Page 53 of Puck Your Charity

"Your charm is exhausting." She splashes a tiny wave of water toward my chest. "You act like everything is a game."

"Not everything." My gaze drops to her lips, watching them part on a quick intake of air. The sexual tension in the water thickens.

I feel the heat of her slick-scented arousal drifting off her skin. My cock starts to harden. My Alpha instincts scream at me to close the gap, pull her onto my lap, and bury my face in her neck.

Olive rests her chin on her arms, studying my face with intense curiosity. "You're unusually quiet tonight, Lawrence. Where is the endless banter?"

"I'm saving it." I flash a slow, confident grin. "Just waiting for the right moment."

A buzzing sound cuts through the relaxing hum of the hot tub bubbles.

Olive turns her head toward the lounge chair where she left her shirt. Her smartphone vibrates on top of her t-shirt with a frantic rhythm.

"Your phone is blowing up." I lean back, crossing my arms over the stone edge.

She reaches over the side of the stone rim, grabbing her phone off the chair without getting out of the water. She unlocks the screen and frowns, her eyes widening as she reads something.

My ass clenches. "What’s wrong? Who is it?"

"It's my sister." She taps back a reply.

I swallow hard. "Is she okay?"

"She sent four texts in a row. She says she kicked Rick out of the house. She packed the kids into the minivan and drove to our mother's place until she can make sure he’s fully removed and locked out of the house."

She sends a second text and then puts her phone back on the chair.

A slow, satisfied smirk curves my lips at the same time she glances at me. I reach over to the stone ledge, taking a slow sip of my white wine while sliding a cracker with aged cheddar and prosciutto across the small floating tray toward her.

Olive narrows her eyes, staring at my calm demeanor. She takes the cracker from me and takes a bite, while studying me. The confusion on her face turns into suspicion. "Why aren't you surprised?"

I set my wineglass down. "Because I made sure it happened."

Olive pulls back, pressing her back against the tiled rim of the tub. "What are you talking about?"

"You spent days worrying about your sister sharing a roof with that scumbag." I keep my voice steady, letting her see the ruthless protector hiding underneath the charm. "You thought you had to deal with him alone. But you aren't alone anymore. You have a pack. And when someone threatens our Omega, we deal with the threat."

"You did something to Rick?" Her voice shakes. "How? You've all been here or playing hockey."

"I have resources, Olive." I move an inch closer through the water. "My family's wealth buys a lot of things. The day you told us what he did in the kitchen, I made a few phone calls."

She stares at me. "What did you do?"

"First, I hired the most vicious, expensive divorce attorney in the state for your sister." I tick the actions off on my fingers. "Paid for entirely by my personal trust. She has full representation, forensic accountants tracing every single dime ofhis hidden assets, and a bulldog lawyer ready to strip him down to his bare skin in court. He will lose the house, his savings, and any chance of custody to her. She’ll get it all."

Olive continues to stare as she processes my words.

"Second." I lean closer, dropping my voice into a vibrating rumble. "I used my high-society connections to call Rick's job. I talked to the senior vice president of operations. I mentioned a huge corporate liability regarding toxic workplace behavior and harassment lawsuits."

A wicked smirk crosses my face.

"His department underwent a sudden corporate restructuring this morning. Rick walked into his office today and received his pink slip. He's unemployed. And with my family's influence tied to every major logistics firm in this city, he is thoroughly blacklisted. He won't find a job pushing a broom in this state."

Olive grips the edge of the hot tub. Her knuckles turn white.

"You destroyed his life."Her voice drops to a whisper.

"I protected yours and your family." I offer a correction. "We didn't want to use unhinged, sloppy violence. So I used my mind, money, and power. I legally and financially executed the man who threatened our Omega."