Between Commitment and Betrayal (Hardy Billionaire Brothers, #1)

by Shain Rose

“I don’t really give a fuck what scene I cause. And if that’s embarrassing, don’t go to a dumbass’s house and expect I’m not going to come for you. I’ll come every fucking time, Drop.”

“It feels like I have my business partner’s daughter sitting in front of me, riling me up, driving me near madness, and still my adrenaline is pumping, my cock is rock solid, and I’m scrambling to find any reason I shouldn’t be tasting those lips. Why I shouldn’t demand that you come sit on my lap for a minute.”

“Oh, but your pussy loves me.” She gasped at my words, but I kept going. “It’s begging for me, babe. And you don’t really know me. I could make you like me.”

“I want that damn jersey off you now. It shouldn’t ever be his name on your back,” I growled in her ear. “Take. It. Off.”

“She commands before she hands over control.” I nipped at her sensitive skin near her collarbone, and a smile spread across my face before I said, “I think I’m going to have a hard time only wanting you this once, Everly.”

She appreciated the thought? I’d appreciate bending her over my knee and spanking her ass for defying me every chance she got. Could I send her that?

“If you intend to fuck someone in my gym, babe, you can bet your ass it’s going to be me.”

She gasped when she felt it, the cool metal that pierced my tip rubbing over her. She even tried to turn, like she hadn’t experienced something like it before. I hoped she hadn’t. The thought of her with anyone made me fucking crazy.

“Such a pretty fuck you are. My wife, trying so hard to ride my cock.” “Don’t call me that,” I heard her murmuring as I put pressure on her clit. “Oh, God.” “Not God,” I chuckled. “Your husband. The one you married today. Seems even if you don’t like him calling you his wife, you like his cock right between your legs, huh?” “Just be quiet so I can get there,”

“That’s it. Nice and loud. Give me every one of those screams and come for me. The world is going to know you’re my wife even if you don’t want them to.”

“Don’t downplay it. They … You made their day. And mine.” She walked around the desk, bent over, and kissed my cheek. Were we in fucking high school? I grabbed her neck and pulled her close to take her lips in mine. She smelled like ocean and sweat and sweet coconut. I growled and spread my legs, let my hands drift down her neck, down her arms, down to her waist to grab hold of her ass.

“Everly, my wife gets what she wants, and if I don’t know what that is, I just get everything.”

And then his praise came next. That’s when I knew I was about to lose my heart to him too.

You naked in front of me is a masterpiece, and I don’t intend to ever miss an opportunity to stare, babe.”

“We’ve gotta go.” Declan threaded his fingers through my hands. “Clara, you can ride with Dom, right?” “I … Oh. If he wants to be a passenger.”

And then he slammed his hand on the glass behind us to stop the rotation. I jumped as I whipped around to see the glare he had directed at me. “You need help with this door, Everly?” he said, his voice low in warning, like I’d pushed him to the edge of sanity. Me. The woman he’d fucked a few days earlier but then told his friends was just an employee. He held it there, not letting the autorotation continue. “Are you serious?” I glanced at the front desk where I saw Juna wide-eyeing us. “Dead fucking serious.” His stare held mine, his presence powerful and vibrating with energy. “What are you even mad about right now that would warrant this public of a reaction?”

“Without you,” he muttered and then he was toe-to-toe with me, looking down at me as I looked up at him. “You realize that for the past couple days, I haven’t had a thought without you in it. My mind doesn’t work without you in it. My dreams, my nightmares, my subconscious, my conscious … none of them operate lately without you.”

“Is it bad that every day I’m with you, every part of me is learning that it doesn’t want to be without you either?” I took a shaky breath. “It is bad because we’ll have to be without one another soon enough, Declan. You know this. And what would you have me do?” I whispered, “Go and frustrate your PR manager so she doesn’t want to help us at all?” A guttural sound came from deep within his throat, and I saw his turmoil as he dragged a hand over his face. “I should just fire her and get somebody new.”

I didn’t care, and she was either too stubborn or too intrigued to move away. Instead, when I placed my hand on her leg after ordering everyone a round, she narrowed her eyes at me like she was daring me to continue. I had no problem with that. My thumb circled on her bare skin over and over again. Then, she leaned into Wes to whisper something into his ear before he proceeded to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to make dinner, Piper,” I choked out as she stroked me up and down, up and down with a soft but firm grip. When she lowered her head to drag her tongue over my pierced tip, I felt like I was going to explode before we even got started. “Oh, why? Anastasia was really looking forward to it.” “I don’t know why Anastasia would be looking forward to it. I didn’t say I was going,” I ground out through clenched teeth right as Everly wrapped her soft full lips around my cock and hollowed out her cheeks. “She misses us having you all to ourselves, Declan. I mean, do you have plans with Everly?” Her tongue swirled around as I tried to listen, as I tried to formulate any sort of thought other than that I wanted to fuck this woman for the rest of eternity. “I do have plans. With my wife. For the foreseeable future. So, don’t make another plan for me.”

Every night after dinner, he kissed my forehead as I announced I was going home. Then, he let me walk off. Sometimes, I saw him go back into his house, but a few times that week, he got in his car and drove away. I’d watched for his headlights every night. I didn’t see them until much later, and my heart crumbled at the thought of him with other women, women who probably didn’t come with the baggage I did. I didn’t ask. I didn’t have the right to.

“Because this feels like we’re forced, like we don’t even have a real relationship and now we’re rushing to bring another human into it for what? A studio and some shares? I won’t. I’ll find another way.”

“Then, we’re going to the doctor and deciding the rest later.” I stared at the papers and then fisted my hand before grumbling out, “One doctor’s appointment.” Then, I brushed past him to leave the office. He followed me and said, “Put your ring back on, huh?” “Not happening. You need to earn that ring being on my finger.”

Facing an attacker head-on was what I was taught. I didn’t really have anything to lose at this point anyway. “Oh, Anastasia, I don’t think that’ll ever happen.” “Why not?” “Because I’m married to him, and I’d object a hell of a lot to another woman marrying my husband.” I felt those words in my bones, they rattled in me like I owned Declan now as much as he owned me. I wanted that, and I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I knew I had to figure it out.

“Would children with me be so terrible?” He suddenly sounded tortured, like he was mulling it over in his head for days and days like me. Gone was the clipped tone, gone was the thought of him giving me updates on what he reported to Mrs. Johnson. Instead, I heard his pain, heard that he might want this more than he let on. “Because

There wasn’t really a point. I still heard her screaming. Minutes passed as I watched the ocean and then the city lights fly us by. Halfway through, Declan tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear and his hand went to my leg. The dress was long, but there was a slit he found immediately. I gasped at his touch and his eyes caught mine. “Anastasia, I told you I wanted to bring my wife.” I heard her say I wasn’t really his wife.

“Can I have one dance?” he asked her without even giving her a hug. “I haven’t seen you in weeks and I know you’re avoiding me because you heard about what happened between me and Dec, babe, but it’s no big deal.” Everly stood straighter as if suddenly appalled by him. It was a different version than I’d seen of her. Normally she greeted him with a smile. “No. I absolutely won’t be dancing with you.” “What?” He almost stumbled back like he couldn’t believe she’d say no. “You broke my husband’s wrist,” she hissed, and Wes’s eyes widened while my damn heart swelled. Hearing her use that title in public had me proud as fuck.

She whimpered my name over and over as the aftershocks shivered through her body. Even still, her hand stayed on my cock and then pulled me forward. I grabbed her hair and whispered in her ear, “I think if I could, I’d have you forever, Everly.” And then I shoved into her.

We need to love.” Her voice shook, and I saw how she tried to have the courage to share the feelings she thought I wanted to hear. “And I think I could—” “I don’t love you, Drop.” I cut her off fast. I needed to say it out loud anyway. Maybe if I could convince her of it, I’d believe it myself. I didn’t want her love this way. I wouldn’t have it be like this. Not with the weight of a will bearing down on us.

“Why are you doing this?” I stood from where I had been sitting with him and glared at him. He took a deep breath. I noted he had dark circles under his eyes like I had under mine, and his gaze looked tortured. “I’m supposed to take care of you. I’m your …”

“Everyone hear me?” He walked around the ring and eyed every man in the gym. “You touch my wife you answer to me. And I’ll break every bone in your body before I let you leave my gym. Do you understand?” No one answered directly. I think they were all as shocked as I was. Before I could say anything, he bent under the rope and hopped out of the ring. “Everly Hardy, get your ass in my office, now.” Shit.

they knew I loved Everly.

“Working for you means nothing.” “It means everything because I can’t live without you. I’m so far in love with you that I can’t see straight. You know I go to bed touching this?” I held up my hand and pointed to the string on my ring finger. “And I wake up, still touching it like it can bring me closer to you. I’ve suffered days with seeing the hurt in your eyes and wanting to make it better, with seeing you pulling away, and wanting to pull you back. I. Love. You.” I ground out.

can’t fucking quit you even when I try. You’ve broken me like I’ve broken you. I need you. Need you at breakfast, at dinner, here, everywhere. I can’t fucking breathe without you, will never be able to live without you.”

“I’ll earn whatever the hell you want me to as long as you’re here, as long as we’re in this together, as long as you know I love you.”

“Did it ever matter? You still would have gotten the shares.” He was confident in that statement. He definitely knew something I didn’t. “I own half of StoneArm. The Stonewoods own the other half. I would have just given them to you had you asked.” “You motherfucker—”