Page 166 of The Morally Grey Billionaires Boxset

Cade

“I let her have the last word…this time.”

“Now that’s a fallacy if I ever heard one.” JJ Kane slides onto the barstool on my other side.

I groan. “No, no, not looking for advice from you, old man.”

“You’re better off listening to me, young man. It’s going to save you a lot of grief in the long run.”

I scoff. “I didn’t listen to my father. You think I’m going to listen to you?”

“It’s because I’m not your father, you should listen to me.”

“And if I were you, I would take him up on his word.” Michael Sovrano walks around to the bar and places a bottle of Macallan on the table.

“Man’s a stronzo.” He jerks his chin in JJ’s direction.

“But he has life experience and helped avert a possible war between me and that testa di cazzo.” He glances over my shoulder, but before I can turn, a heavy hand slaps my shoulder.

“An intervention? Oh good, it’s been a while since I’ve participated in one of these.” Sinclair Sterling’s voice booms out behind me.

I try to sit up, but Sterling’s grip tightens, forcing me to stay seated.

“I can take all of you on in one go. You’re aware of that, right?” I say casually.

JJ laughs. “Asshole’s ego knows no bounds.”

“Only until she cuts him off at the knees,” Michael offers.

“Who’re you talking about?” I grab the bottle of Macallan and top myself up, then raise the glass to my mouth.

“Your soon-to-be wife, of course,” Sterling offers.

The whiskey goes down the wrong way, and I cough and cough.

JJ slaps me on the back. “Get used to the concept, motherfucker, the ol’ ball and chain is closing in on you.”

When the coughing fit has abated, I turn on him. “You’re one to talk, considering you’re not married.”

“I was once, and I plan to be again.”

“You are?” Michael looks at him in surprise.

“About time,” Sinclair drawls.

“Really? Once wasn’t enough?” Declan scoffs.

Finally, fuck. “We singletons need to stick together.” I raise my glass, and he clinks his with mine.

“Not that you’re going to be much longer, of course.”

I scowl. “Thought you were on my side.”

“I am.” His grin widens. “Which is why I know the best thing for you is to not resist the inevitable.”

My phone vibrates. Thank fuck. I pull it out of my pocket and glance at the number on the screen. I frown. “I need to take this call.” I pull away from Sinclair’s grasp, then walk to the terrace on the far side of the bar. I step onto the deck, and the noises filter up from the street.

“Hello?”

“That you, King?”

“Knight? Where are you calling from?”

“At base, in between tours.” His voice fades, then picks up. “I’m glad I reached you, man.”

“How are you? How was your last tour?”

“Not good.” His voice is somber. “We suffered heavy losses.”

“Can you tell me which country you’re in?”

“Wish I could, but this one’s a top-secret mission. I only have time for one call.”

“You should have spoken to your sister; she’s worried about you.”

There’s a pause then, “You’re in touch with my sister?”

Oops, yeah, about that. Knight may not have actually asked me to take care of his sister. What? Told ya, I’m an asshole.

“Is that a problem?”

“Should it be a problem?” he growls back.

“It might be when I tell you that I’ve asked her to marry me.” Sure, it started as a fake relationship, but no need to mention that yet.

There’s silence, then he cracks a laugh. "About time you found the balls to tell her how you actually feel."

"Wait, what?" I manage to choke out.

He chuckles. "Bet you thought I’d be pissed off, huh?

"To say the least."

"Am I upset that you’re with my sister and plan to make an honest woman out of her? No. Am I disturbed about what that means? Yes. Am I going to make sure you eat my fist the next time I see you? Abso-fucking-lutely."

My head spins. "So, you’re not angry at this turn of events?"

"No, man. I’ve spent years watching the two of you not talk to each other while asking me for news of the other. You think I didn’t know what that meant?"

What the—? I open my mouth, but no words come out.

He laughs again. "Guess I managed to silence the hottest head in the country, huh?" He’s referring to yet another title the press has imposed on me. This, after I lost my temper with an umpire on the cricket field a few months ago on tour.

"So, we good?" I ask cautiously.

"I’m still gonna whip your arse when we meet, but yeah.

To be honest, it’s a relief to know she’s going to be taken care of.

My father’s a prick, as you well know. He doesn’t always have her best interests at heart; and my mother does what he says.

She needs someone in her corner, and since I’m not going to be around, well, much as it pains me to say it, you’re the best person for the job. "

“About that—” I clear my throat. “I already told her that you asked me to take care of her.”

There’s silence, then. “Let me get this right. You told Abby I asked you to take care of her, even though I hadn’t yet?”

“Yep.”

“And she believed you.”

“She did.”

“So, all this time you’ve been using our friendship to fuck my sister?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “I only did it because I wanted to keep her close, you know? And I was going to tell you about it, as soon as I spoke to you next, which I’m doing now.”

“You’re a wanker of the lowest order, you bastard. I’m going to tear you apart, limb by limb, when I see you next.”

“I deserve it.” I swallow. “Not saying it was one of my finest moments, man. But I needed to find a reason to keep her close, and I said the first thing that came into my mind. Also, I want to take care of her. I have feelings for her, man.”

“You love her.”

I stay silent.

“You’ve been in love with her since we were in high school. It’s why, when she called you, you answered the call. It’s why, when she betrayed you, you went off the rails the way you did.”

I’m not sure what to say. There’s a grain of truth to what he’s saying. Yet, to admit that I’m in love with her? The feelings I have for her are contrary and fierce, and they mess with my heart and my head in a way nothing else has before. But to call it love—

“I love you like a brother, man, but I’m not sure I can let this go lightly,” he growls.

“You shouldn’t. If I were in your shoes, I’d break all ties with me, right now.

” I shuffle my feet and squeeze the bridge of my nose.

“But you’re Knight. You’re the one in my corner.

It’s always been the two of us against the world.

You understand me better than anyone alive, even my own sister.

And I think you should kick my arse all the way to Scotland but—”

“But?”

“But I also think you should keep me on as a friend.”

“You know what the strange thing is? Despite the general douchebagness of the situation, I even understand why you did it. It’s how well I know your thought process—so much so, I’ll admit, it’s a little scary.”

“I know the feeling.” It’s a weird sensation when someone knows you better than you know yourself. I lower my hand to my side. “I’m sorry I did it, but also, not sorry. If this is the only way for me to keep her safe—”

“There’s an issue with her safety?”

Fucking hell, hadn’t meant to reveal that to Knight, but now, it’s a little late.

“King, you toolhead, what are you not telling me?”

I rub the back of his neck. “She has a stalker, man. I reached her apartment to find her in a state. He’d decided to pay her a visit and—”

“A stalker? A stalker paid my sister a visit? Fucking fuck. I’m getting on the next flight back and—”

I wince, “I’ve got this, I promise. It’s why I asked her to move in with me. It’s the only way I can ensure she’s safe, you know?”

He blows out a breath. “I know you’ll keep her safe. Not that I condone your methods, but I know, you’ll ensure no-one can come near her.”

I hold my breath. My lungs feel like they’re about to burst. It feels like I’m underwater and unable to come up. Like the weight of the entire world is holding me down and I’m unable to find a way out.

“Doesn’t mean I’m not going to thrash you so hard, every other beating you’ve taken thus far, including the one that put you in the hospital, is going to pale in comparison.”

“We good then?” I ask cautiously.

He barks out a laugh. “Not the word I’d use, but—” He hesitates. “But weirdly, I understand why you did it.”

“I’m going to come clean with her, man. I promise.”

“Good luck with that. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when you do it. Although, I’d love to be a fly on the wall when that happens.”

“You’re entitled to gloat,” I say without heat.

Someone calls his name.

"Wish I could stay and talk but wanted to let you know I’m okay. It may be a while before you hear from me again." A crackling sound fills the air. "Give my love to Abby and—" The line goes dead.

I lower the phone to my side, then stare out at the traffic below.

The fuck was that call about? He suspected there was something between Abby and me, much before either of us thought there was?

Or at least, before I thought there was.

I shake my head. If he sensed the chemistry between us, why didn’t he say something sooner?

For that matter, where is he off to on tour again?

Top-secret sounds both very important and very dangerous.

And why didn’t he call Abby? Why did he call me instead?

"You look like you need a ciggie." Declan prowls onto the balcony and plops a stick between his lips. He lights it up and offers it to me, then lights his own.

Yeah, I know, I shouldn’t be smoking. But desperate times, and all that.

We smoke in silence, then he jerks his chin in my direction. "All okay?"

"That was Knight on the phone."

"Oh?" Declan turns to me. "How’s the bastard doing?"

"On another tour of duty. He had just enough time to give me his blessings to marry Abby before he got cut off."

Declan laughs. "So, the guys were right then—"

"It’s purely an arrangement. This way, I get to salvage my reputation and I can keep her safe."

"Did something happen to her?" He frowns.

"She has a stalker, something she omitted to tell me about. Motherfucker broke into her apartment."

"Fuck, is she okay?"

"She’s better now—" I rotate my shoulders. "But she was in a state when I found her. I’ve had Axel Sovrano look into the security arrangements." Axel is Michael’s brother and runs one of the leading security agencies in the country. "I now have someone on her twenty-four-seven."

"I’m assuming she’s not aware of it?"

"Of course, not. Woman would be pissed if I told her I had someone trailing her wherever she goes. But it’s the only way to keep her safe. Something her brother agrees is a priority, too."

"Hmm." He turns, stubs out his cigarette and drops it in the ashtray. "Are you going to tell her that you spoke to her bother and got his blessings?"

I rub the back of my neck. "Should I?"

"It’s best to come clean with her. It’s the only way you can make this marriage—"

I glare at him.

"—fake marriage work," he corrects himself. Smug bastard doesn’t even try to hide the air quotes around fake.

"And I should take advice from you, why? Considering you haven’t been able to hold your own relationship together."

His jaw tightens, and his shoulders bunch.

I’m sure he’s going to deck me. Hell, I’d welcome the chance for a fight, if I’m being honest. But then, his features relax.

"It’s true." He chuckles and the sound isn’t pleasant.

"Right now, it’s not just my relationship, but my career is also in the gutter. "

I tilt my head. "Wasn’t your last movie a big hit?"

“That was eight months ago. The next one was a flop. It did so badly, it was pulled from the cinema and onto the streamers in less than a week.”

I wince. "That sucks, man."

"It does." He leans back against the railing. "That’s showbiz, eh? Things can go to seed overnight."

"Doesn’t have to be that way when it comes to relationships."

"If you mean Solene, that ship’s sailed." He scowls into the distance. "We haven’t spoken to each other in weeks."

"You’ve both been busy," I offer.

"Yeah, so busy she hasn’t called or texted."

"Have you called or texted her?"

"Why should I? Clearly, she doesn’t have space in her life for me. And considering her last album flopped, she has a lot on her plate, too."

I whistle. "So, both of you are going through a rough patch, huh?"

He narrows his gaze. "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing." I raise my hands. "And for the record, it was wrong of me to cast doubts on your ability to handle your relationship."

"Nothing that wasn’t true, man."

"Still." I crack my neck. "It’s unwarranted. And I don’t hit men when they’re down."

"Speak for yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn’t you say you had to be at a press conference?"

I glance at the time on my watch, then swear. "Fuck, you’re right." I push away from the balustrade.

He smirks. "Isn’t this where you announce your engagement?"

I ignore him and keep walking.

"Don’t forget the ring, you hear me, King?"