Between Commitment and Betrayal (Hardy Billionaire Brothers, #1)(49)

She nudged me, and when I looked at her, she had tears in her eyes. “If a man doesn’t love me like that, I don’t want him.”

I nodded, agreeing with her. “It’s really special.”

“And rare,” Clara added, her red hair blowing in the wind. Her eyes held such a sadness that I found myself leaning in and patting her shoulder.

“But not impossible,” I finished. Normally, I avoided hope. Normally, I knew better than to plant that seed. Yet, today, maybe just maybe, Clara and I were on the right path. We may not have been sisters like I’d always wanted, but we could be friends.

We were given directions on how to handle ourselves within the vehicle and then we went to change.

Cade discussed some key mileage markers with Declan and they both worked through what was needed for the launch of this new car brand.

I didn’t understand a thing.

Yet, Declan told me to trust him, and when I sat down in that car and he looked over at me, I saw what must have drawn the whole country to him. Fearlessness. He smiled big and asked, “You ready to ride, Drop?”

My mouth was dry, my hands were shaking, my toes were literally tingling, but I nodded.

“Take care of me, Declan,” I said, and he hit the gas.

The car went zero to sixty in one and a half seconds, and I knew Declan was pushing it to its limit. They’d adjusted this car to have smooth tires rather than street tires, giving it better grip to achieve higher speeds as quickly as possible.

I’d tried to listen to more of the science behind it, but it went out the window as my heart threatened to jump into my throat as we climbed dizzying speeds, speeds that felt impossible, speeds that weren’t controllable.

Through our headsets, Declan yelled, “No controlling this, Drop. Just enjoy it.”

I gripped my own thighs for dear life as we neared the turn.

Declan winked at me like he was a fucking NASCAR racer, and part of me wondered if he had been one.

He didn’t seem at all concerned with our safety, and his confidence had me watching him rather than the road. No wonder he could own the world. He wanted to test every limit, wanted to push so far past comfort zones that he was the only one who had control, and he had the confidence to do it.

I didn’t hear what they told him over the speakers or comprehend if we were doing anything correctly at all. I was lost in what Declan was. He’d bottled my worries and anxieties so I could try to enjoy something. He’d brought me along to do this with his family like I mattered too.

And for what?

When we got to the last turn, I smiled as he took it a bit harder, felt my heart lurch but then tumble back into place with a stronger connection to the man who’d gotten it to move in the first place.

When we stepped out of the car, Cade smiled like a villain who’d accomplished mass destruction. “My calibration works perfectly.”

“Yours?” Izzy rolled her eyes. “I practically came up with the whole thing.”

“You want to tell the news that?” Cade yanked her toward the car.

“No. Absolutely not. I don’t want to be in the news at all.” She scoffed, then she smiled at us. “There’s bigger news that will be out soon enough anyway.”

“What’s going on?” Clara narrowed her eyes.

“We’ve gotta go.” Declan threaded his fingers through my hands. “Clara, you can ride with Dom, right?”

“I … Oh. If he wants to be a passenger.”

Dom eyed her up and down, and I saw the blush stain her cheeks. “Let’s see how good you are at driving, Clara. I have a feeling I won’t like it one bit.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Well, since you guys are leaving, it was good to meet you,” Izzy yelled as she got into the car. “And Declan, be nice to your wife.”

My jaw dropped as Cade murmured “That’s my girl” right as Declan growled “Oh, fuck me” and Clara barked out “What?”

So much for keeping our marriage a secret.





19




DECLAN





“YOU’RE NOT TELLING Mom and Anastasia, Declan?” Clara scolded after she’d opened her mouth one or two times to try to form words. “And what about Piper? I know it’s been a couple months, but you two have been an on-and-off thing for years.” She glanced at Everly. “No offense.”

Everly stood there, back ramrod straight and a mask painted on her face. She almost stared through me as she said, “None taken. I’m seeing other people too. There’s Wes and—”

Jesus, I didn’t want to hear her even say his name. And now others? No. I cut her off. “We’re figuring it out as we go. We haven’t told anyone—besides my siblings—yet and don’t intend to until it comes out in the press or otherwise becomes necessary.”

“Or until our fireball of a sister throws in some dynamite for kicks,” Dom grumbled.

“Like I said, we’re figuring it out as we go.”

Dom paced back and forth and said, “Carl really fucked all of us in the will, didn’t he?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clara whipped her head toward his pacing.

He stopped and stared at her. “You can’t be serious right now? Your bakery in my resort?”