Niall (Vigilance 2)

I didn’t even want to contemplate how much everything we’d chosen cost, but it was the type of clothing we needed to fit in with Arlington’s crowd. We wanted them to think Marco had loads of money stashed away and was ready to invest in their business venture.

“Here you go,” Saffron said, coming out from the back with several carrier bags. Marco reached for them, and I resisted the urge to grab one from him. He was supposed to be the one in charge. That was his role, and he was enjoying it far too much.

I almost groaned when I realized we weren’t done. We still had to go shoe shopping. I normally went to my tailor, had my measurements taken, ordered a few suits, and picked them up later along with any shoes he suggested. Everything else I needed, I ordered online. Even if I liked shopping, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend more time with Marco, not with the effect he was having on me.

“You can handle your role,” he said when we stepped out of the store.

“I told you I could do whatever was necessary for this mission.”

“So I see.” He stroked a hand down my back.

“Drop it.”

He gave me the same evil smile he’d used in the store.

“We don’t have to act now.”

“But it’s so much fun.”

I scowled. “Pissing me off is what you find fun.”

“True enough.”

The shoe store wasn’t as bad. I had to endure someone else putting shoes on me like I was a fucking princess, but at least I was fully dressed.

I could tell Marco was getting impatient with shopping too. There was less joking and more of him pretending to be a rich asshole who had absolutely no patience and expected things to be done at superhuman speed.

Finally, the ordeal ended, and we left the shop with yet more bags that Marco insisted on carrying. He paused by a bench outside the store. “I’ve got some information for you.”

“Okay.”

“Brianna, the girl I rescued, had more names for me. Orly and Compton.”

“She thinks they’re involved?”

“A girl who escaped from Arlington says both of them were on his yacht when she was.”

Then they’d likely be on the island too. “I’ll see what I can learn about them.”

“So will I. Where are you parked?”

I gestured down the street.

“I came on my bike, so you can take everything home, and I’ll pick up mine when I see you tomorrow.”

I knew there was more planning and mission prep to be done, but I’d hoped to have a break from him. “Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Meet me at my shop. We’ll have dinner and lay down some more plans.”

“I think it would be better if we—”

“Tomorrow,” he said, a hard edge to his voice that should have pissed me off but instead made my cock stir.

“I know I have to put up with you ordering me around and acting all superior when we are in our roles, but that’s not necessary now, and I—”

He grabbed my hand and began caressing my wrist. I hadn’t even noticed him shifting all the bags to his other hand. If he was going to cloud my mind like this, how the hell could I focus on our mission?

“We pulled it off in the stores, but we need a hell of a lot more practice, and you know it.”

“No. We aren’t fucking practicing anymore. What happened at Devilish Ink was a mistake.”

“Maybe, but we’re going to be stuck together on that island, pretending to want to go in with those assholes while I parade you around as my boy toy. We’re going to need to let off a hell of a lot of steam.”

That was true, but letting him fuck me wasn’t the answer. We’d have to find another way to do it.

“I’m not sharing you with anyone, and we need to stay alert, so getting drunk is out.”

“There are other things you can—”

“Nothing nearly as good.”

“You could go for a run or—”

“I could lay you out on the bed in our suite and remind you that you actually like taking orders from me.”

I needed to get away from him right that second. “Dinner tomorrow to discuss the case, and that’s all. I’ll bring your clothes.” I opened the back door of my car, grabbed the bags from him, and tossed them in.

He opened his mouth as though shocked. “That’s no way to treat clothes like that.”

“Like you would know.”

He grabbed my arm and jerked me back to him. Several people walking past stared at us. “You’re making a spectacle.”

“I’m a rich asshole who doesn’t treat his boyfriend very well. There’s nothing new to be seen here.”

He was probably right, but we didn’t need to draw attention to ourselves.

“Don’t ever insinuate that I’m beneath you or not capable of doing this job as well as you can.”