Page 19

Reddington

I rubbed my eyes that I’d swear were glazed over. Work was kicking my ass today. Whoever said being CEO was easy was a lying son of a bitch.

Okay, maybe that was overstating it a bit. Being CEO wasn’t that bad. Just some days. Today, however, happened to be one of those days. Unfortunately.

I just wanted to go home.

Not to an empty house, though.

Nope. I wanted to go home to Jade.

But after my mother had given me her two cents, I’d gone back and forth on this topic so much I didn’t know what the fuck to do about it anymore.

Besides the fact that I knew Jade would never go for it, and more than that, I was a lot of things, but a masochist wasn’t one of them, I’d be in a constant state of arousal.

I’d walk around with a massive hard-on. I’d spend most of my day jerking off to fantasies of her.

Talk about lack of productivity. Lyons Enterprises would suffer.

Really, by ignoring my mother, I was doing her a huge financial favor.

You know what I needed? A stiff one? No, I needed to get Jade out of my head.

The only way to do that would be to go a few rounds with her.

Not in the bedroom. Although, that would probably do the job, too.

Because if there was anything more attractive than her body—damn it, just thinking about her pussy was making my cock twitch—it was her mouth.

I wanted it on mine and then on my cock, wrapped around it as I fucked her, and she took all of me like a good girl.

I wondered if she’d be the type to let me come down her throat, if she’d take every last drop I’d give her.

But we were getting off track here because I was thinking about a few verbal sparring rounds, not sexual ones.

I heaved a sigh and picked up my phone from my desk, pulling up my thread with Jade and texting her.

Reddington: I gave my chef time off.

I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going with that, but it opened the door, right?

Shit, how pathetic was I? See, if she still worked here, then all I had to do was call her into my office, and we could have a conversation.

I could get whatever the hell it was I wanted and she could be on her merry way.

Bottom line: no waiting for three dots to appear.

I hated those three dots.

But then they popped up before I exited the app.

Lucky for me, I’d never known Jade to think twice and delete anything before hitting send, so the dots would only go away because she’d responded.

Jade: Poor baby.

There we go. That was my girl.

Whoa again. No, no, no. She was not my girl.

She was my fake girl. My very, very fake girl.

Reddington: Want to come over?

Jade: To cook for you? I’d rather sit on a thumbtack.

Reddington: Ouch.

Jade: Your ego bruised?

Reddington: No, sticks and stones and all that crap. The ouch was for your ass.

Jade: Did you have a reason for texting me?

Yeah, because for some reason way beyond my understanding, you were the only one I wanted to talk to after a day like today.

Reddington: Meet me at my place.

Jade: Cute.

Reddington: What is?

Jade: What you’re thinking. I believe they call it wishful thinking actually.

Reddington: How do you know what I’m thinking?

Jade: Because men are easy to read. Here are the things your gender predominantly thinks about: money, sex, money. Usually in that order.

Reddington: Cute.

Jade: No originality. I don’t have an exhaustive list for what I look for in a man, but if I did, then originality would be on it, and you, sir, would never measure up.

Reddington: You didn’t seem to give a shit about originality when I was licking your juices off my lips after our engagement party.

Jade: Fake engagement party. I think you might have a brain problem.

Reddington: Say it.

Jade: You have a brain problem.

Reddington: No. Say it.

Jade: The good thing about texting is that I can merely ignore you. Bye, Red.

Reddington: Don’t you dare put down your phone. Say the goddamn words. That I was the best. That you’re dying for me to give you a repeat performance.

Jade: First of all, you don’t tell me what to do. You’re the one who needs a favor from me, honeybun . I believe in other words, that means I have you by the balls. Your balls are in my hands.

Reddington: Don’t be delicate with them. I like it rough.

Jade: Oh, and I suggest you reconsider that time off you gave your chef because if your backup plan was to eat pussy, then you’re up shit creek. Thanks to your rules, you can’t enjoy another woman’s, and I’m booked tonight. Guess you should’ve thought that one through a bit more.

What she didn’t realize was that I didn’t want another pussy. I wanted hers and only hers. Now that I’d had a taste and it was everything I’d always imagined it would be, I didn’t think I could forget about it. I wanted Jade, end of story.

I tossed the phone back on the desk and ran a hand through my hair, frustrated.

“It’s fine, he’ll want to see me. Thanks for your number, I’ll call you.” The loud voice came from right outside my office before my door opened without a knock and in waltzed an ass. Oh, sorry, I meant donkey’s ass because that was exactly what Nate was. No other way to describe him.

Especially after he’d made an embarrassment of himself at my engagement party. Figured he’d get wasted and show his true colors. Not exactly the time to do that, if you asked me, but what did I know?

“Two lies in a matter of seconds,” I noted of his words to the poor woman who worked for me. “I hope you’re leaving here and going straight to church to ask for forgiveness.” I shook my head. “Lying is a sin,” I pointed out in case he didn’t know that among the many other things he was dense about.

He quirked a brow, acting casual. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Was he shitting me? “I don’t want to see you, and we both know you’re never calling my temp assistant.” I pointed to my door. “Speaking of, stop flirting with my employees, temporary or not, okay? I don’t know her, but I know that making anyone sit through a date with you would be malicious.”

“Screw you,” he replied. Naturally he didn’t have a better comeback. He walked over and took a seat in one of the chairs opposite to me. “I didn’t come here for this shit.”

I leaned back and sighed. “Why don’t you enlighten me as to why you’re here then because I don’t remember asking you to stop by?”

Although we were brothers, we were family by blood only, not choice.

And I wouldn’t have exactly considered us friends.

Friendly when we had to be, but not friends.

I’d never agreed with most of his decisions, but the way he’d treated Jade and broken up with her, that was quite possibly the shittiest decision he’d ever made.

Sure, I’d broken up with my share of women. But there was some level of decency you should have when you did that, and as usual, Nate lacked it. “I’m waiting,” I pushed when he didn’t answer, just sat there, his eyes scanning my desk. No, your brain cells cannot be found on my desk, sad to say.

He cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes. “You can’t marry Jade.”

A roar of laughter escaped me. “That’s ridiculous. You don’t tell me what to do.”

“On this, I do. You can’t.” His voice was deeper, and I could tell he was trying to sound like he was giving me a warning.

But guess what? I didn’t listen to people, my brother included, and I certainly didn’t care what he wanted. That should have been no surprise to him.

I leaned as far back as I could in my chair, drew my brows together, and studied him.

He tried to exude this strong and confident persona, but I knew the truth.

Maybe it was because we were brothers. Perhaps it was because he sucked at it.

Either way, I saw him for what he really was—weak and cowardly.

I wasn’t a bad person, so don’t think I was.

I just had a great read on people, and I didn’t appreciate when someone tried to tell me what to do or how to live my life.

I’d do what I damn well pleased and anyone who had a problem with it could fuck the hell off.

“Did you hear me?” Nate asked, his eyes blinking rapidly as his anger bubbled to the surface. He always did have a short fuse, which was one of his downfalls. “I said you can’t marry Jade.”

“I heard you.” I grinned like a cocky bastard. “The trouble is, little brother, I can marry Jade, and I will.”

“She’s not yours to marry.”

“No?” I leaned forward, straightening my back, and placing my elbows on the desk as I folded my hands together. “Who’s she to marry then?” I pushed my hands toward him, pointing both index fingers at him. “You?”

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “She’s my ex.”

“Operative word being ex.” My jaw twitched.

“You kicked her to the curb a long fucking time ago. By my way of thinking that means you didn’t want her to be part of your life anymore.

You gave up any ability you had for making demands where Jade was concerned when you decided to appease other people’s perceptions. ”

“Jade doesn’t belong in our world. You’re going to see that. I just hope it’s not too late, and you don’t ruin this family and everything the Lyons name stands for before that happens.”

Another warning. You know, I was really starting to hate this day.

Blood was pumping in my ears, the sound nearly deafening.

“I don’t give a shit how you see Jade. I don’t give a shit what you or anyone else thinks about our world and her place in it.

Maybe if you cared a little less about what others thought, then you wouldn’t have acted like a dick and let the best thing that ever happened to you go.

And while we’re at it, maybe you should get together with our mother, who not only seems to accept Jade but just so happens to be playing tennis with her. ”

He widened his eyes. “What?”

“You heard me.” And if our mother could accept her, then what the fuck was Nate’s problem?