Page 60 of Hard Wired

Dominic nodded. “He wants me to endorse him as the new leader to prove I’m out of the way.”

Sylvie gripped the railing, looking down at the water. “And is that what you want? Or do you want your old position back?”

“It’s not a question of whether I want it. It’s whether I should.”

“I don’t understand.”

And how could she? How could he ever expect her to? “It’s not important. Not important right now, I mean.” He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re here to enjoy yourself, and I’m being depressing.”

Sylvie spun around in his arms so she was looking up at him. “Max said you have a younger brother.”

“I do. Raymond. He’s not in the Syndicate. I never wanted him to be.”

“But you’re worried about him?”

Dominic had decided to drop the request for a bodyguard for Raymond. It would just piss off his uncle more. “Yeah. I don’t want him to end up like me.” Dominic blinked as he looked into the sunset. “Quick, tell me something crappy about your family so I don’t feel so bad about myself.”

“Um, I haven’t spoken to anyone in my family except my cousin for over a decade? My parents disowned me.”

She’d hinted at this in their text conversations but hadn’t said it specifically. “Why would they disown you? You’re perfect.”

“Not perfect enough. See? You’re not the only one with problems.” She ran her hands down his arms. “Quick—if you could be anything, what would you be?”

“You mean a job?”

“It could be a job. Or an identity, or an animal, a mineral or…anything.”

He laughed. “I don’t know. What would you pick?”

Sylvie glanced away. “I’d be exactly my true self and never have to be anyone else.”

“I like that. I’ll pick that, too.” Maybe then he’d know who the heck he really was.

“You can’t copy me! You have to choose your own.”

He scoffed. “Pretty sure I can do what I like. But… I guess I’ll be a racehorse out to stud. All I’d have to do is eat oats and fuck all day. I could go for that.”

Sylvie’s eyes turned molten at the mention of fucking. He leaned forward to kiss the corner of her mouth. “What’s the status on those ground rules of yours? No getting naked…”

“I’m considering revising them.” Her fingers started sliding up the inner seam of his jeans toward his crotch. “Because I don’t think I can resist you.”

Then Maureen called them in for dinner. Dominic gritted his teeth, telling his cock to calm down. He grabbed Sylvie’s hand, and they walked back inside together.

Dinner was good, as usual. He always enjoyed Maureen’s cooking. Afterward, he and Tanner shared dish duty. It was strange, having double the number of people in his house suddenly, after months of loneliness. Maureen clearly loved the extra attention and Sylvie’s ample compliments on the food.

But Dominic’s mind was straying again to the flash drive.

He didn’t know what Charles would do when—if?—Dominic failed to deliver Bennett Security. His uncle might still go after Raymond to punish Dominic. Or what about Maureen?

Or even Sylvie herself, as Sandford had threatened?

A blow to Max Bennett’s company was only financial. It wasn’t the same as someone losing his or her life. Raymond, Maureen, Sylvie… Dominic’s dinner rose in his throat just contemplating the risk.

But he couldn’t go upstairs and sleep with her if he was going to sneak away and install that program afterward. Even Dominic Crane wasn’t that much of a sleaze.

God, he hated this so damn much. This fucking choice was no choice at all.

Either way, he would lose.

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