“Are you threatening me?” I take a step toward him, but he doesn’t cower. Instead, he straightens. We’re the same height, similar build, with lean muscle in all the right places. The only difference is my hair is much longer and my eyes are almost black. My mouth is a hairsbreadth away from his; I can almost taste the minty freshness of his toothpaste.
“What if I was?” Jarred challenges, those steel eyes shimmer with confidence. His tongue darts out, teasing my lips as he licks along the seam, sending heat shooting through every inch of my body.
“Don’t fucking tempt me, Jay,” I warn, leaning in closer, so our lips are locked in a burning kiss. But I don’t touch him. That’s one thing I’ve learned about him, Jarred wants me to touch him. He craves the connection, but I’m a bastard, and I don’t give him what he needs because he’s going to bring up the upcoming nuptials.
“Why? Because you’re going to run to your fiancée and tell her just how much you want to suck my dick?” His words burn right through me as I grip his neck in my hand, tightening my fingers around the column until his sinister grin tilts his perfectly pouty lips. “I thought so.”
I can’t stand it anymore, so I allow my fingertips to cut off his breath. A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth as I take in his eyes as they widen. His pupils dilate, and I know if I were to touch his cock, he’d be rock hard right now. And how I’d love to do that. I swipe my tongue along his parted lips, first the top, then the bottom. When he taunts me with his own tongue, I suck it into my mouth, before grazing my teeth along his lower lip. A groan of pure bliss vibrates through his chest, and just as he’s letting go and falling into the desire that’s swirling between us, I release him.
“Don’t ever fuck with me,” I tell him with a bite to my tone. But Jarred knows me. And I know him. We’re one and the same, and when my little princess gets here, she’ll either learn who I truly am and run, or stay and watch the show.
“Is she pretty?” he asks as he picks up my still full mug and takes a sip of my drink. The coffee must be cold by now, but he doesn’t seem to mind. We’ve always been like this. When my brothers were at home, he didn’t come near me. And if he did, it was friendly, nothing more. Damien and Cassian never paid any attention to him. And I was thankful for that.
Our relationship is different when we are in private, it’s so much more than two friends hanging out.
“She is.” I haven’t told him much about Zaria. Not because I don’t trust him, but because I’m not sure where this puts us. Jarred is the one person who knows all my darkness, all my secrets, and he’s accepted every sinister part of me.
“So, are you ready to play house yet?”
“No.” This time, I turn to regard him as I lift another coffee cup to my lips, which is steaming, blurring my vision of the man who’s made me feel after my heart had given up. “This isn’t my choice.”
He sighs. We’ve had this conversation so many times. Since I found out about my father’s decision to marry me off to some wench, I sat Jarred down and explained my situation.
We came up with a solution, marry the girl and then tell her to find herself someone to please her when she needs it. But there is another option, one I didn’t want to consider, one that even Jarred didn’t voice.
Jarred’s gaze locks on mine, and he asks, “Do you think she would accept us?”
“What makes you think someone who’s so perfectly poised on social media is going to want a bisexual husband? Also—”
He holds up his finger to interrupt me. “She’s the daughter of an influential family. They won’t take kindly to having their daughter slumming it with two men who want to bone all the time.”
That makes me laugh. It’s not a lie. “But also two men who like to watch the other fucking some pretty pussy,” I add on, reminding him that there is more to the equation than just the two of us.
Jarred considers this for a long moment, then nods. “True.” We’ve enjoyed playing voyeur, and we’ve also enjoyed playing our game—The Burning Roses—with a number of girls in the past. Even though he’s not a Thorne, or a Haven, he’s mine, and I introduced him to the cat and mouse game that the two families enjoy.
There are three Haven siblings—Creed, Keirin, and Brody. And that’s where the game originated, from Creed Haven’s diabolical mind. One summer when Damien was home on break from college, he and Creed needed to entertain themselves. And that’s how the little seed of darkness was planted within the forest of Thorne Haven.
It’s also how I lost my best friend and my first love—Eloise.
“Don’t you dare go down that dark path,” Jarred warns, and I realize my expression must have turned because his stare is vicious. Whenever I’ve lost my mind to the memories of seeing her dead, my depression would take a hold, and it’s a task for him to draw me back to the here and now.
“I don’t know how else to get through this,” I admit. “She’s coming here tomorrow. I don’t trust her. I don’t want her here, and yet, there’s nothing I can do but obey my father’s rules.”
“You could walk away,” Jarred offers. It’s a gentle nudge, one we’ve spoken about before, but it’s not an option. My life is with Thorne Industries. My loyalty lies with my brothers, but my heart, that’s another story altogether. “I’m not leaving you.” There’s a promise in his voice that I can’t ask him for. I can’t expect him to live a life in secret.
“And what happens when you get tired of being the other man?” This time, I swallow my pride and look directly into those steely gray eyes. They’re watchful, taking in my demeanor. I’m so thankful the house is empty; it’s given us time to talk.
But the moment I think it, Joy flourishes into the kitchen. Her happy smile is bright and friendly, but her gaze is shrewd as she regards Jarred and me standing at opposite ends of the breakfast bar. It’s as if there’s a canyon between us. A large, open gap that can’t be filled.
“Hungry, boys?” Joy asks, arching a brow as she takes us in and moves to the fridge. I’m sure the tension in the room is heavy, and it must be noticeable. But she doesn’t make mention of anything other than what’s for breakfast.
“I need to get to the shed,” Jarred announces suddenly. “I’ll see you later, Mama Joy,” he tells her, offering her one of his bright smiles. It’s one of those that could break hearts. But there’s nobody here for Jarred to break, because I’m already shattered. “Have a good day, Finn.” With one last look, he turns and leaves the kitchen.
I can feel Joy’s questioning gaze on me, but she doesn’t say anything. I want to tell somebody about him. The confession sits on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t bring myself to utter a word.
“Nice boy that one,” Joy says, as she readies herself to cook for the entire staff as well as the Thorne men who are currently home. My stepmother will be back from London tomorrow. And then, it’s time to plan two big parties—Halloween and a wedding.
4