Chapter 13
I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling as beads of sweat cool on my skin.
My chest rises and falls with each ragged breath. Beside me, Londyn is a tangle of wild locs and soft curves, her naked body glowing in the afternoon light filtering through the curtains.
She shifts, rolling onto her side to face me. A lazy smile curves those full lips I”ve tasted more times than I can count.
”Hey you.”
The sound of her voice, that rich alto with its gentle cadence, tugs at something deep inside me. I turn my head, meeting her warm brown gaze.
”Hey yourself.”
Londyn traces idle patterns across my chest, her fingertips raising goosebumps in their wake. I cover her hand with mine, stilling her movements as I drink in every detail—the faint freckles dusting her shoulders, the fullness of her breasts, the slight pout of those sinful lips.
This moment is everything I”ve denied myself for too damn long. Just her and me, tangled in rumpled sheets with no secrets, no lies, no bullshit agendas standing between us.
It”s...peaceful. Grounding in a way I haven”t felt in forever.
Londyn”s brow furrows, her dark eyes studying me with open curiosity. ”What”re you thinking about over there?”
I consider deflecting, throwing up my usual walls. But something in her expression, that naked vulnerability, has me swallowing my old defenses.
”Just...savoring this.” My voice is a low rumble as I turn onto my side, mirroring her position. ”You and me. No drama, no noise. Just us.”
Understanding flickers in Londyn”s eyes. She worries her full lower lip, seeming to weigh her next words carefully. ”Is that what you want, Jermaine? Just...this?”
Her fingers trail a feather-light path across my jaw, raising tingles in their wake. I lean into her touch, unable to resist the pull of her warmth, her softness.
”What do you mean?”
Londyn”s eyes search mine, laying me bare with that penetrating stare. ”I mean, do you want a life with someone? A real partner, a family someday? Or is it all just the brewery for you?”
The question hangs heavy between us. For a beat, I”m rendered utterly speechless, scrambling for a response that doesn”t reveal the fractures spreading through my carefully constructed facade.
Because the truth is, I”ve never allowed myself to consider anything beyond my singular pursuit. Restoring the family legacy, crushing Winston Westbrook—those twin obsessions have consumed every waking moment since we buried my father.
I open my mouth, ready to deflect. But Londyn”s steady gaze stops me cold.
With a frustrated exhale, I sit up, raking a hand over my face.
How can I explain the gnawing emptiness that”s hollowed me out over the years? The ravenous hunger that no amount of professional success can satiate?
Sensing my inner turmoil, Londyn shifts closer. Her soft curves press against my side.
”It”s okay if you don”t have it all figured out,” she murmurs, resting her chin on my shoulder. ”I”m honestly still trying to find that balance myself.”
I turn, catching the barest glimpse of vulnerability flickering across her features. It”s that raw honesty, that willingness to be seen, that draws me to Londyn.
That she can lay it all out and accept it all. That she”s not fixated on fixing the unfixable, like me.
That”s why men like me don”t deserve women like her.
Londyn still believes there”s good in me, but the truth is, I”m as ruthless as they come. I draw the line at running a shady business, though. I won”t tarnish my family”s name like that.
Unconsciously, my arm snakes around her waist, pulling her flush against me. She melts into my embrace with a contented sigh.
”Tell me about it,” I rasp, voice gone husky. ”Your vision for Crown Jewel, for your life. Lay it all out for me, Londyn.”
She glances back at me, momentarily taken aback. But her hesitation is brief before that radiant smile spreads across her face.
”You really want to know?” At my nod, she exhales slowly. ”Okay, well...you know the brewery side is my heart and soul. I want to keep growing that, expanding the taproom and hosting more events. Get people excited about experiencing new flavor combinations and embracing the craft.”
Her eyes gleam. This is her element, her calling—weaving alchemy through beer, translating raw emotion into liquid form.
I find myself leaning in, utterly captivated.
”And the branding side, I want Crown Jewel to become a household name. Like, when people think innovative craft beers with real soul and personality, they think of us first.”
She pauses, worrying her lip again. When she continues, her voice has taken on a softer quality, almost wistful.
”Madison Grove is home. I want to buy a little house, maybe get a dog someday.” Londyn”s gaze drifts to the window.
Something sharp and longing lances through my chest at her words. My arms tighten around her, pulling Londyn impossibly closer.
She blinks, seeming to shake herself from her reverie. A hint of rose tints her cheeks as she meets my heated stare. ”Sorry, I”m getting way ahead of myself.”
”Don”t be.” The words tumble from my lips before I can rein them in. I reach out, cupping her face. ”I want to hear it all, Londyn. Every last dream and aspiration.”
She exhales a shuddering breath, leaning into my touch. When she speaks again, her voice is low and laced with an unmistakable yearning.
”I want a family of my own someday. A real partner who gets me, who”ll be there through all the ups and downs. Someone I can come home to at the end of a long day and just...breathe, you know?”
My chest constricts at the naked vulnerability in her tone. This woman, this passionate, radiant soul brimming with dreams and warmth and an endless well of love to give...
She deserves everything her heart desires and more.
My thumb traces the plump swell of her lower lip. Londyn”s eyes drift shut as she nuzzles into my palm, a soft hum of pleasure escaping her.
The intimacy of the moment sparks a searing blaze. I want to pull her closer, to pour every ounce of the wildfire raging within me into her willing body.
But something holds me back—a nagging sense that surrendering to this all-consuming lust will only lead to devastation. For both of us.
With monumental effort, I force myself to pull away. To put a scant distance between our bodies before I combust from the inside out.
”Londyn...” My voice is a hoarse rasp against the deafening thunder of my pulse.
Those expressive eyes flutter open, pinning me with their warmth. ”Yeah?”
I swallow hard, struggling to find the words.
How can I explain the war raging inside me?
The desperation to have her, to claim her as my own...coupled with the self-preservation instinct screaming at me to flee before it”s too late?
Sensing my turmoil, Londyn reaches out, her delicate fingers tracing the line of my jaw.
”What is it, Jermaine? You can tell me anything.”
The truth is, I can”t. Not really. Because putting voice to the twisted desires and dark obsessions churning within me is to risk shattering this fragile connection between us.
Londyn has no idea about my plans, my driving need to avenge my family and restore the Knights legacy through utterly eviscerating Westbrook Industries.
She doesn”t know the depths of betrayal and loss fueling my every move. And she certainly can”t fathom how dangerously close she is to getting caught in the crossfire of my vengeance.
The thought fills me with a soul-deep ache, one I”ve grown adept at smothering over the years.
But in the middle of the night, in my bed, alone with her…I can”t seem to find that familiar numbness.
Instead, I”m engulfed by the searing warmth of Londyn”s presence. By the glimpses of the peaceful, fulfilling life she dreams of building for herself—a life I can never truly be part of, not without unraveling everything.
I lay here, my fingers idly trailing along the soft curve of Londyn”s hip as she dozes beside me. The thin sheet draped over our bodies does little to conceal her alluring form—those full breasts rising and falling with each deep breath, the swell of her hips begging to be explored again.
Desire stirs low in my belly, a slow-burning need I”m quickly becoming addicted to. Just being near Londyn has this effect on me, lighting a fuse that detonates all semblance of self-control.
Her eyelids flutter as she shifts closer, unconsciously seeking my warmth. There”s something so unbearably tender about this woman in repose, all soft angles and velvet skin. Like she”s shed her armor, the emotional barriers, to bask in the afterglow with me.
The sight sparks a dull ache in my chest, one I instinctively try to smother. I can”t afford that kind of vulnerability, that hint of softness. Not when there”s so much at stake.
With a silent exhale, I tear my gaze away, fixing it on the shadows playing across the ceiling. I need to refocus, to regain my edge before the obsession clouding my senses grows too thick to see through.
Revenge.
That”s my sole purpose for being here, for infiltrating this cozy world Londyn has built for herself. Everything else is a distraction, one I can”t afford right now.
My mind drifts to the first phase of my plan, already well underway.
Soon, the information gathered by my corporate mole will paint a clear picture of every skeleton in Winston Westbrook”s bloated closet. Every unethical deal, every shady backroom transaction—I”ll have a full dossier on the entire sordid mess.
Once that”s done, leaking it all to the press will be child”s play. Watching the ensuing media frenzy with grim satisfaction as Winston”s empire crumbles beneath the weight of its own corruption.
The acquisition will then unfold with ease.
A cruel smile tugs at my lips at the thought. The old bastard will finally get his due, a hard lesson in the consequences of unchecked greed and betrayal.
Just like he taught my family all those years ago.
That loss, that crippling sense of failure...it marked me in a way nothing else could. Set me on this all-consuming path of retribution that”s led me here, to this very moment.
To Londyn.
A tremor races through me as I chance a glance at her sleeping form. She”s so peaceful, so unguarded in the aftermath of our lovemaking. Completely unaware of the maelstrom I”m about to unleash upon her world.
A sharp pang lances through my chest. I try to quash it, to drown out the nagging voice whispering that I”m putting her in the line of fire. That my single-minded pursuit could end up shattering the one good thing I have left.
But I can”t back down now, not when I”m so close to achieving everything I”ve worked toward. Even if it means sacrificing...this.
Whatever tenuous connection is reforming between Londyn and me, that fragile thing we”re in danger of reviving.
The thought leaves an acrid taste in my mouth, one I can”t seem to rinse away. I should cut ties now before we spiral too deep.
I good man would extract himself from Londyn”s life before I bring her crashing down with me when everything implodes.
But one look at those lush curves, that glowing mahogany skin, has me wavering. I”m utterly entranced, spellbound by this woman in a way that I shouldn”t.
Beside me, Londyn stirs again, her brow furrowing slightly. There”s a hint of unease marring her features now, a silent struggle playing out behind those expressive eyes.
I reach out to smooth the crease in her forehead, and she releases a soft sigh at my touch.
The breath catches in my throat at the visceral response, that simple gesture unlocking a door I”ve kept firmly barred for longer than I can remember.
Suddenly, the full depth of my feeling for this woman consumes me.
More than revenge. More than rage. More than stolen dreams.
I”m about to fuck this up…
Holding on to that shit in college was just the easy excuse I needed to not feel these fucking feelings.
Because what I feel for Londyn eclipses all of that, a soul-deep yearning that wants her all to myself.
I need her in a way I can”t fully articulate, an ache so profound it leaves me exposed.
This woman could be my future.
Shoving aside those dangerous thoughts, I force myself to withdraw my touch. To put that scant distance between us before I”m consumed by the raging wildfire of want and need blazing in my core.
With monumental effort, I roll onto my back, eyes fixed on the shadows dancing across the ceiling. My mind whirrs, calculating my next strategic moves while wrestling with the treacherous desire still simmering beneath the surface.
How can I keep her? Protect her from what”s to come?
Tomorrow, the next phase begins. The slow, inexorable application of pressure that will expose every last one of Westbrook”s vulnerabilities and set the stage for his downfall.
And Londyn...
I swallow hard, the reality of her potential collateral damage sitting like a leaden weight in my gut. She doesn”t deserve to get caught in the crossfire, not after everything she”s overcome to build her dreams from the ground up.
The memory of our conversation from earlier tonight drifts through my consciousness, her radiant smile as shared her dreams.
”I want a family of my own someday. A real partner who gets me, who”ll be there through all the ups and downs. Someone I can come home to at the end of a long day and just...breathe, you know?”
Her voice, rich and achingly sincere, rings in my ears. In that moment, she was so open, so vulnerable as she laid herself bare.
And like a dumbstruck fool, I drank in every word, every flicker of raw emotion that played across her expressive features.
Because that”s the effect Londyn has always had on me.
She strips away all my meticulously constructed armor, leaving me utterly defenseless against the onslaught of tenderness that surges within me whenever she”s near.
My hand clenches into a fist atop the sheets. I need to end this, whatever this connection is between us. To cut ties before I drag her down with me into the maelstrom of chaos that”s about to erupt.
She deserves so much more than the devastation I”m about to unleash. More than the wreckage of broken dreams and shattered lives that will be left in my wake once this vendetta finally reaches its brutal conclusion.
Londyn is light and laughter, an unshakable presence of warmth and beauty in this cold, ruthless world I inhabit. And I”ll be damned if I”m the fucker who kills that vibrant spark within her.
No, she deserves to chase those dreams uninhibited. To find the peace and sense of belonging that”s always eluded me, that gaping void I”ve tried in vain to fill with obsessive pursuit of success.
Beside me, Londyn sighs contentedly in her sleep, her lips curved in the faintest hint of a smile. Resolve settles over me like a shroud, hardening my resolve.
One way or another, I”ll ensure she”s insulated from the fallout of my actions. Even if it means walking away and losing her forever.
It”s a sacrifice I”m willing to make—no, one I have to make—in order to protect Londyn from the man I”ve become.
Because in the end, her happiness is all that truly matters.
So I do what I always do when faced with emotions I can”t process. I deflect, erecting those well-worn barriers to shield myself from the onslaught.
As if sensing that my thoughts are consumed by her, Londyn wakes. Her locs hang like a blanket around her beautiful face.
”What”s wrong?” Her husky whisper makes my body stir to life.
”I”m just...taking it all in,” I murmur at last, feigning a casual indifference I”m far from feeling.
”You sure?”
”Come on, babe. Let”s get some sleep. You have a full day tomorrow.” I snuggle into the softness of her.
But Londyn wiggles free and sits up. The sheets tumble from her body. She swings a leg over me and settles her warm body over mine.
”Sleep… Is that what we have planned? I”m feeling refreshed after that cat nap.”
I chuckle, running my hands from her back to the curve of her ass. ”I think I got something you might like…”
In one fluid motion, I plunge into her, my mind reeling with the knowledge that this might be our last time together. And because I”m the selfish bastard I am, I”m determined to savor every last drop of her.