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Chapter Twelve

JOSHUA

I stayed up all night.

Abandoning Skyla last night seemed like a good idea at the time, but as time went by, restlessness and doubt started setting in.

I brace myself when her car comes flying down the road, pulling up to the curb so fast that she cuts off two cars and nearly sends the vehicle onto the sidewalk.

Skyla steps out of the car to meet me in front of Chelsea Square. “You’re a bastard, and I hope you rot in hell.”

The irritation in her voice has the blood in my body flowing south.

She may annoy the hell out of me sometimes, but it would be lying to say she isn’t sexy as sin when she’s pissed off.

What is wrong with me that I can’t seem to get enough of her?

Even though I didn’t see her last night, I sure heard it when she got home. There was a part of me that had been hoping she was going to storm into my room and fuck out the anger.

Sadly, she left me with nothing but blue balls as I wondered if I should end the marriage for the sake of my sanity.

But the longer I spend time with her, the more I crave her presence.

I must be going insane.

Smirking, I lean against the brick wall, a cigarette between my lips. “Enjoy the walk home last night?”

She flips me off, stalking past me in a black silk slip dress that falls to the middle of her calves. The slit on the right climbs impossibly high, showing off her toned leg and nearly the little spot on her hip I know my finger bruised.

“You’re going to wear something else once we go in there, aren’t you?”

She looks down at her dress. “There’s something wrong with what I’m wearing?”

Fuck. The way the neckline drapes low shows off the curve of her breasts and the dip in her waist.

Then my gaze drags lower, to the way her nipples press against the fabric.

“You’re going to walk into a room filled with other men, looking like you’re trying to get them to sleep with you when you’re supposed to be married to me. And then I’m going to have to kill people at our wedding reception.”

Skyla scoffs, her eyes narrowing as she draws closer to me. “I don’t think you get to dictate what I wear when you left me on the side of a cliff last night. You’re lucky I don’t tell my brothers about it.”

I butt out the cigarette and stalk forward, meeting her halfway. “You want to tell your brothers about how you continuously disrespect me and then act like I owe you something?”

Her entire posture stiffens. “If you think my brothers would have a problem with that, you don’t know how important family is to Aiden.”

“I don’t know much about your family beyond what’s public because you’re not willing to tell me anything.” I tuck my hands into the pockets of my slacks, nodding to the people that pass us with a smile.

The last thing I need is for everyone I know to find out that me and my new wife are already struggling to get along. It would make its way back to Grady, and then I would have a hell of a time finding another way out of marrying his daughter.

Skyla pulls her hair over one shoulder. “You know what you need to know. It’s not like you tell me everything either, but unlike you, I don’t ask about other people’s business because it’s rude.”

I could kill her right now. Kill her and then walk into our reception like she doesn’t make me want to jump off a cliff onto sharp rocks.

It’s a tempting thought, but it’s one that will only end in me standing at the end of the aisle and waiting for another woman to marry me. A woman I despise.

I would much rather stick with the one I have. I may not know everything about her life, but there’s also not much she can do to hide it from me when I start digging.

Besides, I think I’m getting kind of weirdly attached to her. I want to know who she really is.

My gaze drifts to hers once more, and she stares back at me, her lips pursed before her shoulders slump.

She takes a deep breath, and it looks like she’s letting out whatever nerves are going through her right now before she pulls herself together and stands up.

I think this might be the first time I’ve ever seen her as anything less than sure of herself. It makes her seem a little more human. And fuck if this thing we have between us doesn’t pull me harder to her.

There’s an easy smile on her face as she takes my hand. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to do this alone. I hate being the center of attention.”

I hold her hand a little tighter, walking through the opening in the brick wall that surrounds the exterior of the building and into the stunning yard.

The trees are draped with sparkling lights, and there’s a live band playing at the far end of the gardens. Everything looks like a lush fantasy.

As soon as they notice us, they surge forward.

Except it’s not me they want to talk to.

Two younger women brush by me, looping their arms through Skyla’s and dragging her away.

Aiden stands in front of me with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. “I don’t know what the hell it is you think you’re doing with my sister, but if you fuck her over, I’ll help her hide the body.”

I glance around, making sure that others aren’t listening to us as we step to the side near the building and away from the main view of the garden. “How much do you know?”

“Enough.”

“Man of few words, then.”

Aiden shrugs, eyes narrowing as he looks me over. “I don’t like you or your brother, but we need you. For now.”

With that said, he spins and walks away, not saying anything else.

I watch him go, wondering how appropriate it would be to pull out a gun and kill the eldest Lynde here and now.

Skyla likely wouldn’t forgive me, but I wouldn’t have anyone thinking that they need to deliver a protective big brother talk.

As I step back into the garden, Skyla makes her way back to me, terror in her eyes, though she’s trying to hold herself together. There are little half-moon imprints in her palms from digging her black-painted nails into them.

Can’t wait to see what that looks like wrapped around my cock later.

I press a hand to her lower back, pulling her into me. “You look like you’re two seconds away from sprinting out of here.”

She looks up at me as one hand finds my other one, our fingers twining together. “I just might.”

“Not until Grady and Emily get here, all right?” I brush a kiss to the corner of her mouth after noticing several of my associates staring at her.

When they keep watching, I take her by the chin and kiss her fully.

She’s surprised at first, not responding right away, and then she melts into me like we’ve been doing this for years.

Every inch of her body presses against mine, and it’s almost enough to make me regret leaving her at the lookoff last night.

Almost.

When I pull away from her, she’s looking up at me with lust shining in her eyes.

Nobody is staring at her anymore, most of them migrating to the dance floor or the tables.

Skyla’s cheeks flush before she steps back and drops my hand.

“You don’t have to put on a possessive show for everyone,” she says, her voice soft. “I’m not your property.”

“You are mine.” I sink a hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head and hovering close to her.

Her breath catches. “I hate how flustered you make me. I don’t like you very much either.”

I chuckle and brush my lips over hers as I catch Grady and Emily entering the garden from the corner of my eye. “As long as you can pretend to love me, I don’t care how much you like me.”

But for a second or two, I wonder if I’m telling her the truth.

She scowls. “You’re a pain in my ass.”

“And you’re a brat who could use a lesson.” I tug her hair, tipping her head back slightly. Regardless of how I feel about her, one thing is for sure. “If you even think about backing out of this right now, I’m going to screw over your family worse than I ever did before.”

“You better not close your eyes when you go to sleep at night.”

I skim my hand up the curve of her waist as Grady strides over to us. “Behave yourself, Sky, or there’s going to be hell to pay when we get home.”

She smirks like it’s a challenge, and for a moment, I’m worried about what she’s going to do.

There are times when I forget that she’s just as capable of killing and causing chaos as I am. It’s easy to forget that detail about her, though, especially when she’s dressed to kill and looking at me like she’s ready to test my limits.

“This must be your wife.”

I knew he was coming, but she has this way of making me forget where I am and my surroundings.

Still, I could kill him for interrupting us.

Skyla shifts to the side, looping her arm around my waist and standing beside me. “Mr. Granville, isn’t it? Joshua tells me that you’re the man he has the pleasure of working with.”

She’s laying it on too thick.

Grady chuckles and tucks his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket as the cool breeze picks up. “I’m not so sure that he would say it’s a pleasure, but yes.”

Emily rolls her eyes and stands with her arms crossed, though by the look of things, she should be trying to hold down the impossibly short dress she’s wearing.

Maybe it’s just a shirt, and she forgot to wear the rest of her clothes because one wrong move and New Jersey is going to be able to see her ass.

Skyla leans into my side. “I don’t know, I would think that he enjoys his job. Although, I am sorry I robbed you of the opportunity of being family.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh as Emily’s eyes nearly bulge out of her head.

Her hands curve into talons at her side, and she looks like she’s seconds away from starting a catfight until Grady shifts slightly in front of her, blocking the straight path she had to Skyla before I have to get between them.

Good.

If I had to get in the middle of two women trying to kill each other because Grady can’t control his daughter, then I’d be giving some serious thought to my importing agreement with him. Though on the other hand, it might be better to egg them on into a fight just for that purpose.