Page 27 of Between Never and Forever

“You want to risk what I’ll do if you remain engaged to someone I hate while under contract with me?”

“So…what? You’re going to make my life hell if I’m engaged to another man?”

He stood there staring at me as I glared at him. Somehow the background noise around us fell away, the lights seemed to spotlight on him, all my thoughts quieted. “Absolutely. So, you ready to be done with his ring on your finger, Kee?”

“Dex.” I almost whimpered his name now. And then I said softly, “Honestly, why?”

Dex Hardy, in a three-piece suit and all grown up, stood in front of me, ready to take over my world. And then he leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Because your ass knows. You’re not marrying anyone but me.”

He took my fast-paced, always-moving world, grabbed it, and caused it to come to a screeching halt. I jerked back, stumbled over my own footing, and almost fell before he righted my stance. I didn’t thank him but wiggled out of his grip again as I stuttered, “L-Look. I already agreed to be with—”

“If you say you’re with Ethan Phillipe one more fucking time, I’ll bring him here and make him admit to everyone your engagement is a fuck-up of a sham. Maybe I’ll make him admit how many times he’s fucked you too.”

I rolled my eyes, because I could only tell him we were fake so many times. “What if he says it was a million?”

He growled and paced away from me before he came right back and said, “You want him to die, don’t you? He must have been real fucking annoying over the years if you’re willing to goad me into punching him a million times.”

Well, Ethan was annoying sometimes, even though I loved him as a friend. I couldn’t stop the smirk that crept out. “That’s not what I’m saying, and you know it.”

One side of Dex’s mouth kicked up. “I don’t know anything, Kee. But I’m going to learn. I got six months to learn every part of you.”

I sighed, looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to us, and then grumbled, “I’m not saying yes yet. I need a drink or time or something to think this over.”

He chuckled. “Careful. Can’t have anyone hearing their sweet Keelani saying she needs a drink.”

I scoffed and brushed past him toward the bar. I hated that he caught me glancing around and that it was true. My reputation controlled me. I’d been trapped far too long.

“You do realize the fact that I have to act like sweet Keelani all the time in front of people makes me less sweet behind closed doors.”

He hummed. “I think I might enjoy the sour version of you after all this time.”

“Is that so?”

“Sure. But even if I do enjoy you, I’m still going to fuck you like I hate you when we get back to the room.”

My stupid, traitorous core clenched in response to his comment. This was going to be the longest six months of my life. I already knew it.

I ordered two shots and downed them both.

ChapterTen

DEX

“There she is,”I said as I watched her swallow the hard liquor without wincing.

She slammed the small glass back onto the bar, pulled that silly baseball cap down over her forehead, and then narrowed her eyes at me. “Another.”

I tilted my head and gave her a look. “Probably time to slow down.”

“Why?”

“Well, I don’t want you too drunk.” She knew exactly what I was insinuating, but I didn’t give a fuck. That was the point of this whole charade anyway.

“Oh, please. It’s not like I’m hooking up with you tonight…or any night for that matter.”

“Harsher than you used to be.” I chuckled, but my dick jumped. It was how I already knew we were going to have problems and that my plan to get her out of my system was shit.

Keelani wasn’t a woman I could get out of my system. She instead got in there, rearranged it all, and rewrote my DNA. I knew it the second I saw her on that stage tonight, singing a song that wasn’t on any of her albums. I was ashamed to admit I knew them all by heart.