“Okay.”
“Those alarms going off sobered me up, and I’m sorry I lost it. Both in the house, and when he came to find you.”
“I know Seri leaving hurt you, but breaking things and acting like an ass is kind of what made that happen.”
“I know, and it wasn’t her leaving that did me in. I hate that she left, but to have her think I’m lying about being in love with her—if I didn’t have Micah, I wouldn’t have survived that. I had to think about him to make myself stop.”
“I figured as much, and FYI, you didn’t tell her. You asked her a ‘what if’ question, but you never came out and told her.”
“Would it have made a difference?”
I shrug. “I’m not her, so I don’t know.”
“I’ve sent guards to watch her too, because the people who broke in got away.”
“I’m just glad we’re safe.”
“Rhieve and some of the others will be meeting us at the house in Cardiff.”
“Won’t that put them in danger?”
“Yeah, um, about that. I was coming to get you so you could call Reina. She needs to tell you some things.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”
“Just call her,” he says, handing me a phone. “This phone is untraceable, and only calls her.”
I take the phone, and call her like he asked me to. I’m not prepared for what she tells me. I knew she had a lot of connections, and was able to hide me, but I had no idea just how far it all went. A secret society of female spies? Who would ever think that was a thing? I’m questioning everything I’ve ever known when the call is over.
“Are you okay?” Rhys asks, a towel around his waist and water dripping down his chest as he steps back into the bedroom.
Too bad I’m too freaked out to appreciate how hot he looks. “Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“About the Society?”
His eyes widen, but he nods. “Yeah, I knew.”
“It doesn’t freak you out that your sister’s a spy?”
“At first, a little. But it’s cool as fuck.”
“I guess it is. I’m still trying to process it all.”
“Understood. Do you want to cuddle?”
Is he serious right now? “Cuddle?”
“Yeah.” I guess he is.
“No. I’m just going to sleep on one of the couches.”
“Not a chance. I’ll sleep on one of them while you take the bed.”
I see the bruises forming on his ribs and chest, and it makes me want to punch X. I know he’s sorry, but I’m still pissed off.
“Let’s eat, and then we can figure out the sleeping arrangements.”
RHYS
I know I’m on borrowed time as I throw my jeans and shirt back on, and follow Vivienne out of the bedroom. She knows about Rhieve and it’s only a matter of time before she finds out about the rest of it. All of my dirty laundry, from when I wasn’t wearing any clothes, is going to be revealed to her. And then she’ll never look at me with that hunger in her eyes again.
“I wanted to apologize,” X says, standing up as soon as he sees me. “For what I did, and for what I said. It was fucked up and completely out of line.”
“I get it. I don’t love what you did or said, but we’re good.”
“Thanks. I didn’t know what you wanted to eat, so I just got you a burger. There’s pasta for you, Viv.”
It irks me that he knows what she likes now, and I’d have no clue, but I try not to let it show. I eat my burger, helping the flight attendant clear our plates.
“Goodnight everyone,” I say, taking the pillow and blanket I asked for, and heading for a couch up front.
“Wait, I thought we decided this already. I’ll take the couch,” Vivienne tells me.
“I told you I wasn’t letting you sleep on the couch.”
“I’m going to take this as my cue to leave,” X says, picking Micah up into his arms. I see a smile on his face for the first time today, as he walks toward the other bedroom.
Vivienne waits until he leaves before pulling the pillow and blanket from my arms. She sets them on the seat next to her, and takes my hand. “Let’s go to sleep. Just sleep tonight.”
“Okay.” I’ll take what I can get, although I know it will never be enough with her.
I walk back into the bedroom behind her, and pull back the comforter. “What are you doing?” she asks.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with me taking some of my clothes off.”
“As you so eloquently stated earlier, I’ve seen it all before.”
“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”
“We were each other’s firsts. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You were so sweet to me,” she reminds me, coming over to take my face in her hands. “Taking care of me after, and just making me feel cared about.”
“Loved. You should’ve felt loved.”
She closes her eyes. “I did. And then, later, I didn’t.”
There’s so much she doesn’t know, but it won’t change anything. I did what I had to do, and in truth I’d probably do it again, even knowing she’d be mistreated. She survived whatever happened to her, and she’s alive. That’s everything to me.
“You were always loved.”
“Then why?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
She pulls away from me. “Maybe not to you, but never mind. Let’s go to bed.”
There I go, pissing her off again. It’s probably for the best. Cut the ties again, and move on, just like I planned when I went to that compound earlier today. Nothing’s worked out the way I planned it so far, but then again, it never really has for me. It’s why I’ve stopped hoping for everything, including the woman I’m going to sleep in the same bed with tonight. Especially her.
CHAPTER 5
VIV
Rhieve is indeed at the house in Cardiff when we arrive there. Someone from the American Embassy met us at Customs with new passports, but it took us a little longer than everyone else to get through. Stella and Faith are with her, making me feel even more secure. From what I’ve learned, they’ve been part of the Society for years and helped mentor the new wave of women, including Rhieve.
“Welcome to your temporary home,” Rhieve says, giving me a hug.
As someone used to mansions, the size of this home isn’t impressive to me, but I love the charm of it. The outside of the house is quintessentially British, with a winding driveway past the gates and lots of topiaries. But inside, it’s all modern. I get a glimpse of a pool, various decks, and a large green lawn before I’m led upstairs to my room.
“This is beautiful,” I say, taking in the four-poster bed, window seat, and large chaise lounge.
“X seems to think you’ll be sharing with Rhys.”
“X is wrong.”
“There are plenty of rooms, but I was hoping he was right.”
“That ship sailed long ago. You should know that.”
“I really wish he hadn’t gotten mugged on the way to your birthday party. It was such bad luck that it happened that night.”
“Mugged? What are you talking about?” I ask, my heart racing.
“You didn’t know? He was on his way to the party when some gang jumped him. They stole the present he had for you, beat him badly, and left him bloody in the street. I called and told your best friend, Shauna. She didn’t tell you?”
“No, she didn’t. I need to find Rhys.”
I know now what happened. I was waiting for Rhys, because we were both eighteen as of that night, and we were going to go public as a couple. I knew it was going to upset my family and their stupid merger, but I loved him, and he loved me. Or, I thought he did.
When he didn’t show up, and only returned my texts with a short “no, I’m not coming”, my heart broke. It broke so badly, I did something stupid and agreed to marry Christon. All these years, I believed Rhys tossed me aside, when the truth is, he was stopped f
rom coming to me. Whoever it was, they had to have threatened him in some way that kept him away once he was physically healed. I don’t even care what it was; I only care about finding him now.
He’s alone on one the decks, looking out over the lawn, with a beer dangling in his hand, when I find him. I drop to my knees in front of him.
“What did they threaten you with?”
“When a woman gets on her knees in front of a man, she better plan on following through.”
“Stop deflecting. Rhieve told me you got beat up on the way to my birthday party.”
“Yep. Just like yesterday, only I should’ve learned to fight by now instead of giving up.”
“I would never have married him if I’d known.”
“And then you’d be dead.”
I rear back. “What?”
“People wanted that merger to happen, and you were the key to it happening.”
“You were protecting me,” I say, awareness dawning, and likely showing on my face. “All these years, you protected me.”
“I told you you were loved.”
“We’ve lost so many years, but now we have a second chance.”
“No, we don’t. I’m dirty, Vivs. So fucking dirty and disgusting.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Pretty soon, you would’ve found out all of it, so I’ll tell you now myself. Around a year ago I let some chicks who sucked me off at a sex club lure me away to another location. They kidnapped me to get to Calum, and while he and my sister looked for me, I was used as a plaything. A sex toy, whatever you want to call it. Women—and men—used me for their pleasure. At first I liked it, Vivienne. But later, not so much.”
No. “Oh God, Rhys.”
“See, there it is. I wasn’t sure if it would be disgust or pity, but either way, you’ll never want me again. Not really.”
“Don’t speak for me.”
“I see it in your eyes and it’s killing me. I have to get out of here.”
He gets up, and steps around me as he heads for the door. “Where are you going?”
“Someplace where the women wouldn’t care enough to pity me, even if they knew.”
“Please stay and talk to me.”
“Nothing to talk about. I’ve got a past you’ll never be able to accept, no matter how hard you try.”
“You know, for someone who thinks it’s cool for his sister to be a spy, you’re acting like a sexist ass right now.”
“Just another thing to turn you off. Catch you later.”
I let him go because I know I need to plan for what comes next. I need some wardrobe and confidence help, because I’ve never been a femme fatale before. Time to find Stella.
RHYS
This pity party of one I’ve got going on is going to need more alcohol. I’m two drinks in, and nothing’s looking better. Nothing, and no one. The women are flirting, and touching my shoulders and arms, but I’ve got nothing to give back to them. I left it all with the woman who was on her knees in front of me, begging me to stay. Which made me walk out like the ass I know I am.
I go to take a swig of drink number three, but it’s pulled from my hand. “What the fuck?”
“You’re not going to be able to fuck me properly if you’re drunk, and I want you to remember everything you do to me,” Vivienne tells me. She’s in a tight white dress, pink lipstick, and heels, and my cock finally comes to life for the first time since I entered this pub.
“What exactly am I going to do to you?”
“Whatever you want.”
Nope. Not going there. “I don’t want a pity fuck. I thought I made myself clear about that.”
“And I thought I made myself clear about telling me what I’m thinking and doing.”
“Why? Why do you want to fuck me?”
“When you were taking your clothes off on the plane, it was the first time I’d felt truly aroused in years.”
“Years? Fucktard didn’t turn you on?”
“It’s hard to be turned on when someone doesn’t come near you, except in public.”
I nearly fall off the barstool and not because I’m drunk. “You’re telling me he had you in his bed, and didn’t make you scream every night.”
“We slept in separate beds almost from the beginning. He didn’t want children, but I do, and he didn’t trust me to stay on birth control.”
“Bastard.”
“I believe we established that already.”
“You really want to give me all the control, Vivs?” I ask, looking her over again. “I have a very creative imagination when it comes to sex with you.”
She glides in between my legs, and puts her mouth to my ear. “I want it. I want everything you’ve got.”
I’ve already paid for my drinks, so I grab her hand, and practically drag her outside. I can’t wait to taste her, so I push her against the wall, ignoring the people gathered out front. Shielding her body with mine, I kiss her for the first time in over five years.
There’s nothing tentative about it, because I know her lips, her mouth, her tongue. She matches my kisses, licks, sucks, and bites, giving back as much as she takes. Our hands are running over each other’s bodies, and it’s better than anything I’ve done with another woman. They were all placeholders for this woman, and my mind and body are both happy to be home.
“Let’s go,” I tell her forcing my mouth from hers.
She rolls her hips, bushing my cock against her core. Fuck, if I don’t love the fact she’s almost matching me in height in those heels. “I don’t know if I can wait.”
“You don’t have to.”
I lead her to the car that’s waiting for us, as she sucks on my neck, nearly shattering the control I need to keep right now. I nod to the driver as we get in, grabbing the soft blanket from the bench and covering Vivienne’s lower half with it.
“You’re not covered.”
“No. I want you so badly, my cock is about to break through my zipper, but not tonight. Not until I get to know this woman everyone calls Viv, and she asks me to be hers. Not until you’re not feeling like you owe me something. I want you to want me for me, and not the guy you’re still romanticizing or feeling sorry for.”
“I want you. It’s always been you.”
“Then a little more time won’t change that. I’m going to slide my fingers under that blanket, into your wet panties, and right inside of you. There are cameras back here, so they’ll know what I’m doing, but they won’t see any of you.”
“Yes. Please yes.”
“Kiss me so no one else sees you come. I want that all for me.”
She holds my face in her hands again, peppering my mouth with sweet kisses. Those kisses become hungrier as my fingers find her pussy. I slide one inside, as my thumb goes to work on her swollen clit.
“More,” she murmurs into my mouth.
“Greedy?”
“When it comes to you, yes.”
I smile, and add two more fingers, pumping them a little faster, in and out. She starts to ride them, matching the rhythm I’ve set. It will be a miracle if I don’t come in my jeans.
“Yes.”
It’s her last coherent word, as her pussy clamps around my fingers, and moisture rushes over them. She starts to mumble senseless words, even as she kisses me, and arches her back. It’s so damn sexy, and I let myself go right along with her. She somehow covers me with the blanket, and strokes me over my jeans as I blow.
“Please tell me you’re sleeping in my bed tonight, and doing the cuddling you offered on the plane.” She’s practically pleading, and I hate to burst her bubble, but I have to.
Pushing her brown and caramel locks from her face, I kiss her softly. “Not tonight. I meant what I said about you being sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“Then waiting until tomorrow won’t be a problem.”
“I suppose not.”
There’s a gleam in her eye, and a smirk on her lips, telling me she’s not going to play
nice about this. She’s got something planned, and damn if it doesn’t make me love her just a little more. I do want to get to know her, but I’m not going to keep turning her down for something we both want.
CHAPTER 6
VIV
I love that Rhys wants to get to know me, but I need him. I need more than his fingers and I know just how to get him onboard with the plan. He said tomorrow, and it’s after midnight now, so technically I’m adhering to his wishes.
Slipping inside his room is easy, because the door isn’t completely closed. I shut it behind me, and close the French doors leading to the back garden. It’s going to get very hot in here, but I don’t want a live audience. I know we’ll probably be on camera again, but that’s not bothering me as much as I would’ve thought it would.
There’s only a sheet covering him, and I slowly pull it down, revealing my prize. So many years of waiting and wanting, and now this man is all mine again. We’re not the kids we once were, but that’s a good thing. I lean down, taking a long lick up his semi-hard length, and then everything goes wrong.
“Get off me!” he roars, shoving me back. I can’t stop the momentum and I fall to the floor in an ungraceful heap. “Vivienne? Oh God, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I tell him, getting to my feet.
He frantically looks around. “Why is everything closed? Why did you do this?”
“I was trying to surprise you.”
“Consent is a thing. It’s a big thing.”
“I-I know.”
“Then why are you here, closing me into my room like this?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
With that said, I push out of those French doors and run for the lawn. I don’t know where I’m going, but I have to get away. I’ve done something so wrong, I have no clue how to make it right. I thought I was being sexy and fun, but I was triggering him, and he’ll never be able to forgive me for that.
As I fall to my knees on the grass, strong arms wrap around me. “It’s okay. I’m okay, Vivs. I shouldn’t have scared you like that. I’m sorry.”
Defiant Company (Company Men Book 5) Page 4
