They wouldn’t be speaking now—or have a thriving real estate business—if they hadn’t sworn to be honest. “I get it. I just hate lying to the rest of the family.”

  “But telling them serves no purpose except to put your plan at risk. When it’s over, spill whatever you like. Until then, the fewer people who know, the better.”

  He’s right, except… “What about Bethany?” Technically, I still work for her. “I can’t even give the appearance of dishonesty, especially after what she went through with Barclay.”

  “She’s already seen the pictures of you and Corinne together.” Despite that, Maxon’s tone tells me he’s plotting. “But if you’re putting off the announcement of your partnership until this shit dies down, then everything is just business as usual. So if you tell Bethany when she’s recovering from childbirth and barely sleeping, it’s just more crap on her plate she doesn’t need.”

  Clint will be pissed when he finds out, and I’m concerned about breaking the trust between Bethany and me. I’m risking a lot for revenge…

  Are you really just after revenge anymore?

  I stifle that question. “I don’t love it, but all right. When this is over, I’ll make it up to her.”

  “Hell, if you come out of this with a better image—totally doable, in my estimation—this ploy would be a net positive she’ll congratulate you for. Our sister might be pretty and soft-spoken, but she can absolutely swim with the sharks.”

  I know she can. I’ve seen it firsthand. “Good point. I owe you—big.”

  “You’re fucking right, you do. Make sure this doesn’t blow up in your face.”

  “I will. Thanks.”

  “No thanks necessary. Family is supposed to have each other’s backs, remember?”

  “I don’t have as much practice as you with that, but yeah. And I’m here for you.”

  “Good. We might need a babysitter during football season,” Maxon teases.

  “Bite my ass.”

  With a laugh, he hangs up. I find myself smiling, too…until I realize the situation I’m in. The world has gone quiet for a few hours while everyone sleeps. Tomorrow morning will be an explosion of curiosity, nosiness, and ugly innuendo. Corinne will hate it. I need to shield her or she might give in to Parker’s bullshit just to make the gossip disappear.

  Until then, we have the dark. The still. The silence. I should be exhausted after barely sleeping last night. But I’m wired since I’ll soon have Corinne next to me in bed. Even if I don’t touch her, she’ll be achingly close. How will I resist her?

  Rising from my chair, I tiptoe down the hall. My bathroom door is still shut, telling me she’s inside.

  Damn. Relieving my tension is a must. I’d rather not do it alone, but if I’m going to keep my word and keep my hands off of her, I have to take the edge off.

  After grabbing her underwear from my desk, I slide into the bathroom attached to my office and lock the door. Hand lotion in a delicate pump stands beside a matching decanter of soap. I shove Corinne’s panties against my nose, yank down my shorts, slam a dollop of cream in my palm, and slather it onto my aching cock.

  Then, as I slowly stroke myself, I open my thoughts to all the filthy things I’m dying to do to her.

  Memories of her face in pleasure hit my brain—her soft face, her parted lips, her rosy cheeks. And those noises she makes as she approaches climax? Almost as stunning as her tits. They’re perfectly proportional with the right size nipples in an erotically dusky hue. They’re sensitive, too. She loved having them sucked. Yeah, maybe that was new for her. But she responded.

  Then she asked for more, demanding I kiss her. She wrapped her arms around me, flattening herself against my body. I wish like fuck I could have lost my shirt, pressed my skin to hers, and drowned in her heat, in her scent.

  My imagination takes over, spinning a vision of her pulling me down for a kiss and spreading her legs, her hips lifting to me in entreaty. We don’t have to speak because I know her body and she’s as hungry for me as I am for her. In my fantasy, she rolls me to my back, perches herself above me, and kisses her way down my body, beginning with my mouth before slowly, slowly trailing her lips across my chest, then nipping her way to my stomach, my hips, my thighs.

  Fuck, I’m already desperate for her.

  Then she cradles my balls in one hand and sends me a teasing smile. “I can’t wait to get my mouth on you.”

  I could almost swear I hear her voice in my head as I grip her panties tighter and speed up my stroke. My chest tightens. My heart gallops. My skin burns.

  “Suck me, princess.” That voice is mine, but it’s a foreign, strained rasp I barely recognize.

  Thankfully, dream Corinne is happy to comply, planting on her knees beside me and leaning in, her eyes filled with the promise of pleasure that will rip me up and leave me ruined for anyone but her. And instead of running the fuck away from this possessive need, I can’t wait.

  “Now,” I demand in a hoarse whisper.

  After another sly smile, she complies. I jolt. Her scent fills my nose, torquing up my desire, as I shorten and speed up my strokes again.

  In my head, she’s sucking me with swift, strong pulls. My legs threaten to collapse underneath me. I lean into the basin, the counter cutting into my hip, and I don’t care. Heat blisters me. Dizziness overwhelms me. Pleasure twists me.

  This orgasm is going to destroy me.

  “You like that,” she whispers in my head as she licks her way up my cock.

  “Yes,” I growl out. “Fuck, yes.”

  She giggles. “All day I thought about driving you insane.”

  Fantasy Corinne needs to stop teasing me and start sucking me again before I die. Mentally, I fist her hair and push her mouth down on me, the jerky movements, centering on my crest, taking my desire up dangerously fast.

  “Goddamn it.” I eke out the curse.

  “Come for me,” she insists in my head just before she engulfs me in that destructive mouth.

  It’s over. I’m done for. She’s going to kill me and I love it.

  I suck in another breath, ripe with the scent of her pussy. It’s lingering in my nose, along with the smell of her skin, whetting my appetite. I need to get my mouth on her cunt, memorize her with my tongue—and I will. But right now, Corinne has all the power and I’m going down hard.

  “Fuck!” My hand moves faster, my thumb hitting the sweet spot just under my crest. I pretend that’s her tongue, that she knows my body so well, she knows exactly how to send me over the edge…

  Suddenly, a rough, guttural cry erupts from my throat. I clench my teeth to keep it in, but it’s no use. The sharp, staggering burst of ecstasy has me shouting into her panties and shuddering as I empty myself into the bathroom sink.

  The second I’m done and I catch my breath, I open my eyes and stare back at my reflection in the mirror. Even in the mostly dark room, I’m obviously panting, ruddy, and flattened. I feel fucking ridiculous. The normal me would have worked around my promise to give her a couple of days and simply seduced her. I would have rationalized that she’s in my house, sleeping in my bed, and she wants a favor from me. Normally, that more than adds up to a hot fuck.

  With Corinne…everything feels different. I never want her to regret me.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” the old me asks. “Stop masturbating and man up.”

  But the usual tapes aren’t working. Maybe…she’s right. I use what happened with Hadley to keep every woman at arm’s length. It’s been my excuse for taking what I could from them and deleting phone numbers the next morning.

  Is that making you happy?

  Last week, I would have said yes. Now…

  “Goddamn it.” I clean my self-inflicted mess, rake a hand through my hair, then let myself out of the bathroom. After shoving Corinne’s underwear in my desk drawer, I toss myself in my chair and heave a sigh.

  How the fuck do I untangle my head?

  Maybe I’m just tired. It’s possible a good night’s sleep will erase these maudlin thoughts and restore the ruthless manwhore most people—family excepting—love to hate.

  For some reason, that notion makes me cranky.

  What the hell has this woman done to me?

  Sighing, I head for the door. Might as well face her and figure out this weird mood.

  The dinging of my phone stops me before I can leave my office. It’s not just any text—I’ve been ignoring a bunch of those—but a text with a specific ringtone. Hayes. I should have known I couldn’t put this off.

  I grab my cell, not even bothering to read the message, and dial his number.

  “Congratulations, man!” Hayes’s voice booms. “I had no idea you were dating anyone, much less thinking about getting engaged. You didn’t say a word.”

  There’s a soft accusation in his tone. I deserve that.

  “Thanks. It’s…been a whirlwind, but I appreciate it.” I look at the clock. “Why are you awake? It’s barely five in the morning in LA and it’s Saturday.”

  He laughs. “Our schedules are messed up. Echo and I flew to Boston to see Gramma Liddy for a few days.”

  In the middle of the week? “She all right?”

  “Fine. It had just been a while. Echo got a few days off from work, and we thought why not?”

  “For sure. Glad to hear Liddy is still kicking.”

  “Almost eighty and sharp as a tack. She kicked my ass at cards. Again.”

  God, it’s good to hear Hayes’s voice and know that someone I care about so much is happy. “That’s nothing new.”

  “You’re supposed to take my side.”

  “Um, you’re a great investment counselor. You’re a horrible card player.”

  “And you’re a shitty friend,” he grumbles. “You didn’t tell me you were even seeing Parker Emerson’s sister. You never mentioned it because you knew I would question your sanity, right? Did you two keep it on the down low until you decided to get married?”

  “Something like that.”

  “When did you meet? How the hell did you even get together?”

  Shit. Concocting a “meet cute” Corinne and I can tell everyone has been on my list of things to do, but we haven’t gotten around to that yet. “Actually, buddy, it’s a long story, and I’m fucking wiped out. It seemed like an endless Friday after a few days of insomnia, and things are still insane at the office with Bethany out.”

  “Having the market in disarray can’t be helping. I feel you, but—”

  “You want to know. And I want to tell you.” I blow out a breath and think of another plausible way to stall. “Listen, I know you just got home from Boston, but how would you feel about coming here for my engagement party tomorrow night? I’ll fill you in then.”

  That would buy Corinne and me time to get our story straight, but I totally expect him to say no.

  “I was just going to ask if you wouldn’t mind if we crashed with you for the weekend?”

  Seriously? It will be great to see him…but it’s horrible timing. I need to be alone with Corinne so we can perfect our act. Or I have to tell Hayes the truth. But I can’t. Echo is horrible at keeping secrets and my buddy would never not tell his wife something. And if I make arrangements with Maxon and Keeley for my friends to stay at their bed-and-breakfast—presuming they even have a vacancy—Hayes would know something is up.

  “Hey, if it’s a hardship—”

  “No,” I cut in. “Sorry, I’m just tired as fuck. Of course I want you to come. I asked, didn’t I?”

  “Great! We were hoping that would be cool. Echo has a few more days off, and I miss Maui like hell.”

  One impulsive trip back East to see his elderly grandmother I could believe. But an impromptu trip here, too—even with my engagement party—isn’t like Hayes. “Is something up with you?”

  “Can’t I just want to see my best friend? It’s been too long. And I have the dirt on what’s up with the old gang…”

  “You don’t have to persuade me. You’re always welcome.” I’ll make it work.

  “Good. While we’ve been talking, I found last-minute seats on a flight that lands about four o’clock. That okay?”

  It gets them here for the party, and since Parker knows Hayes well, having him at our celebration will lend credence to the “engagement.” “Fantastic. I’ll pick you up from the airport.”

  “It will be great to see you. And I can’t wait to meet Corinne. She must not be anything like Parker if you’re in love with her.”

  “She’s not.” And we’ll have to be more convincing than ever.

  “I’m really happy for you. After the way Hadley destroyed you, I didn’t think you’d ever recover.”

  I still don’t think I have, but I try to sound chipper as fuck. “Well, when you know, you know… Some of us aren’t stupid enough to know the love of our life since second grade and fail to figure it out.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “You know I’m right.”

  “And you’ll never let me live it down.”

  “Ever.” I grin. “See you tomorrow.”

  “See you then.”

  I was reluctant to take Hayes’s call, and now I’m reluctant to let him go. It’s been too long since we connected.

  From the corner of my desk, I pick up a photo Echo framed shortly after their wedding. Decked out in my tuxedo, I’m standing to the left of Echo and Hayes, standard since I was his best man. The rest of the old gang—Graham, Kella, and Maryam—are around us, looking surprisingly put together. Gramma Liddy and Echo’s two sisters, Ella and Eryn, round out the whole “family” photo.

  Good times…

  With a sigh, I rise and pad across the bamboo floors. In my bedroom, Corinne sits on the edge of the bed. She’s wearing her pajamas again, the ones that, unfortunately, cover most everything. She stares at her phone.

  Tears stream down her cheeks.

  My chest tightens even as the sight ignites my rage. “What’s the matter?”

  She swallows and sets her phone aside. “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit. Are people online being assholes?” If they are, I’ll be hard-pressed not to snarl and crack their skulls.

  She shrugs. “No more than usual.”

  My mood darkens. “Is your brother being an asshole?”

  “Did you expect anything different?”

  After what he did to me, I have zero expectations of him doing anything but utterly fucking my life and trampling my future. Corinne, however, still had hope. I’m pissed that he crushed it.

  I take her hands. “Princess, whatever he said…he’s just angry. I’ve blocked him everywhere I could. Since he can’t come after me, he’s taking his shit out on you.”

  “I know. I just didn’t expect it to hurt this much.”

  Underneath her anger, she still loves him. She clearly wishes they could see eye to eye. She yearns for his approval. And he’s being a complete motherfucking son of a bitch. No surprise.

  I don’t know the first thing about handling a crying woman. I haven’t really tried since my mother. But I can’t not wrap my arms around Corinne and draw her against my chest. “He deserves your anger. He doesn’t deserve your tears.”

  “Why does he have to be this way?” she sobs against me. “He was always the favorite with my grandparents. He could do no wrong, probably because he’s so much like my grandfather.”

  “A judgmental prick?”

  “Grandpa wasn’t, but when he felt as if someone in his life was making the wrong decisions, he would try to steer them in a different direction. Parker took that ten steps further. Plus, he knows how much it’s bothered me that, as far as my grandparents were concerned, I never quite measured up. For years, I scrambled to catch up to my brother—”

  “Wait. You’re twenty times the person Parker is, and your grandparents were blind or warped if they didn’t see how amazing you are.”

  “You didn’t know me as a kid.”

  “I knew you as a teenager.” A little, anyway. “You were quiet and thoughtful, considerate even then.”

  “Translation: I was a doormat. Apparently, I still am.”

  Is that what she thinks? “No, you’re standing up to Parker and fighting, taking back what’s yours—even though you shouldn’t have to. He’s being a real rat bastard.”

  “But I have those moments where I wonder if he’s right. Maybe I’ve picked something stupid to do with my life.”

  I scowl. “Do you enjoy it?”

  “Every day. I look forward to creating something unique for the people who order from me. And they get so excited when they receive their bands. Some even write me these lovely notes, which always make me smile…” Her face lights up so brightly when she talks about her job, she almost glows.

  “Then it’s not stupid. Don’t let your brother in your head.”

  She grimaces. “I’m trying to keep him out, but he’s questioning my judgment—and my sanity.”

  “He’s hitting hard because he’s furious you’re ‘engaged’ to me.”

  Corinne nods. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him this angry. It’s ugly.”

  More than she thought possible, it seems. “That’s not on you.”

  “Isn’t it? I sought you out, knowing there literally isn’t another person on the planet who would trigger him more.”

  “It’s not your job to worry about his emotions. They’re his problem. You have enough on your plate, keeping your business afloat.”

  “But he’s my brother.”

  “And you’re his sister. Is he trying at all not to upset you? No, he’s carrying on like he’s right, as always, and doesn’t give a fuck about your feelings.”

  She nibbles on her lip. “I know. Maybe I’m just tired and not thinking straight. Sorry. I don’t mean to dump my feelings in your lap.”

  “It’s not a problem. I’m here.” Even if her tears made me feel something like panic at first, the truth is, she’s the most real woman I’ve ever been involved with. Well, we’re not actually involved, just pretending—can’t forget that. But she’s nothing like the women I usually fuck. She seems nothing like Hadley, always looking out for number one.