✦ ❦ ✦Her Man✦ ❦ ✦

❈ ❈Riley Pov❈ ❈

The morning after the fight, my knuckles were still sore.

I stood in front of the mirror brushing my teeth, staring at the faint scratch marks on my neck from Cassie’s desperate grab. A slow smirk spread across my face. *Still worth it.*

Mila had crashed on my couch last night.

The apartment smelled like stale tequila, expensive perfume, and poor decision-making.

A heel from somebody’s outfit last night was still laying near the TV.

I had no idea if it was mine or Mila’s.

I could hear her moving around in the kitchen, probably making coffee like she always did after we got into some mess.

“Riley, you awake?” she called out.

“Yeah,” I shouted back, rinsing my mouth. “I’m up.”

I walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt. Mila handed me a mug of coffee, her eyebrow raised.

“So… are we going to talk about how you beat Cassie Harrington’s ass in the middle of the club last night, or are we pretending that was normal?”

I laughed and took a sip. “She started it. I finished it.”

Mila shook her head, smiling. “You’re actually crazy. Her daddy is literally in business with Jayson’s family. You know she’s not gonna let that slide, right?”

I shrugged. “She can stay mad.”

But even as I said it, a small voice in the back of my head whispered that this was getting dangerous. I pushed it away.

That was tomorrow’s problem. Right now I was still riding the adrenaline high from dragging Cassie Harrington across VIP flooring in front of half the city’s rich kids.

My phone buzzed on the counter. Jayson.

Jayson: What the fuck did I hear you did to Cassie last night? We need to talk.

Me: Your girl tried me and I handled it. Don’t start acting brand new now.

Jayson: Riley.

Me: Relax. Damn. Meet me downstairs by the park in twenty minutes

Jayson: You’re unbelievable.

There was a small children’s park not far from my apartment. Kids had abandoned the playground hours ago.

The swings moved slightly in the cold evening breeze, squeaking every few seconds in the silence.

I sat there pretending to scroll through I*******m while mentally preparing for Jayson to lose his shit.

I felt him. The smell of his cologne, I knew immediately it was him.

Jayson walked toward me fast enough that I already knew he was pissed. He was wearing a black hoodie, jaw tight, eyes burning with frustration.

“You’ve got some fucking nerve,” he snapped the moment he reached me. “Do you have any idea what you did? Cassie called me screaming. Her lip was busted. She’s threatening to tell both our families everything.”

I looked up at him slowly, unbothered. “She put her hands on me first. I just finished what she started.”

Jayson ran his hand through his hair, pacing in front of the bench. “This isn’t some messy little scandal, Riley,” he snapped. “My father’s already on my ass about the merger. If this gets worse, everything gets complicated fast.”

I stood up slowly, stepping close to him.

“Your *fake* girlfriend,” I corrected, voice sharp. “The one your daddy forced you to be with so both families can stay rich. Don’t act like she’s some innocent victim, Jayson. We both know what this is.”

He stared down at me, breathing hard. The tension between us crackled like electricity.

“You don’t get it,” he growled. “This isn’t just about me. This contract has been in the works for years. If it falls apart because of you—”

“Because of *me*?” I cut him off with a bitter laugh. “Funny. Last time I checked, you were the one ball deep inside me while she was waiting for you. But suddenly I’m the problem?”

For a second neither of us spoke. The tension between us felt ugly now.

Not the fun kind or teasing. This was frustration, jealousy, and something way too personal creeping underneath all of it.

“You need to stay away from Cassie,” he warned, stepping closer. “I’m serious, Riley.”

I looked him dead in the eyes.He looked furious but his eyes kept dropping to my mouth every few seconds like he hated himself for it.

then slowly dragged my gaze down his body. His jaw was clenched, chest rising and falling fast. I stepped even closer until my breasts brushed against him and slid my hand down, palming his dick through his pants.

He was already hard, and that only made me smile wider. Because no matter how angry he got, his body always gave him away eventually.

I smirked. “Your body’s sending very mixed signals right now.” I whispered, stroking him slowly.

Jayson’s breath hitched. “Fuck… Riley—”

His hand grabbed my wrist like he wanted to stop me from walking away before I even moved.

I kissed him hard, deep, biting his bottom lip before pulling back suddenly. His eyes were dark with lust and confusion.

I stepped away, turning toward my apartment.

“Where the hell are you going?” he called after me, voice strained. “You just turned me on and you’re leaving like that? Are you fucking serious right now?”

I glanced back over my shoulder with a wicked smile.

“Yeah… I am.” “Consider it payback for yelling at me.”

Then I turned and walked off before he could say another word.

I could practically feel his irritation burning holes into my back.

Honestly? Part of me loved pushing him like this..Not because I enjoyed drama.

Okay, maybe a little but mostly because Jayson was always so controlled. And I liked being the thing that made him lose it.

I walked away without looking back, hips swaying, feeling the heat of his stare burning into me the entire way.

But as I stepped inside my building, my heart was racing for a completely different reason.

Somewhere between fighting his fiancée, getting screamed at in a park, and turning him on just to leave him frustrated, this whole thing had stopped feeling casual.

And it's so scary to admit that.