His thrusts grew rougher, faster, driving her against the railing.
Her legs trembled, pleasure coiling tighter and tighter in her belly, threatening to snap. "Winn...don’t stop."
He groaned, sweat dampening his brow as he buried himself to the hilt, over and over. His rhythm faltered only when her inner walls clamped down around him, her orgasm tearing through her with a sharp cry. Her whole body shook, clinging to the railing as waves of pleasure ripped her apart.
Her release pulled him under. With a final, guttural curse, Winn slammed deep and spilled inside her, his hips grinding against hers as if he could carve his possession into her very soul.
For a long moment, neither moved, both panting, their bodies trembling, bound together by lust.
Finally, Winn kissed her shoulder, softer this time, a contrast to the brutal rhythm he had just unleashed. "Still think I’d make a bad lover?" he murmured against her skin.
Ivy turned her head just enough to smirk at him. "Might need a few more tests before I confirm."
Winn chuckled low, pulling her dress back down but not letting her go, his chest pressed to her back. "Sweetie, I’ll test you all night."
When Sylvia arrived at her parents’ estate, the grand house loomed with its gray stone and manicured hedges, a fortress of wealth. The housekeeper, Mrs. Dales, met her at the door with a smile. "Your father is waiting for you in the pavilion," she said softly, as if warning her of a storm about to break.
When she stepped onto the stone path leading to the back gardens, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Sitting with her father was Joey. Her Joey. The man she could never stop dreaming about. Her heart ran a million miles a minute.
What the hell was Joey doing here?
"Hi, Dad...Joey." Sylvia tried to keep her tone neutral. "What’s going on?"
"I need to speak with both of you," he said calmly.
Sylvia’s gaze darted to the bench. She hesitated for a breath—where was the safest place to sit? Beside her dark, manipulative father, whose love was always transactional, or beside the man who made her heart ache every time their paths crossed?
She made her choice, the reckless one, the one that made her pulse trip. She lowered herself beside Joey on the small wooden bench, close enough that her thighs brushed against his. The contact was electric, sending tingles straight up her spine.
She felt him stiffen immediately, his body going rigid like he wasn’t sure if he should pull away or lean closer.
She kept her face neutral, but inside she was screaming.
"Are you both truly going to sit here and watch while Winn marries a whore?" Tom began without preamble. He turned sharply to Joey. "Have you thought about what this will do to the House of Kane? You are the COO, Joey. And you—" Tom jabbed a finger in his direction, "you are supposed to be protecting it."
Sylvia’s jaw clenched. Fury and humiliation warred in her chest. She wanted to scream at her father for dragging Joey into this.
Joey, on the other hand, straightened his shoulders, his jaw tight.
"She is not a whore, Dad."
Tom turned his cold, hawk-like gaze on her. "And how would you know? Tell me, how?"
"Because Winn was her first," Sylvia blurted. Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t back down. "He told me that himself."
Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Joey, her first... her only. The man who was her entire world, the man who had ruined her for anyone else. And there he sat, shoulders squared, lips pressed tight.
She hated that they had to sit here like strangers, like they didn’t mean anything to each other.
Joey cleared his throat and finally spoke. "Mr. Kane, I think you need to trust your son. He is quite capable of making the best decisions. It may not immediately seem like it, but he does make good decisions." His eyes flicked briefly to Sylvia. Then he turned back to Tom.
"Besides, I think the investors would be thrilled to learn he is marrying Ivy. They seem to really like her. I heard she was quite instrumental in getting them to approve the project."
Tom let out a slow, controlled exhale. His lip twitched, the only sign that Joey’s words had pricked him. "I see that you both are blinded," he said finally. "Blinded by emotion, by... sentiment. I will have to fix this myself."
"Sir," Joey interjected. "There is nothing to fix. Winn has to be married—that was the investors’ stipulation. And that is exactly what he’s planning on doing."
"When will the engagement be announced?" Tom asked.
"If tonight goes well, an engagement party will be held soon." Sylvia answered.
"You will have to ask Winn that." She forced herself to hold his gaze.
Tom let out a long sigh.
"I have to leave now, Mr. Kane. I have to get back home to my wife," Joey said.
Sylvia’s heart lurched at the reminder—his wife. She shifted slightly on the bench, knees brushing against his just enough to feel the tension in his body.
"Fine," Tom replied briskly. "I will dig deeper into this woman. Whether she is a whore or not, she dances half-naked in front of men to earn money. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t see much of a difference."
Joey rose to his feet, buttoning his jacket. "Have you thought of what makes him happy, Mr. Kane?"
"Has he thought about not bringing shame to this family?" Tom countered, his lip curling with disdain. Then he shifted, eyes narrowing at Sylvia before sliding back to Joey.
"At least, if Sylvia had managed to hang on to you—a respectable man with a good head on his shoulders—I wouldn’t be so concerned about who Winn brings home, would I?"
Sylvia’s lungs collapsed. The barb cut deeper than she expected, even after years of enduring his cold assessments of her failures. He didn’t just reduce her heartbreak with Joey to a missed business arrangement—he weaponized it, right here, in front of the man who had both ruined her and still held her heart in his fist.