ROYAL ROCK(129)

And besides, I knew my dad was only trying to keep me safe. I was sure he had his reasons for not contacting the police or hiring a different bodyguard for me, but he should have at least been more willing to take my feelings into account before simply telling me that I was either going to listen or I was going to be punished.

Before I knew where I was going, I felt the sand beneath my feet. The sun was dipping down below the horizon, throwing colors across the few scattered clouds. I took a deep breath of the salty ocean air, loving the smell of brine and sand and more as it rushed into my lungs.

For as long as I could remember, I’d loved coming to the beach. My dad had been successful for a long time, and so we’d always had a beach house. Our current house was actually number three, as Dad kept upgrading every time he landed a big deal. But the ocean was a constant in my life, and it almost seemed to make everything feel okay.

Except as soon as I looked back, I saw him walking toward me. His usual smirk was gone, replaced with a slight frown. He walked up next to me and just stood there, looking out over the ocean next to me. For a second, I forgot about all the crap we’d just left behind, about the pirates and the bullshit with our parents, and enjoyed his company as just a person.

“Good job back there,” he said, ruining the illusion.

I turned on him. “What was I supposed to do, roll over and take it like a good girl?”

He cocked his head and grinned at me. “No. I’d rather you roll over and take it like a bad girl. From me, at least.”

“Seriously, I’m sick of doing everything my dad tells me to do.”

“That probably wasn’t the battle to pick.”

I bit my tongue, looking back over the water. He was probably right, after all, especially considering what I had seen just a day ago, the pirates and the way Nate had so easily taken care of them. But it was all so overwhelming. I was barely keeping myself afloat when one new obstacle was thrown at me after the last.

First, I found out my mystery man from the club was my stepbrother, and if that was not bad enough, he was living with us. Now, he was the man I’d lost my virginity to, a cocky asshole who didn’t care about anything, and suddenly he was my bodyguard. Plus the violence and the fear. I was doing the best I could.

One wave after the next, threatening to put me under. Meanwhile, the only solid thing so far had been Nate, even though he was also the source of most of my anxiety.

“Your dad really didn’t want Lucille to know,” Nate said after a minute of silence.

“I’m not surprised.”

“I don’t know how he wanted to hide it from her, considering he just hired a shitload of new security.”

“She’s too drunk most of the time to see stuff like that.”

“True. Still, my mother is a drunk and a psycho, but she’s not an idiot.” He paused. “I bet Jonathan thinks Lucille will tell people about all this and threaten his deal.”

“Is that why he’s not calling the cops?”

Nate nodded, smirking. “He thinks the press would be bad for business.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Is it? At least he hired the best bodyguard possible for you.”

“If only he knew what that actually meant.”

“I’m sure daddy would have a fit if he knew you were fucking a guy like me.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’d have a fit if he knew I was fucking, period. And anyway,” I added quickly, “we’re not fucking.”

“You’re right. That was a one-time deal.”

“We’re stepsiblings now. Related. No more sex.”

“Strictly business between us.”

“Sure. Strictly business.”

He moved closer to me, grinning that delicious, maddening grin. I wanted to slap it off his face, but it always meant he was about to say something to really set me off.

As much as I pretended to hate every dirty comment, I was dripping wet even before it came out of his mouth. Truthfully, I loved it, and I loved the thrill that ran up my spine every time he told me what he wanted from me.

Which was why I was on my toes as soon as he started speaking, that familiar thrill between my legs already tingling, my soaking moisture more than obvious.

“Unless you want that business to be me fucking your sweet, tight pussy until you can barely limp the next day,” he said softly.

“No, thanks,” I lied. “I think I’d rather you just stayed quiet and invisible.”

“Impossible. You’re constantly staring at me like you want to rip off my shirt. Hard to be invisible like that.”

“You seem to be good at confusing lust with disgust.”

“And you seem to be in heavy denial.”