Page 2 of Forbidden Cravings

Setting the phone down, I looked out at the snowy night sky. There was nothing more important to me than Riley, and there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her. Maybe this wasn’t what I wanted, but maybe it was the right thing for Riley. If I had to deal with Greyson Tides in my life, I’d bear it as long as Riley came back to me. As long as she was happy again.

Chapter Two

CASEY

Ipulled my jacket tighter, missing the warmth of home as I made my way through the airport terminal. Even inside, it was cold. Snow had started falling as the plane landed, and I’d peered out, watching how the flakes gathered on the ground below. My mother had moved us from the province so long ago I’d forgotten what snow looked like. Armina was situated on the far west coast where the air stayed warm and pleasant year-round. I hadn’t returned since she packed us up when I was thirteen. That day had been emotional, having to leave my older brother Tyson behind. It had been his choice to stay. He was eight years older than me, and he and his best friend, Mason, were already building their empire.

Unlike Riley, Tyson had kept me informed. I knew what they were doing, as did our mother. Which was why she’d moved us, and why Tyson had suggested it after our father passed away. He didn’t want us anywhere near the business; it was too dangerous. But that didn’t mean he’d left me in the dark. Instead, we talked regularly and when he came out to visit, he would teach me. At first, it was the basics of the business and as I matured, it was the more dangerous aspects. I could defend myself, use every gun Tyson had bought for me, and read peopleand tell the threatening ones from the ordinary ones…something Riley had never learned.

I shifted my oversized purse and rested it on my carry-on, then returned to my hike through the airport. My brother had wanted me to take the private jet, but I’d argued about how wasteful that was. He’d still sent the two men currently tailing me and bought all three of us first-class tickets after making me promise to take the private jet back. My arguments had fallen on deaf ears, and I’d consented, happy that I’d at least gotten him to compromise.

Even though the airport was small, it was busy, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking around. It seemed odd to see people bundled up in heavy coats, and I plowed into a woman in front of me with my sight on everything but the path I was walking. She gave me a dirty look, especially when the man with her let his eyes linger on me a little longer than he should have.

I could have flirted with him just to annoy her, but I had other things on my mind and two intimidating men at my back. Throwing her a quick apology, I looked away from her companion and caught the eye of a cute pilot making his way down the terminal. I flashed him a sexy smile, which he returned with a grin that made me want to stop and give him my number. If Tyson hadn’t been waiting for me and Riley’s mental health hadn’t been in jeopardy, I would have. Giving him a wink, I kept my eyes locked ahead of me. I could go back to flirting and playing when I returned to Armina.

I already missed the sound of the waves on the coast and the smell of saltwater that wafted in through my open balcony at home. Maybe that was what Riley needed—a trip to the beach with me. Away from the cold winter air and depressing lack of green. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d come out to visit me.

Riley and I had been close as kids, and we still were, but I rarely saw her. We spoke infrequently, especially over the past year when her life had unraveled because of the secrets Mason had kept from her. She would come out with Tyson sometimes and visit me, but the last visit was years ago. And I never returned home, even after our mother grew sick. I was old enough to fend for myself when she passed away, mature enough to handle her death and the arrangements that went with it. Tyson had flown out, and we’d discussed my options as we’d packed up her house. Mason had remained behind to run the business, giving Tyson time to settle things, time to grieve. Even if my brother wasn’t the grieving type, he’d still needed the time, and Mason knew him well enough to make him take it.

As we’d packed the last of her belongings up, we’d agreed that I would stay in Armina. Tyson wanted me as far from their business as possible, and so I’d remained on the other side of the country, thousands of miles from him. As much as he’d wanted to keep me away, I’d still ended up in the business. Acting as a liaison to the family that ran the southern side of my province. It had taken some convincing, but I’d talked Tyson into it. They were allies, and having me work with the Donelli family ensured the relationship stayed secure.

“Do you ever work, Case? You look like all you do is sit on the beach.” Tyson’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Better than looking like your pasty white ass,” I teased before dropping my bags and running into his arms.

He gave me a massive bear hug, his muscular arms squeezing me tight as he planted a kiss on my head. We may have lived on opposite sides of the country, but we were still close and being in his arms felt like coming home. He pushed me back and looked me over.

“You look good, Casey.” His brow creased as he pulled my jacket aside. It lifted when he spied the skin my crop top left exposed. “Really?”

I smacked his hand and pulled the jacket closed. “Shut up. It’s the style at home.”

“You are home. And that’s not a style I want my little sister in. Too much skin, Casey. Damn, I’ll have to kill everyone who looks at you now. Did you wear that skimpy thing on the plane?”

“Of course. It’s only cold enough to freeze my tits in this province.”

He pursed his lips. “Language, Case.”

“If you don’t stop with the overprotective bullshit, I’ll turn around and get back on that plane,” I replied, reaching up and mussing his thick, brown hair.

“No, you’re not because you’re here for Riley.”

He picked up my bags and started walking. His men followed close behind, joining the two who had been my shadows since leaving Armina.

“How is she?” I asked, trying to keep up with his long strides. Tyson took after our father. He was tall and built, towering over the petite frame I’d inherited from our mother. The only similarities between us were our curly brown hair and hazel eyes. Where he was a solid wall of muscle, I was soft and curvy. I’d struggled when I was younger, especially when I’d moved to a province where bikinis were regular attire and looks were everything. I was petite in height, but that was all. Everything else about me was full. It had taken me a long time to appreciate the larger curves, the bigger breasts, and handful of waist, hips, and ass that my body was. Now I worked it, knowing what parts to flaunt, and which ones left men weakened.

“She’s…not Riley,” Tyson replied, the sadness coating his voice.

“Well, I can guarantee her mopey ass will not remain that way with me there.”

“Always the obnoxious ray of sunshine,” he muttered.

“Always,” I said with a wink before climbing into the car.

The snow was coming down harderby the time we pulled up to the house. It was massive, a mansion that sat brightly against the night sky. Once we made it through the large iron gates, I sat forward in my seat, taking in the sight. The Donelli’s lived in a home of similar size, so the size didn’t intimidate me. It was what the house represented that astounded me. A sign of the power that Mason with Tyson alongside him had accumulated. A confirmation that Mason was a boss to be feared, one who was just as dangerous and powerful as the others. I’d known it from what Tyson had told me through the years and how Donelli talked about him. But seeing it was different and cemented the fact. And with Mason’s power came my brother’s. The two were a pair, which meant my older brother, who had once comforted me when the boys had bullied me for my changing body, who had let me snuggle with him during thunderstorms, who was my rock anytime I needed him, and would kill anyone who wronged me, was just as lethal.

“Stop gawking. You look like an idiot,” Tyson teased.

“Shut up, Ty.”

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