Page 33 of Loving Her Enemy

Having a wedding hadn’t been Halayna’s only concession recently. When it came time to sign the marriage contract, Sloan had agreed to everything she asked for except for the money portion of the agreement. He had doubled the amount that he had originally proposed.

Who does that? Especially after she told him she didn’t want that much of his money.

He deposited a half million into her account when she signed the contract, and she’d get an additional twenty-five percent once they were married. The final payment would be deposited after one year of marriage.

Of course she had protested, but Sloane told her it was non-negotiable. He claimed he wanted her to have the money Owen had stolen from her plus interest. Halayna hadn’t been sure whether to kiss him senseless or punch him in the arm for not listening to her. She didn’t want him thinking she was doing this only for the money. Besides, it wasn’t his responsibility to pay her some of what Owen had taken from her.

But if she was honest, Sloane’s thoughtfulness and kindness had her falling a little more for him.

“You almost ready for one of the guys to come grab your luggage?” Bristol asked from the doorway before moving farther into the space. “Sloane sent me up here to check on you.”

Bristol, Hershel, Reece, and two security people were traveling with them, but Bristol and Reece were only staying through the wedding.

Everything was changing so fast, and Halayna placed a hand on her chest when her pulse amped. She was trying not to hyperventilate. She’d had moments of panic for days, and if it weren’t for her friend trying to keep things as normal as possible, she probably would’ve freaked out by now.

What was she going to do when Bristol moved out? Her friend had bought her own place, a condo in Buckhead, and would be moving in while Halayna was in Hawaii. She was going to miss not having her right down the hall. Who was she going to talk to in the middle of the night? And who would she complain to when Sloane pissed her off?

Yes, Bristol would only be a phone call away, something she kept reminding Halayna, but it wouldn’t be the same.

“Stop thinking,” Bristol said as she stood in front of Halayna. “Everything is going to work out fine.”

“Bri…” Halayna started, then shook her head. “I don’t know if I can go through with this.”

“Then tell Sloane you’re not ready. Lanie, he’s not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do. I know he acts like a knucklehead sometimes, but he cares about you. He’ll understand if you’ve changed your mind or want to slow all this down.”

“I know,” Halayna said. Sloane was a lot of things, but he wouldn’t force her into anything. “I’m going to marry him. I think it’s just nerves and fear that’s got me all tied up inside.”

Bristol gripped both of Halayna’s shoulders, forcing her to look at her.

“After your accident, you said you were lucky to be alive. If that’s the case, maybe it’s time you started living. I’m talking really live. For the next five years, you will have the world at your fingertips. Take advantage of all the opportunities coming your way, even your marriage. Though Sloane is my brother, he’s also a man. Use his body if you need to.”

Halayna’s eyebrows shot up.

Bristol laughed. “Umm, let me clean that up a little. What I’m trying to say is, you’re about to marry a man who is willing to do whatever necessary to please you. Live as husband and wife. Get your groove back and fuck his brains out.”

Halayna gasped and then burst out laughing. “I cannot believe you just said that! And when did you start using the ‘F’ word?”

Bristol covered her face with her hands, then peeked through her fingers. “Yeah, I can’t believe I said that either, but I was going for effect.”

They both laughed.

“I also can’t believe you’re telling me to do that with your brother!” Halayna whisper-shouted.

“Ugh, I know, but I don’t want you to miss out on anything. You guys will be married. You might as well enjoy yourself. With that said, though, if or when you decide to indulge in a physical relationship with him—I don’t want to hear about it! Not. One. Word. You’re going to have to find someone else to confide in if you want to talk about sex with your husband,” she insisted, and Halayna laughed harder.

Though she was laughing, it was going to be hard not to share details with Bristol who had always been her confidant. The only other female she was close with now was Lindsay, Sloane’s personal assistant who Halayna had recently met. And she couldn’t see herself talking to either of them about her sex life. Apparently, she was going to have to go back to journaling.

But her friend was right about one thing. It was time to start living, and Sloane was giving her every opportunity to do that.

“Wow, this is incredible,” Halayna said when Sloane escorted her onto his private jet.

He was holding her hand, and she was shocked when he introduced her to the flight staff as his fiancée. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Sloane had been treating her as such from the day she had showed up at his office wearing the engagement ring he’d given her. She might’ve still been a little nervous about their arrangement, but it wasn’t because he made her feel uncomfortable. No, he’d been wonderful and even more so today. She just needed to relax and get onboard with the coming changes in her life.

On the way to the airport, he had given her a little information about his airplane. It had two and a half bathrooms, a bedroom, a small office, and could hold up to twenty passengers.

As he showed her around the aircraft, Halayna hadn’t known what to expect, but the jet was like the penthouse of jets. The interior was sleek and looked rich with mahogany wood and gold details that gleamed. The cream color leather seats appeared to be as comfortable as the recliner in the bedroom she’d been using.

“This set of seats turn into a bed,” Sloane said, pointing at four of them grouped together on the right, with a table between them.