“What do you want me to do? Because we can make this go away. They need a court order for the exhumation.”

His jaw clenches. “I haven’t decided what I want to do yet. But it’d make me feel a hell of a lot better if I knew the family line was going to continue.”

I stare at him, unsure why I’m shocked, but I am. “That’s how you’re going to play this? You want me to knock up some woman and hope it’s a boy so you can feel good about the family line continuing?”

His lips flatten and his stare turns hard. “Marry whoever that woman is before you knock her up.”

“I’ve played your games for years.” I take a step toward him, my hands balled into fists. “I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked of me, but I draw the line here.”

Heavy silence hangs between us before Commodore leans back in his chair.

“You don’t want to see to making sure we have a new generation of Riscoffs? Then there’s no reason for me not to find out who this other heir might be.”

My teeth threaten to shatter from the intensity of my jaw clenching. When I’ve got a grip on the rage coursing through my veins, I finally speak. “That’s how you’re going to play it?”

Commodore smiles like he’s Niccolò Machiavelli himself. “You’ll fall in line. You always do. Just make sure it’s not that Gable girl.”

Fourteen

Lincoln

The past

“When can I see you again?” I asked.

Whitney Gable lay wrapped in my arms in the bedroom of the cabin, and I didn’t want to let her go. Her body stiffened. She was already drawing back, and I didn’t like it.

“We can’t keep doing this. If someone finds out—”

“No one is going to find out.”

Her blue eyes narrowed as her expression turned mulish. She was way too fucking cute for her own good. My dick, which should have been permanently out of commission after how many rounds we’d already gone, came back to life.

“Looking at me like that doesn’t make me want to see you any less.”

“You can’t say that no one will find out. My aunt already saw you. She knows something’s up.”

“And is she going to tell anyone?”

Whitney shook her head. “Aunt Jackie wouldn’t do that, but that’s not my point. My point is that we already got caught. It’s bound to happen again. This town is too small.”

I rolled her onto her back and settled between her legs.

“So you’re saying you don’t want any more of this?” I nudged my cock against her opening, and she was already wet for me.

Whitney arched in the bed, teasing me until I pushed inside. Immediately, she shoved at my shoulders.

“Condom. We need a condom.”

I groaned because she felt so fucking good without one. But she was right. We did need one. All it would take was once . . . and that would be something we couldn’t hide. Which would almost be a relief.