Page 135 of Caught Between Two Billionaires
I saved her eyes for last, because they had to watch over the park. And they had to look out over the west side of Tanglewood. It’s her domain, all of it. There will be a modern library worthy of Smith College. There will be a soup kitchen and a shelter so that young women have choices. That will be the practical side, the necessary side—and finally, the perfect use for my trust fund. I’ve always been a fan of grand gestures. Of symbolism.
Of proving to the world that women don’t need to be meek to be beautiful—and that’s why Lilith will remain standing throughout all of it.
I was wrong to think that we needed a structure to house her. She isn’t afraid of the elements. Sometimes you need the darkness to shine. And sometimes you need death to come fully alive. Sunlight beams across the paint, drying her eyes. She looks on with a knowledge hard-won and peace that comes from finally finding home.
Thank you so much for reading THE EVOLUTION OF MAN!
I hope you loved the duet! This was a personal and painful story to write because of what happens with Harper’s mother, but I’m so glad that I can share it with you. Harper’s book was the most requested after she first appeared in THE PAWN, and now her story is complete.
If you’re wondering what happened to Sutton, order MATING THEORY right now!
Billionaire Sutton Mayfair has nothing left to lose…
My best friend is getting married to the woman I love. They say the nice guy finishes last. So what’s the point of being a goddamn gentleman?
Maybe I should take what I want.
Even that sexy little thing on the street corner.
She needs a hot meal and a place to sleep. Instead I’m taking her home to soothe the savage beast inside me. I was born a bastard, and for the first time in my life I act like one.
Except the more I use her, the more I need her.
I didn’t know I had someone left to lose.
For a single heartbeat, I had her.
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Tearing the mold off bread so I have something to eat.
A black eye on the first day of school. Two dollars to my name.
Rock bottom looks different every time, but it’s never looked like an empty bottle of Jim Beam until tonight. My daddy told me I wasn’t better than him, and I told him to go fuck himself. He punched me in the stomach, and I told him again. And again. And again, until I spit blood onto the worn gray carpet of our single-wide.
Always had more pride than sense, which I guess is how I ended up on top of a hollowed-out building. I’m surrounded by the biggest goddamn block party without a single drop to drink. Only Harper St. Claire could have turned the razing of a prized old building into a celebration.
Half the city showed up for the big demolition. They’re dancing on the bones of that long-abandoned library, praying for a fresh harvest like it’s a sacrifice.
Christopher and Harper, they’re the gods in this ritual.
They’re the ones we pray to.
A sound makes me tense. This may be a hollowed-out fucking building, but it’s my hollowed-out fucking building. Some of the veneer that lets me wear a suit and smile and pretend I’m in control of myself has broken down. It crumbled along with the library when the wrecking ball crashed into it. There’s only the feral part of me now, and my back’s against the wall. I’m ready for a fight.
The rusted metal stairs creak and whine at someone’s weight.
My skin ripples with awareness. I can almost imagine the hair on my back rising up like some kind of wild animal. I’m two seconds away from baring my teeth. You don’t come near someone bleeding, even if the pain is only on the inside. Really fucking poetic, watching the two people I’m in love with end up with each other. Even from ten stories high I can see the way her eyes shine when she looks at him.
And I can see the way his body tightens when he looks at her.
A head appears over the rim of the building, blocking my view. The girl is hallowed by the spotlights on the street, her hair almost shimmering from the force of the light behind her. Or maybe it only looks that way because I’m wasted. “This roof’s taken,” I say, my voice hard. “Now fuck off.”
She does not fuck off.
Instead I’m treated to the sight of backlit breasts and a slender silhouette as she climbs onto the roof. I made a chair out of an old radiator. Front row seats to heartbreak. Maybe she’s one of Harper’s friends from prep school. It might be a good time for her, watching me pant over what I can’t have. She stretches her legs out in front of her, settling in beside me, using her warmth like a weapon against my numbness. “You excited about the park?” she says, her tone challenging.
