Page 7 of Deceit

I wanted them to know she wasmine. That I was the only fucker whogot to put his hands on her and know what it felt like to bedeepinside her. And when she came, it would only bemyname she cried.

I had no clue what it was about her that stirred feelings no one else ever had,like I said; I’d long sincegivenup trying to figure out how mybrainworked. But they were undeniably there, warring with the envy searing me every time I glanced over at her, only to find mycousininching closer to her, ready to make his move.

Ready to claim her.

Ignoring the jealousy swirling like a raging storm through me, I ordered another bottle of champagne, wishing the club would allow weed to be smoked inside.

I wasfindingmore and more thatweedwas the only thing I coulduse to quieten my mind. There were times when I couldn’t stop mybrainfrom churning, trying to stay ten steps ahead of everything. It was exhausting, butweedhelped me to switch off.

Thankfully, one strand of theWolfebusiness was in supplying a variety ofdrugs, cannabis included. I had a never-ending supplywheneverIneededtorelax. I hadn’t moved on to heavier stuff;weedwas enough to take the edge off, but right then, I wished I had something stronger that would make me blackout and forget this damned night.

When the barman went to grab thebottleI’dordered, I made the stupidmistake ofturningback to the table. Relief atfindingKathad disappeared quickly turned to fury. My hands balled into fists, and the urge tohurtTheowas never more powerful than it was right then.

He was kissingSophie, one hand cupping her cheek as she rested her handagainst hischest. He wasfindingout what it felt like to have his lips pressed against hers. What she tasted like as their tongues twirled. How it felt to explore each other’s mouths.

I had to get the fuck out of the club.

How the hell was someone I barely knew having this much of aneffect on me? She was making melosecontrol, and Ifuckinghatedit.

Paying the bill, I snatched the new bottle off the bar and stormed over to the table, reaching it as Sophie was sliding out and telling Theo that she was visiting the restroom.

Meeting my eyes, she gave me a shy smile, her lipstick slightly smudged,and as she brushed against me, the scent of cinnamonhitmelike a tidal wave, causing the muscles in mystomachto tighten in a way I’d never felt before.

“I’m going to find another woman,”I growled, almost slamming thebottleon the table.

“You good?” Theo said, his brows furrowing in concern.

“Yeah, fine. Just got some things to get out of my system.”

His frown deepened.Theoalways knew whensomething was bothering me. He knew when I was losingcontrol, and he was always by my side to keep me calm. That was why he came to theclubwith me. He didn’t particularlyenjoyit, but he always insisted on coming with me in case I neededhim.

I sighed.“I’m good. I’ll catch up with you later,enjoyyour night.”

Hisshouldersslumped, and guilt flooded me. If I told him Ineededhim right then, he would have ditchedSophiein a heartbeat andgivenme his undividedattention. But I couldn’t do that to him.

Theogave me everything I wanted. It was my turn to let him have what hewanted.

Ready to get the hell away beforeshecame back,Theocalled my name. Iturned back, a forlorn look on his face.“Ireallylike her,“he said, his voice tinged with an emotion I’d never heard from him before.

Despiteevery part of me wanting to get away, I slid into theboothnextto him.“She seems to like you too,”Ireplied, doing my best to keep my voice neutral, and not let on that the admission was like taking a knife and plunging it into my ownchest.

“I know it soundscrazy, we onlymeta couple of hours ago, but I’msmitten. I’ve never felt like this before,”Theosaid, his dark eyes—the same asmine—filling with warmth.

A muscle in my jaw ticked.Theowas like me. He didn’t do dating orrelationships. He and Kai, his brother, were destined to ruleHollowsBaywithin the next year, and neither of them had time for relationships or the drama women brought.

So no,Theohad never acted the way he was right then, and with therealization of how serious he was, I wished I really did have a knife I could plunge into my heart.

Shutting down every single emotion that was beginning to build upinside me, I clappedTheoon the shoulder before standing again.“If that’s how you feel, man, then you gotta go for it. Afeelinglike that is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity forguyslike us. Hold on to her, and don’t let her go.”

The words tasted bitter coming out of my mouth, and when a relieved smilelifted Theo’s lips, theinvisibleknife was shoved deeper into mychestcavity.

I didn’t hang around to hear his reply. I couldn’t. I already wanted toslit my throat. Hopefully,findinga woman whoseassI couldfuckwould alleviate some of the brewing tension in me.

Making my way out of theVIParea, I beelined toward thevoyeurroom.Only, I didn’t make it that far. As I passed the hallway that wouldleadback out to the foyer, myattentionwas drawn to a couple arguing near the exit.

The man was blocking thewoman’sbody, but I could see the way hewas gripping her bare arm, and even with the music playing in themainclub, his aggressive shouts reached my ears.

Ifuckinghatedmen whohurtwomen. I’d seen enough violence from myfather to my mom to last me a lifetime. Men like that had no place inHollowsBay.