The Rivals - Dylan Allen Page 0,439

on my best matter of fact voice. “She’s picking Jesse up from the airport—”

“She’s picking up who?”

I wince at the twin claps of thunder in voice and eyes. “Now, Hayes—”

“Please don’t say you invited him to our house for Christmas?” he says in a voice low with warning.

I straighten my spine and meet his gaze unflinchingly. “Of course, I did.”

“Dammit, why would you do that?”

“Because he’s your cousin,” I say with all the righteousness I feel.

“Fuck that. His father tried to steal my company, tried to ruin my life, and almost ruined us. I don’t care if he wiped my ass when I was in diapers. He’s not welcome.” he growls.

I grab his elbow and pull him down the hallway to our study and pull the door closed behind us before I round on him. “Listen to me, I know you wouldn’t piss on his father if he was on fire, and I wouldn’t ask you to. But I think it’s a very good thing that Jesse wants to be here with us.”

He scoffs. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

I ignore his sarcasm and make my case. “Remember how, at first, you thought you were being loyal to your dad by not getting to know Lucas? And then I convinced you to try because all you were really doing was hurting Gigi and denying Phoenix the chance to have a relationship with their grandfather?”

His jaw tenses. “And you’re throwing that back in my face, why?” He fixes his stony glare at something over my shoulder.

I cup his face in my hands and draw it down until his eyes meet mine. “You know I would never do that.” I stroke the bold, high curve of his cheekbones with my thumbs and smile up at him. “I’m just trying to remind you that when it comes to family stuff, I know better.”

He pulls his face out of my hands. “Not about this. You want to forgive and forget. I can’t.”

I stifle an exasperated sigh. “There’s nothing to forgive Jesse for. He doesn’t speak to his parents either. And he’s alone.”

“Confidence, this isn’t your decision.”

“This is my family, too.” I tap my chest. “And I want to give our son the benefit of having as many loving adults in his life as possible. For me, that was the difference between surviving my childhood and falling through the cracks like my brothers.”

“Our son doesn’t need a superfluous relationship with estranged relatives to keep him on the straight and narrow. I didn’t have that and look how I turned out.”

I fold my arms over my chest and lift a knowing eyebrow. “Touché.”

His scowl deepens. “Thanks. Glad to know you think I’m defective.”

I sigh and reign in my defensive posture. I know this is hard for him. It’s goes against the core tenets of his character to embrace someone, who in his view, is aligned with the people who almost ruined his life.

I wrap my arms around his waist and gaze up at his face. His jaw is rigid and muscle in his cheek jumps as he bites his tongue and averts his eyes from mine.

“Mi amore,…please. I understand how you feel. I do. But you owe it to yourself, too.” I lift up onto the tips of my toes and press a kiss to his frowning lips.

His big hands grasp my waist to hold me in place when I pull away. “I like that better than anything you’ve said. Kiss me again.” His cups the back of my head and his lips crash down on mine, his tongue slips into my mouth and at that first taste of him, I’m lost.

I slide my hands up the hard ridges and smooth planes of his chest, around his neck until fingers slip into his hair.

“Yes, that’s it,” he murmurs against my mouth and then, with his possessive hands cupping my ass, he hoists me up. I wrap my legs around his waist, and he walks us backward until my back is pressed against the wall.

He rocks his hips into mine, stoking the wildfire of need burning its way through me. My head lolls backwards and he presses his lips to my arched neck, trailing kisses up my throat, nipping my chin and swiping his lips over mine in rhythm with the glide of the hot, broad crown of his dick over my clit.

“God, you’re not wearing panties, and you’re so wet baby,” he groans

“I’ve been ready for days, just waiting for you to catch up, King,” I