Chapter 2
Brennan Diamond
You’re not a man; you’re a monster.
Her words strike deeper than I care to admit, but the terror shining in her bright green eyes is worse. Her clenched fists and stilted breaths kill me while her trembling lips and full breasts beg me to taste and claim.
I don’t know what lies my father fed her to make her so scared of me, but I won’t let his machinations come between us anymore. Audrey was always mine. My sweet little sister. My daring baby doll. My unexpected protector. My secret obsession.
My father had thirteen years to turn her against me—which is five years longer than the time we had growing up together—but I don’t care how long it takes; I’ll win her back and make her mine.
Her expression hardens and defiance replaces her fear.
“Just leave me alone, Brennan. I don’t want you in my life,” she says.
With impressive ease, she spins on her high heel and glides back into the main hall.
Need pulses in my balls and my half-hard cock jerks against my trouser seams.
She’s pure perfection. Even as her words slice deep into my soul, her sweet lemony scent fills my mouth with saliva.
I’m still as obsessed with her as I was before, maybe even more so, except now I don’t have to hold back.
It broke me to leave her behind thirteen years ago, but at nineteen years old, I couldn’t handle my father’s oppression anymore, and watching my beloved twelve-year-old stepsister blossom into a woman I couldn’t have was too painful.
I’m not a hormone-crazed nineteen-year-old anymore, and she’s no longer a lanky little girl. She’s a striking goddess now.
The age gap between us is no longer an issue. We’re both adults. She’s twenty-five and I’m thirty-two.
We were never related by blood, and now we’re no longer bound by our parents’ marriage.
I want her. No one and nothing will stop me from taking what should have been mine the moment she turned eighteen.
Jealous rage colors my vision as she joins the bridal party and offers the two men from before a dazzling smile. My hackles rise at her audacity as she flirts with them knowing I’m only a few feet away, watching and lurking in the side hall like a creep.
I push my glasses higher on the bridge of my nose and adjust my suit before stalking toward them, but the wedding planner calls out and venue staff begin ushering attendees to the chapel.
Audrey glances at me as I pass her. With promises gleaming from my eyes, I hold her gaze until I turn out of sight.
I scan the crowd as I stride down the side aisle to my section near the front of the groom’s pews. Ice solidifies my veins as I meet my father’s eyes over his wife’s head, but I turn my gaze away and dismiss him as though I’ve never seen him before.
When I severed ties thirteen years ago, I vowed to never acknowledge him again. Only one person could ever make me break that vow, but I haven’t seen or heard of Audrey interacting with him since he began his political campaign for mayor of New York City over eight years ago with a new wife in tow.
Most attendees have deep pockets and strong ties to each other. I recognize everyone in the first ten rows on both sides of the aisle.
With polite nods and brief handshakes, I greet the men on either side of me and settle on the pew.
Edgar Williams, the interim CEO of a company I almost bought a few weeks ago but didn’t because it had too many internal issues and not enough potential, checks his watch before twisting toward me and propping his elbow on the back of his seat to watch the back of the church.
The man on his other side nudges him with his shoulder and smirks.
“Man, your secretary has you whipped, doesn’t she?” he laughs.
“I love it when they play hard to get. I haven’t had this much fun since that bitch in college,” Edgar says.
Disgust adds fuel to my frustration, but I grit my teeth and ignore them as best I can.
“Didn’t your wife just have a baby?” the other guy asks.
“Yeah, the broad popped out a girl two days ago. Thank God I’ll have a few months before I gotta try to knock her up again. She’s like a dead fish—”
The first notes from the organ vibrate through the chapel. Edgar doesn’t notice my side glare as he cranes his neck toward the back.
I hate men like Edgar Williams. He’s too much like my father: a chauvinistic asshole who thinks it’s his right to prey on the weak.
Edgar became the interim CEO through textbook nepotism.
If his father wasn’t forced to step down for medical reasons, the arrogant idiot wouldn’t have the chance to hold power.
The back doors open, and everyone turns to watch the procession. My pew mates have the decency to keep their voices down as the officiant, groom, and paired groomsmen and bridesmaids walk down the aisle, but Edgar’s pal breaks my reprieve when the best man and maid of honor appear in the doorframe.
“Isn’t that the jerk who cockblocked you last week at the conference?” he asks.
Audrey and the taller man she was flirting with begin their slow march down the aisle.
My vision narrows on my baby doll. She’s gorgeous. Her red curls blaze in the light, highlighting her bright green eyes and pale, freckled face. I long to kiss her full, red lips and worship her slim curves. My hands itch to pull her close and hold her against me.
Red colors my periphery as I note her arm woven within the man’s. Her delicate fingers rest on his forearm.
“Yeah. If he wasn’t Matteo’s right-hand man, I’d have taken care of him already,” Edgar says.
I bite back an animalistic growl as fury roars through me.
She’s clinging to Liam Brunswick. Matteo Ricco’s legendary personal assistant. A man I’ve heard a lot about but never met in person.
Edgar doesn’t have the power to touch Liam.
But I do.
I’ll crush him and ruin everything he holds dear for flirting with my baby doll.
Audrey is mine.
“He won’t always be there to interrupt. I’ll fuck her before the end of the week,” Edgar says.
Rage boils in my veins, but I loosen my fists and breathe as Audrey and Liam approach the pulpit. I log every infraction as Liam guides her to her spot. His hand lingers on her arm too long. Her smile is too sweet. She watches him walk away with too much affection.
“Send her my way once you’ve had your fill. I bet she’s feisty with all that red hair,” Edgar’s pal says.
I swing eyes full of deadly promises to the mouthy asshole and enjoy his pathetic shrinking back before shifting my attention to Edgar.
“No wonder your company has lost several investors the last few weeks. You’re a piece of shit, Edgar,” I say.
His sputtering gains the attention of everyone nearby. I meet Liam’s stoic eyes and pour my fury into my glare. When he doesn’t back down, I lift a brow in challenge.
The organ changes songs. I rise with the rest of the congregation but hold Liam’s stare until he turns his attention to the end of the aisle.
I lock stares with my little stepsis.
Audrey’s wide, startled eyes fill my vision. The slender column of her throat shifts as she swallows. Her knuckles turn white around her bouquet. When I realize she’s afraid because of me, shame dampens my anger, but the bride squeaks and a bundle of flowers streaks across my periphery.
Audrey catches them with catlike reflexes, somehow without dropping her own bouquet, and stares down at the mass of flowers as though in disbelief. When she lifts her gaze, vulnerability shines from her shocked green orbs.
Wicked delight spears through me. I give the flowers a suggestive glance and smirk as I relish her reaction.
Hurt and betrayal flash through her eyes before she turns away and offers the bride her bouquet, but the woman refuses to take them back.
Left with both bundles, Audrey avoids my eyes throughout the entire ceremony.
My aggravation fades to amusement as my perfect little baby doll plays the part of maid of honor to perfection.
She fools everyone in the congregation except for me.
I see through her whimsical smile to the growing mix of panic and fury hidden underneath.
When Matteo kisses his new bride, I capture Audrey’s attention by leaning forward, propping an elbow on my knee, and sliding my glasses higher on my nose.
The unexpected softness in her gaze from watching her friend tie the knot nearly undoes me.
No matter how tough of an exterior she portrays, she’s still the love-starved little girl I knew in my youth.
I won’t leave her behind again.
She’s mine. All mine.
She yanks her gaze away and cheers as the newlyweds rush down the aisle.
I grit my teeth in annoyance as the wedding procession follows them out, then send Edgar and his idiot sidekick—who’ve remained blessedly silent—a warning glare before nearly grinding my teeth to ashes as I shuffle out with the crowd.
After weaving through the masses and leaning against the last pillar in the covered archway between the church and the street, I wait with growing impatience as venue staff hand out packets of uncooked rice and line everyone up along the edge of the walkway.
Audrey, Liam, and the other man trying to poach my woman take their place beside the limo. I push off the pillar and absently accept a bag of rice from a passing waiter.
A cool breeze ruffles my hair. Audrey’s luscious red locks tease along her back as she smiles at Liam.
A fist closes around my heart.
She once only looked at me with such trust. I move closer to her through the crowd, but a feminine hand slips onto my arm. Taloned fingers dig into my sleeve. I know who it is before I even look. Only one woman has the audacity to grab me.
Marilyn Swanson, heiress to New York City’s largest corporation and therefor the most sought after bachelorette, presses her augmented breasts against my arm and bats her fake lashes at me.
“Pookie, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Why didn’t you sit with me during the ceremony?”
Her painted lips pull downward in an exaggerated pout. I slide my arm out from hers despite the mini daggers glued onto the ends of her fingers.
“I’ve told you before, Ms. Swanson, I’m not interested,” I say.
When she grabs my arm again and simpers as she shakes her head, her blonde extensions brush against my shoulder.
“You know I love it when you’re mean to me, but don’t take it too far. Don’t you think the bride’s dress was a little understated? When we get married—”
The crowd cheers as the newlyweds emerge from the church. Rice flies through the air and skitters across the walkway.
I meet Audrey’s bright green eyes and enjoy the emotions flitting through her expression as she studies the leech on my arm before she catches herself and dons a haughty mask. With a dismissive frown, she turns away and joins the celebration.
I extract my arm from Marilyn’s cloying grip and push through the crowd before she latches on again. When she huffs and stomps off, I smirk and open my packet of rice.
After tossing a few handfuls and congratulating the newly married couple from afar, I move back toward the pillar and lie in wait as Audrey hugs the bride and gives Matteo’s arm a gentle, playful punch.
My heart lurches in my chest even though his smile comes and goes faster than the time it takes to blink.
The couple says farewell to their friends and family before Matteo helps his bride into the car.
Everyone waves as the car drives off. Several ladies cry. A few gentlemen offer them tissues. Children throw rice in each other’s faces and scream as they weave through the crowd. The crisp autumn wind cools my face even as the sun streams down on my head.
People meander back into the church.
Audrey gives the two men she’s been flirting with all day a little wave before turning toward the parking lot.
I catch her by the crook of her elbow, swing her back against the pillar, and press my front against hers.
With the marble blocking us from most of the crowd, I cover her mouth with my hand and tilt her head back to enjoy her expressive eyes.
When she no longer looks ready to scream the city down, I remove my hand from her mouth and tuck her hair behind her ear.
“Are you jealous, baby doll?” Murder shines from her green eyes. I lean down and whisper in her ear. “Don’t be. I’m all yours.” She shivers and pushes against my chest. I nip her ear and enjoy her sharp breath against the side of my face. “And you’re mine, Audrey.”
Without warning, she twists and ducks out from between me and the pillar. I chuckle and push my glasses higher on my nose. Hunger and hatred war in her eyes as she tracks the movement. When a child screeches a few feet away, she straightens her shoulders and glares at me.
“I’m not your baby doll. You can’t own me, Brennan. I’m a human being living a full and happy life without you.” My stomach clenches at the vehemence in her voice even as misery and fear shine from her depths. “Leave me alone,” she demands.
I tsk and cross my arms over my chest before leaning in to whisper near her temple.
“You can run, but you can’t hide, baby doll. I’ve found you and I’m not letting go,” I vow.
When I lean back and study her face, her blank expression inspires the first twinge of fear in my soul. She lifts tortured eyes up at me and stares.
Without a word, she slips away and weaves through the crowd with her head down.
I hurt her. I don’t know what I did to trigger the hopelessness in her eyes, but she runs away from me as quickly as she can.
I’ll make it right. I don’t care what it takes; I’ll do anything to ensure my delicate little stepsister runs to me for safety like she did when we were kids. I’ll protect her. Cherish her. Worship her.
After I punish her for teasing me.
I’ll infiltrate her life and win her heart back.
I pull my cell out of my pocket and send several texts as I stroll away from the church.
Now that I know she’s in New York City, I won’t hold back. My father can’t hide her from me anymore.
There’s no escape for her.
Audrey Tripp is mine.
Only mine.