“Morning.”

“Humph.” Briony tried to concentrate on reading the real estate section of the paper, but the sight of Cole with mussed hair and a soft white T-shirt made the words blur and run into each other. She did not need a reminder of the well-defined abs and deliciously toned pecs that were hiding under the white cotton. Who managed to keep their whites that white anyway? A glint of sunlight caught her ring as she lifted her cup of coffee and for a moment she stared at the row of diamonds. It was wrong. Felt wrong. And yet, there it was. Even though Cole had bought it, she was the one who had made sure the diamonds and platinum band were there. On her finger.

He’d been there five days and for the last two he’d managed to avoid her almost entirely. But not today. Today she was going to start making her vision a reality.

He poured himself a cup of coffee. “I’m going to the office. I’ll probably be back late. Don’t wait up.”

“Hold on.” Briony put up a hand as if it would stop him from leaving. “You’re the one who put his stupid name on the deed to my hotel in your damn contract. You wanted to see my plans? Here they are. They’re obviously not properly drawn up yet but if you sit down and listen I’ll talk you through them so I can get them to your builders or draftsperson or whatever. You think you’ll be able to keep up?”

“I’ll do my best.” He ran a hand through his hair and Briony would have snorted if it wouldn’t have given him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to her. The guy was a walking underwear commercial. No, he was a walking, grumpy, self-righteous, not-that-hot-really, underwear commercial. While she looked like a sad, rumpled commercial for old pajamas.

He looked at his watch. “I’ll drink this and shower, then we’ll talk. Ten minutes.”

Briony downed the rest of her coffee, finished reading the article, and then shuffled the newspaper out of the way. She meant business; time to prove it.

Coming back to Wilde’s as the future Mrs. Knight, Briony had fought to keep her tongue under control. Every time Cole had made a snide remark about the hotel or the Hell’s Boys, she’d managed to hold back. Sort of. Okay, she might have yelled when Cole suggested the boys park their bikes in the side parking lot, and she might have overreacted when he’d said her idea for flames in the reception area were over the top. If you call yelling “Get your pansy-ass developer-balls out of my hotel” a slight overreaction.

But he practically snarled every time Marnz walked into a room and the boys just looked at him like a walking billfold. All except Rocco. Somehow the two of them had managed an uneasy truce. Maybe Rocco sensed the same blanketed darkness in Cole that she’d seen, and sensed more of a kindred spirit than the other boys would ever dream was there.

Then there’d been the small thing of her firing his builders because they’d called Wilde’s a dump. It wasn’t that bad. Was it? She sighed. This should have been an exciting time. Engaged bliss! Renovation dreams! Secure future! And yet . . . “You were the one that blackmailed him into pretending he was going to marry you.”

“Indeed.”

Damn, he wasn’t supposed to hear that. She flattened her face into what she hoped was a more neutral expression. “That was quick.”

“Busy day. Let’s get started.”

Briony took a deep breath and lay out her sketches for the full hotel renovation. I will behave, I will behave. “I’ve considered a few of your thoughts about the reception area. We don’t have to have flames on the walls, but I do think that referencing the Raising Hellfire Gang is a good idea. You did agree that danger and sexy went together.” She put up her hand when he opened his mouth to speak. “Just let me talk all this through first, please.”

He shut his mouth and a small smile twitched at the edge of it. Good.

“Instead of full flames, let’s go with red and orange accents. It sounds clashy-clashy bad, I know, but look at this.” She pulled out a mood board she’d made with snippets from three interior magazines that she’d seen in Cole’s office. Red and orange were worked into great designs that looked modern rather than monstrous.

His eyebrows went up. “Keep talking.”

Yuss. “And in the bar I think it should be black and white and chrome. Everyone freaks out about painting things black ’cause, you know, dark, but if we knock out the wall and add three windows to the front to let more light in, the place will suck up the sunshine.” A roll of thunder punctuated her sentence. “When the sun ever comes out again.”

“Okay, you’ve got my attention. What about the rest of the hotel? And that bistro you wanted? I know two hundred and fifty thousand sounds like a lot of money, but you’re going to have to be smart with it if you want to start doing a bunch of structural elements.” He shuffled his chair a little closer to hers and leaned in over her plans and mood boards.

Briony inhaled the fresh smell of soap and . . . cedar? It was like being outside, a sharp contrast to the bike oil, musty leather, and body odor smells she was used to being around. Guess he did just shower. And he took care of himself. He has to, he has a fancy-pants business to run. Yes. And it was a little bit nice. A little? Okay, quite a lot nice. Being around a man who, for all his male-oriented, corporate-powerhouse focus, still thought about what he smelled like.

“What about if you change the layout a little more in this room?” He leaned in even farther and brushed against her arm. Do not react, do not react. Of course she wouldn’t. She was only engaged to the guy. She didn’t like him. Pretentious ass only thinks about himself.

“And then if we swing this around here . . .” He looked up at her and grabbed a pencil. “Okay if I write on these?”

She nodded.

He went on, redrawing the layout on a couple of the bedrooms that made so much more sense she could have kicked herself. She picked up the pencil and started modifying her original ideas, taking his suggestions and adding in new elements as inspiration hit her. “Who knew, they look even better than I could’ve imagined.”

“I’ll take that as a thank you.” Despite the proximity and their intimate focus on her drawings, Cole’s voice was cold and he sat back in the chair as he spoke, putting down his pencil and checking his watch.

“Just this last bit then we’re good to go, okay?” Briony put her pencil to her mouth and twirled the end with her tongue. What are you doing? The way Cole pulled back sent cold hands of disappointment through her stomach. I’m not doing anything. Except toying with your pencil? Leaning over and giving him a good view of your cleavage? Scraping for his attention? Except that.

She sat up straighter. “I was thinking we should push for a higher environmental standard.”

He snorted. “You’re kidding? A biker bar with a green eco edge? How do those two go together?”

“It might not seem very rock and roll, but bikers give a shit about stuff, too. When you’re on a bike everything is exposed. The weather, the dirt, the road, they all come at you a hundred miles an hour. Makes you think.” She jutted her jaw. “And anyway, it’s my hotel. But if you start getting antsy, just think about how it’ll help the hotel fit into your development.”

“Okay then. Continue.”

“I was thinking we could have a thermal mass element in the new wing. We have to redo the wall anyway and maybe we could get some passive energy out of it.” Pouring a concrete floor would suck up the heat from the sun and look sleek and modern. If they did it right it would provide heat for the hotel in winter down in that wing, too.

Cole sat back in his chair and Briony checked his face. Okay. So he wasn’t looking at her like she was an idiot. That was good. “It’s the right sun orientation. Polished concrete is easy to care for and goes with the biker theme.”

He took her pencil from her again and sketched on the plans. “If you upped the insulation level here, made sure everything was double glazed. Huh. Not bad, Wilde. Not bad at all. How do you know about all of this?”

“I read,” she said. “A lot. You’re not the only one who goes through Architectural Digest in their spare time.”

“As well as playing with bikes.”

“That, too.” Damn, was she blushing? Again. The guy had the ability to make her face flush at the most innocent innuendo. That didn’t happen. Ever. “One day, Wilde’s will be able to open its doors to everyone. Acceptance for all and all that. We’ll be fine then.”

“We?”

“Yes, we.” She stiffened.

He looked at his watch. “I really do have to go, but I’ve got a break in an hour. Come into the office with me and we’ll finish this off.”

“Today?”

“I thought you needed to finalize these ideas so you could get them drawn up and in for quotes?”

“I do. Okay. Right. Shit. I’ll just change.”

“Yes. Good plan.” He looked her up and down.

Her skin buzzed, his eyes searing through her as if they were his hands going up and down her body.

In her room she played with her hair, putting it up, then taking it down. What does it matter? You could shave it off for all the good it’s going to do you. Cole was giving her attention because she’d made him. Period. Dressed in one of the black suits Cole had bought her, Briony didn’t quite feel like herself. Giving herself one last look in the mirror, she raced back downstairs.

“Better,” he said when she met him in the lobby.

She cocked an eyebrow. “Gee, thanks.”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate tracksuit chic, it’s just that when we’re at my office, we’re in my world. And you need to look the part.”

“I get it already.”

“Do you? Because I was going to say we should pitch your plans to the board. We only meet once a month and if you really want to get going quickly I’d like to pass this by them.”

“Wait. What? Today?”

“You did a great pitch to me. We can have some simple layout plans drawn up before the meeting.”

Briony’s insides shrank to the size of an infant’s and she had trouble breathing.

“Come on. I have to go. You want to get started or not? Time to start playing with the big boys if you’re going to make your hotel fit into my world.”

“Okay.” The word came out as hardly more than a squeak. But it was enough for Cole and he strode out of Wilde’s and to his car.

* * *

His world. And wasn’t that the truth? Sitting in his boardroom again, her plans laid out carefully on the table with the addition of a simple CAD layout of what she and Cole had discussed, Briony closed her eyes, trying to find her calm.

“Are you ready? They’ll be online in two minutes.”

“No.” She turned to see Cole standing, feet apart behind her. This was not her world. This quiet unnerved her. The way people whispered down corridors, barely raised their voices, it was weird. Where was the shouting? She looked Cole in the eye finally. He was calm. Hell, he was cool, calm, and all kinds of classy, whereas she was—she looked down at her suit—a total fake.

“Fake it till you make it. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”

Her head snapped up but she didn’t have time to quiz him on whether he meant it was obvious she was faking it or whether he thought she could make it because the weird UFO thing in the middle of the table started vibrating and flashing.

“That’s us. Don’t fret, princess, you’ll be fine. And I’ll lead you through it.”

He pushed a series of buttons and three faces appeared on the screen in front of them.

“So this is her then.” An elderly man was the first to speak. Frank Knight, she realized with a start, although a slightly grayer, more worn version of the man she’d seen online. They must have been old photographs.

“Indeed. Dad, Brian, Margaret, this is Briony.”

“Pleased to meet you,” chorused the welcome through the video channel.

“I thought it was time I introduced her so that we can get started on the hotel renovation. I know it’s a big deviation from what we had originally planned, but it’s not a bad one. Briony is passionate about keeping a sense of the old community together and although I know some of you will laugh, I’m sold on her idea that too much new can be . . . too much.”

“Well she’s a stronger woman than me then,” said Frank to the chuckles of the other two.

“I figure it’s her passion project, so she should lead the charge here.” He waved at her and Briony realized this was it. She was up.

“Wilde’s has been a community institution for decades. People have fallen in love there, been married there, celebrated all the milestones life has to offer. If we renovate rather than rebuild, we get to capitalize on that sense of community history. In a new development like this, it’s important that people feel that they have a place that knows them. Knows who they’ve been.”

“She’s good,” said the guy named Brian. He gave her a wink.

“With this renovation we’re talking about bringing the place up to code and into line with the eco credentials of the rest of the development. Integrating thermal mass with concrete floors, increasing insulation, reorienting some of the rooms to maximize passive heating. But we won’t destroy her character, we’ll emphasize it.” As she spoke she pulled up the plans and talked them through it. Pointing out features both old and new that would make it into the renovation. She kept expecting Cole to butt in, but he sat back, looking like he was enjoying her pitch as much as the three faces on the video screen. As she spoke through her vision a glimmer of what life could be like at Cole’s side shimmered in her mind. To have people listen to her, quietly, reasonably, and ask questions, was new to her. Her body relaxed, and the smile she flashed Frank when he complimented another detail was a real one, not the forced shiny one she’d had on at the start of the pitch.

“A biker hotel could be a sexy addition,” she said as she started wrapping up. “A little dangerous, plenty real. It keeps the development from being too cookie cutter.”

Frank’s face dropped and Margaret frowned. “Huh. A biker hotel. You sure that’s a good idea? It doesn’t exactly fit with the rest of the development. Bit on the dark side, really.”

“Yes, I’m sure. The place has been there for years. It’s an institution. And bikers are people, too, real people, the type of people that need places to live. Places like your apartments. That counts for something.”

“No wonder Cole was into the idea. Always loved speed. Have you seen his car? Ridiculous thing. Drive that up to a biker hotel and I don’t think it’ll last very long. He might have to borrow a Harley.” The old man laughed.

Briony tried to keep her face straight, but the older man’s mirth was contagious. What the hell was going on? Frank Knight was supposed to be a heartless developer, one that raised Cole to ride his competitors like a fat man on a motorbike: hard and heavy.

Cole finally butted in. “There’s actually quite a market for this sort of venue in L.A.” He nodded to her.

“He’s right. We’re not in New York here. The research is all there. The biker market around here is huge. There’s at least four big rallies each year that book out everything in town and some of the people who ride bikes have plenty of . . .” She searched for a word that would sound proper. “Disposable income. We’re thinking to cash in on that and make it a real scene.”

“You think she’s right?” It was Brian and his eyes focused on Cole.

“I think she’s got a good case. And the renovation will work out cheaper than reconstruction.”

“Well that’s a win-win.” Brian sat back, seemingly sold on the idea and Briony gave herself an internal high five.

“We’re ready to get things underway on this end. What about everyone else? Shall we green-light it?” Cole said with such a firm tone that he didn’t seem to leave any room for disagreement.

Frank waved at the screen, clearly consenting, and Margaret gave a small, pert nod.

“Great. Then we’re decided. I’ll have the minutes and plans sent around this afternoon. Everything else is on-schedule and on-budget. That will be attached to your emails also. Have a good day, everyone.” He pushed a button and the screen went dark.

“Well done,” he said to her. “I didn’t know if you were going to be ballsy enough to bring up the biker credentials but you nailed it.”

“I did?”

“Better to put that stuff on the table straight up. Acknowledge it and turn it to your advantage.” He nodded. “I’ll see you back there.”

“You’re going?”

“Work to do. Book a meeting with the builders for the end of the week and we’ll get some pricing done.”

Briony slumped into a chair when he’d gone. The adrenaline of having to stand up there and literally save her hotel in front of a bunch of squillionaires suddenly left her system. Her hands shook and she grabbed a glass of water from the table and gulped it down. “Holy shit. I did it.”

“You certainly did.” The voice came from the UFO conference-calling device in front of her and Briony’s eyes widened. Oh fuck. “Frank? You’re still there?”

“’Fraid so. Damn thing wouldn’t turn off.”

Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Briony went back over what she and Cole had talked about but there hadn’t been anything out of character. She hoped.

“Hold on a minute. Let me see if I can get the video whatsit working again. My secretary left at the end of the meeting.”

Frank’s face flickered back up on the screen and Briony took a deep breath, hoping she still looked smooth enough to pull this off. “I can see why he likes you.” Frank’s voice was softer and a small smile lingered around his lips, the same smile Cole had been unable to hide when she’d called out the woman in the department store.

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s okay. Cole’s already told us about you. Well, he told us the bare minimum. He didn’t say how pretty you were, though, or that you had such a nice smile.”

Briony looked down. Shit, the guy was making her like him. “A nice smile does not always a nice girl make. Sir.”

“I’m sure. I have to admit I’m surprised that he thought a biker hotel was a good fit for the development.”

“But you just said—”

“I know. But my days of being in charge are long gone. Cole doesn’t know it yet, but the board will do whatever he wants if he keeps going like he has been the last two years. He’s really hitting his stride.”

Huh. He made it sound like Cole hadn’t always been such a smooth control-freak. “Well, he likes the idea enough to back me. So I guess it must be a good idea. And like I said, bikers are people, too.”

“Indeed. Brutal, sometimes heartless people, in my experience. But people. And Cole knows better than most that you can’t judge a man by his . . .” He paused and rubbed his chin, just like Cole did. “By his motorbike.”

“The Hell’s Boys that go to this hotel aren’t a bad group. They’re good to me, anyway. They’re family. Hang on, what do you mean Cole knows better than most? He doesn’t even ride a bike.”

“Not a Harley, no, my dear. But he definitely rides a bike. He’s not averse to the feeling of the wind in his hair. Always liked speed, like I said. A little too much perhaps.”

A dark past? Briony wanted to push for more.

“What the hell?” Cole appeared at the doorway to the boardroom, looking angry but nervous.

“Ah, Cole. I met your girlfriend here properly. Nice of you to set it up.”

“Briony, a word.”

“It’s not her fault,” his father said. “Your conference whatsit wouldn’t turn off. She was just keeping an old man company.”

Cole turned to her. She went to hold her hands up then registered the use of girlfriend rather than fiancée and raised her right hand. “Honestly, I didn’t even know what it was till it started ringing.”

“Anyway, I shouldn’t have met her without the others in the room anyway,” Cole’s father said. “I can see why you like her.”

Cole opened his mouth to speak but his father put up his hand. “I’m an old man. I can say whatever I like. If I embarrass my children when I do it, it’s an added bonus.” He grinned and Briony had to stop her jaw from dropping. This guy was the evil developer she’d been hating on for the past six months?

“This whole sexy and dangerous thing with the hotel. That’s your idea?” he said to her.

She nodded.

“It’s a good spin. You’re good at this, young lady. Although, what that actually means, I have no fucking clue,” he said with a chuckle.

“No fucking clue huh? You’re as big a sucker as I am then.” She wasn’t sure, but Briony thought a tiny flicker of amusement twitched at the side of Cole’s mouth. Was this really the same guy she’d blamed for destroying her whole world? A guy who his father intimated had a past dark enough that he could understand the forces that drove her biker family to do the things they did?

“Anyway, if you’ve interrogated Briony enough for now, Pop, we have work to do.”

“Fair enough. Don’t be a stranger, Briony. I can understand why he wants to keep you all to himself, but call me whenever you like.” His face disappeared from the screen as Cole pushed the buttons on the control box.

“Do not call him whenever you like.” Cole’s eyes flashed at her, the challenge clear. “That section on bringing my reputation into disrepute? It extends to my father. Leave him alone.”

“He seems like a straight-up guy. I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to share him.”

“Ha. Nice try, Wilde, but if he knew why I was engaged to you I think you’d find he was a whole lot less charming-old-man and more fatal-shark-bite. I mean it, leave him alone.”

“You haven’t told him we’re engaged, either, have you?”

“No one could ever accuse you of being slow, Wilde. No, I tried, but he was dead against it. Told me to wait six months. So we’ll wait four and everyone will be happy. As long as my brother doesn’t spill the beans.”

“Anyway, your little stunt trying to get this announced online hasn’t reached him yet so we’re okay, as long as you don’t try anything like that again. So, your plans. Let’s go through them.”

* * *

A week later Briony got an email she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to read or instantly delete.

I DID TELL HIM TO WAIT BUT HE’S NEVER BEEN VERY GOOD AT THAT. I HOPE IT’S A NICE RING. CALL ME SOMETIME.

Briony read the email again, and then the sender’s address: wasn’t any dodging it. Cole’s pop was not out of the loop, and she had most definitely stepped into it somehow. “How did he even get my email?”

She wondered whether to tell Cole or not then decided now was not the time. They were finally getting on and the builders were pushing ahead. Materials were arriving every day and walls were crumbling beneath the impact of sledgehammers.

But the next day her phone trilled with an unlisted number.

“Briony?”

“Yes. This is she.”

“Good. Did you get my email?”

She froze. “Um. Yes.”

“I thought you might have replied.”

Pulling herself out of the hold that shock had gripped her in, she looked around but couldn’t see Cole anywhere. “Does Cole know that you know?”

“About the two of you already being engaged? I don’t think so. Probably worried I’ll be pissed. But I’m not, for the record.”

“Well. Great. Thanks, I think.”

“Congratulations. But seeing as it’s out in the open now, there are a few things you should know about him.”

Briony bit her tongue, not daring to breathe in case it stopped Frank from spilling something epic on Cole.

“He’s crap on a bike. He crashed mine years ago, thinks I don’t know about it. And he’s crashed that monstrosity he owns now at least three times.”

Briony let out her breath. So much for deep, dark revelations. “Really?”

“Don’t let him back on a bike. He’s an idiot with speed. But anyhow. I just wanted to touch base. Is it okay that I call you? Actually don’t answer that, and then if Cole berates you for it you can say it was all my idea and you didn’t want to just hang up on an old man. That would be rude. Wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good girl. No doubt you’re busy. I’ll call you next week.”

And that was it. Briony looked down at her phone incredulously. There was no doubt that Frank Knight still had a sharp side. He hadn’t been all sweet comments and lofty compliments at the board meeting, but he certainly wasn’t all business, either, not with her. This Frank Knight was sweet. An errant grandfather concerned about his son fucking up. Was there a part of this charming old man that was lodged inside Cole, too?

But a month is a long time in demolition terms and Briony was too busy to give much thought to Frank Knight’s similarities to his son. He kept calling her, as he’d promised, and each time it was as short lived and amusing as the next. So much so that she smiled every time she saw an unlisted number appear on her phone. This morning’s conversation had been about Cole losing a tooth when he was four and Briony had laughed even while she’d been going through the boring minutiae of detailing for the cabinetry in the kitchens.

“Join me for lunch?” Briony looked up from her drawing as Cole walked into the empty dining room, holding a bag of Chinese takeout in one hand and she put her hand over her phone nervously as if Cole might be able to tell she’d just been talking to his father. “Have you got anything vegetarian in there?”

“Egg rolls, chive dumplings, and seaweed soup. Sound good to you?” he said.

Briony’s mouth watered, and she made a space on the table.

“Good day?”

She smiled. “Amazing. Those new layouts you had for the rooms are going to look awesome once they’re finished.”

“I’m glad you like them.”

She put out a hand. “All I’m trying to do is keep my hotel. But thank you. For your help.”

He took her hand and the contact sent a course of heat up her vein toward her heart. “You better do more than that, Wilde. This hotel needs to be equal to the rest of the development. Bikers or not, this whole sexy and dangerous thing better work.”

“It will.” It already is. She looked into Cole’s eyes and wondered about what his father had mentioned about his past. It was the one thing she wanted him to talk more about, and the one thing he’d so far studiously avoided bringing up again.

“We don’t have to be enemies, you know.”

“Is that what we are?” He didn’t look away and she couldn’t take her eyes off his.

“I’m still working it out.”

The pause lengthened and she looked for something to fill it. Something to keep his eyes on her. Eyes that were making every part of her body warm and ripe and ready. “Your dad said you weren’t exactly the biker type.”

Cole laughed. “Did he now? I had his old bike. He tell you that, too? I crashed it, but I didn’t want to tell him.”

“I think he knows.”

He shrugged. “Figures. He was always good at finding things, less good at finding feelings.” He paused and she wondered where his mind went when he gazed off into the distance like that. “His bike was fun while it lasted. A real beauty. I got another one, not as fun as the old girl though.”

“Nothing like a classic ride.” She smiled, trying to encourage him to open up. And he did, he smiled back. “Nothing.”

“Not so slick after all, Slick.”

He chuckled and Briony’s heart swelled and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. There was more to Cole Knight than his fancy suits and sharp focus. More than fast cars and a dark past. More. And she wanted it all.

“I wondered if—”

“Everything okay, Bri?” Marnz sauntered in, cutting into Cole’s sentence. She turned toward his approaching figure and was surprised that with his dark black hair slicked back and his jacket thrown over the shoulder of his old, fitted, black T-shirt, he looked . . . hot? His chest was puffed out, but it wasn’t bad, either. Their one drunken hookup had been such a fumbled mess she’d avoided even looking at him properly for a while. And when he’d turned so alpha big brother she guessed he wanted to forget it ever happened just as much as she did.

“We’re good, thanks. Just talking business.” Cole’s voice was cold. Cutting. And he was sitting up in his chair all of a sudden.

“Just making sure the lady has everything she needs. Some of us like to treat our women right.”

Was this display of macho chest-puffing for her behalf? She looked between the two men, trying to hide the fact that she was doing so. They glared at each other, completely ignoring her now. The firm hands of her ego squeezed her heart and she bit her lip. Oh, my ever-loving, jealous stars.

“I’m sure your idea of what a woman needs is grand, but a quick ride around the block, three shots of bourbon, and an early night doesn’t really cut it in the real world.” Cole put his chopsticks down.

Briony’s jaw just about hit the floor. Did Cole actually say that? To someone from Hell’s?

“Well, around here, women know that a sparkly ring doesn’t count for much. We don’t buy women off. We earn their respect and trust.” As he spoke, Marnz walked closer toward Cole and Briony watched with a rapidly increasing heart rate as his nostrils flared and his shoulders moved even farther back.

“I’m a fan of trust and respect, too. And family values, but sometimes those qualities are difficult to find.”

“Not around here. Wilde’s was built on trust. Bri and us, we’re family.”

“Family, huh? Interesting. I could have sworn you wanted to be more than that.”

Marnz’s face flattened and Briony decided to put a stop to this before things got physical. “We are family around here and we support each other when things are good and bad. Don’t we, Marnz?”

Marnz pulled his glare away from Cole, and Briony was amazed to see a hint of a blush at the base of his throat.

Cole looked at his watch again and stood. “This has been all kinds of”—his face twisted into a grimace—“interesting, but some of us have jobs to get back to. Briony, I’ll see you later.” He pulled her to him and planted a kiss on her mouth that had nothing to do with family values.

She should have pulled back. Every time Cole kissed her, her insides melted a little more into an unrecognizable puddle. It was a bad idea, one that might permanently disfigure her intestines and was definitely spoiling her resolve. She should definitely not have wound her hands up around his neck and let herself be pulled hard up against his firm, warm chest. And she should not have let his tongue dance with hers so she wanted to groan and open up to him right there on the table.

“Ahem.” Marnz coughed and Briony heard it as though it came through a filter. A filter of bedroom eyes and stupid lust.

Cole growled against her lips and his honey-gravel-mead voice sent shivers through her like it had the very first time she’d heard it. He kept his arms around her and stroked the back of her spine with his thumb. “I’ll be back this evening. Call me if there’s any trouble with the builders. And don’t do anything stupid.”

Stupid? But before she got to yell at him for spoiling a perfectly nice moment, he grabbed her again. And to make sure she really was going to turn liquid and flow into a pool of lust for him to dip his toe into when he felt like it, Cole took another kiss before releasing her. “Anything my fiancée needs, you’ll make sure it happens, won’t you? Seeing as you’re family and all,” he said to Marnz. “Have a nice day everyone.”

Before he could walk away, Briony grabbed his hand. What are you doing? “Umm.” She stumbled, trying to find a reason to keep him there, for them to talk, to get back to the intimacy she’d felt with him before Marnz had come into the room. Cole’s eyes flicked between her and Marnz and a little glimmer of something new—pride—prickled her skin. He was jealous. She let go of his hand and gave him a coy smile. He might think he could start to let her in, smoothing her over with talks about his past, only to push her away when it suited him. But if he was going to play hot and cold with her, she was done trying to make nice. It was getting boring and she didn’t do boring. “I’ll see you later on. Marnz can keep me company for the afternoon.” Turning to the biker, she gave him a big smile and moved to lace her arm through his. “We might just go for a ride if the rain lets up.”

Cole’s face darkened and Briony raised an eyebrow.

“Fine.” Cole turned abruptly and left the room, leaving Briony worried she’d pushed him too far, and at the same time, pleased she’d finally broken through his steel-clad veneer.

Begging the need to change out of her “city” clothes and have a quick shower, Briony left Marnz and almost ran to her room. What. The. What? Unzipping her dress, she pushed her hands through her hair. She hated Cole Knight, didn’t she? They only got engaged because she needed to save her hotel. “And you’re flirting with him?” More than that. She was letting him in, and it was getting to her.

She shook her head at herself and dropped her eyes to her ring again. He bought you a ring. A real one. And the way he’d kissed her just now . . . For some reason those two things together made her wonder about Cole Knight more than they should have. The ring was part of the show, sure, but he’d gone out of his way to get something that suited her. And they worked well together, at the board meeting, on the plans, with the builders.

Briony shrugged. Just because her ego wanted to believe there was more to him didn’t make it true. She would have to control her body’s reactions to him. Lust was nothing. Pure hormones. Turning toward the shower she pulled off her dress so she was standing only in her underwear. The cool early afternoon air on her bare skin brought goose bumps out all over. “I need a cold shower.”

“That makes two of us.”

She whirled, her arm coming up to cover her breasts, eyes widening to see Cole standing by her bedroom door.

“I didn’t hear—”

“You weren’t supposed to.” In three strides he was across the room and had her in his arms again, pinning her arms to her chest. “Good of you to get ready.” He pushed a hand through her hair, pulled her head back, and Briony welcomed his mouth and drank him in as if he were a long draft of hot chocolate. So good and so wrong. Must. Stop. Kissing. She pulled back a little, but Cole just danced his tongue deeper in her mouth and instead of getting the hell out, Briony fell further into the kiss, letting the sensation saturate her body, loving the feel of Cole’s hands on her bare skin, wanting more of the man in front of her.

Mouths still entwined, Cole walked her into her en suite, shedding his jacket and shirt as he did so.

She managed to come up for air for a moment. “You already showered.”

“I feel dirty again.” Reaching behind her, he turned on the shower and pushed her into it. She gasped as the cold water hit her, and again as he stepped in, fully naked. In a second the water heated up, but her breath still caught in her throat. Then his tongue was demanding hers and he was pushing her against the wall of the shower. Her hands went to his chest, smoothing the slick water over the light dusting of dark hair there. He released her mouth and his lips found her throat as one hand pulled her wet hair back to allow him fuller access. The other hand sent a shiver of heat screaming through her as it slipped across the front of the wet panties she still had on.

“Oh dear, you’ve got these wet,” he said and traced the line of her crease with a long, gentle finger.

She went to open her mouth to respond, but he covered her lips with his again and instead of protesting she let out a moan as his fingers continued to stroke her line of pleasure. He passed lightly over her thrumming clit, and moved along the line of the black lace thong, barely skating the edge of her ready, wet passage.

“Seems like you were waiting for me,” he said as he released her mouth and growled into her wet hair.

“Hardly,” she managed. “You said you were going.”

“And now it looks like you’re going to be coming.” He pushed the flimsy black lace thong out the way and circled the edge of her pussy.

“I don’t think—”

“No. You’re right. Don’t think. This isn’t about thinking.” He pulled his hand away and she missed it instantly, a small protest escaping her throat with a whimper. He chuckled and lowered his head to take her full breast in his mouth. His tongue rasped over her nipple and he sucked at it, pulling the nerve endings right to the surface of her skin. How could such a simple action cause so much reaction? With the water flowing over her and his tongue, mouth, and hands all over her body, Briony felt as if she was pure liquid sensation. Strong, sensual, delicious liquid she felt everywhere as Cole licked and nibbled his way down her body. When Cole lightly bit the underside of her breast, she felt it in her toes and at the back of her eyes just as much as on her chest. And when his hands strayed back down to between her thighs, she thought she might be in danger of heading down the drain as she melted.

“I feel like I’ve forgotten something,” he said as his hand moved again to the crease of her pleasure center. “Got it,” he said as he took hold of the lace thong in his fist. “I think these are ruined.” He tugged and the old lace tore in his hands.

“That wasn’t—” But he didn’t let her finish, instead sliding a finger between her thighs, inside her wet, hot sex, stealing any thought she had of protesting as her eyes shut with pleasure.

Briony opened her eyes and found Cole’s green eyes glinting, pure viper on her. She knew hers would be wide, dark, her focus lost in the sensation he was drawing out of her with his fingers. He added a second finger to his repertoire and twisted them both inside her, sending a shudder through her whole being. His eyes flickered, registering his satisfaction, and Briony closed hers again, arching her spine and letting her head fall back as the water from the shower cascaded onto her sternum. His head followed the flow of water downward and, gasping, Briony couldn’t believe the torrent of sensation mounting in her so quickly as his tongue swirled again around her hardened nipple. Dear god. As his fingers drove in and out, and in, and out, his tongue on her breast kept time and Briony had to fight hard not to completely dissolve.

“Let go. I want to watch you cum, and then I want to take you all over again.” Cole’s voice was a deep growl. The dark huskiness in his voice mixed with hot water, lust, need, and power. Briony shuddered and put her hands, palms flat, onto the wall of the shower to steady herself.

“You want it harder? Faster? How do I make you fall apart?”

“There,” she managed. “Yes, there. Faster. Now.”

His fingers sped up, and holy hand job, Batman, he dropped to his knees and let his tongue join his fingers, licking, stroking, loving her clit until she did what he demanded, she fell apart, completely, utterly, with no reserve.

“Oh god, oh yes, Cole. Oh my, yes.” She clenched around him and couldn’t help herself calling out his name, pushing a hand through his slicked-back hair, and finally, shuddering to a halt. The two of them rested a moment, him on his knees with his head against her thigh, her back to the wall, a hand in his hair. The shower poured on, but the world slowed. Amazing.

Finally he stood, and Briony tried to still her racing heart. “That was . . . unexpected.”

Cole ran a finger down the side of her jaw and tipped it upward. Good god, did the man have to be quite so generously endowed with gorgeousness? Briony suddenly felt smaller, despite the fact that this tall man-fest of muscle had just gotten down on his knees for her. She tried to still her breath, calm her heart rate, and push out a snappy retort. Best sex since . . . since the last time with him.

“Won’t you be late for your meetings?”

He shrugged. “I’m not finished yet. Turn around.”

Briony couldn’t believe the effect his growl had on her already satiated body.

She was about to protest when he pinned both her arms above her head and spun her to face the wall. His mouth pressed close to her ear and his voice rumbled into her brain, drugging her with desire. Again. “This time I’m going to take you from behind. I’m going to spread your legs wide and part you with my cock. And we’re going to watch every bit of it together.” He wiped at the glass door of the shower to reveal the mirror on the opposite wall, and Briony saw them: wet, naked, pinned against the wall. Her short frame was almost totally enveloped by his tall one and she wondered whether she would, actually, be parted by him, bodily.

As if to answer her question, he lifted her right leg, and tucking his under it, he held her high on the wall. The new angle pressed her farther up against the wall, and she gasped as the cool tiles met her warm breasts. “You’re going to open up to me like a ripe fruit, and I’m going to hold you up so my cock goes in right to the hilt.” Running his hands up from her waist, stroking her oversensitive breasts on their way up her body, he spread her arms wide, out to the edges of the shower.

Her hands pinned under his, Briony was completely helpless, but she felt anything but vulnerable. Instead, watching him move his hands back down her body in the mirror, she couldn’t believe that she was ready for him again. Ready, and oh so willing.

“Are you on birth control?” he muttered in her ear.

She nodded.

“Good. Nothing I need to worry about? I can always stop and get a condom.”

A shake of the head. “You?”

“A hundred percent clean.”

“Take me, then.”

He didn’t bother to respond this time, simply cupping her right butt cheek with one hand and guiding his rock-hard erection into her in one long, delicious slide.

Oh. Man.

Her passage still slick from his earlier attention, he slid in all the way to the hilt, just as he’d promised. Briony felt the stretch as she accommodated his girth, a stretch that was all sorts of good. He paused as if he, too, was relishing the sensation of their two bodies melding again. Surely, it hadn’t been such a good fit the first time? Or ever? Briony searched her memory frantically and nope, she came up blank. Cole fit her just right. So right.

Cole pulled almost all the way out and then plunged himself inside her again. She hadn’t thought he could go any deeper, and then . . . Bam. She gasped and he chuckled, close to her ear. “And we’ve only just begun. You need to idle a little longer or should we open it up to full throttle?”

Briony took a breath. “If you have to ask a question like that, you’re not half the man I thought you were.”

“Really?” He pulled out and thrust back into her, pushing her flat against the wall so the front of her pussy ground against the shower wall. “I might not own a Harley, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to drive a finely honed machine. If a woman can’t trust me to give her the ride of her life in the bedroom,” he chuckled, “or bathroom, then I’ve failed myself as much as I’ve failed her.” He gave her a long thrust, and ground his hips against her butt for good measure.

Briony didn’t respond; the words were ripped from her mind and throat. If this was him idling, then full throttle might destroy her.

“No smart-ass response. I’ll take that as a yes, please.”

She tried to dig her fingers into the shower tiles before raising her leg higher up the wall. As he thrust into her again she let herself rock in time with his rhythm, opening herself up to him, willing him take her harder, faster, deeper. Cole kept one hand on her butt, holding her up against the wall while the other moved between her waist and her breast. She arched her back, pushing herself against him to meet his passion. Gritting her teeth she managed a retort. “That’s a lot of words, Slick. I’ll believe ’em when I see follow-through.”

He growled and met her with a new rhythm that sent her pulse racing, her blood pumping hard and fast enough that she could hear it in her ears above the shower. Soon they were rocking together in a steady, glorious tempo, Briony guiding his thrusts with the arch of her back, letting him into her innermost center, relishing the grinding thrill of the base of his cock every time he delved deep. “I’m going to make you come so hard that your last orgasm is going to seem like something you bought on sale at Target. This one is going to make you wish”—he thrust into her—“you’d met me”—and again—“sooner.” Another thrust. “And then . . .” This time he nipped at the soft lobe of her ear in between words. “You’re going to beg me for more.”

There were no more words, no more thoughts. Instead, there was only the two of them. Their bodies melded together, their minds set on one purpose. Briony’s breath huffed out of her as his thrusts increased their pace as if he’d read her thoughts. He pulled her back from the wall after one mighty thrust and let his hand seek out the swollen nub of her ready clit.

“Now?” he growled and she nodded, feeling him already swelling, already almost at the edge. He circled her with one, then two fingers, keeping time with his rock-hard cock and keeping up the grinding, intense rhythm from behind. “Now?” This time she didn’t even bother to nod, letting out a moan that held her need, her want, her everything.

“Open up for me, baby.”

“Yes. Oh my. Oh, Cole. God.” He pulsed into her, filling her with his seed in a searing, shattering orgasm. Briony could do little more than hold on for dear life as his hand stroked her climax from her at the same time as he pumped his last into her.

For a moment there was nothing but the ear-ringing hum of their combined obliteration. Briony saw stars. Brilliant, white stars and when she opened her eyes they remained at the edges of her vision. Slowly, slowly, Cole withdrew and let her gently back onto her feet. Casually, he ran his hand down her front and brushed at the front of her pussy. “Lucky we’re still in the shower. You, sweet thing, are gloriously wet.”

Briony pushed back her sodden hair and turned to face her fiancé. “If you were hoping to turn me all pruney, you succeeded.” She held up her hands, and after such a long time in the shower, they looked swollen and wrinkled like a collection of fat raisins.

He laughed, and for a moment it was like it had been when they were going through her plans together. Resting his chin on her head, Cole sighed. “Guess we better get out of the shower then.”

“Guess so. You’ve got an empire to build, literally, and I promised Marnz I’d go for a ride with him. He knows some retro furniture restorer he wants to show me.”

At the mention of Martinez, Cole’s entire body stiffened. He stepped back. “I’ll leave you to it then. I gotta go, I’m going to be late.”

He turned and headed out of the shower, grabbing a towel as he went.

“Hey.” She took hold of his arm. “I didn’t make you take a shower with me.”

His viper eyes flashed and if they could have, she was sure they would have hissed. “No? You stand around naked when everyone comes knocking at your door? Actually . . .” He held up a hand. “Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.”

“I was hardly standing around naked.”

He looked her up and down. “Whatever you say.”

Briony’s shoulders hunched. She turned the water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping herself up. It was hard to stand up for yourself when dripping wet and naked. She clenched her teeth. “You are not the boss of me.”

“I was just now.”

She shuddered, the warm thrill of him taking her in the shower still buzzing through her body. “Only ’cause I let you.”

He smirked. “That right? Do I need to remind you what just happened?”

“Do I need to remind you that we’re only in this situation because of a certain sex tape?” No. Idiot. As the words came out of her mouth, Briony willed them back in as his expression went from flat to hard. Say something. Take it back.

Too late.

“No need to remind me of why I’m here, oh future wife. Not sure what came over me. The first time I was drunk. This time must have something to do with the company, makes me lower my usual standards. I wouldn’t want to hold you and your biker boy up. Like I said earlier, I have meetings all day. Don’t wait up.” He stalked out of the bathroom.

Briony’s heart contracted. All that intimacy had been in her imagination. They had a connection on a physical level, sure, and he was here because she’d made him, but otherwise . . . Since when do you care? She followed him out into the bedroom, unwilling to let him have the last word. “Fine. Don’t expect another round.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

She couldn’t help herself. Even though she’d decided to keep it to herself she needed something to lash back with. Something to hurt him, and she grabbed the closest thing that came to mind. “Your dad warned me you were a bitch when you weren’t getting your way.”

Cole bristled. She was sure she saw the goose bumps appearing on his skin. “What did you say?”

“Just that your pop likes to share embarrassing stories with me.”

“He what? How is that even possible?”

“We talk. Occasionally.” She knew she was taunting him, but she couldn’t help herself. The words just tumbled out of her mouth unbidden. “He emailed me. Then he called. He wanted to hear more about the engagement.”

His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. “I must have heard you wrong. He knows about our engagement? You told him?”

“Not me. Maybe your brother?” She shrugged as if it really was no big deal. “Don’t fret. He’s happy for us.”

“You don’t get to talk to my father.”

She pursed her lips. “Not my fault he’s bored. All that time on his hands, and little old me on the other end of the phone. You should hear the stuff he’s got saved up to share about when you were four.”

“Fuck. Off.” But even as he said it, his eyes flickered down and she realized her towel had dropped.

“Haven’t seen enough, Slick?” She opened the towel completely, but wasn’t quite prepared for the thrill having his eyes back on her sent over her skin. Goose bumps? Try petrol flames of heat. Holy. Hot. Damn. The guy had the ability to do things to her with his eyes she’d never encountered before.

He dropped his fiery gaze and it was a relief and a disappointment at the same time. “I’ve seen plenty, Wilde. Though probably not as much as Martinez.”

“Enough with bitching about Marnz. He’s not your concern.”

“Everything here is my concern. And your Hell’s Boys had better remember that.” He put his hand on the bedroom door and opened it to leave.

“They’re fine. We’re family, like I say. No one from Raising Hellfire is going to do anything to risk Wilde’s going under.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Neither of them moved and the tension coursed through Briony as if Cole’s hands were still on her body. She didn’t know what to think about the man in front of her anymore. No, that wasn’t true. She knew what her body thought of the man in front of her. It just didn’t quite fit with the DANGER KEEP OUT signs her mind kept producing. She should hate him. She did hate him. If he’d had his way Wilde’s would be having lunch with a wrecking ball. But it’s not. No, it wasn’t. It was getting a do-over on Cole’s dime. Isn’t that enough? Yes. Yes, it was plenty. She didn’t need anything else. Her ego might be hurt that he’d just used her for sex, again, but that was it. She’d enjoyed herself plenty. Time to get on with things.

Cash flow sorted, check. Hotel renovation underway, check. Hotty almost-husband happy, not so much. Let it go. She was, she would. Still, she couldn’t keep the parting barb on her tongue from slipping out. “Well, this has been all kinds of . . . whatever, but don’t expect me to welcome you back here just because you feel a need. I look out for family, but only family who look out for me. No one likes a guy who is only out for himself.” She pulled the door from his hand and nudged him over the threshold. Then, not waiting for an answer, she shut the door in his face.