He needs an O’Brien to sweeten the deal.I’m an O’Brien.
“What if we help each other?”
His eyebrow raises. “I’m listening.”
The plan builds in my head before I have a chance to ponder the consequences. I can offer him the one thing he needs.
“You want to be second,” I begin, chewing on my lip. “And I want to not be married to Bruno. If we work together, continue to play pretend, we can kill two birds with one stone.”
It’s a crazy idea. But it might just work.
A wild look enters his eyes. “You’re saying, you want to pretend to your sister—to your clan, that you’re mine?” His lips curve into a devious smile. “You think doubling down on a lie will get us both out of hot water?”
“It won’t be a lie,” I correct. “Maeve already thinks we’re together. All we have to do is stay that way. You get the boost my name provides. Then once you’re second, you kill the deal and we break up. Like it never happened.”
It’s a hasty plan, full of holes. But I’m scrambling to keep afloat in this chaotic situation.
“So what you’re saying,” he says, eyes dark with unknown emotions, “is that, you need me?”
“Easy, Hayes.” I scoff. “I don’t need you. All I’m doing is offering you a chance that benefits us both.”
He rocks back on his heels, smiling. “No, no. You need me, viper. Because if I tell Maeve you were lying?” He sucks in a breath, wincing in mock sympathy. “You’re gone.”
“And if I tell Maeve you’ve been on Bruno’s property without her permission?” I arch an eyebrow.
The threat hangs between us.
He seems to weigh the options, wrestling with something, as if asking for divine permission. I’m not sure why, but I hold my breath before he nods. “If we do this, it has to be convincing.”
“I know,” I reply firmly. “We have to really act, be a couple for Maeve to believe it.”
“No,” he murmurs, stepping close to rub his thumb over my mouth. I freeze and my lungs stop functioning for a totally different reason. “Can you handle being completely mine? In every way—mine?”
Suddenly, he’s no longer my sister’s best friend, nor my bodyguard. He looks like a man possessed, regarding me like sailors do the moon.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Well, we’d have to figure out logistics?—”
In a blink, Hayes grabs my throat, pulling me close. He cradles my smaller body against his rough muscular chest and I gasp, the sound swallowed by the night.
“No logistics, viper,” he whispers, breath smelling of ice and danger. “No thoughts, no plans. Just feelings and ownership. If you’re mine, then you’remine. No more library hookups with fuckboys who can’t find your clit. No more study dates. Just mine.”
The way he says it, growling it as if more animal than man, draws goosebumps over my arms. “Then how will I?—”
“You want to cum?” His nose brushes my cold one, body shivering from his proximity and the night air. His fingers flex and my vision darkens. “Then you come to me. Only my cock goes between your thighs.”
“You can’t seriously think I’ll want you… likethat.”I can’t.
This entire plan only works if we keep boundaries. If we push it, if I allow it, there’s no telling the mess it’ll make.
That smile grows, white teeth flashing against the flames. “I think you’ll realize how good I can make you feel. How much you might even crave it.”
My core clenches at his words, my traitorous body refusing to see logic. Instead, I focus on keeping my voice strong. “And what about my Saturday shows?”
The hand at my throat pressing in and my pussy responds. “You want to dance? Then dance. Let them look. It’s only my cum that will be leaking down those pretty legs of yours.” He speaks again, lips brushing mine. “Everyone will know who you belong to, Collins. Can you handle that?”
Can I?This is a bad idea.I’m a lost soul, sailing into the waves of the unknown, with only Hayes as my compass. Without him, I’ll sink. With him, my life—my body, my sanity—will never be the same again.
“Yes,” I whisper, words soft. “When do we start?”
