AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I take it this story doesn’t end well.”
I gritted my teeth so hard my molars squeaked against each other. “They threatened my news outlet with a libel suit, and all my witnesses have vanished into thin air. I’m thinking LHL might have gotten to them, offered them money for their silence. Now I’m on thin ice, but I’m not going to let them trample over me. I’ve been trying to compile enough evidence for another story. If I can just get the word out there…”
Dylan’s face was stiff. “You don’t know?”
“I don’t know what?”
“LHL is Red and Cash’s primary sponsor. In fact, I’m pretty sure they’re the only reason the guys have been able to get as far as they have. Without their funding, they would have had to quit ages ago.”
I blinked. “Oh.”
Dylan ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I believe you about LHL being a shitty corporate bully, but I think you need to postpone this article you’re writing about them. I mean, the second article.”
“Why?”
“If, by some chance, LHL realizes your connection to Red and Cash, they could… choose to retaliate. Pull out of their sponsorship. Leave them in the lurch. If they’re as bad and petty as you know them to be, this could hurt the guys.”
A shiver snaked down my spine, a cold bitterness twisting in the pit of my stomach. As much as I wanted to take Leo Holistic Lifestyle down several pegs, I didn’t want it to be at the expense of Red and Cash. They were working so hard to achieve their dreams, training day-in and day-out in preparation for their first shot at victory.
I sat on the edge of my bed, shoulders slumped in defeat. “I don’t want to hurt them,” I murmured.
Dylan sat down with me, the mattress dipping under our combined weight. He bumped my knee gently with his. “I don’t want to tell you how to do your job. The decision is ultimately up to you, but do you think you’d be able to put your takedown of LHL on hold? Just until the guys are finished with their debuts. I’m sure they’ll have tons of sponsorship offers afterward.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. I smiled gently at him, placing a hand on his thigh. “You’re a really good friend to them.”
Dylan shrugged, ever humble. “They’re like brothers to me. Which is saying something because I already have four.”
I nibbled on my bottom lip, entranced by the warmth in his eyes. I found myself leaning in, happily caught in his orbit. Just being in his presence was enough to make me feel at ease despite my racing heart. The subtle notes of his earthy cologne had me in a trance, one I felt no desire to break away from.
Dylan’s gaze rested firmly on my lips. He was giving me the same look he gave me at Irene’s restaurant. One of curiosity, of hunger.
“Julia…”
I sucked in a breath, yet I was unable to pull away. “I have to be professional,” I insisted. “I can’t get involved with the men I’m interviewing.”
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re not here to interviewme.”
I licked my lips.
Damn, fair enough.
Something inside me snapped. It was feral. It was ravenous.
I leaned forward quickly and sealed my lips against his, combing my fingers through his hair as Dylan pulled me onto his lap. I straddled him, moaning as his wicked tongue teased my mouth open, sliding in to explore.
“Jesus Christ,” he grunted against me, hands sliding down my back, slipping beneath the hem of my shirt. “You’re so fucking soft. Just like I dreamed you’d be.”
I giggled. “You dream about me?”
“Almost exclusively. Ever since I saw you and Cash… Scratch that. Ever since the day you hit me with your car.”
I sucked on his bottom lip, rolling my hips against the hardening tent in the front of his jeans. “I said I was sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
He dove back in, every kiss firm, yet tender. It was amusing, getting to learn the differences in the way he and Cash kissed.
Cash was all things high-energy, chipper, excited. He kissed with the force of dynamite, with such passion that it sent arcs of electricity shooting through my veins.
