by Lucy Darling
“It hurts.” I shrug one shoulder. “I thought this might be something.” I thought that I’d found my forever. But it turns out, it was only me being naïve. Yet, somewhere deep within me that doesn’t feel right.
“Maybe it is. You said how sweet he was. If he was only looking for sex he would have taken what he wanted last night. Then he would have been on to the next.”
“Just because he’s a playboy doesn't mean he’s a dick. I get why he didn't sleep with me last night. I was a little tipsy. He might be banking on tonight when I’ve got a clear head. Then he can break my heart tomorrow.” The thought of him only being in this for a one-night stand doesn’t sit well with me. Why make me declare that I was his? He was so insistent on me saying those words that it’s hard to believe he’d go through all this trouble to sleep with me.
“Fair point.”
“What should I do? I really don’t want to cancel.”
“I think you should do whatever you want.”
“I said no more rich guys. Remember?” I dated one a year ago. He turned out to be the biggest dick. It took me a little to catch on. He thought he could have anything he wanted. That meant me and other women, too. Though I wasn’t allowed to date anyone else. I got out of that one quick.
“I still hate that dick, Richard, but I just thought you meant no guys named Rich. I didn't know you couldn't date rich dudes.” She tries to tease me to lighten the mood.
I pick up my phone, sending off a text, knowing it's for the best. I’m going to rip the Band-aid off. It might hurt today and tomorrow but it would be a million times worse if I fell in love with him. If I gave myself to him in a way that I’ve never given to anyone before.
I was already lightly stalking the man. I’m not sure what would happen if I fell even more for him. I know I’ve done what’s best for me, even if it feels as though my heart is shattered into tiny pieces.
11
Sean
“Don’t.” My brother grabs me by the shoulder, pushing me back into my car. My sister-in-law, Amelia, slipped inside the store moments ago. Her best friend, Mia, is with her. I glance over to see two black unmarked SUVs sitting a little way down the road and I have no doubt Mia’s husband, Max, and a shitload of bodyguards are inside them. I am really starting to understand why these two men go to such great lengths to protect their wives.
Alyssa isn't even my wife yet and I’ve already put a call out about getting her security. I think someone already alerted her about us being in the paper. It is the only reason she would have sent me that text cancelling our plans tonight. It felt as though she had plunged a knife into my chest when I read her words. That empty feeling had threatened to creep back in.
I offered to at least take her home if she was busy. She shut that down, too. She is stone-walling me. I know any text I send is going to end with her coming up with a reason why she can’t do whatever it is I ask. My only saving grace is that she hasn’t blocked my number and that she is still replying to my messages. It’s not much but it’s something.
“I need to talk to her.” I shake off my brother’s hold. He only sticks his arm out, blocking my path.
“Let the girls do their magic,” Ethan tries to reassure me. “I told Amelia that if you’re into this girl enough to get caught kissing her, then she’s the real deal for you.”
“I didn't let myself get caught,” I correct him. The last thing I wanted to do was put Alyssa in the paper. I know my girl has a shy side to her. That she wouldn't like the attention on her. It was inevitable, but I was hoping I could ease her into it. She didn't have a clue who I was last night and I was hoping to fill her in on everything tonight.
“No, I don’t think you meant to get caught. What I do think is that you were lost in the moment and forgot who you were and where you were. That alone tells me everything that I need to know.” He makes a good point. I sigh, running a hand down my face.
“Get your man to find out everything you can about my girl. I want to know it all.”
“You sure about that?”
I look over at my brother. “Are you trying to tell me that you didn't do the same thing when it came to Amelia?”
“I never said that. I was greedy for anything I could get my hands on when it came to my wife. That said, my wife is different. She rather enjoys that I was so invested in knowing all I could about her. How would your girl feel about that?”
I think about it for a moment. “This might make me an asshole but what do I have to lose? She’s already pushing me away. I need any advantage that I can get my hands on to find a way back into her life.” Plus, I don’t think she would mind, based on the fact that she outwardly admitted to lightly stalking me herself. My brother pulls out his phone, sending off a text. I feel a small amount of relief.
Could one picture really have changed everything? I know my girl is shy. Maybe it’s the gossip that’s bothering her. I never gave it much thought before except when it gave my clubs publicity. But now it’s all coming back to bite me in the ass.
“Let my wife work her magic. No one can say no to her.”
“What is she going to do?” I look back to the bakery, where all the women are now sitting at a table. There's an assortment of desserts and cupcakes spread all around them. They are all trying a bite of different things.
“My guess is that Amelia is going to befriend her and get her to help with her bridal shower.”
“You’re already married. Doesn't a bridal shower happen before the wedding?” Ethan smiles.
“I didn't give her much time to do anything before I got my ring on her finger and had her signing on the dotted line.” He has a point. The man was married before anyone knew what the hell happened. Not only married but expecting a baby. It was the first time in my life that my brother had to chase after a woman. I rather enjoyed watching it. Now, I am getting a taste of it for myself.
“How did you get her down the aisle so fast?” I could clearly use a few tips.
“Knocking her up didn't hurt,” he jokes. I’d have to get my dick into Alyssa before that could happen. Right now she wants nothing to do with me, so that doesn’t look to be happening anytime soon. “I’m fucking with you.” His face grows serious. “I fought for her. I didn't give up when she tried to put up those walls. I knocked them down one by one. No matter how many she threw up on me, I kept barreling right through them. You have to fight for what you want.”
I pull my eyes away from my girl, who is laughing at whatever Amelia just said to her. I can tell it doesn't meet her eyes. Is that what she’s doing? Running scared? I’m sure whatever she and her best friend, Neily, pulled up on me wasn't the greatest.
I am just going to have to prove her wrong. Show her that I’m not the man that the gossip rags have made me out to be. That she’s my one and only. That I will do whatever it takes to have her be mine forever.
12
Alyssa
“You have to come. I insist on it,” Amelia says as she takes another bite of one of the frosted cookies I made a few hours ago. “I know it’s last minute but I need all of these.” She shoves more of the cookie into her mouth. “We should triple the order.”
I let out a small laugh. I’m not sure where she is putting all the sweets she’s shoving into her mouth. I’m guessing right into that baby bump of hers. When you look at her you wouldn't even know she was pregnant until you see her belly. She’s all belly. She looks like she swallowed a basketball.
“You need all of this for tonight?” I look down at my pad. The list of things she wants for her bridal shower is long. This will take me all afternoon to make. The order is giant but I would make a killing on it. Plus, it would keep my mind off of other things.
There is nothing like losing yourself in work to try and forget about your chipped heart. I’m refusing to call it broken. I can’t have a broken heart. I only spent one night with the man. That would be crazy. Though I did obsess over him for months.
“Yep. I’m willing
to pay double. The hubs is rich and I said in my wedding vows I would try and spend all of his money.”
I bark out a laugh.
“It’s impossible. No one can spend that much money,” her friend Mia chimes in. From the ring on Mia’s finger I don’t think she or her husband are lacking in the money area either.
“I can die trying.” She winks over at me. I know she’s teasing. Every time she talks about her husband her whole face lights up. “So, you’ll bring the treats and then you’ll stay and hang out for a little while.”
I glance over to Neily, who is sitting at a table sketching something on her notepad. She keeps obsessively checking her cell phone. I bet it has something to do with whoever gave her that little love bite that she’s rocking.
“Can I bring a girlfriend with me?” I ask.
“Sure. As long as you come.”
“Okay.” I give. It would be another thing to keep my mind off Sean. If he asked me again about doing something tonight, I would at least have a legitimate reason for not being able to go. “Can you fill in your address and information here?” I slide my pad over toward her. She starts filling it in.
“Is all of this for sale?” Mia points to one of the tables we have set up in the shop.
“Yes, even the table and any artwork you see on the walls.” Mia stands and starts looking around at everything. “This is beautiful.” She runs her hand across one of the antique tables that Neily refurbished herself.
“My business partner and best friend, Neily, is the artist. Everything you see here has been done by her. I bake all of the sweets and she creates all of the art.” I nod over to Neily who has her headphones in, not paying a lick of attention to us. When she’s sketching in her notepad, she’s in a whole other world.
“She’s very talented.” Mia takes out her phone, snapping a picture of the table. Amelia gets up and starts looking around at stuff, too.
“Does she do custom work? I’ve been redoing my place and I’m still looking for a few things,” Amelia asks as she continues to look around.
“Sometimes.” I pull the notepad back toward me to look at her information.
“Your husband is Ethan King?” I look up at the woman.
“Maybe?” Her eyes shoot a glance toward Mia.
“You’re so busted,” Mia says. Her phone dings. “I’m going to get this.” She taps the table she was eyeing.
“So, Sean King is your brother-in-law.” I confirm what I already know to be true.
“So, you know him?” Amelia pretends to be shocked.
“Stop while you’re ahead. You’re a terrible liar.” Mia rolls her eyes.
“It’s not a lie. It’s a question.”
“That you know the answer to.” Mia shakes her head at Amelia. I have to fight a smile at their banter because it reminds me a little of Neily and me.
“I met him last night. As you and the rest of this city seem to know.” I stand up, taking my notepad with me.
“They are always trying to get pictures of Sean. For some reason everyone is obsessed with who he’s dating.” I can tell she’s trying to downplay it for Sean. He is, after all, her brother-in-law.
“Well, it’s not me. I mean it's me in the picture but we’re not dating.” I look down at the notepad. “It looks like I’ve got everything I need.”
“I’m just saying you can’t believe everything you read.”
“I agree.” She smiles, thinking she’s gotten me on this. “Just like you can’t believe Sean and I are together because we kissed.”
“You know what? You’re right.” Amelia picks up her purse. Her hand goes to her round belly. “You give that man a chase. It’s good for them. Gotta keep our men on their toes.” I go to tell her again that he’s not my man but she cuts me off. “I’ll see you tonight.” She grabs another cookie before heading out the door.
“See you later.” Mia gives a small wave as she follows her friend out. I walk over to Neily, pulling her headphones out of her ears.
“They are related to Sean.”
“He sent in spies!”
“I don’t know. I guess?”
“Did they at least buy some stuff?” She reaches for my notepad. “Damn.”
“They want that table, too, and asked about custom pieces.”
“I like these people.” She hands me my notepad back. “You got a lot of cooking if you want to get that done for tonight. I’d help but—” She shrugs.
“I’d like my kitchen to not catch on fire.”
“You’re never going to let that go. The kitchen didn't catch fire. It was just the stove.” We’ve had this fight five million times and I know we can go back and forth for an hour about it. I don’t have the time, so I change the subject back to the task at hand.
“They want me to stay for the shower. I told them I was bringing a friend.”
“Who? I’m your only friend.” I smack her with my notepad. “Jesus. This Sean guy has made you violent.”
“This is going to take me at least four hours. I need you to run home and get me something to wear for tonight. We’ll have to leave straight from here.” I look to her cell phone that is buzzing on the table. “Unless you have other plans you want to tell me about?”
“Nope. I’m golden.” She hops up from her chair, grabbing her phone. “I’ll go get our crap now.” She pushes her glasses up her nose. “If anyone comes looking for me, you never saw me.” With that, she’s out the door.
She might be joking. She might not. Either way, I don’t have time to figure it out. That would have to wait for another day.
13
Sean
She’s trying to kill me. I watch my girl move about the kitchen, putting an assortment of treats on a bunch of tiny little display cases. Her hips wiggle with every step she takes, causing me to have to adjust my hard cock each time she does it.
“Stop staring at me,” she hisses over her shoulder at me. I almost laugh at her order because that’s not happening. I plan on doing much more than staring at her if she ever decides to fully speak to me again. Sure, she’s not ignoring me completely, but I wouldn’t consider the one-word answers she’s giving me as her trying to engage in conversation with me.
I know my time is limited here with her. Ethan and Amelia made me promise that I would stay in the other room until Alyssa was done setting up. That I wouldn’t crowd her while she was working. I know that my brother didn't believe a word I was saying when I agreed to remain in the other room.
Amelia had soon after gotten distracted by Neily. Something about her designing a custom piece of art for her and she wanted to show her the space. As soon as they disappeared, I headed straight for my girl.
“Never.” I tell her the truth. I hear her little huff of feigned annoyance.
“I need to work, Sean. I can’t concentrate if you’re standing there staring at me. You own your own business so you of all people should know how important this is.” She stresses the own part. She almost sounds a bit hurt. I’m guessing it's because I didn’t tell her who I was. She had to find out from other people.
“I was going to tell you everything today, but I didn’t get the chance. You have to let me explain.” The words barely escape my lips when I hear multiple voices coming down the hall. Fuck. I wasn't trying to hide who I was. It was refreshing to be with someone who had no idea who I was. No preconceived notions or hidden agendas.
“I should have known that you wouldn't stay out of here. You King men are the worst when it comes to giving us women space,” Amelia says as she enters the room. Neily follows close behind her. Both of their eyes move back and forth between Alyssa and me.
“I’m not his wom—” Alyssa begins to say before I abruptly cut her off.
“You know us King men. When we find our forever, we can’t help but want to be around them as much as possible.” Alyssa turns, giving me her back so I can’t see her face. I’d made her tell me she was mine. I won't let her take those words back now.
> “I think I’m done,” she says as she moves one of the trays over before turning back to face us. Her expression is now schooled. “Is there anything else you need?”
“You’re not leaving yet. You have to stay for the party.” Amelia walks over, picking up one of the mini cupcakes and popping it into her mouth. “It’ll just be a few girls and some lingerie. It’s going to be fun.” Amelia looks over to me. “I’m kicking the men out, so you won’t have to worry about this one bugging you.” She can try to kick me out all she wants but I’m not going anywhere.
“We don’t want to intrude.”
“I have a date.” Neily checks her phone.
“You have a date?” Alyssa looks surprised. I’m guessing she has no idea who Neily’s mystery man is. I do. I know everything that happens inside my clubs. Especially when it happens with a star athlete who took up most of the VIP area last night.
“Yep. Gotta go.” She turns, taking off down the hallway. Alyssa goes running after her. I go to follow but Amelia steps into my path.
“Let her talk to her friend. She’s not going anywhere. I haven't paid the bill yet.” She smiles. “You’re welcome.” I let out a long sigh, going over toward the table with all the food on it. I might not be able to taste her right now but I can enjoy one of her treats. Amelia does the same, stealing another cupcake.
I think I’m going crazy because I’m pissed that I have to share Alyssa’s sweets with everyone else. I want them all to myself. I’m going to blame it on the fact that my girl is going to make me chase her. It’s putting me on edge.
I drop down in the chair at the table. I have a straight view down the hallway where Alyssa is talking to Neily. I have to admit, I would never have thought Neily was Tomas’s type but from the update I got about last night, he was all over her. I guess opposites really do attract.