Darren Shields is a fucking creep.
It’s all I can do to keep my expression neutral as he touches Rey again—this time putting his arm around her waist to hug her close to him as they both laugh about something he just said.
It wasn’t even funny. And I can tell from the fire in Rey’s eyes that she wants to punch Shields in the face as much as I do.
I’m imagining how great that would feel when he steps away from Rey and says to me, “Hey Jonah, another drink?”
“Sure, thanks.”
He pastes on that slimy grin of his and says, “My plan is to get enough bourbon in you that you don’t notice if Tori gets in bed with you tonight and Renee ends up in my bed.”
I laugh, but only because I have to. Rey’s giggling like it’s the funniest fucking thing she’s ever heard. Shields’s girlfriend Tori, who looks maybe twenty and is at least two decades younger than him, just stands there smiling and looking compliant.
His nose would make a satisfying crunch beneath my fist if I could just get in one hit. Just one, that’s all I’d need to knock that cocksucker flat on his ass.
“How are you, baby?” Rey asks, coming over to sit next to me on an outdoor loveseat on the deck of Shields’s massive beach house.
“I’m hanging out in paradise with you,” I say, putting an arm around her shoulders. “I couldn’t be better.”
Shields may be an asshole, but he’s a very rich one. His ultra-modern beach house has to be at least 10,000 square feet, with multiple decks showcasing the million-dollar ocean view. We arrived yesterday and spent the evening partying on a yacht owned by one of his friends, and tonight he’s hosting more friends for a luau-style party.
He ought to be the pig getting roasted on a spit tonight, but I have to remember that his day is coming. The more I help Rey sell her cover story and get closer to him, the better her chances of putting him behind bars. No one has ever deserved a warm welcome from his fellow inmates more than this douchebag.
A few minutes later, Shields’s housekeeper comes out with a tray of fresh drinks and a plate of snacks. Her hair is in disarray and he’s looking extra satisfied with himself, so I’m guessing he uses her for more than just food and drinks.
Of course the bourbon is top shelf, and it goes down easy. I figure if I have to pretend to like the fucker, I’m gonna drink as much of his expensive bourbon as I can while I’m here.
I’ve been sneaking big gulps of Rey’s fruity hurricanes as often as possible, too. She told me she doesn’t want to get tipsy enough to let her guard down while undercover, so I’m doing what I can to help out.
“You like those girly drinks, Jonah?” Shields asks me, cringing.
“Only when they taste like her,” I say, looking at Rey.
She puts a hand on my inner thigh and squeezes gently, making my cock twitch beside her fingers. I’m hungry for more of the sex we had last night—hot and hard, but laced with the occasional laugh and tender touch.
My family loves her. My mom got tearful when she pulled me aside on Thanksgiving and told me how happy it made her to see love in my eyes for Rey and the same in hers for me. I don’t know if Rey’s just that good at faking it, or if she really does have feelings, like I do.
This is what she does all the time, though. She moves from assignment to assignment, assuming whatever persona she needs to in order to get the bad guys. I’ve got no reason to believe I mean more to her than anyone else she’s worked with, but I’d like to hope I do.
“You need a refill, Renee?” Shields asks, pointing at her and then at his housekeeper.
“Absolutely,” Rey says, holding up her glass.
“I’ll bring a fresh one,” the housekeeper replies, turning toward the house.
I continue guzzling both Rey’s drink and my own, and I’m tipsy by the time Shields’s other friends start arriving. Rey and I meet an NFL player and his wife, a few wealthy business owners and even an actual princess. I wonder with every hand I shake which of these people, if any, know the real Darren Shields.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” Rey murmurs to me when it’s starting to get late.
I nod and take her hand, leading her through the crowd to the beach house door. I’ve been going with her to the bathroom all night and waiting outside the door, because I have a feeling Shields will corner her if she’s alone, and she can’t blow him off while staying on his good side.
“There’s a lot of alcohol in me right now,” I tell Rey as we walk up an open staircase to the second floor of the house, where our bedroom and bathroom for the weekend are located.
She looks at me, amused. “Yes, I think that’s a fair statement.”
The guest room we’re staying in has a spectacular ocean view and a balcony. Once we’re in the room, Rey locks the door behind us and walks toward the bathroom. I’m heading over to the French doors that lead to the balcony when she stops me.
“That’s not a good idea right now,” she says. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll be right back? Maybe have some water.”
I nod, going over to the mini fridge and taking entirely too long to get out a bottle of water. Things are a little fuzzy right now. Thinking about it reminds me of a song from my childhood about Grover on Sesame Street being fuzzy and blue, so I flop onto the bed and sing that song.
Rey’s laughing as she comes out of the bathroom. “So you’re a cute drunk.”
“I’m cute all the time,” I say, looking up at her and patting my lap. “Hop on and see.”
She lies down beside me, curling into my side and whispering in my ear. “Don’t say anything. I’ll be right back and I need you to stay here.”
I turn to face her, suddenly not having so much fun anymore. I lower my brows to communicate my concern since she told me not to say anything. She leans in and whispers again.
“Just trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
I sit up and give her a stern frown, because even though I’m drunk as fuck, I can still see where this is going. Rey is going to snoop through Shields’s shit, and either he’ll catch her and be furious or he’ll corner her and try to get in her pants.
Either way, I’m not cool with being here instead of with her. She leans in one more time.
“I trust you, Jonah. Do the same for me. This is important.”
After a heavy sigh, I nod. Rey nods back and moves to get up from the bed, but I take her hand and bring it to my lips, kissing her knuckles as I meet her eyes.
Her lips curve up in a tiny smile and I know she hears my unspoken words—be careful.
I watch as she leaves the room, and then I suddenly feel sober as fuck. Taking my bottle of water out to the balcony, I sip it and look down at the luau. It makes me feel a little better that I can see Shields on the beach talking to some people. His arms are wrapped around two women, neither of them his girlfriend.
He’s an absolute joke of a human being. I can’t wait to get out of here tomorrow, and I dread socializing with him again. But it’s what we have to do, so I’ll manage. It’s not like I can let Rey do any of this alone. Shields invited us to join him on his yacht in the south of France next weekend, but I have games. We’ll have to play nice enough that we get another invite, shitty as that is.