The Arrangement: Collection C (Vol 7-9)
Page 19
Sean’s entire body tenses. He tries so hard to hide it, but he can’t. Out of all people to be threatened by—Marty? Seriously? Sean’s fingers stretch and bend, as he cracks them one by one. “Anyone else we know?”
Is he jealous? Oh my God, he’s sexy when he’s like this. I realize that I’m lighting a firecracker with a blowtorch, but I do it anyway. “Henry Thomas. He seems to have an issue with you. Gabe beat the shit out of him when he took it out on me.”
That does it. Sean snaps. He steps towards me and pulls me into his arms, crushing me to his chest. It wasn’t the reaction I was going for, but I don’t protest. His hands grip the back of my head fiercely and when he pulls away he looks a little scary. Okay, very scary. His head twitches ever so slightly as all the muscles in his neck strain so tight that they’re ready to pop. “Thomas hurt you?” The words come out one by one. I feel the muscles in his arms flex and relax over and over again, like he’s trying to calm himself down but can’t.
“A little. It scared me more than hurt me. Why does he hate you?”
Sean presses his eyes closed and pinches the bridge of his nose. “He had something that I wanted a few years back. I took it. He hates me and the feeling is mutual. The only reason I sold him that patent was because of you. I wanted to make you happy, but seeing you with him killed me.” Sean looks down at me with a hurricane of emotions in his eyes. “Fuck, and you were with Marty, too? I’m not going to be able to let that guy walk around with his nuts intact, you know that, right?”
“Amber is trying to get me to do a threesome…” I look up into his eyes with my face totally blank. I don’t know why I said it—to get a reaction I guess, but Sean just laughs and turns his back on me.
He starts to walk back toward the house. I follow after and fall into step beside him. “Are you?”
“Am I, what?”
“Are you going to do it?” He shakes his head. “Forget it. Don’t tell me. You’ve probably done worse than that for Black, by now.” He looks over at me with question in his eyes, like he wants to know, but doesn’t.
“I was going to ask you to marry me even though you have some serious issues with sex and call girls. Are you really going to condemn me for being one of those call girls?”
Sean grins at me and shakes his head. “You fucked me in more ways than you will ever know.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
“No, you seriously don’t. I haven’t…” his voice drops and he stops. Sean leans in close and rests his hand on my arm. “There’s been no one. I can’t even tell you how badly I need to feel what that kind of sex makes me feel, but Avery—I can’t. You freakin’ broke me. I sent a hooker home last night.”
“Last night? Wait, what? You were with a hooker last night?”
He nods and looks over at me, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Yeah, well, not for long. I didn’t realize it until she got there, but I didn’t want her. I wanted you.” I blink at him over and over again. He sees the look on my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Everything. The things he’s said that don’t make sense start to snap into place. I’m almost too afraid to ask, but I do it anyway. “Uh, Sean. What’s your cell number?”
He looks over at me. “Why?”
“Just tell me.” He does. The number doesn’t match the one in my phone from last night. “Is that your only phone?”
“Yeah…” he’s smiling at me, waiting for a punch line that doesn’t come. My mind reels, as I realize what’s happened. The guy last night, all the messages, the things I typed, the pictures, and videos. Oh God. Horror washes across my face as I stare blankly. I broke every rule Black has, thinking I was doing it with Sean, but it wasn’t him. Sean tilts his head to the side and catches my eye. “Avery, what’s going on?”
My heart pounds harder, slamming into my ribs. Oh my God. “Someone hired me last night, and pretended to be you.”
THE ARRANGEMENT
Collection C (Vol 7-9)
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THE ARRANGEMENT:
COLLECTION D (Vol. 10-12)
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H.M. Ward continues to reign as the NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, & USA TODAY bestselling author with over 13 million copies sold, placing her among the literary titans.
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This native New Yorker resides in Texas with her family, where she enjoys working on her next book.
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