Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 7) (8 page)

“I think I’m the
luckiest man in the world. You’re gorgeous, Cat.”

“Thank you.”

I can’t believe I’m
feeling shy right now. I’ve
never
been shy a day in my life. But I am with him. Not in the sense that I
want to hide my body, but with the way that I like hearing the
approval in his voice. Maybe a little too much.

“If we do this, it
will make it a little more real, Crown.”

“It’s been real
since we met, and we both know it.”

He holds out his hand
to me, and I take it. After kissing me sweetly for a few minutes, he
takes things deeper, pulling me down on top of him as I open my mouth
to his probing tongue. We sit with me just rubbing myself over him as
I straddle his legs, until it becomes too much for both of us.

“Do you want me to
lie down?”

“No. This is good,”
I tell him as I lift myself up and reach for one of the condoms.

After I’ve put it on,
I slowly move down onto him. I fight the urge to just take him all at
once, savoring the pleasure that I feel as he stretches me. He has my
nipple between his teeth and bites down as I fully seat myself. I
flinch at the slight pain.

“Sorry. You just feel
so good.”

“So do you.”

I start to move slow,
and then fast, finding a rhythm that has us both moaning. He’s
still playing with my tits as I pull on his hair. Until he suddenly
grabs hold of my hip with one hand, thrusting up as he grinds me down
onto him. His other hand moves between my folds, finding my swollen
clit, and twisting it between his fingers.

“How close?” he
asks, barely moving his mouth from me.

“Very,” I manage to
breathe out as a wave of pleasure crashes over me.

I ride it over the
edge, yelling out his name as I arch my back and grind down on both
his fingers and his cock. I’m still shaking when he starts
shuddering and cursing. My name comes out of his mouth on a sigh as
we both stop moving. That was…I don’t even know…amazing? Mind
blowing? Best ever? All of the above? Yeah, that’s it.

“You okay?” he asks
me.

“Better than.”

“That
was
pretty epic.”

I laugh as I tease him.
“You’re starting to talk like me.”

“I’ll say or do
anything you want after what just happened.”

“Or we could just do
it again.”

“Give me a little
time to recover, and then I’ll be more than happy to make love to
you again.”

“No. Don’t say
that. It wasn’t that,” I tell him, moving off of him to gather my
clothes.

“What was it then?”

“Fucking. We fucked.”

It’s a lie when it
comes off my tongue, and he knows it. I can’t allow it to be more,
though. Not with Brayden. He needs something from me that I can’t
give him, and despite our “truce,” I know he won’t stop until
he gets what he thinks he needs. Which means he may have to go back
on his promise not to harm me. I can’t just give the jewels to him,
and if love gets involved in what we’re doing, it’ll make it that
much harder on both of us.

“Bullshit. That was…I
don’t know exactly what it was…but it wasn’t just fucking. We
both know it, so stop pretending.”

“What happens in the
light of day, Brayden? Do you just forget that you want something
from me that I can’t give you? Do we make this engagement real and
live happily ever after? What?”

“I don’t know.”

“Fucking,” I say,
turning to stop the stupid tears that are threatening to fall. I’m
not a crier. I’m not.

“Come here, Cat,”
he tells me pulling me into his bare chest, and holding me tight.
“We’ll figure this out somehow. I promise. Just don’t belittle
what we are, or what just happened. Please. Give me—us—a chance.”

“I want to,” I tell
him honestly. “But what if it’s all too much with everything
else.”

“We’ll take it day
by day. Hour by hour. Minute by minute. Whatever it takes. Just be in
this with me, and let me have you, even if it’s just for now.”

I’m not sure I’ll
be able to handle it when the “now” is over, but I don’t want
to say no. I can’t. What I’m starting to feel for him is stronger
than I’ve ever felt for anyone else, and I don’t want to be
without him. Forever was never on the table, so “now” is going to
have to do.

“Yes. Okay. We’ll
do now.”

“Score.”

“I’m going to make
an American out of you yet, Crown.”

“Or I’ll make a
Cyndryannite out of you.”

“Not likely. How’s
the recovery time, by the way?”

He moves back a little
to show me his erect cock. “See for yourself.”

“I think it’s time
to try the bed,” I tell him with a smile as I walk towards my
bedroom.

“Brilliant idea, Cat.
Absolutely brilliant.”

* * *

Brayden

“You’re running out
of time, Bray.”

“I’m well aware of
the timeline, Noah.”

“Yet you’re not
pushing her for the answers you need.”

“Leave it alone.”

“You’ve been
sleeping in her room every night for the past month, and you can’t
get her to tell you where the jewels are? Have you lost your touch?”

“I haven’t lost
anything, and it’s not like that.
She’s
not like that.”

“You really like her,
don’t you?”

“I love her,” I
tell.

“Bloody hell. Are you
willing to give up the crown for her?”

“I can’t.”

He looks like he wants
to punch me, and I take a step back without even realizing it. “If
she’s not worth more than a monarchy, then you don’t really love
her. You should stop leading her on.”

“Umm, weren’t you
the one telling me to seduce her secret from her just a minute ago?”

“When I thought it
was just sex, yeah. But if you’re in love with her, she’ll know
it. I don’t want you to destroy her.”

“You two
really
are getting along now, aren’t you?”

“Something like that,
but I mean it. Don’t fuck with her like this. It’ll end badly for
both of you.”

“I’m trying to
avoid a disaster, but as you pointed out, I’m running out of time.
My coronation is set for a month from now, and you know I promised my
dad that I wouldn’t be crowned without recovering the jewels.”

“Would he want you to
break the heart of the woman you love in order to keep that promise?”

“Probably not, but
he’s not here to confirm or deny that, is he?”

I don’t try to hide
the bitterness from my voice. My dad wasn’t supposed to die yet,
and no matter what anyone tries to tell me, I know there was nothing
“natural” about it. He was murdered, and once I get the jewels
and the keys to the kingdom, I’m going to find out who did it and
make them pay. Darcy could help me with it, but I’ll be lucky if
we’re still speaking by the time I’m crowned.

“I miss him too, you
know.”

I
do
know that. Noah’s father was a good friend of my dad’s, and when
he died, we took Noah in. My dad stood in for him everywhere he
could, while taking time alone with him to reminisce and keep their
memories alive. I know his death was like a double blow to Noah after
he’d already lost his own father.

“I shouldn’t have
snapped at you. You’re like a brother to me, but Darcy…well,
she’s something I never expected in my life. I’m having a hard
time dealing with loving her while knowing I’m possibly going to
have to destroy her.”

“So don’t. Make it
business only again, or give up on the jewels.”

“I wish I could do
either of those things, but I’m not man enough.”

“At least you’re
admitting it.”

“Some best friend you
are. You’re supposed to say that I’m more than good enough for
Darcy.”

“Sorry, but you’ll
never hear that from me.”

“What would I do
without your blunt honesty?”

“Listen to me telling
you the same things.” I turn at the sound of my cousin’s voice,
and can’t help but smile. Jenysis is a force to be reckoned with,
and both Noah and I have the scars to prove it.

“Jen, what are you
doing here?”

“Dear old dad said it
was time for a visit, which coincided nicely with my plan to come
here and kick your arse.”

“Excuse me?”

“Noah told me all
about your plan, and how you’re now going off the rails. I mean,
couldn’t you just shag her once and be done? She’s a
commoner
.
We don’t get involved in more than a tumble with them. You know
this.”

“Hey. I’m a
commoner, too,” Noah reminds her.

She waves her hand at
him. “Ten years in the palace makes you anything but a commoner.”

“Why does it matter,
Jen?” I ask, knowing the answer, but not willing to let Darcy be
talked about like she’s less of anything.

“We’re a monarchy,
Bray. That’s why it matters.”

“Will married Kate.”

“You’re not Will,
and our people are not British.”

“Neither are you, but
you choose to live there.”

“You know it wasn’t
a choice. Mum and dad said we had to move there after the jewels were
stolen. Just another thing to hate your Darcy for.”

“You love London.”

“I
do
,
but I don’t like having choices taken from me just because some
stupid girl needed to rob us. Or my parents breaking up because of
it.”

“Don’t hold back.
Say what you really feel,” Darcy says from behind me.

“Oh I will. You can
count on that.” Shit. Noah should’ve never told her what’s
going on. She better keep quiet, at least around her dad and my mum.

“I can also count on
you omitting some facts, can’t I? Like the fact that you were being
stalked around the time of the theft. Isn’t that a more plausible
reason for your family to move?

“You bitch.”

“Takes one to know
one.”

“I bet you wouldn’t
be so smug if I had a saber in my hand.”

“Oh, I think I would.
You wanna have a go?”

“Um, Darcy, you
should know that Jenysis is a highly skilled fencer,” Noah tells
her.

“So am I. How about
it?”

“I’d quite fancy a
chance to cut you, so yes, let’s.”

I look back and forth
at the two of them as they try and stare each other down. They’re
both redheads, but that’s where the similarities end. Darcy is in a
loose band t-shirt and her leather pants, while Jen is wearing an
elaborate designer top and wide leg pants. Darcy’s bright orange
hair is short and sassy, while Jen’s long hair has subtle shades of
red and is styled to within an inch of its life. Knowing them both, I
wouldn’t even begin to try and bet on a winner. They’re the
fiercest women I’ve ever met. Well, maybe Reina Corrigan is
fiercer, but thankfully, she’s not here right now.

“Here,” Noah says,
coming back into the room with the rapiers. I hadn’t even noticed
that he’d left.

“Thanks,” they both
say at once, and then head out the French doors before facing off.

It’s a pretty amazing
sight to see as they square off. They’re evenly matched as they
battle one another. They’re jumping on top of chairs, flipping over
tables, and doing a bunch of other shit that looks like it came from
some old movie. I can’t take my eyes off of Darcy as she wields
that sword. It’s fucking hot.

“You better not be
thinking about how hot Darcy looks,” I tell Noah, never taking my
eyes off the action in front of us.

“I’m not.”

“Don’t tell me
you’re looking at Jen.”

“Seriously? You know
Jen is like a sister to me.”

Darcy falters for a
second, giving Jen the opening she needs. She slices her blade across
Darcy’s thigh, and then pushes her to the ground as she cries out.
I start to move towards them, thinking it’s over, but Jen has other
ideas. She pulls Darcy up and puts her sword at her throat.

“What the hell, Jen?
You won the pissing match, now let her go.”

“No. She’s caused
this family too much trouble already. She’s going to tell you where
the jewels are or she’s going to die.”

“How is killing her
going to get Brayden the jewels?” Noah asks, and I can hear panic
in his voice.

“Either way, we’re
rid of her. I say it’s a win-win situation.”

“You’re not winning
anything,” Faith says, kicking the sword out her hand, and slicing
her across the arm with Darcy’s. I didn’t even see her pick up
the other sword, much less come outside.

Now she’s standing
over Jen, looking like an avenging angel. Her heeled boot is on Jen’s
throat, and the sword in her hand is hovering just over her rib cage.
My cousin’s trying to struggle, but it’s no use. Faith isn’t
budging, and in fact, she looks like she’s enjoying this whole
thing a little too much.

“Let her go, Faith.
I’m fine.”

“You wouldn’t have
been if I hadn’t walked in. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum over there
are useless.”

“We were in shock for
a few seconds, but we would’ve stopped her,” Noah says.

“Darcy could’ve
been dead in a few seconds.”

“What is going on in
here?”

I turn to see my uncle
rush outside. He’s understandably upset to see his daughter on the
floor with a sword being held over her. He sees Darcy, and seems to
grow even paler.

“Jen and Darcy were
fencing, and then Jen was holding her and threatening her. Her
friend, Faith, stepped in.”

“Jenysis? You were
going to harm Darcy?”

“Of course I was.
What is wrong with everyone in this family? She stole our jewels, and
won’t tell Brayden where they are. Shagging her and being nice
doesn’t seem to be working. I figured a little force would do the
trick.” Well, there goes the secret keeping. Thanks Noah.

“I raised you better
than this.”

“You raised me away
from my home, and my family. All because of her.”

“No. It was because
of a very dangerous man who wanted me to marry you off to him when
you were thirteen. We did not leave because of some missing jewels.”