Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 7) (11 page)

Darcy

It’s Friday, and I’m
really not ready for tomorrow’s festivities. Audrey told me she
wants Brayden and me to be involved in all of the daytime events. I
tried to say that he wouldn’t go for it, but she told me he’d
already agreed to everything she suggested. Which was not only a
surprise, but sent me into a near panic attack. I can handle the
little kisses and even holding hands, but this is going to be so much
more. It’s hours where we have to act like we’re in love. It
won’t necessarily be acting, but it
will
be torture.

Stella’s been keeping
Jenysis busy and away from me since she arrived. I can’t wait to
see my boys tomorrow, but I’m still stressed. Time is running out
for Brayden, and I need to keep my distance. I’ve had no other
encounters with the devil himself, but I know he’s around. If he
even has an inkling of me giving Brayden what he needs, the house of
cards I’ve so carefully built is going to come tumbling down around
all of us. That’s another reason the lovefest tomorrow is a
problem. It’s not one I can get out of though. I took this mission
knowing that it could create problems, but also realizing that I
needed to keep everyone close in order to have some control over what
goes down.

It would be easier if I
could tell the Society everything, but I swore to tell no one, so my
hands are tied. There’s only one person alive who can release me,
and he can’t do it unless the terms are met. So there’s really no
way out for me. I should be used to it, because for three years I had
only myself to depend on, but in the last seven years I’ve also
learned to depend on others. The women and men I work with, and call
my friends, they’ve always had my back, and without them now, I’m
floundering a little.

I hear a slap as I
round the corner towards the dining room for dinner. I see a red
faced Jenysis and a smirking Wayne in the hallway. He’s one of the
singers in Storyside and best friends with Stella’s boyfriend,
Kace. He has a red handprint across his cheek, so I’m not sure
where the smirk is coming from. I step into the shadows to watch this
all play out.

“You bloody bastard.”

“You wanted that
kiss, Jen. You’ve been asking for it all week.”

“It’s Jenysis to
you, and I don’t ever remember saying ‘please kiss me, Wayne.’”

“You haven’t said
the words, but you can’t keep your eyes off of me. Admit it, you
want me.”

“What I want is for
you to sod off. I’m not one of your groupies.”

“You’re not?
Because I’m sure it was you I saw dancing to our music on your
balcony last night.”

“You were spying on
me?”

“No. I was just
taking a walk, and then I saw you. It was hot.”

“I’ll give you hot,
you arsehole,” she says before punching him in the jaw and then
flipping him over her shoulder.

“Fucking hell. I have
to sing and play the guitar tomorrow, bitch.”

“You should’ve
thought of that before you tried to disrespect me.”

“How did I disrespect
you? I called you hot.”

I move down the hall
before he gets himself killed. “You should probably shut up now,
Wayne. She knows her way around a sword.”

“I have a sword I’m
pretty good with,” the loveable idiot says.

I run over and jump in
between them before she really does kill him. “What part of shut up
did you not understand?” I ask as I look down at him where he’s
still on the floor.

“You’re going to
protect him?”

“We need him to play
tomorrow. The people are looking forward to it.”

“Fine, but keep him
in line or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

“Got it.”

I wait until she’s
moved down the hall and into the dining room before helping him up.
“What the hell were you thinking?”

“Umm, she’s
gorgeous and uptight, and I think that’s hot. I like it.”

“You like that she’s
uptight, or you like that she just kicked your ass?”

“Both?”

“You’re
ridiculous.”

“But you love me.”

“I do,” I tell him
with a laugh. It’s almost impossible to stay mad at Wayne. “Now,
please, try and behave.”

“That’s no fun.”

“Nothing is fun about
this place.”

“Nothing? Because
I’ve seen the way Brayden looks at you. And the way you look at
him.”

“There’s not a damn
thing either one of us can do about it. So, yeah,
nothing
is fun.”

“I’m sorry, Darce.”

“Thanks.”

We head into the dining
room together and take the only two seats left, which happen to be
next to each other. Jenysis shoots me a dirty look as Wayne pulls out
my chair for me, letting me know that what was going on in the hall
wasn’t all one sided.
Interesting
.
I just give her an overly sweet smile in return.

The rest of the table
keeps the conversation going while I just take it all in. Zack and
Ainsley are doing a pretty good job of acting like they don’t know
each other, and no one seems the wiser. I guess they don’t pay much
attention to the American tabloids since those two are regularly
featured. Stella and Kace don’t have to hide their relationship,
and they’re acting like their usual lovey-dovey selves. Brett and
Kevin are keeping the PDA to a minimum, but I can’t help but smile
at the way they look at each other. I’m a little jealous of all of
them, if I’m being honest.

Nate, Jade, Matt,
Reina, Jake, and Aiden will be arriving early in the morning with the
mentors and their families. They’re going to be the hardest to
ignore, because the guys are my besties, but I’ll do what I have to
do. Nate’s already said that if Brayden gets out of line, he’s
going to kill him, royal or not, so I have to make sure to diffuse
any situation that may arise.

“Hey, should we give
the little prince something to be jealous of?” Wayne whispers in my
ear as he leans into me.

“No.”

“Are you sure? It
would liven up this dinner.”

“Thanks for the
offer, but I’m not into those kinds of games, and you’re too good
of a guy to be playing them, either.”

“Have your fans been
supportive of you since you came out, Wayne?” Brayden asks as Wayne
moves away from me.

Kace spits out the wine
he’d just taken a drink of and everyone else looks at Brayden like
he’s insane. Wayne raises an eyebrow, before responding. “Excuse
me?”

“I’m sure I saw a
picture of you kissing some guy.”

Ah. I guess the game is
being played, even if I’m not a willing participant.

“That was for
charity. Sorry to disappoint you if you were hoping to lock lips with
me.”

“You seemed pretty
into it for something that was only for charity.”

“If you have
something to say, just say it. Stop trying to act like I’m batting
for the other team. I’m not.”

“Defensive much? I
mean, you don’t have a problem with homosexual relationships, do
you?”

Shit. That’s not the
place to go with Wayne. Not when one of his two best friends is
openly gay. “No, I do not. And you’re on very thin ice at the
moment, so I suggest you tread carefully.”

“You’re in my
castle.”

“And that doesn’t
matter to me even just a little bit. If you’re jealous of me
talking to your fiancé, you need to just say it. Or better yet, act
like you’re happy to be engaged to Darcy.”

“You know nothing
about our relationship.”

“I know that you’ve
barely touched or kissed her since we’ve been here. You don’t sit
next to her at dinner, and you’ve barely acknowledged her presence,
other than to act like a jealous asshole.”

“She’s still mine,
and you need to stay away from her.”

“Do I? Because I
don’t think a woman like Darcy can be claimed without something to
back it up. Are you stepping up?”

I see the warring
emotions cross Brayden’s face as he tries to figure out how best to
respond. I can’t bear to hear him respond in the way I know he
will, so I step in. “Enough, Wayne. I appreciate your
support—however misguided—but as Brayden said, you don’t know
anything about our relationship.”

“He doesn’t deserve
you,” Wayne says, getting up from the table. “Thank you for
dinner. I’ve got to go tune my guitar.”

No one says much as we
finish dessert. Jenysis leaves a few minutes after Wayne, and I’m
really hoping that she’s gone after him. I say my goodnights to
everyone and head to my room. I’m too tired to re-hash the events
of tonight with my friends. I just need to curl up with my comforter,
and try to find a few hours of peace before I have to play the happy
fiancé again tomorrow.

* * *

Brayden

I can’t sleep. I’ve
been lying in my bed thinking about Darcy and Wayne at dinner. When
they walked in together, I was shocked. And when they were whispering
to each other, I wanted to kill him. I know it’s not rational since
I’m pretty sure he’s into Jen, but I was nearly crazed with
jealously.

I’ve also been
thinking about what Audrey told me. It kills me to think that Darcy’s
sleeping on her bedroom floor. And crying over me. I need to do
something, anything, to help her.

Before I can analyze my
actions, and make myself stop, I climb out of bed and head to Darcy’s
rooms. I walk into the game room, and can immediately tell that she
hasn’t been using it. I thought she’d be seeking solace in her
games, but she’s obviously not. I pause before her bedroom door,
and then slowly open it. I was pretty sure that Audrey was telling me
the truth, but seeing Darcy curled up in her comforter on the floor
nearly makes my heart stop.

I quietly close the
door and move towards her. “Darcy.”

“Brayden? What are
you doing here?” she asks in a sleepy voice.

I crouch down next to
her. “Audrey told me you were sleeping on the floor.”

“She shouldn’t have
done that.”

“Well, she did. Why
are you down here instead of on your bed?”

She looks away, and
closes her eyes before speaking. “I-I couldn’t sleep there
without you. The first night I tried, all I could think about was how
I would never have you hold me again while I slept.”

Fuck. “I’m going to
hold you tonight,” I tell her as I reach for her.

“I don’t want your
pity.”

“And you’re not
getting it. Seeing Wayne all over you made me want to throw you over
my shoulder and run away. I need to have you in my arms tonight.”

“Nothing’s
changed.”

“No it hasn’t. I
won’t lie to you about that, but I need you to also know that
you’re important to me. No matter what happens, I want you to know
that I love you Cat.”

“I love you, too,
Crown. So much.”

I pick her up and carry
her to the bed. “Day by day, then?”

“Yes. And night by
night, too.”

I stretch myself over
her, keeping my weight on my forearms as I kiss her deeply. I’ve
missed this—her—more than I ever thought I could. She gives me a
reason to breathe, and makes me want to be the best man I can be.
Audrey wants us to play the part of happy lovers tomorrow, but we
won’t need to play. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure
we both have a fun afternoon, and evening. It’s going to be real,
and special, and everything Darcy deserves it to be. I can’t offer
her much, but I can offer her tomorrow, and maybe if I’m lucky, the
next day, too.

She slides her hands
into my pajama bottoms as I kiss her neck. “I love your ass, Bray.
I just want to grab it every time I see you.”

“Try to restrain
yourself in public, but any other time, grab away.”

“Can I grab this
too?” she asks, stroking my cock.

“Yes, please,” I
groan out as I thrust into her hand.

“Roll over. I want
you in my mouth.”

I don’t hesitate.
What guy would? I love it when she takes me that way. I lie back and
pull my pants off for her, willing to do whatever I can to get here
there faster.

She smiles at me and
then takes one long lick of my fully erect cock. “Holy fuck. Fuck.
Fuck. Fuck.”

It’s all I can say as
she alternately licks and sucks me, driving me crazy. I feel her
smile as she takes me deep. “Oh yeah, like that. Just like
that…FUCK.”

I’m pulling her hair,
then massaging her skull, thrusting into her mouth like I’ve found
my second home, and just…yeah, losing control and loving every
second of it. Nothing’s ever been as good as it is with Darcy, and
I know nothing ever will be after her. Those are the last coherent
thoughts I have as I lose myself in the pleasure she’s giving me. I
come hard, and she swallows down everything I give her.

“You’re amazing,
you know that?” I ask her, pulling her up to lie next to me in my
arms.

“Me, or my mouth?”
she asks, as she runs her hand over my bare chest.

“Mostly you, but I
have to give some props to your hot little mouth, too.”

“I love doing that to
you.”

“How much?” I ask,
moving my fingers down to her swollen lower lips, and finding her
nice and wet.

“You can tell,” she
says, arching her back as I play with her clit.

I slide my fingers
lower, making her whimper. “I’ll be back, I just need a taste.”

I sink two fingers into
her, soaking them fully before removing them, and bringing them to my
mouth. I lick them clean while watching her move her own hand down to
touch herself. “You like?” she asks, through hooded eyes that are
a little glazed over. She needs me, and I’m almost ready to take
her. Thank God for stamina.

“I love. I could eat
you all day, and I still would need more of your taste on my tongue.”

She moans and moves her
fingers even faster. What she’s doing is beyond hot, but her orgasm
belongs to me, and I’m not willing to give it up. Even to her.