Sweet Seduction Sayonara by Nicola Claire Page B

father has promised me to another,” she adds, and my heart makes a pathetic attempt to beat out of my chest. This is not the explanation I was looking for. It’s worse. Far worse than anything to do with the Triads.
    “Promised you?” I rasp and she finally lifts her moist eyes to look at my face.
    I see so much pain there. I see her letting me go even before we belong to each other.
    And then she confirms it.
    “I must marry Tadashi in two weeks.”

Chapter 8

Strawberries And Fuckin’ Heaven
Ben
    H e looks like shit . I’ve never seen Finn look anythin’ other than put together. He’s smooth, smart and seriously good at what he does. But when he turns up at our house for an impromptu barbecue, it looks like he hasn’t slept in days.
    “I brought the beer,” he offers, slappin’ a dozen down on the table.
    “Fuck, my man,” I drawl from over by the barbecue, “it’s a Tuesday night and we’ve gotta talk business. You lookin’ to get shitfaced?”
    “Maybe,” he mutters, runnin’ a hand through short, blond, spiky hair that hasn’t seen a comb in, like, forever. I scowl across the deck at him as he puts down a folder on the table with a little more care. That’ll be the contract. But I don’t think he wants to talk about Abs and my latest house purchase.
    “What’s happenin’?” I ask, turnin’ the sausages over on the grill.
    “Busy,” he says, simply, pullin’ a chilled bottle out of the box and twistin’ the lid. He hands one to me and then gets himself another. He’s swallowed half of it before I can think of a way to get the fuckin’ idiot to speak.
    “Just busy?” I press, pretendin’ to be absorbed with the fuckin’ gunk on the plate of the barbie.
    “Has Nick been talking to you?” he suddenly demands, and whoa fuck, back up the dump truck.
    “No, shithead. You look like crap and I’m concerned.”
    He has the courtesy to look chagrinned. I flip a steak a bit too firmly.
    “Sorry,” he mutters.
    “You know,” I say, switchin’ the gas down low and movin’ to a chair at the table. “You seemed a bit distracted on Friday. Everythin’ OK, e hoa?”
    “Shit,” he says, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I completely forgot. What a chump. Congratulations!” he adds, thumping me on the shoulder. A little of the old Finn stares back at me.
    I grunt in acceptance and look toward the window of the kitchen to where Abi should be any second. If she’s had a chance to recover from our latest session, that is. I smile to myself, rememberin' her soft curves and smooth skin and fuckin’ loud scream as I made her come all over my face as soon as we got home this evening. My cock jerks in anticipation for round two. I’ve got some strawberry flavoured condoms in the drawer beside our bed; Red’s favourite.
    My gaze comes back to Finn and he’s lookin’ at me as if he knows what filthy thoughts I’ve just been havin’. Fuck him. He hasn’t got an Abi.
    And then my scowl deepens.
    “You got woman problems, my man?” I say, takin’ a swig from my beer bottle.
    He doesn’t say anythin’ straight away, which is unusual. Finn Drake normally has a smooth line prepared for every situation. Don’t let that surfer dude look fool you, he’s sharp as a tack and equally slick with it.
    That’s why I like him. He hides like I do, he just doesn’t use shadows.
    “Nothing I can’t handle,” he says, takin’ a big pull on his Heinie.
    I open my mouth to push him, he looks like a man who could use some serious pushin’, but Abi walks out with the salad in one arm and the plates and utensils balanced in the other. I’m out of the seat and grabbin’ her load before she’s made it even a metre.
    “I’ll take those, Red,” I say. “You sit down and take a load off.”
    “I’m pregnant, not incapable,” she says with a smile to soften the blow. I grunt, and drop the things on the table not carrin’ where they go.
    “Hey, Finn,” she says, acceptin’ a kiss on the