Rough and Dirty: A Dark Romance by Piper Stone

Author:Piper Stone [Stone, Piper]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stormy Night Publications
Published: 2022-06-21T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

Dakota

Fulfillment.

The word seemed to filter through my mind, refusing to let go. The thought was like tentacles wrapped around me, yanking me into the deepest part of the ocean. Even worse, I wasn’t entirely certain what the hell I was doing.

By being on this rig.

By fucking the insanely beautiful, gregarious woman.

By pretending to be something I wasn’t.

Fuck. Me.

“Deep in thought, eh?”

I hadn’t sensed Gage’s presence until he’d flanked my side. “Yes. No. Maybe. Shit, I don’t know.” It was around three in the morning. The four of us had somehow managed to fall asleep on the queen-sized bed. I’d caught maybe a half hour of sleep, awakening to find Charlie nuzzled against my chest. I’d felt paralyzed yet strangely comfortable.

As if the four of us had always been together.

As if there could never be another situation.

Jesus. I was either out of my mind or incapable of processing reality.

He chuckled as he leaned over the railing. “I hear ya, brother. She has a way of getting to you. Doesn’t she?”

Sighing, I glanced at the turbulent ocean. Clouds were rolling across the once bright moon, which meant a storm was approaching. That was the last thing we needed at this point. “Yeah, she does. That fantasy we had years ago might come true.”

Exhaling, he stared at me for a few seconds then nodded. “Honestly? I think that’s what all three of us need.”

“As long as the operation goes well.”

“Look. I don’t know the exact reason you came on this rig other than to seek revenge for what your father was put through, but I sure hope you realize that your belief Charlie and her father are partially to blame is fucking bullshit.”

He had a way of pinpointing the truth without sugarcoating anything.

“I’m beginning to.”

“You better damn well figure it out or I will toss you into the water and not a single man or woman will come to your aid.”

I shot him a look and grinned. “I got it, my friend.”

“Let’s just hope we really are friends.”

I knew what he was saying. He held what few friendships he had close to his chest, still angry with the world for what had happened to him. It was another situation where I’d barely been there for him, just like I hadn’t with Wyland or my father. There were no words to express my remorse at checking out the last few years.

“What the fuck did that damn corporation do?” he asked after a full minute had passed.

“They were losing customers, which meant their stock dipped to the point the billionaires on the board lost a hell of a lot of money. I found out they were destroying or changing reports on new locations, including some from the smaller dealers who were their gravy train.”

“Like your father.”

“Yes. I had no idea he’d purchased this rig since we didn’t talk. I was here about two years ago. I did a report stating there was limited oil, the supplies drained from the years it had been operational. That’s what I believed.

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