Lie, page 14
Truth be told, I wasn’t interested in other women right now. I hadn’t even been with anyone in a long time because I was chasing that little brunette. I could pay for sex, but I continued to wait, continued to wait for the woman I really wanted. It was an idle threat, but I was pissed off, just wanted to say something to get under her skin.
She came after me in the hallway and grabbed my arm. Her ass was hanging out of her shorts and her tits were basically on display, but she came after me anyway because those words dug deep—just as I’d intended. She turned me to face her, a different expression in her eyes. “Wait.”
I pulled my arm away from her grasp.
She looked into my face a long time, emotional like I preferred. I liked it when she was spontaneous, when she lived in the moment, showed who she really was, and I liked exactly who she was. “That dick is mine.” She cupped my cheek and rose on her tiptoes to kiss me, to give me a hot kiss that left her mark on me so no one else would take me away. She breathed deep into my lungs, her nails scratching me like she wanted to give me a permanent scar so everyone would assume I was taken, or as she put it, my dick was spoken for.
My arms wrapped around her body, and I pulled her hard into me, giving her a bear hug like I could crush her if I squeezed too hard. One hand covered both of her ass cheeks, and I squeezed, loving that strong ass. When I pulled away, I shot her a victorious look. “That’s what I thought.”
Balto was in the same place he’d been for years, a multistory building that looked more like a military complex. I used to live with him a while ago, right after I was released from prison. He had armed guards on duty twenty-four hours a day, even though no one was coming for him anymore. He’d officially retired and didn’t intervene in any events from the underground world.
Well, except for that one time with Damien.
He sat in the living room with me, drinking his scotch while the soccer game played on the TV. We were twins who looked so much alike, except he didn’t have any tattoos and I was covered in them. Other than that, people claimed we were identical. He was a little burlier and I was a bit smarter, so we were apples and oranges in my eyes.
I didn’t see any resemblance.
Our personalities were just so different. He was a lot quieter, subtler. And I was the biggest smartass on the planet. It was late in the evening, almost midnight, and it was the time I usually got my day started.
Balto was a domesticated animal now, so he went to bed at a reasonable hour, but he didn’t struggle to stay up with me because he was used to my late-night visits. He finished off his glass before he set it on the coffee table, cutting back and drinking a third of what he used to. “So, you outlawed trafficking everywhere?”
I nodded.
He shook his head slightly. “Wow…you’re a braver man than I ever was.”
“I’ve been saying that for years.”
Now he shook his head for an entirely different reason. “You’re going to get a lot of pushback for that.”
“Oh, I know.” I set down my glass. “I’m trying to turn it into a prostitution business. I’m hoping we can charge more for each girl so the businesses will still thrive, maybe even make more. It’s a slow process, and everyone is watching every little thing I do.”
“Has Vox been a problem?”
“Not yet. But I think he’s waiting for me to crash and burn.”
“Never drop your guard around him.”
“I never drop my guard around anyone.” I would just kill Vox if it wouldn’t upset the rest of the Skull Kings. I couldn’t kill one of my own without justifiable cause. Vox not liking me wasn’t a good enough reason, and it would probably result in my own death.
“Why are you doing this?” He took his gaze off the TV and looked at me, possessing blue eyes that were identical to mine. “When I outlawed it in our organization, you weren’t thrilled about it.”
I dropped my gaze, and I actually felt ashamed for that. “People change.”
“Not people like you…not without reason, at least.”
I shrugged in response.
As the silence passed, he read the expression on my face as if he had access to my thoughts. He’d always been that way, studying someone like he could see what was underneath. It made people writhe, made people break under the intensity and admit their sins. Maybe it really worked. Or maybe it was just a ploy. “There’s a woman, isn’t there?”
I forced myself to laugh. “Woman? Me? No.” I took a drink.
My brother continued to study me, reading between the lines. “There’s no shame, Heath. Look at me.” He nodded to the wall, where a picture of him and his wife was hanging. She was in a wedding dress, and he was in a suit. “I gave it all up. She was the thing that changed me. I have a feeling the same thing changed you.”
I hadn’t told the Skull Kings the real reason I was making so many changes. I pretended it was all business, because if I spoke the truth, I would lose the respect of every man underneath me.
“What happened?”
I didn’t feel like telling every single detail of the story, so I recounted the shorter version. “Yeah…there is someone. She was captured by Popov’s men, and when I saw her down there in the cage, I let her go. She asked me to free the other girls, and I promised I would. Then I started to feel sick, collecting money off girls like that everywhere else, and I just couldn’t do it anymore.” I bowed my head in shame, feeling like less of a man because of what I used to do. “I decided to make a change.”
Balto stared at me with an unreadable expression, taking time to gather his thoughts. “I think you did the right thing.”
I met his look. “You don’t think I’m a pussy?”
* * *
“Fuck yes, I think you’re a pussy. You were smart to mask your true intentions as a business venture, at least. But I’m a pussy too.” He grabbed his empty glass and clinked it against mine. “When do I get to meet her?”
“It’s not serious.”
“Changing the infrastructure of your organization says otherwise.”
“Like I said, I didn’t do it for her. I just feel differently about it now. She and I… It’s really complicated. It’s never going to go anywhere. I’m just going to enjoy it before it blows up in my face.”
“Why does it have to blow up in your face?”
I grabbed the bottle of scotch and refilled my glass because I thought I needed a bit more. “Damien is her brother…”
Balto didn’t react right away, staring at me for a few seconds as the weight of the situation hit him. “Then she’s aware of the problem.”
“For the most part.” I swirled the liquid in my glass. “She turned me down many times because she’s loyal to her family, but after I saved her…she felt differently. She finally gave in, and it was amazing.” I shrugged. “You know me, I always deliver.”
Balto didn’t react to my joke.
I kept going. “She doesn’t know everything…”
Balto figured out the rest on his own. “She doesn’t know you almost killed her father.”
I dropped my gaze and shook my head, feeling the past haunting me. There was nothing I could do to undo what I’d already done. I couldn’t lie and say I never intended to kill him because that was bullshit. If Hades hadn’t been there, her father would be dead in the ground right now. That was something she would never look past, something she would never forgive. “No.”
I was at home when she texted me. I want to see you.
I smiled when I read the message on my phone. I loved the way she didn’t ask for things, just demanded them. She spoke her mind so plainly that she was easy to understand. She wasn’t a closed book, but an open story that was so addictive and easy to follow. I bet you miss me.
Fuck off. You miss me too.
Baby, I always miss you.
Her anger immediately evaporated. Come over. We need to talk.
I rolled my eyes because I didn’t want to talk. I knew she wanted to talk about our situation, I just didn’t know what there was to say. She wasn’t gonna try to end the relationship because she wouldn’t have texted me in the first place. So, I would have to suffer through it and get to the good stuff. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.
She opened the door for me, wearing a dark blue sundress with her curled hair pinned to one side. Mascara made her eyelashes thick and beautiful, and the purple eye shadow just made her eyes more exquisite. She wore a profound shade of red lipstick, her lips plump and sexy.
When I’d arrived at the door, I was in a bad mood because I wanted to get this conversation over with, but now that I saw her, my attitude changed completely. She was worth the annoyance, worth thirty minutes of idiotic conversation. My hands cupped her face and slid into her hair as I leaned down and kissed her.
She had been in a somber mood when she opened the door, so she went a little rigid when I kissed her, but once her lips met mine, her hands went to my stomach and she kissed me back, falling into our unbelievable chemistry.
When I pulled away, her eyes looked a little dazed, like she couldn’t believe all the feelings my touch provided. Her fingers wrapped around my wrists, and she closed her eyes for a moment, like she wanted to keep kissing me.
Oh fuck, she was so perfect.
She rose on her tiptoes and gave me another soft kiss, as if she needed a little bit more before she turned away. She walked to the small table in her kitchen and took a seat.
I closed the door behind me and moved to the chair I’d sat in a few days ago and slouched, wishing we were doing something better with our time than having this conversation. At least she was beautiful to look at, and I could think about how I would fuck her when this was over.
“Do you want water or coffee?”
I shook my head. “Just say whatever you want to say.” My hands came together in my lap, and my shoulders sank as I got comfortable.
She had her knuckles propped under her chin while her other arm rested on the table, and she dropped her eyes to the surface as she considered what she was going to say first. Her hair was big, with soft curls that framed her face, and when she looked so beautiful, she made it difficult to focus on her words rather than her appearance. “You’re right. This is going to keep happening even though I wish it wouldn’t. I thought one incredible night together would be enough for us both to move on… but it had the opposite effect.” Her gaze remained on the surface of the table, and she didn’t want to look at me as she spoke. “Nothing has changed. Our situation hasn’t changed.”
She stated the obvious, which I thought was a waste of time. This wasn’t gonna last forever. We both knew that.
“But I want to be with you.” After a deep breath, she lifted her gaze and looked at me. Her green eyes were filled with so much emotion, so much passion, and I was the cause of all of it. “It’ll be a secret. Short term. A fling.”
I wanted this fling to start right now.
“But you have to promise me something.” She dropped her eyes back to the table, like she needed a moment to gather her bearings before she said the next thing. “You said you keep your promises…so I trust you.”
This was taking a turn I did not expect. “What is it?”
She looked me in the eye, fear in her gaze. “You can’t fall in love with me.”
It took me a few seconds to process her request, because no woman had ever said anything like that to me before. “Does that happen a lot?” Did she have many relationships with men that ended that way? I could believe it because she was incredible, but I was also a bit incredulous that a man would throw himself at her if she clearly didn’t feel the same way.
“Doesn’t matter if it has. This is about us, no one else. And I need you to make that promise.” Her eyes shifted back and forth as she looked into mine, anxiously waiting for me to say those words to give her peace of mind.
“And what if you fall in love with me?” I didn’t expect her to, but I didn’t understand why she treated this as a one-way street.
“I won’t allow myself to. And even if I do, I’ll never admit it.”
“Why?”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and shook her head slightly. “Because it just can’t happen. So, I need you to make that promise to me. I need this to have an expiration date. I need you to use me and disappear. I need you to get tired of me and forget about me.”
In my experience, women wanted the exact opposite. They wanted to be remembered, wanted to be worshiped. She wanted nothing from me, and for some reason, it was a little offensive. “I didn’t realize I was so terrible—”
“That’s not why,” she said quickly. “It’s not you…”
“Then why?” Why did she believe this relationship would turn into love? Maybe it was just inexplicable physical chemistry. Maybe we would fuck the way we fought, but then that would fade and we’d become indifferent to each other.
She ran her fingers through her hair and turned her face so she could look out one of her windows. She seemed to debate with herself in silence, to wonder if she should tell me about her thoughts. “I don’t want to sound crazy…” She turned back to me, releasing a sigh of resignation. “Do you believe in prophecies?”
That was the last thing I’d expected her to say.
“Like fate, fortune readings, stuff like that…”
I was silent because I didn’t know what to say. No, I’d never given thought to any of those things. “I believe we make our own fortune.” I didn’t believe the universe had a master plan for each of us, that we were stuck with whatever hand of cards we were dealt. We had choices, and those choices dictated our future. She seemed too smart to believe that nonsense, but even if she wasn’t, I didn’t know how that applied to our situation. “Why?”
She pulled her hands closer to her body, her fingers intertwining and fidgeting. “Forget it. It’s stupid. I’m just being paranoid…”
“Being paranoid about what?”
She shook her head quickly. “Forget I said anything.”
I wanted to know more, but it probably was stupid, so I let it go. “Forgotten.”
“I still need you to make that promise to me, though.” She lifted her gaze, patiently waiting to hear me say the words.
I was surprised it was so important to her. “I promise.” I’d never been in love, and I didn’t intend to be at any time in my life. I did want a deep and passionate relationship with this woman because it satisfied me, gave me a kind of excitement I hadn’t felt with anyone else. I wanted to be with her, completely, until it ended.
But that was it.
She breathed a sigh of relief as if those words meant the world to her. “That makes me feel better. You don’t seem like the kind of man who would love a woman anyway, so it probably doesn’t matter.”
“Why do you say that?”
Once she’d heard my promise, she visibly relaxed, as if she’d just gotten the best news she’d ever heard. “You are so damn hot and rich. Men like that never settle down. There’s no reason to. There’s always another beautiful woman after the last beautiful woman.”
That accurately described my life. “I might settle down.”
She grew uncomfortable again. “Yeah…?”
“I’m not against the idea of being with one woman for the rest of my life.”
A slight look of surprise came into her face. “Really? Even as the Skull King?”
“If I really found a woman that I couldn’t live without, that I didn’t want to share, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to let her go.” I wasn’t sure why I said that to her when I hadn’t even said it to myself, but I knew how I felt about it. “I’ve been with a lot of women, but none of them mattered. If one of them did come to matter…” I shrugged. “I wouldn’t let her walk away.”
She seemed stunned. “I didn’t expect you to feel that way.”
“And I probably wouldn’t if my brother hadn’t gotten married.”
“You have a brother?”
I nodded. “He’s my predecessor, strongest guy I know, and he gave up everything when he met his woman. He married her, knocked her up, and that’s his story. Watching him love someone and her love him back changed my opinion about the whole thing. I’m not saying that will happen to me or that I want it to happen to me, but I’m not gonna sit here and say it will never happen to me.” I watched her reaction, watched her hang on every word I said.
She stared at me a bit longer, like she needed extra seconds to process what I said. “Well, that woman you can’t live without will never be me because that’s what you promised.”
My lips rose slightly when I stared at her. “And you think I’m egotistical…”
She released a faint chuckle and covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. “Oh, I know I must sound crazy… I don’t blame you for thinking that. I just have to cross my T’s and dot my I’s.” She stared down at her hands. “I feel better now, but there is one more thing…”
“I’m listening.”
“We have our own allegiances. Mine will never change, and if I ever knew Damien would hurt you, set you up in some way, I would never tell you. If I knew he was going to bomb your entire home and kill you, I still wouldn’t tell you. Just because we’re sleeping together doesn’t change the way I feel about our predicament. I will never have any loyalty to you, and if there’s anything I can do to help my brother, I will.”
Her coldness actually turned me on, because she had the hardness of a man, the pragmatism of a devoted soldier. We were on two sides of a war, and when we met in the middle, it was for one purpose—that was it. The rest of the time, it was just business. “That’s fine with me.”
“I mean it. I’m close with Anna, and she tells me stuff…”
I gave a slight smile. “Baby, I don’t need your help. I’m a grown-ass man.”
“So, if he has plans to kill you, I could be fucking you the night before and still not say a word. I just want to be clear.” She was the woman in my bed, but she was my enemy. She would betray me first chance she got and not feel remorseful about it.
