Trouble

by Colet Abedi

“Don’t you dare point a finger at me. Have you always been honest and open with Lianna?” I challenged. “About everything?”

  That’s the thing about Trevor and me. We know everything about each other.

  “Because you’re my fucking brother, I’m going to let that one slide,” He sounded furious, and I welcomed the fight. “But don’t you dare compare us. I have never done anything like this to Lianna. And she is my wife. You don’t even know what this poor woman is to you—hell, you won’t even admit what she means to you.”

  He was right, but like a true addict, I knew I’d be unable to stay away or tell her the truth. Not yet. I wasn’t ready for anything to change.

  “Trouble, listen to me, brother. I am telling you, nothing good will come of this. Not for either of you. There will be a blood bath for the finale. End this before it all goes to shit and dirty secrets are exposed. Don’t do this to yourself or to her.”

  We hung up right after. I was furious at him for calling me out, even though if the tables were turned, I’d do the same. But more than that, I was furious because I knew he was right. I should have ended it right then and there. It would have been the prudent and safe thing to do.

  But I’ve never been known to play it safe.

  I’m pretty sure Trevor’s at church praying for my soul right now.

  I look at the object of my moral battle and hate that she looks so fucking gorgeous it takes my breath away. If only I had taken his advice. She looks sweet and angelic.

  How deceiving the picture is.

  The looks and personality are definitely not in sync tonight. Right now, she’s behaving more like a starving tiger looking for her next meal. And there is no doubt I’m her prey. As Trevor warned me, eventually the truth is slowly revealing itself.

  We’re on our way to have dinner with Wylder and Jamie. I’m meeting them both for the first time. What should be something to look forward to has become anything but. The air between us is thick and wrought with tension.

  We had our first real fight right before we got in the car, which has made this ride to Jamie’s home quite stimulating to say the least. I knew we would be drinking, so I made sure we had my driver for the evening. Now I’m mad I’m not driving because it would have given me something to do. The frosty silence between us in the back is palpable.

  Under normal circumstances, I would put the divider up and give us privacy from the driver, but I don’t trust what might come out of my mouth if Kerri starts at me again. Even though I have to say, it turned me the fuck on when her eyes blazed with anger.

  Kerri doesn’t yet realize that though her disobedience annoys the living hell out of me, her angry passion excites the fuck out of me. And since my desire for her outweighs all logic, fucking her over and over is all I am now anticipating.

  But I’m looking forward to fucking her with purpose. A form of sexual punishment that will begin with the greatest pleasure and end in her begging me to give her the release she needs. And I will. Once I get what I want and she really understands my position in our fight. Unfortunately, that won’t be on the schedule for some time.

  I’m still fucking pissed when I think about it. What started the argument? We were in my house, dressed and ready to go. Kerri looked gorgeous in a long-sleeved navy wrap dress that fell to mid-calf. She looked like she’d stepped off the set of Mad Men.

  “You’re gorgeous.” My gaze swept over her from head to toe in appreciation. “Let’s just stay in.”

  “Do not even give me that look.” She held up her hands. “We are going and not missing this for anything. Can you help me grab all the goodies I got them from the both of us?”

  I must have given her a quizzical look because she pointed at the fridge and the counter. I’m not surprised I missed the green bag from Wally’s Winery when I walked in. When Kerri’s around, I seem to only have eyes for her.

  Jesus. I’m a fucking joke of a mess.

  “What did you get?” I asked.

  “A couple of bottles of wine and a nice vodka and whiskey. I’ve never been to Jamie’s place and he’s special to Wyld.” She sounded pleased with herself. “I also got a cake from that new French bakery on Robertson that everyone is raving about.”

  I looked inside the bag at the bottles and could make a good estimate of how much she’d spent. This gift was way out of her pay scale, which meant she’d used her father’s money. She’d used her father’s money to pay for my gift to meet her friends. The thought made me furious.

  Jon Harrington paying for me? Not fucking likely.

  It was beyond unacceptable and I let her know it. And I wasn’t subtle or kind.

  She needed to know my position in no uncertain terms.

  “Your rich daddy will never pay a cent for me,” I said to her with a voice like wrath.

  Her smile dropped fast and she looked as if I’d told her I was flying to Mars within the hour. “I’m sorry, Ian”—her voice was cool and polite— “but can you please repeat what you just said?”

  “You know damn well what I said. This is a topic that is nonnegotiable. There will be no discussion. Not now. Not ever. I won’t have it.”

  She stared at me with those beautiful blue eyes of hers, and for the first time, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Kerri usually let me see all of her thoughts. Instead, she looked unusually calm and composed, which angered me even more.

  “I’ll credit your account immediately.” I knew I probably sounded like an asshole, but there was no room for any type of argument as far as I was concerned.

  “You will do no such thing.” She sounded offended.

  “What did you say?” I asked her in a dangerously soft voice.

  “You heard me.” Her voice was strong, her eyes lit up like blue fire, and she looked just as furious as I felt. That was worse—her angry, gorgeous face turned me the fuck on. Which made me more irate.

  “I goddamn will credit your account”—I knew she could hear my fury— “and let’s you and I get something straight, princess. No one tells me what to do. No one. Do you hear me?”

  She held my gaze and remained silent. Her courage was to be applauded. The woman could definitely hold her own. Powerful players who worked inside and outside my business sector were terrified of me, and Kerri didn’t look like she could have cared less. I took a step toward her and she lifted her chin in a haughty manner, her eyes frosty. Her stance gave me pause and managed to infuriate me even more—made me feel as though the princess was looking down on me. Like I was beneath her and her privileged upbringing.

  “Do you hear me?” I knew my voice was cold, but I couldn’t help myself.

  “I hear that you’re acting like an asshole.”

  She said the wrong thing.

  She poked the fucking bear. I advanced toward her, towering above her until she had to tilt her head back to meet my gaze. She wasn’t backing down. There was something as wild in her as there was in me.

  Before I even knew what I was doing, I pulled her into my arms and crushed my lips to hers. She returned my angry passion with much of the same, and within moments, her hands were at my buckle on my jeans and pulling them down. I had her dress up to her waist and quickly turned her around and bent over the kitchen table as I thrust into her from behind.

  It was savage and carnal, feeding some hunger I didn’t even know I had.

  We came at the same time. It took a while before either of us could move.

  “I can’t believe I’m in love with an asshole,” Kerri muttered before straightening herself out.

  Her words threw me for many reasons. But she didn’t even give me a second to process before she started her verbal attack.

  “Listen, Ian, I think we need to get real,” she said as she walked over to the fridge and pulled out the cake. “And I think I need to explain something to you bluntly and clearly. My dad is wealthy. I grew up in wealth. I am wealthy. I have a trust fund. Yes, I am a trust fund baby. I have my own money. It’s mine from my parents—
because of my dad’s hard work. I have always had money. From the moment I opened my eyes. I don’t know what to tell you. It is what it is. Like it or not. This is my reality.” She ended her Cliff’s Notes tutorial on her extraordinary wealth in fury. Her eyes were something fierce when she finally faced me and said in a matter-of-fact voice, “Take it or leave it.”

  “I leave it.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. For a second she looked unsure, but then she was back to looking even more furious at me. “Are you sure about that?”

  “I’m not changing my mind about where I stand in regard to your father’s money, or him paying for anything of mine. Including my woman.”

  “Your woman? You are impossible.”

  “Call it whatever you like, baby.” My voice didn’t sound as sweet as my endearment.

  Her chin went up in defiance. “Then I guess I’m going to Wylder and Jamie’s place on my own.”

  “Are you?” I cocked a brow, not believing that for a second.

  “Since you won’t even talk about this like a normal person—” She sounded angry and irritated.

  “Do you want me to stay home or come with you?” I asked, daring her to uninvite me.

  There was no way. Wylder meant too much to her. The two had texted about this all week.

  I knew she wanted to kill me when she said in no uncertain terms, “Congratulations. You’ve completely ruined the evening.”

  Her chest heaved, and she looked so hot standing there freshly fucked by me, all furious and fiery, that I wanted her again. Badly. I think she could tell by the look in my eyes.

  “First of all”—she practically seethed— “there is no way in hell—”

  “Are you intentionally provoking me to prove how wrong you are?” I challenged. I let my gaze slide over her body, pausing on her hips and breasts, before settling on those pouty, sweet lips. I watched her face flush.

  “We are going to be late!” she snapped, grabbed the cake and bag, and practically ran out the door to find the car, almost as if she was afraid to be alone with me.

  I almost laughed. Almost.

  So now we’re in the car and we’re both still pretty pissed off.

  Kerri’s gaze is glued out the window, staring at the traffic as if it’s the most riveting thing in the world. I wonder what she’s really thinking. At the end of the day, Kerri Harrington is an intelligent woman and she has to know there’s something more to my visceral reaction to her father and his money. I wonder why she won’t just ask me.

  Is she playing some kind of game with me? Or is she playing me? Am I the real fool here? Even though I know it can’t be that, I’m fucking furious at the thought. I’m filled with the need to battle it out with her again.

  I hit the button and watch the divider go up, giving us the privacy I need. Kerri looks at me in surprise, then suspicious anger, before pressing the button to put it back down. I stop her by placing my hand over hers in warning.

  One touch is all it takes.

  And my blood is on fire.

  I have to pull away so I don’t grab her and make love to her in the back of the goddamn car—which is exactly what I want to do. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”

  “Is that another one of your rules?” She’s being condescending. She has no idea how tumultuous my emotions are.

  “Yes.” I know I sound like an asshole.

  “Is there a manual I can read?”

  “Not a manual,” I drawl. “We’ll just play it by ear as each situation rears its head. But I think it’ll probably be helpful for you to take notes as we go along. I wouldn’t want you to forget anything. I might penalize you if you do.”

  I almost laugh out loud when I hear her hiss of indignation. She looks so furious that I think she might attack me. God, I want her to.

  “Your audacity and arrogance are astounding,” she manages to sputter out.

  “And yet, here you are.” I give her a knowing smile. “Wanting me even now.”

  Silence greets me.

  She turns her gaze back outside, and I know this is a moment when she wishes she really did hate me. I can’t say I blame her. We’re both quiet, the air around us thick.

  Kerri is the one to break it. “He’s my father.”

  Her voice is soft and her words throw me. God, how I fucking wish he wasn’t related to her in any way.

  “I don’t care.” I know I sound cold and ruthless, but she will hear me. “I told you before, he will never pay for me. Or for anything for you. Not while you’re with me. I won’t have it.”

  “You won’t have it?” She turns her gaze to mine, her soft exterior gone. If she could spit fire, she would.

  “No.”

  “Who do you think you are?” She sounds outraged. “Do you think you can control me? That you get to just march in my life and dictate how things are going to go?”

  “Kerri,” I ask curiously. “What is it that you’re really angry about? That I don’t need or want your father’s money?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Or is it something else?” I persist.

  She stares at me, looking unsure.

  “Are you angry because you know you belong to me now?” I say the words because it’s the truth. We both know it.

  It’s time she admits it.

  “And you’re still grappling with what it all means.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Kerri

  His words take the fight out of me.

  I’m impacted by the magnitude of what Ian said. I lean my head back into the seat and close my eyes. I know he’s waiting for me to say something. He’s like a dog with a bone when he wants his way.

  Maybe he’s right and I am scared he isn’t affected by my dad’s power and wealth. To be honest, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t. And then the last thing he said, that I was afraid to really belong to him…was he right? Ian and I have barely spent a night apart in over a month. He’s my first thought and sight in the morning and my last at night. He’s become such a fixture in my life that I can’t even remember what it was like without him there. The speed with which we’re moving forward, the emotional connection I have to him…yes, that scares me at times.

  But I can’t imagine a life without him in it.

  “You’re wrong.” I turn my head so I can see his eyes. Before he can work himself up over my comment, I add, “I know I belong to you, Ian.”

  His body visibly relaxes and I can’t help but feel pleased.

  “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to follow all of your rules or let you order me around,” I say. “I have a trust fund, and I feel more comfortable spending my own money on clothes, or lunch, drinks, whatever.”

  “Not when you’re with me.” God, he is stubborn.

  “No man has ever paid for me.”

  “That’s the first sentence that’s come out of your mouth in the last hour that pleases me.”

  “I am not your wife,” I say bluntly. “And how you’re wanting this to work between us is what you do for a wife.”

  I hope I scared him good, but his eyes give away nothing. I hate how he’s always in control.

  “Are you trying to force me to propose?”

  I know for sure my mouth has got to be hanging open. “That is absolutely not what I’m trying to do.” I sound horrified. “Actually, I’m trying to do the opposite. I’m telling you that what you want to so generously provide me is what you save for a wife— for the future Mrs. Sutherland.”

  Ian glares at me but remains silent.

  Even though the thought of another woman becoming Mrs. Sutherland makes me want to throw up in my mouth, it doesn’t mean I want to get married right now or even a year from now. But I can’t help it—my heart did stop for a few seconds just thinking about it.

  “So can we drop it?” I ask, even though part of me wants to continue the fight because my emotions are raw and I need to figure out what his deal is with my dad.

  And there is a deal.


  There is something there, some kind of weird energy. It’s like he hates my father or something. But if I jump down this rabbit hole with him now, right before we’re going to dinner with my best friend and the man I’m pretty sure she’s going to marry, the night could turn out to be pretty horrific. Just like one of Jamie’s movies.

  And I’m not ready to go there. Not just yet.

  “We don’t have to talk about it tonight,” he says. I know he agrees to appease me.

  “But I definitely want to revisit some of this,” I tell him. “Especially about my dad.”

  “I had no doubt you would.”

  The way he says it makes me heart stop. And not in a good way. All of a sudden, I’m really nervous. Like sick nervous in my gut. There’s something he’s not telling me.

  “But I’m not ready to,” I manage to whisper. “Not just yet.”

  I’m ashamed I don’t want to go there right this second and make him tell me the truth—whatever that is—but I’m so scared now of what the truth will bring us. He’s hiding something from me about my father and him that I might not really want to know.

  “Nor am I.” His voice is somber.

  Shit. My heart slams in my chest.

  Ian just confirmed that there is something to know. And there’s weight to it. At least he is going to be honest.

  “Tell me one thing.” I have to ask, feeling like there’s a frog in my throat.

  “Anything.” His blue gaze locks with mine.

  “Am I in danger?”

  My question triggers something in him, and I don’t think he really appreciates it. In a second, his eyes are devoid of emotion, but the tone of his voice is sexy and almost carnal. “Depends on the kind.”

  My traitorous body reacts to him.

  God, he has to be the devil. I already know I’m toast in the heart and feelings department, but everything else between us has shifted and I’m completely unsure.

  “Ian?”

  “If you’re asking if you’re in danger of losing your heart, I think you already know the answer to that,” he says knowingly.

  The naked desire in his eyes makes me hot. I have to cross my legs. The bastard notices and gives me a wicked smile. He knows how to mess with me. He knows what he does to my body. I hate him for having that power.