by Cynthia Eden
No. Absolutely not. He will not fall in love with his best-friend’s little sister. He is not that guy.
So…yeah, okay, Alyssa Kyle is gorgeous and funny, and she’s slipped into more than a few of his fantasies over the years, but Sebastian Ridgeway is not about to cross that particular line. No way. No day.
Today is the day.
Alyssa’s in trouble. Someone shot at her—actually shot at her—and now she’s getting all kinds of threatening messages. Messages that say she’s about to pay for her brother’s crimes. Only her brother is a computer gaming designer, not some secret agent. The bad guys out there have obviously made a mistake.
There is no mistake.
Sebastian and Alyssa’s brother, Antony, have been working the spy game for years. They started as hacking teens but graduated to the big leagues—and their gaming company is just their cover. Apparently, their cover has been blown. Now some of the bad guys they’ve taken down want payback—and Alyssa is being targeted. Her brother is out of the country, gone dark on an assignment, and Sebastian can’t just leave Alyssa on her own to face the wolves. Not happening. So…
Time to get close.
He moves Alyssa into his home. Provides twenty-four seven protection for her. He figures he can keep his secret desire for her in check—he’s done it for years, after all—or at least, that’s the initial plan. Until he finds out that Alyssa has been longing for him. That he’s starred in more than a few of her fantasies, too.
All bets are off.
He’s held back for years, thinking he was doing the right thing. Thinking he’d never truly deserve a woman like her. But if Alyssa wants him, if Alyssa needs him, nothing will stop him from claiming the woman who owns his heart. Not the bad guys who are closing in, not the government who wants his tech, and not even Alyssa’s big brother.
Keep his hands off her? Stay away from Alyssa? Sorry, that’s…NEVER GONNA HAPPEN.
Absolutely, one hundred percent…Sebastian will not let her go, and he will prove that he is the guy—the only one—for her.
By Cynthia Eden
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are not intentional and are purely the result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events in this story are fictional.
Copyright ©2020 by Cindy Roussos
All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without the express written consent of the author except for the use of small quotes or excerpts used in book reviews.
Copy-editing by: JRT Editing
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Never Gonna Happen
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Epilogue
Author’s Note
About The Author
Prologue
“Don’t even think about it.” Antony Kyle had a warm, charming smile on his face, but his eyes were ice cold.
Antony wasn’t normally the icy type. He could be calculating, he could be clinical, he could be an insane genius when he wanted to be, but…
Sebastian Ridgeway forced a laugh. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Dude, you’re staring way too hard at my sister.”
Shit. Guilty.
But Sebastian merely lifted a brow. “It’s her birthday. She was blowing out her candles. Everyone was staring at her.” And, maybe, just maybe…
She was his new favorite thing to look at in the whole world.
“Uh, uh.” Antony side-stepped because—hell, Sebastian had just darted his gaze toward Alyssa again. “Don’t. That’s my one rule, buddy. If we’re doing this partnership together, if we are going to be in this—and we are talking about life-changing events here—then you follow that rule. You take it to heart. You make it your life mantra if you must.”
Sebastian’s stare flickered to the plastic cup in Antony’s hand. “I think you’ve had way too much to drink. I’m not interested in your little sister. Hell, I just met her a couple of days ago.”
Because this was his first time to be invited into the inner circle that was the Kyle world. A world with a big, bustling family. A world of laughter and hugs and a million other things that Sebastian had never known.
Freaking birthday parties. Alyssa had just turned twenty-one. Everyone was celebrating. She was smiling, her plump lips stretching into a wide grin, and her dark eyes gleamed as she turned her head and—
Antony snapped his fingers in front of Sebastian’s face. “Hi, there.”
What in the hell is wrong with me? “Sorry,” Sebastian muttered. “I thought I heard her say my name.”
“Nope. You didn’t. She did not say your name. And here’s the deal. You want this shit to work between us? You want us to blow up the industry and take over the world?”
Yes, yes, he did. He had plans. Goals. He’d been working toward this future—a real, solid future—for years. He wasn’t like Antony. He didn’t have the stable home. The doting mom. The proud dad. Hell, he had no one. No home. He hadn’t even known what a friend was, not until he’d stumbled into Antony—quite literally—a few years before. At first, they’d just been acquaintances who happened to share the same talent with computers. Or, more specifically, the same talent for hacking computers. But as time had slid by, they’d grown closer. Antony wasn’t the trusting sort, and he didn’t usually let people in. Only fair, Sebastian operated the same way.
“If you want all that,” Antony continued in his low voice, “then you just follow my one, simple rule.”
Sebastian swallowed. He knew exactly where this was going.
“You keep your hands off my sister.”
“Not good enough for her, huh?” The words shot out. What was wrong with him? Sebastian put down the plastic cup he’d been holding. What in the hell had Antony’s mom put in the punch?
But was it any surprise that Antony thought that way about him? Sebastian knew what he was. He knew the things he’d done, and suddenly getting a new veneer of polish and sophistication because of his business plans with Antony didn’t wipe away the past—
“Dumbass, don’t say that shit to me. You’re good enough for anything.”
But not her?
“You’re too dangerous for Alyssa.” Antony stepped closer to him. “Alyssa doesn’t know what we really do. She can’t ever know. She is not made for the world you live in.”
He couldn’t see Alyssa any longer.
“And it’s not like you’re going to fall in love with her. You’d break her heart, and then I’d have to try and kick your ass.” A despondent sigh. “Which I wouldn’t be able to do. You’d just kick my ass. There would be a huge fight. There would be drama, and…let’s simply eliminate all that before it happens, shall we?”
I would so kick your ass. Antony was right on that score.
“You’re my best friend,” Antony told him. “So keep your hands off my sister and don’t screw this shit up.”
Sebastian laughed. “I wasn’t planning to p
ut them on her. You have nothing to worry about.”
Antony didn’t laugh. He didn’t even smile.
So much for breaking the tension. “What, man? Do you want it written in blood or something?”
“Or something.”
“Fine…I swear…” Where had Alyssa gone? He couldn’t very well crane his head to look for her, at least, not at that exact moment. “I swear,” Sebastian continued grimly, voice roughening, “that I will never, ever put my hands on your sister—” On her perfect body.
Antony’s shoulders relaxed.
“Well, unless…” Sebastian added—
Alyssa appeared at Antony’s side. Oh, damn. She just kind of popped up right there. And her cheeks were stained red. Her eyes gleamed with what sure as hell looked like embarrassed pain.
Sebastian felt as if someone had just punched him in the stomach.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. How much had she overheard?
Her slightly angled chin notched into the air. “I don’t remember asking you to put your hands on me.”
He looked down. The floor appeared solid, so no chance of it swallowing him any time soon.
“Is that what you thought?” Alyssa’s musical voice cracked. “That I met you and started harboring some big crush on you? That I was waiting for you to notice me?”
No, I was the one with the crush. He was the one also who’d put pain in her eyes. On her damn birthday. Talk about being an asshole. “Happy birthday,” Sebastian mumbled.
Her eyes—a warm, amazing brown filled with flecks of gold—narrowed on him.
“I, um, didn’t bring a gift.” He was so screwing this up worse. “I didn’t know it was your birthday, and I—”
“I don’t have a crush on you, Sebastian.” The red in her cheeks deepened. “And I don’t need you to notice me.”
But I do notice you, Alyssa.
She stepped closer and her amazing scent—some kind of flowery, sweet smell that he couldn’t quite identify because he knew shit about flowers—wrapped around him. Sebastian found himself inching toward her, too.
Because she only stood at about five-foot-four, he towered over her. Her thick, dark hair tumbled over her shoulders as she glared up at him.
His hands fisted because he really wanted to touch her.
Don’t do it.
“I get that you must be used to receiving lots of attention.” Her index finger jabbed into his chest. “Let me guess…you flutter those green eyes…”
He fluttered…what?
“And you smile, flashing those dimples…”
She’d noticed his dimples?
“And you get women to do whatever you want because you use that rough, low voice of yours…” Another jab of her index finger—right over his heart.
“Definitely not anything,” he murmured.
Her head tilted. “I’m not falling for you.”
Antony sidled closer to her. “Uh, Alyssa…” He cleared his throat. Loudly.
Alyssa didn’t look at him.
She kept her angry—and, dammit, still hurt—stare on Sebastian as she snapped, “So don’t worry. You can rest easy. I won’t be around begging for your attention. To be clear, I don’t beg for anyone.”
No, of course, she didn’t. He could all too easily imagine the men begging for her.
Her hand jerked back. “Now, if you don’t mind, it’s my birthday. I have people waiting for me.”
She had the whole world waiting. She turned on her heel and walked away from him like the freaking queen that she was. His gaze slid over her body.
Sweet hell, that ass of hers—
“Jeez, that didn’t go so well.” Antony slapped a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Should have warned you. My sister has a temper.”
Suspicion churned through him. “Did you know she was close enough to hear us?”
“Uh, I—”
Sebastian’s head turned. His eyes locked on his now squirming business partner.
Antony winced. “I think Alyssa might have been getting a little crush on you. I mean, hell, man, you know women tend to fall for that whole badass thing you have going on.” He snatched his hand back and waved vaguely at Sebastian. “Hmm. Maybe we should use it in our promotions. Bet the press would like it, too,” he mused.
“Focus.” Sebastian waved a hand angrily. “Let me get this straight. You wanted to stop her crush. You wanted me to be the villain of the piece. Figured if she saw me as the asshole, she’d lose interest?”
“No…” Antony pushed up his glasses. They hadn’t been falling. “I was merely hoping for some boundaries.”
“Boundaries, huh?” He unclenched his hands. “You didn’t let me finish my promise.”
Antony frowned at him. “I didn’t?”
“No. You didn’t.” His gaze slid across the room. Alyssa was standing with two men. Tall, handsome, polished jackasses. “I swear, that I will never, ever put my hands on your sister…”
Alyssa’s head turned. Her eyes met his.
“Unless she asks for them,” Sebastian finished softly. “Unless she asks for me. In that case…” I will touch her wherever and whenever she wants.
Antony laughed. “Oh, that shit is never gonna happen.”
Alyssa held Sebastian’s stare.
“You never know,” Sebastian replied.
Chapter One
Cover blown. Protect my sister. Do anything necessary.
Sebastian frowned at the text he’d just received from his business partner, Antony Kyle. For a moment, his heart seemed to stop beating.
“Uh, Mr. Ridgeway?” A throat cleared, not so discreetly.
Sebastian’s hold on the phone tightened.
“Sir, they are waiting.”
Sebastian glanced up and straight at an auditorium full of people. He’d been on his way to the podium, and normally, he would never have checked his phone when he was presenting, but that special little ding—that ding had notified him that the message was of some serious code-red emergency status. It was an alert he’d set up to receive only when the shit ever so seriously hit the fan.
Reporters were staring at him. Head honchos in the video gaming field were waiting with bated breath. Social media influencers had their phones up and were recording.
And he really, really needed to get the hell out of there.
Protect my sister.
Protect Alyssa Kyle. He pushed the phone back into the pocket of his jeans. Even though he was the headlining speaker, Sebastian wore battered jeans and a loose t-shirt. Some folks in the crowd were wearing expensive, designer suits. They were trying to impress with their money and their clout.
He didn’t give a damn about impressing anyone.
Well, maybe one person.
“Mr. Ridgeway?” His assistant sidled closer.
“Find Alyssa,” he ordered in a low voice. “I want to know exactly where she is, and I want that information in the next minute.”
“Minute?” A shocked squeak from Doug Manci. His eyes bulged. “But—”
Sebastian grabbed the podium. He moved his head toward the microphone. “Thanks for coming out today. Our new gaming software is going to blow your mind.”
Cover is blown.
He flashed a smile to the crowd, deliberately using his dimples because they made him seem charming. He was the face of the company. The one who appeared in all the ads. The one people saw when they thought of Shark Gaming and Design.
Protect my sister.
“Protecting our company and our customers has always been my top priority. We want to give them the best experience possible.” They had cut out huge chunks of the market in the billion-dollar gaming industry. We’re here to take a bite out of the industry. He and Antony had kicked ass and taken names, and they weren’t even close to being done.
Antony…
The words of the text played through Sebastian’s mind. Do anything necessary.
The packed crowd waited eagerly. Keeping his voice nice and warm, he sai
d, “But don’t just take my word for it. I want you to experience the latest Shark game for yourself. Everyone in this room will be treated to an early look at our latest project.”
There was a surprised murmur. Yeah, because this hadn’t been on the agenda. Screw that. His agenda had changed.
“I won’t stand up here and bore you by running through all the talk of specs and details. That’s a waste of everyone’s time. Instead, my team will provide you all with exclusive access to our newest game. Trust me on this, you’ll find that it’s the experience of a lifetime.” The VR would blow their minds.
Sebastian turned away from the crowd even as reporters shouted questions at him.
His assistant stood on the sidelines, sweating.
Sebastian headed straight for Doug. “Where is she?”
Sweat dotted Doug’s forehead. “She’s…she’s on a date.”
He growled.
“They are scheduled to take in a play at the Langley Theater. You can find her in the company box—”
“Take care of them.” He jerked his thumb back toward the shouting crowd.
“But—”
“Don’t worry. The rest of the team will help you out.” They were waiting in the wings. Sure, he’d just thrown them all a serious curve ball, but they’d handle it. He trained his team very, very well. “I have more pressing business.”
Doug hopped closer. “What could possibly be more pressing than this?” Once again, his voice was a squeak. His red bow tie had twisted. A habit Doug had. He always wore bow ties, and when he was nervous, he twisted them. “This is a huge deal! A BFD!” Doug yanked at his bow tie. “What is more pressing? Uh, sir?”
Saving Alyssa. Saving her was definitely a big fucking deal. “It seems I have a date to interrupt.” The bastard with her had better not get in Sebastian’s way. He was so not in the mood to play.
Doug gaped at him. “You’re not serious?”
He was. He was also in a hurry. Sebastian waved to his other team members. They surged up from the background as he marched out. His steps were fast as he headed through the building. He knew his car and driver would be waiting at the front of the building.
