Page 52 of Forbidden Cravings

“What the fuck are you thinking? I’m gonna kill you both. First him, then you!”

“Shut up, Ty.”

“Don’t tell me to shut the fuck up, Casey! Mason’s a dead man. How long has he been fucking you? Have you both been lying to me this entire time?”

“Ty, I?—”

“Fuck! You have. I’m gonna pulverize him. And if he ever touches you again, I’ll lock you up in the nearest convent so you can never spread your legs again.”

The phone went dead and with it my heart crashed. Tyson had never been angry at me. Sure, he scolded me for some of my choices in men, for the clothes I wore, but he’d never been so ugly to me. I sat in the chair, my legs trembling too much to stand, my hands shaking so that I nearly dropped the phone.

Mason’s plane had already left, and he’d be in Treemont in a few hours. Enough time for Tyson to stew in his anger, enough time for him to become deadlier than he already was, and stupid enough to do something he’d regret once he calmed down. I didn’t need to call Mason to warn him; he already knew what awaited him. Phone still in my hand, I considered calling Tyson back but my brother was hot tempered and there was no reasoning with him when he was like this. Besides, he wouldn’t listen to me, no matter what I said, because it was Mason he blamed and not me. It was Mason he would expect anexplanation from but would never give him a chance to offer one up.

I stared out the door to my balcony, feeling helpless for the first time in my life and knowing whatever happened when Mason stepped off that plane would change my life forever.

Chapter Fifteen

MASON

The soft material of Casey’s scarf caressed my fingers as the jet approached Treemont. I’d spent the hours contemplating everything that happened, from the events at the Donelli house, to taking Casey again, to the scarf that still held her scent, to the barrage of missed calls I’d ignored when I’d been with her.

I looked down at the last text message, my gut twisting.

You’re dead, fucker.

Typical Tyson style—act first, talk later. This was the reason I’d hesitated to act on my attraction to Casey. Why I’d resisted her for so long. Tyson wouldn’t understand. He’d see my act as a betrayal. I was the one who was supposed to protect her when he couldn’t and instead, I’d touched her. He wouldn’t listen to any reasoning I attempted, no matter how profound it was. And it was profound. Casey had changed me, prying open a heart I’d closed off after my parents died. I couldn’t resist her if I tried. And if Donelli hadn’t asked to meet with me, I would have found an excuse to see her. Being without her was painful, but being with her completed me in ways I couldn’t have ever fathomed.

I’d taken her hard, smacking her ass and relishing how she’d responded, the moans she’d elicited that had made my dickache. But the second time, I’d made love to her, crashing with her into an oblivion I didn’t want to escape, one I knew no other woman would take me to because no other had. She’d tamed me, claimed me, captured me, and now she owned me. All of me.

The plane touched down, and I hardened myself to what I knew I would face when I arrived at the house. Tyson would want a fight. It would be physical and bloody, and I prayed it was one we both survived.

Breck stepped out first, ensuring the hangar was safe. My car was waiting, two of my men standing ready. Tyson emerged from the car, his eyes lethal. He strolled over to me, the tension in his shoulders almost palpable, his fists clenched so tight I could see the pronounced veins in his hands.

“Boss?” Breck asked, understanding immediately.

“Stand down. This is between me and Tyson. No matter what happens, you are not to interfere. Tell the other men.”

I walked toward Tyson, detesting the hatred that sat in his eyes. We’d had our fights in the past, always over small things, petty things, and nothing a simple brawl couldn’t settle. But this…I didn’t know if we would ever settle this.

“You fucking bastard,” he snarled.

“Tyson, hear me out.”

“About what? How you stuck your cock in my sister? How you backstabbed me, then lied about it?” He swung, and I blocked him, but not before his other fist caught my jaw.

I staggered back, rubbing my jaw. “I don’t want to fight you, Ty.”

“Well, too bad, because I want to tear you to pieces.” He lurched at me, his fists pummeling as I defended myself, trying not to hit him until he gave me no choice. We beat each other until we were both teetering, and I feared he would turn the fight to his favor with a weapon if I didn’t stop him.

“Tyson, listen to me!”

“No! You’re an asshole. That’s my sister! How would you like it if I fucked Riley?”

The thought was sickening, but mostly because Riley thought of him as a second brother. “I’d rather you than Tides!”

“Fuck off, no you wouldn’t! I trusted you, you piece of shit. And what did you do? You used my sister like a whore.”

His words sent a red-hot streak through me, and I attacked him, throwing him to the ground, my punches quick, his just as fast and violent.

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