? Because of who your family is?”
She freezes, and I can practically see the blood drain from her face.
I regret the words instantly.
“You know?”
“I figured it out last night. It doesn’t matter-”
She takes a step back. “It does matter.”
“Brynne.”
“You knew and you didn’t say anything?”
“I figured you’d tell me in time.” I drag my fingers through my hair and let out a frustrated breath. “And I didn’t want to ruin the night.”
“You mean you didn’t want to ruin your chances of getting laid.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I need to go.” She starts towards the door.
“Stop.” I take her hand and bring it my lips. “Don’t run off. Not until we talk about this. About us.”
“Us?” Her lips pull up in a bitter smile. “There is no us. There never can be. I’ve already risked too much being with you. Please don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.”
The tears she’d been trying to hold back fall now, but when I reach out to comfort her, she pushes me away.
“You’re acting irrational.”
“Irrational?” She chuckles, but there’s no humor in the sound, only bitterness. “Try spending years having your name dragged through the mud just because of your name. Because of something you didn’t do. Having people stare and laugh just because you were born into the wrong family. I got away from that life. Started over. And I was happy here.”