“You’ve already got one.”
“I do?” she questions, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. “Who?”
“Me.”
She laughs. “Erm, I don’t think that’s gonna work for me, pretty boy.”
“And why exactly isn’t it gonna work for you?” I drawl, crossing my arms. Like fuck is she going with anyone else.
“Because we’re not supposed to be together.” She rolls her eyes at me. “Unless you wanna march down the hall and confess to my dad that you’re sleeping with me?”
“Not particularly.” I sigh, rubbing my forehead. “He’s gonna kill me.”
“Yeah, he kinda is.” She grins. “But you started it.”
“Pretty sure you started it by flashing your delicious body in that white dress,” I grumble, running a hand down my face and leaning my head against the headboard.
“White dress?” she asks, confusion marring her pretty face, her nose wrinkling as she tries to remember.
“The one you wore for your birthday last year.”
Raven smiles. “Oh, that one. Yeah, you can thank Mia for that.”
“Anyway, getting off topic. You don’t need a date, you’ll be with me,” I huff, pouting.
“No, I won’t. Leo can be my date,” she sasses.
“He’s security. He needs to blend into the background.” I clench my jaw. “You willnothave a date, Raven. Am I understood?”
She carries on like she didn’t hear me, her index finger tapping against her bottom lip as she muses, “I mean, there’s Daniel from one of my classes, or Tom… ooooh, yeah I could?—”
“Donotfinish that sentence, pretty girl,” I growl.
The thought of Leo as her date was bad enough, but another guy? Out of the fucking question. Raven’s my girl, and there’s no way another man will ever have his hand on her. Over my dead fucking body.
“—ask him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind being my date. Mia said he’s a dead ringer for Tom Hardy and that man is?—”
I grapple her before she can finish, holding her hands above her head and lying half of my body on top of hers. “What did I say about finishing that sentence, Raven?” I say through gritted teeth.
The jealousy coursing through my veins is no joke. It took me a few minutes to work out what the feeling was, seeing as it’s a foreign emotion. I’ve never done jealousy before, but I guess where Raven’s concerned, things are changing.
She gives me a grin. “James Smith, are you… jealous?”
“Absolutely not.” I fake pout, rolling off her and resuming my position.
She pats my chest and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before lying back down with her head on my chest. “Okay, grumpy pants. I won’t have a date.” She yawns before adding, “You’ll just have to fuck me before we leave, so your cum’s dripping from me while we’re there. That should ease your caveman tendencies for a couple of hours.”
I choke out a laugh. She’s got a point.
Yeah, let’s do that.
Chapter Forty-Eight
JAMES
I’m currently working on the latest merger—we handle so many, I lose track of them—when my phone rings on the desk. Absentmindedly connecting the call, I say, “Smith.”
“James,” a voice purrs. “I’m so glad I caught you.”
