Between Desire and Denial: A Fake Dating Romance (Hardy Billionaires)

Dimitri went to finish the lawn in the backyard in a black T-shirt and gym shorts, completely satisfied with how he’d had his way with me. I couldn’t really complain. Other than the fact I made sure he had a shirt over that chest of his before he went out back.

I only had our soft bedsheet wrapped around me when I heard a knock at the door and saw Jameson standing on the porch from out the window.

I padded down the hall and glanced back at Dimitri still mowing, before I hurried to the door. “What’s going on?”

“I was going to discuss this at lunch with you, but it seems it can’t wait after the text I got. And you’re going to have to decide what you want Dimitri to know too.” His eyes glanced behind me.

“Well, if it’s serious, I probably should. Dimitri’s reasonable.”

“He’s not. Not when it comes to you.” He shook his head and his eyes seemed to glaze over with darkness. “I wouldn’t be either with the girl I loved.”

I wanted to argue there was no way he loved me. Not yet. It was all too soon, but I felt the weight of my feelings for him in every one of my blood cells. I knew my heart was being won over by him. He’d made me feel like he’d never look away from me.

It’s what I wanted. What I needed in that moment, and he’d given it to me. No one could be immune to that.

“You look like you’re not sure, Olive. He tells you right?” He lifted a brow before he continued. “He’d better be telling you, because it’s obvious he does. Anyway, the text.”

“What?” I asked as I stepped out onto the porch with him now while he held his phone up for me to see. A text from an unknown number read

Unknown: Suspicions confirmed. He’s got the kid working with him.

“Who’s the kid, Jameson?” I said but my blood ran cold because it couldn’t be. I told myself over and over there was no way, but my gut was already turning with the answer.

“Knox is in on that deal with the Irish, Olive Bee. He has to be.”

That’s when the mower cut in the backyard. Other than the birds chirping, it was silent now. As silent as it seemed my world was, it screeched to a halt with Jameson’s statement. “No.” I shook my head. “No. No. No.”

Dimitri’s footsteps were loud and hurried before the front door swung open from behind me. “What the hell is going on?”

I wanted to tell Dimitri all about the Diamond Syndicate, but I needed him to have the correct picture, not one of my brother involved in drugs and trafficking. I stuttered over my words, “Jameson just stopped by to talk over the board meeting and … um … the office space, Dimitri.”

Dimitri wasn’t dumb. He must have heard the tremor of emotion in my voice, because he came to stand beside me and look me in the eye before he stepped in front of me. “Whatever the hell is happening, it’s done now. We’re done here.” He stood with his arms crossed and his feet wide, like a wall there to protect me. “Don’t look at her, don’t talk to her, don’t breathe the same air as her.”

“Are we done though?” Jameson met his stance head-on. “Because you know as well as I do there is shit going on in this community.” Jameson’s tone was hard, but his words were damning for Dimitri.

“Wait.” I peered around my barrier of a man. “What does he know?”

“Dimitri should be getting a text from Bane or Dom about the Diamond Syndicate soon. He knows about them. And he’s about to know that your father, my father, and Earl have all been involved in deals with drug trafficking with the Irish.” He took a breath while all the air seemed to leave my lungs. I couldn’t breathe, not with what he was telling me. “But it’s harder now because of Knox—”

“Stop.” Dimitri’s voice boomed out through the town. “Don’t say another damn word.”

Jameson looked at me with fear finally in his eyes. “We have to talk, Olive. There are things you’ll need to make decisions about. Dimitri, you know—”

Dimitri cut him off. “Don’t involve her by saying more. What the hell are you thinking?” And then he looked back at me, fire in his green eyes. “Honeybee, you knew? You should have told me.” I felt the way his body shook, the way his muscles were coiled and ready to carry me the hell out of there.

“Shouldn’t you have told her too?” Jameson countered.

My glance ping-ponged between them, and suddenly I felt a fear whoosh through me at those words. If he knew, could he be in danger? Why hadn’t he told me? The fury of that question came next. “And you knew?” My tone was accusatory.

He shook his head. “Damn it. I’ve been trying to protect you,” he said, and I didn’t know whether to lean into the anger or the fear of what this meant or the pitter-patter of my heart that he cared enough to try to protect me.

“You can’t protect her from her birthright,” Jameson continued. “I need to talk with her.”

“I’d rather drop dead than allow that. She’s not safe with you.”

“Like you can’t watch her every move around here anyway.” Jameson tsked, and Dimitri glared at him.

“You’re right. I can and I will,” Dimitri responded immediately, no remorse in his growl.

“Those security cameras aren’t approved on the streets yet,” Jameson pointed out. “It’s illegal to have them on.”

“You think I give a fuck?” Dimitri was admitting to committing a crime, and I didn’t know whether to be flattered it was for me or concerned. “Let me be clear, I don’t live by morals, Jameson. I don’t live for my life anymore, quite frankly. I’m living to protect hers. I couldn’t care less about a damn law. Take me to jail. I’ll live there happily as long as I know she is good. The only life I’m trying to save here is the love of mine. Don’t get it twisted.”

I gasped at his declaration and whispered out his name. He glanced back at me for just a second and his brows knitted together as he murmured softly, “Honeybee.” It was just a nickname, but I felt the love in it, the unwavering support.

Then, he looked back at Jameson and snarled, “I’ll break every law and every bone in your body if I think for a second she’s unsafe.”

‘She’s safe with me,” Jameson declared, and his voice was loud now too. But when his blue eyes met mine, I saw the genuine look there that I’d seen when he’d come to my mother’s funeral, the look of a friend and of someone I could trust.

I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to piss off the one man I didn’t want to, and touched Dimitri’s back. “Dimitri, just a minute.”

His whole body tensed, every single huge muscle, before he cranked his neck to look over at me. He was already shaking his head. “Don’t ask me to do this, Honeybee.”

“I have to,” I whispered out. “You need to let me have a moment more with Jameson.”

“I’m not going to hurt her, Dimitri.”

“I don’t trust a damn thing that comes out of your mouth.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out about ten swears before he pulled me close. “I swear I do things for you I would never do for another soul. You talk to your friend, and you let him know he’s not a friend after this.” Then he wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck and kissed me, dragging his lips over mine slowly and deliberately. “Don’t agree to anything either.” Jameson sighed as he watched Dimitri glare at him. “You got two minutes, Jameson.” And then he went inside, slamming the door.

Jameson chuckled. “Completely irrational and completely in love when it comes to you.”

I waved off his assessment, more focused on the text he’d received now. “If what you’re saying about my father and Earl and everyone is true, how do I get Knox out? How do we make this right?”

“You are going to do nothing for now. Act normal, stay safe”—he sighed and pointed toward the door—“with your bodyguard. As for Earl, we’re taking care of it. But you’re going to stop poking around. You’re causing concerns. We don’t need to tip your father off to anything more. You’re going to tell Dimitri to get in or get out, too. If we push through approval for his office, that comes with us aligning with the companies he has partnerships with. That means the HEAT empire is tied to the Italian Mob and the Armanellis. The Irish will not be happy, especially after your father and Earl promised them an alliance.”

“I want my brother out of this.” I felt the roots I’d avoided planting digging themselves deep into Paradise Grove. “I’ll do whatever it takes. You can’t possibly want this type of home for Franny either. We have to make it better.” I touched my necklace and stared out at our street, at my community, at my home. “Sometimes you have to take the chance … and enjoy the dance.”

He sighed. And then he touched my cheek. “If you weren’t with that man in there, Olive, I’d probably kiss you for that. I had my doubts about you both at first. Wasn’t sure what either of you knew or what you were trying to do.”

I felt the blush on my cheeks as I chewed on my bottom lip. “It’s real,” I whispered.

“We’ll get through this. In the meantime, think about what you want with your dad. Once we figure out our plan with Knox, we’ll have to make a decision about him.”

“Don’t do anything about Knox without me. There’s got to be a way to get him out of this. He can’t possibly be thinking right if—”

“I know, Olive. I know.” He leaned forward still and kissed my cheek softly. There was a moment that passed between us as I looked into his blue eyes. They were full of ice-cold determination. Knox was a part of his family too. He wasn’t going to let anything happen.

He shifted his weight a little and a floorboard under him creaked, making me jerk back and look down.

He tsked at it. “This piece is going bad. You should replace it.” He murmured, “I’ll come over with some tools and work on it for you after this is all over. You’ll be here, yeah?”

“I will.” I said those two words with the most confidence I’d felt since I’d been home.