Page 45 of Never Gonna Lie (Forbidden #2)

Chapter Forty-Five

JAMES

F ucking hell, I love Theo but spending any longer than an hour with him tries my patience. Exasperation washes over me with his childish behavior, and I pinch the bridge of my nose to stave off the building frustration.

“Come on, something’s up. The way you were acting this morning. Not to mention how close you got to her just before she left. Fess up, man.”

Thankfully, Drew left to make us some coffee, so he’s not about to become an accessory to murder.

“Shut the fuck up,” I whisper-yell, looking toward the open office door. “Keep your voice down.”

Theo crosses his arms as he leans back in his chair, a smirk on his face. “You fucking Drew’s daughter?”

I peer up at my best friend, my brother, the man who would die for me, given half the chance. “Yeah.”

He nods his head once. “Nice. ”

“Fucker.”

“Dickhead.”

I laugh before sobering up. “It just happened. It wasn’t meant to happen, I was mad at Drew and?—”

“You thought you’d get back at him by sleeping with the one person, other than his wife, that would destroy him.” Theo raises an eyebrow at me.

There’s no judgment in his gaze, just quiet understanding. But I’m judging me. I’m sleeping with the daughter of someone who’s supposed to be a friend. I’d ask myself if I could be any more of an asshole, but the answer will probably be yes. Maybe?

I sigh, rubbing a hand down my face. “Basically, yeah. Now it’s too complicated and I’m not sure what’s gonna happen.”

Theo looks at me. “You like her, don’t you?”

“Of course I like her, she’s a nice person.” I shrug.

“I mean, you like her, like her.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me, a smile on his face.

“What? No!” I exclaim, scoffing. “I don’t like her, like her.”

“I do believe the man doth protest too much.”

“I hate you,” I grumble.

“No, you don’t,” he sing songs before sitting forward in his chair, a serious look on his face. “Just be careful.”

“I know what I’m doing,” I snap, even though I’m not sure if I do. “She’s a means to an end.”

“Keep telling yourself that, bro.”

Luckily for me, Drew walks back into the room with our coffees, saving me from having to reply.

Is Theo right? Am I developing feelings for Raven ?

I think about his words as they rattle around in my head. I mean, I know I like her. Like having her around, like being in her company. Her smiles brighten my mornings, and last night when Drew turned up, I couldn’t sleep because my arms craved to be wrapped around her.

Shit. I can’t have feelings for her? Can I? No, that’s ridiculous . I internally scoff at the thought. I don’t do feelings. She’s a nice girl, that’s all. One I can’t get enough of, mind you, but I definitely don’t have feelings for her.

Drew snaps me out of my internal freakout. “The Phillips merger isn’t going according to plan.”

“Why? What’s he whining about this time?” I ask, completely unsurprised by Richard Phillips’ demands.

“I think he’s off his rocker personally,” Theo scoffs. “From a legal point of view, there’s nothing wrong, per se, but it’s still weird if you ask me.”

“I’m lost.” My eyes dart between the two of them, missing something. “What’s weird?”

Drew stands up and hands me the contract. “This is why I asked Theo to join us today. He wants you to marry his daughter in exchange for the company.”

A genuine laugh bursts free. “That’s some serious jokes you got there, boys.” I glance up at Theo, but his face is serious, not a hint of his usual mischievous self to be found.

“You can’t be fucking serious?” I exclaim. “What is this? The 1800s?”

“That’s what I said to him when I told him to stick his offer up his ass,” Drew states. “He, however, was insistent that you were still given the option and that you’d make the right decision.”

“Over my dead fucking body,” I growl. “If I ever get married, it’s because I want to, not because of some merger that’s not even worth it. ”

“Agreed,” Drew says. “You can tell him this weekend at the annual charity gala Emma’s throwing.”

“With the threat still on Raven, I don’t think that’s a wise idea,” I tell him. “She’ll be in a vulnerable position for something to potentially happen. No.”

“Has anything happened to her since that night?” Drew inquires.

“No, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t. She’ll be exposed. My answer is no.”

Drew’s eyes narrow. “I’m sorry, did I miss something here? Since when was it a factor for you to be making decisions about my daughter?”

“Since you failed to protect her the first time,” I snarl.

He throws his arms up in exasperation. “Raven being attacked was not my fault! How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“As many times as I deem fit until we find out for certain that it wasn’t you that caused it.

” I push up from my chair, raking a hand through my hair.

“As I told you the other night, Drew, you're still on thin ice. You might be in my home as a guest, but that can easily change.” My tone is filled with a dark threat as I stare him down.

Drew looks like he’s about to punch me, but I don’t give a shit. As long as Raven remains safe, that’s the only thing that matters.

I’m fucking wiped. We went over the merger several times, preparing our counteroffer, but if what Drew and Theo are saying, Phillips isn’t gonna take the deal.

I honestly couldn’t give a fuck. Not buying his company, tearing it to pieces, and rebuilding it from the ground up isn’t going to cost me an ounce of sleep. He can keep it for all I fucking care.

The fact that he would barter his daughter into the equation raises enough red flags for me to walk away from this deal without a backward glance, but both Drew and Theo advised against it. If it were just Drew, I’d tell him to get fucked, but the fact that Theo is on board means I need to listen.

Heaven help me.

Twisting the door handle to my room, I stop at the sight that greets me—Raven in my bed, reading. She must be so engrossed in her book because she doesn’t look up as I enter and cross the room.

I take in her beautiful features—her soft hair that feels like silk in my hands, her green eyes that remind me of a meadow in spring, her cute button nose, the freckles dotted across her cheeks, and her plump pink lips.

I’ve never seen a more stunning sight than her curled up in my bed in nothing but a pair of pajamas.

She’s crept into my life like a shadow and breathed life into me.

“James?”

Raven’s soft voice brings me back, and I smile at her. Nodding my head toward her book, I ask, “What you reading?” She blushes, her beautiful face glowing pink. “Pretty girl, why are you blushing?” I tease.

“I’m not,” she squeaks, and I try not to laugh at her facial expression—like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

“Out with it.” I’m messing with her, but there’s obviously something in my tone that causes her to take note.

“Erm, it’s a book?”

“Yeah, I got that, but what’s it about?”

“It’s about a girl and her dad's best friend,” she murmurs, eyes cast down .

I move across the room before bringing my hand down to cup her cheek, gently gripping her face and turning her to face me. “I’d ask if that’s what you're into, but I already know the answer to that.”

Her chest rises and falls as she watches me, her green eyes wide as her gaze roams my face. “I have an obsession with one older man in particular,” she breathes out.

“Hmm. And how far does this obsession go?” I ask quietly, releasing her hair from its ponytail and watching as it cascades down around her shoulders.

“To the ends of the world.”

Her words chip away at me, fueling the fire I have for her as I slam my lips against hers. I grab a handful of hair, tugging her closer as my tongue forces its way into her mouth. She opens immediately and matches me stroke for stroke.

I groan into her mouth. “Fuck, I love your mouth,” I whisper against her lips. “But I love it more wrapped around my cock.”

Raven nods her head emphatically. “Yes, Daddy. Please.”

“Then get on your knees for Daddy, slut.”