Chapter 14
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Stephan
I wanted to kiss her.
Really kiss her. Not like that small, pathetic peck I gave her at the ball.
But that’s rule number one through fucking thousand: Do not kiss my friend’s little sister.
She’s not my type, anyway. She wants this whole thing—the mate, the pack, children.
And now, with our arrangement, it’ll complicate things. So if it’s not part of the show, I have to keep my hands to myself.
Even if touching her is becoming an obsession.
But despite the itch to grab her and taste her lips again, I let her walk away and return back to her sisters after promising I’d be seeing her soon .
Then last night, my dreams were plagued by her. And not innocent by any means.
She’s naked, hovering over me, her sweet, perfect pussy so close to lowering onto my painfully hard cock. Even in my dreams, I want to rut, to knot, and claim my princess in every way possible.
I woke up panting, sweating, and cock stiffer than steel. Heart thrumming hard and fast like it’s speeding, and the ache there, too, my balls high, my body burning.
The dreams sucker-punched me out of nowhere, but no matter how many times I tossed and turned or scolded myself to stop thinking about her, the moment I closed my eyes again, there Violet was, begging for me to fuck her senseless.
It had felt so real.
At four a.m., I gave up fighting and wrapped my hand around my hot, hard dick. Starting to stroke myself, I envisioned it was her hand around me, soft, knowing just how to squeeze, where to rub, right under the head. And then it was in her mouth, that hot mouth with the soft tongue, licking and teasing.
The things I imagined her doing… It had me coming almost instantly. I jerked into my hand, calling her name and letting the knotting swell. The exquisite pleasure of that act filled me, and I knotted and came, hard and long and wild.
It was a sea of release, and I rode it, all the waves, until I was left breathless and more confused than ever.
Today, those dreams haunt me. Even when meeting Pen for drinks and lunch at her place. I’m trying to clear my head while I’m dodging questions about the damn ball, but the dreams keep coming back.
Me. Violet. Naked. Exploring every inch of each other…
“What are you planning, Stephan?” Pen’s frowning at me from across the table and the vast lunch spread she’s set up for us.
Shaking my head to cleanse it of its dirty thoughts, I clear my throat. “Not a thing. Unless you mean plotting the battle-ax’s demise.”
Pen clucks her tongue. “There’s been a lot of talk about you lately. You and that Gardener girl.” Her dark eyes narrow on me. “Be serious. What are you scheming? She’s pretty. Well-bred. Good family...”
“The Luxe,” I finish for her.
“You do deserve the best, Stephan. And true happiness. Not matter who that’s with,” she says, and I know she’s talking about CeeCee.
Shit. I don’t want to lie to Pen. “I’m thinking of courting her.”
Doesn’t stop me though.
Instead of being pleased, Penrith’s frown gets deeper. “Don’t mess with her if you don’t mean it. I won’t be having that. You can get your thrills with plenty of others, but that girl? She’s a forever mate sort.”
I need to get the fuck out of Dodge. “Didn’t you want me to date the girl? When I first got here, you were all about it.”
“Yes, but I know you.”
What the fuck is that supposed to mean? “I’m not saying I’m gonna mark the girl tomorrow or anything, but I like her. We danced at the ball, and you were right. She’s a good one.”
“You’re planning on giving up your career in Emporia for a girl on Sabine?”
“Again, Pen, you’re thinking too far ahead. I’m not ruling anything out with Violet is what I’m saying. We’ll see where it goes.” I swoop down and kiss her cheek. “I’ve got somewhere to be. Catch you later.”
As I leave, my phone rings. Heath. I pick it up.
“What the fuck, dude?” he snaps from the other end.
“That’s your greeting?” I say. “And you’re single? It’s a wonder of the world.”
He doesn’t laugh. “Real funny. Get here. Now.” He hangs up.
So much for friendship.
What crawled up his ass today? Did Violet tell him about our arrangement? Hopefully not, because the less people know of it, the better. Bringing her brother into it will just mess things up. Especially since he doesn’t want me near her as it is.
But when I arrive at the Gardener townhouse, I barely have time to knock when the door swings open.
Heath stands there, glaring at me, with the skinny Rue at his side, wearing an identical expression. Only hers sparks with humor and good will. Heath…he looks like he wants to turn my entrails into jewelry or something.
“Have you seen?” Rue holds out that bedazzled phone. “You and Vi are famous. Someone is saying they saw Vi leaving a boathouse by the boardwalk yesterday and you soon after. Is that true? Everyone’s talking, not just the QB. Every. One. Even on the mainland. Stitch has blown apart at the seams.”
Ah, shit.
The irate call from Heath makes sense now. This didn’t come from Violet. It’s worse. It came from the socials.
“Get it?” She pauses, looks from me to her brother. “Seams? Stitches?”
“Go to your room, Rue,” Heath says, not lifting his gaze from me.
“Heath!” She rolls her eyes as her brother spins on his heel and stalks off toward his father’s office. She bounces along as I follow. “Look, Asher, look. Someone wants to know if you had a romantic tryst at the ball. Did you? I don’t know how because Mari and I were with Vi basically the entire time.”
That earns a dark expression from Heath as he pulls the study’s door open.
“No, I didn’t,” I direct to Rue, who’s hopping up and down on her tiptoes. “As you said, you were at the beach with Violet, and I was at my place all yesterday, fixing it up. I was nowhere close to a boathouse or the boardwalk. They’re just rumors.” I give her a reassuring smile.
“Ooh! I’m gonna post that. Official quote.” She spreads a hand through the air like she’s admiring the imaginary post, and my stomach turns to stone.
“Do that, Rue,” Heath mutters, “and you’re grounded until you’re thirty.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Watch me.”
“Can I at least have a cat?” she asks .
“No. Go away. I need to talk to Stephan,” he says and Rue stomps off.
Heath gestures for me to go inside first. Then he locks the door behind us.
The house is quiet. No intoxicating scent of violets, besides a lingering hint. Not strong enough to suggest she’s here.
Is Violet out with another Alpha already? “Where is everyone?”
“Are you planning on ruining her?” Heath snaps, completely ignoring my question.
“She’s not—” I stop. I was going to say not my type. “What were they saying online?”
“Look for yourself.” Heath sprawls in a large armchair, glaring about.
I pull out my phone. It’s pretty bad. There are wild theories from how I’m trying to steal the glory of landing the Luxe to prop up my career, or get back at Felicity, or just because I can. There’s even one about Violet having bewitched me with her femme fatale ways or got herself knocked up for fame.
That one is at least more laughable.
But the rumors are painful to read through. There’s even a picture of the boathouse the supposed onlooker is claiming he saw us come out of. Luckily, the picture was taken at night, so he didn’t catch us exactly. But still… We’re going to have to be more careful about where and when we meet if we’re going to pull this off the right way.
I sit in the chair opposite him and sigh. “I know it’s early, but drink? ”
He waves a hand, and I get up and pour us both a whiskey.
“Do you have something to tell me?” Heath asks, eyeing me.
“No.”
“Is the rumor true, Ashford?” He leans forward. “Were you almost caught alone with my sister in the boathouse yesterday?”
There’s no way in hell I’m telling him the truth. I don’t have a death wish. “As I told Rue, I was at my place yesterday getting it ready. There was no reason for me to be by the beach at all.”
“Right.” But he doesn’t look convinced. “You danced with her at the ball.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“She’s the Luxe.” I shrug. “It was just a dance.”
“You are supposed to be helping me find Alphas who would be right for her. Not inflate your ego more than it already is.”
“I know. I needed to find out more about her—you know, her likes and dislikes, her hobbies, what she wants in a mate. And?—”
“And what?”
Oh man, how am I going to say this without getting my head ripped off? “And…I found her interesting.”
He blinks. “Excuse me?”
“Violet. She’s beautiful. Considerate. Humble. Sharp-witted. Funny…” All true. “And the more I talked with her at the ball, the more I realized I couldn’t come up with a single Alpha I knew who would be the best match for her. ”
“Then talk to the Alphas you don’t know.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t think the kind of man exists.”
“And you got all this from a single dance with her?” he asks, skeptical. “One dance?”
“You said it yourself, she’s special. There’s no one else like her, and I see that now.”
“Whatever you’re trying to say, might as well spit it the fuck out,” he says and takes a deep swallow of his drink. “We’ve known each other for a long time, and I don’t appreciate the runaround, so out with it.”
Right then is when I consider telling him about the ruse Violet and I agreed to. He is one of my closest friends, after all.
But would he understand? Doubtful. He’ll think I’m using Violet to get what I want. That it could ruin her if we’re found out.
All true, but I’m not counting on getting caught. That won’t be enough to convince Heath it’s a good idea, though.
Best not to tell him. Which means I have to act like pursuing Violet is the real deal. Which also means I’m going to get my ass handed to me by her overprotective big brother.
I draw in a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
“I…I want to put my hat in the ring of potential suitors for Violet,” I say.
He’s quiet for a long moment. Too long. Instead of answering, his jaw muscle jumps as he gnashes his teeth together.
“Heath.” How do I explain myself? “I know we talked about this before. I know I told you I wasn’t interested, and I wasn’t…then. But after talking to her, after…dancing with her—” I almost say kissing her and blow it— “I realized she’s someone I could really see myself with.”
He’s still deathly silent, and it irks me.
“After what happened with CeeCee, I haven’t thought I could be with anyone else like that again.” Mentioning Cecilia makes my mouth dry, but I push on. Bringing my old mate up is the only way I’ll be able to convince Heath I’m serious. “So I want to make sure it’s okay with you if I take her on a date. Court her, or whatever these old-ass Sabine rules call it. The proper way. She deserves that much.”
Heath throws his head back, downing the rest of his whiskey in a single gulp. He slams the empty glass on the side table, and says, as strong and deafening as a gunshot: “No.”
“No? What do you mean, no?”
“Exactly that. No. You’re not going to court my sister. I won’t allow it.”
“And what if it’s what she wants? Doesn’t that mean anything?”
“She’s too good for you, Ashford.”
Asshat. But I guess I’ll take it. It’s better than him punching me in the face.
Although that’s still very much a possibility.
“So you want me to believe that you’ve suddenly had a change of heart? As if you own one of those,” he says.
“Shit, Gardener. Ouch.”
“Does Violet know about your sudden interest ?”
“Yes.”
“And she seems to like you too? ”
“I think so. I told her I’d like to come by here and visit her again, if you’d let me, and she didn’t turn me down.”
He rubs the side of his face, thinking. “And if she does? Turn you down eventually, that is. If she decides you’re not the one she wants?”
I hold up my hands. “Then I back off. Simple. I just want a chance.”
He studies me. “This isn’t a joke, Stephan. This is my sister we’re talking about here. Her life. My family’s future.”
“I know. That’s why I want to do this the right way. I—” Suddenly, the study door flies open and I’m smacked in the face by the scent of sweet spring violets.
Heath and I both jump to our feet.
“Rue said an Alpha was here, waiting to see me—” Violet stops, gaze taking in the scene and realizing the said Alpha is me. “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt…”
Just her scent, her very presence unleashes something wild within me. It was subtle when we’d first met, but it seems to be growing, taking shape with every interaction we have. I’m not sure what to make of it, or what it means, but all I do know is that the scenes from last night’s dreams resurface in my thoughts again, and the desire to defile her, rut with her, speeds through me like a bullet.
Fuck. What’s happening to me?
It has to be instincts, my Alpha nature. It sees a pretty, untouched Omega, and wants to claim her as its own. That’s all.
I can’t let it get hold of me and pervert my common sense. It’ll ruin this entire plan .
Their mother appears behind Violet, and any dirty thoughts get cold water splashed on them.
“Mr. St. James,” she begins. “You’ve come to visit us?” She glances at Heath for an explanation, but when he doesn’t answer, she looks back to me.
“Please, Mrs. Gardener. Call me Stephan. Stephan Ashford. I left Asher St. James back in Emporia.”
She grins at that, and her eyes twinkle with curiosity. “Oh, how intriguing! Are you here for Violet?”
Heath tries to step forward. “Mom?—”
“Actually, yes.” My gaze captures Violet’s, and something passes between us. My pulse cranks up a notch as her breathing increases, making her breasts rise and fall.
“Stephan…” Violet breathes.
“I’d—I’d like to officially court Violet. I was just here to ask Heath his permission,” I say, and every eye turns to him.
“That’s wonderful! Surely he’ll say yes!” Mrs. Gardener says. “How exciting!”
Heath glares daggers at me. I put him in a metaphorical corner, and he knows it.
He can kill me later.
“I’d like to maybe take her out on a proper date soon,” I say. “Maybe she can save another dance for me at the next event?”
Mrs. Gardener waves the thick envelope in her hand. “What perfect timing, too. We’ve just been invited to a garden party at Hargrave House at the end of the week!”
“Well, it’s up to Violet too.” I lock eyes with her, hoping she can read my mind. If she agrees to this, then there’s nothing Heath can say about it. “If she’s interested, that is…”
Now everyone turns to Violet.
Startled, her mouth opens, but no sound comes out.
“Vi?” her mother prompts. “What do you think?”
All the color drains from Violet’s face. “I… I…”
Then, eyes rolling back, her legs give out, and the princess faints.