“She’s like… a summer sin,” he adds with a low whistle. “Tall, redheaded, and stacked. I might die happy if she brings me a beer.”
I want to kill him.
I grip the edge of the table so hard the wood creaks beneath my fingers.
But I say nothing. Do nothing.
Because I can’t.
My name isn’t just mine anymore. It belongs to generations of men who built our empire from the ground up. My parents expect me to carry it forward. The right way. The smart way.
That’s why I didn’t flinch when they told me about Kensington’s daughter. Why I nodded, agreed, said I’d do whatever needed to be done.
But now?
Now she’s looking at me again—this goddess in a short black apron—with a spark in her eyes and a smirk tugging at her mouth.
And then… she winks.
Fuck.
I drop my gaze, down the last of my whiskey, and force my voice into something casual.
“I’ll settle the tab,” I mutter to the guys. “Be right back.”
I pass her on the way to the bar, and I don’t look.
I don’t.
Because if I do, I’ll stop walking.
If I do, I’ll burn everything I’ve built to the ground.
I don’t know her name.
But I already know she’s dangerous.
Because for the first time in my life, I want something I’m not supposed to have.
And if she looks at me like that again?
Legacy be damned.
The Song
Lose Control by Teddy Swims
Something's got a hold of me lately
No, I don’t know myself anymore
Feels like the walls are all closin' in
And the devil's knockin’ at my door, woah
Out of my mind, how many times did I tell you
I'm no good at bein' alone?
