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My cock throbs against her ass because it doesn’t give a shit about timing. “I’m sure I want you to pay attention when I’m fucking talking.”
“I’m paying attention.” She tilts her head up and gives me that bratty look that makes me want to bend her over the arm of this couch and spank the attitude out of her. “But how does the wedding night work? Will I still sleep in your bed?”
She’s testing me. My brat. Running her mouth and driving me crazy because that’s what she does. She’s pissed off, and she’s holding back what she actually wants to say.
Ryker looks up from his phone. “Just give them a fucking date.”
“That’s what I’m trying to discuss with you two. I want to have a plan before they drag Laine out of here.” I take a drink. I know they both understand what’s at stake, so I don’t know why they are both making this more difficult than it needs to be. I’m fucking miserable too. “They won’t wait forever. They gave us this match, and they expect results.”
“This was your fucking plan.” Ryker tosses his phone onto the side table and leans forward. “So pick a day. I’ll show up, say the words, and sign the paper. It’s not like any of us are under the impression this is going to be a real marriage.”
He’s not wrong and he’s not being an asshole about it. He’s frustrated because he never wanted this and he’s doing it anyway because I told him to. I was never supposed to get attached to his bride. But we’ve come too far for the alternative, which is the Council taking Laine and putting both of us in the ground.
Laine sits up on my lap and crosses her arms. “Do I get a say in any of this? Or are we going to pretend I’m not in the room while you two decide who gets to fuck me and when?”
“You’re in the room, baby. That’s why I’m talking to both of you.”
“No, you’re talking at both of us.” She holds my stare. “There’s a difference. You already know what you want to happen. You just want us to agree so you can feel better about it.”
Ryker chuckles, and I want to throw something at him.
Goddamnit. She’s right and she knows she’s right, and the fact that she’s calling me on it with her brat mouth makes me hard. I want to spank her ass and then make her beg me to fuck it. And I bet if I felt between her legs, I’d find that she wants that too.
“What about three weeks from now?” I hate the words coming out of my mouth. “You can just have a small ceremony at the mansion.”
“Fine.” Ryker’s jaw tightens but he doesn’t argue.
Laine just focused on me. “That’s fine.”
“And after the wedding, the Council is going to expect an heir. They made that clear from day one.” I force myself to say it because I have to. I built this plan. I positioned us here. Then I fell for the girl. I made all of this worse. And I don’t see any other way out.
The bile rises again. I don’t know how I’m going to handle a baby coming into this house. Especially in her arms. I can’t have anything happen to Laine or any child she has. The last baby to cry in these halls—I can’t go back to that place in my head, or I won’t be able to do any of this.
Ryker runs his hand through his hair. “You know I’ll do what needs to be done, but none of us have to pretend that this is what we want.”
“I know what I want.” Laine’s voice is firm. She’s looking at me when she says it, not Ryker.
It’s obvious she means me. She’s saying it without saying it, and the look on her face dares me to respond.
I don’t. Because if I open my mouth right now, I’m going to say something I can’t take back.
“Well.” Ryker stands and grabs the bottle from the bar cart. “Since we’re all in agreement that this is fucked, we might as well drink to it.” He pours three glasses and hands one to Laine. “To the world’s most fucked-up family.”
Laine takes the glass. “To the world’s most fucked-up family,” she repeats, and takes a long drink without breaking eye contact with me.
My hand slides up her thigh under the hem of my shirt. My fingers trace along the edge of her thong, and she spreads her legs wider on my lap without being told. There’s my good girl. Even when she’s pissed at me, her body still does what I want. “You want to seal it with a kiss, baby?”
She lifts her chin, and my lips immediately find hers. I’ve become addicted to kissing her. I’m like a fucking teenager who just started making out, and I can’t get enough.
When I break the kiss, I notice Ryker watching us. He sets his glass down and moves to the couch, taking a seat on her other side.
We all have to get used to this. This has always been the plan. She marries Ryker, she has his children, and the Bradleys get their seat. If I were capable of marrying her and giving her children . . . I push aside that thought. I’ve never allowed myself to want that. And I can’t start now. Because it’s not even feasible, with the Council or otherwise.
Ryker’s hand finds her thigh. She looks at me, asking permission with her eyes if it’s okay for him to touch her. It makes my cock throb and my gut twist at the same time. I nod because I have to.
Laine pulls her shirt over her head and drops it on the floor. She’s in nothing but her thong, sitting on my lap, while Ryker’s fingers trace up the inside of her thigh. She looks at me as his hand slides beneath the fabric and she gasps. Her hips rock against his hand while her back presses into my chest. Her body responds to him, but her head falls back against my shoulder and her eyes find mine. Always mine.
I grip her throat from behind and kiss her while my son plays with my girl’s pussy. The taste of whiskey on her tongue and the sound of her moaning into my mouth while she gets off makes my cock so hard I can barely think. I’m a fucked-up asshole. And I know what has to come next.
