The Grand Pact (The Grand Men #1)(27)

“You told her I was off.”

“I tell her everything,” he defends.

I roll my eyes and sit back on a stacked barrel. “Luce hasn’t called or texted. Has Nina heard from her?”

“Yeah, she landed and crashed pretty hard, I think.”

Mason knows I give a shit, and I know he gives a shit too. Lucy quickly inserted herself in all our lives when our worlds meshed together, and I’ve never met a single soul who can sit in a room with her and not be drawn to her.

“She needs this.”

I glance at my best friend. “I know.”

“I’m just saying. You’ve been playing a dangerous game for a long time. I reckon this will make or break the two of you.”

“What?” I spit, screwing my face up.

“You know what I mean.”

“Nothing is going to happen between me and Luce.”

“Alright.” He tips his head. “You do you, Montgomery; I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“You sound like fucking Charlie.”

He looks at me, offended. “My wife would have my balls if she knew what I thought you should really do.”

I tip my chin. “Which is?”

“What you do best. Get fucked and fuck. It will at least take the edge off.”

“Pretty sound advice.”

He shakes his head and laughs with me, but I know he doesn’t truly mean it. He hates to see me still chasing tail when he’s at a completely different stage in life. He pushes the kids on me all the time like it will make me want what he has. Truth is, I don’t know what I want, and I’m good with that.

I’ve always been good with that.

“You’re all way off. I’m good. Just with Lance in fucking prison and now Luce gone. It’s a different vibe to what it once was.”

“It is,” he agrees, face hard and lips drawn into a tight line.

“Well, this is entirely too deep for us,” I tell him. “Come on, asswipe.”

I stand up straight and leave the cellar with him.

We go back to the dining room, and I watch as Mason sits down and Megan leans in to whisper something in his ear. His eyes meet mine, and then he shakes his head at Nina, who’s sat on the other side of him.

Interfering pricks.

Why do they think I’m not okay?

Sliding out my phone, I sneak a look and see I have no new messages. I check socials for updates but get nothing more than a story from six hours ago of downtown New York.

Annoyance slaps me in the face as I go to check my messages again.

I’m fucking obsessed.

Needing a distraction, I pull up Harriet’s number, wondering if she would want to finish what we started yesterday.

“Wine, Elliot?” Scarlet asks as she fills her glass.

“No, thank you.” I catch Mason’s gaze and then continue. “I have someplace else to be later.”

Mason shakes his head with a knowing smirk.

Why change a habit of a lifetime?





I’m home for no more than fifteen minutes when Harriet knocks at my door. She’s dressed in a peachy-coloured silk dress that hugs her slender body. She’s hot as fuck and way too overdressed.

“Harriet,” I greet her, leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

I’m not a complete asshole.

“Can I get you a drink?”

“Yes, please. Slimline tonic and whatever gin you have.”

I stroll to the kitchen and make her drink, pouring a rum for myself while I’m at it. I down one glass before pouring another, rolling my shoulders as it burns my chest.

“Here.” I hand Harriet her drink and take a sip of my own as I lean back against my sofa.

“Cheers.” She smiles and clinks my glass before bringing herself even closer, sliding herself between my legs.

My hand glides around her waist, and I smooth it over the material until I have her ass in my palm.

“I was surprised you called after yesterday. Who was that girl?”

She says girl like it’s a jab, but Lucy isn’t here, and she’s only offending me. “That would seem to be none of your business.”

“Of course.” She starts to finger the knot in my tie to remove it. “But I should know if you’re sleeping with other women.”

“Why the issue now?”

“No issue.” She licks at her lips, palming my cock through my pants. “Just curious.”

“You know what they say about curiosity.”

She frowns. “It killed the cat?”

“It definitely won’t get your pussy any attention.”

“But you are sleeping with her?”

I drop my hands from her and sigh. “No, Harriet. I’m not.”

Her lips turn down, and she pouts in surprise. “Didn’t think she seemed like your type.”

I can’t help but bite at her assumption. “You don’t know a thing about my type. Why so many questions tonight?”

“I’m done, sorry.” She grins and reaches her hand out to place her drink on the sideboard. “Want me to suck you off?”

My lip tips up, and I watch her slide to her knees on the cool tile. “Attagirl.”

She giggles, and it goes straight to my dick. She’s halfway through unbuttoning my slacks when my phone chimes, five times back to back.