Within minutes of Damon going downstairs, I had the rest of his clothes packed and both of our small suitcases sitting by the door. Carrie had brought items for both Damon and me from his apartment since her overprotective brother thought it was too dangerous for me to go alone. But I understood I could be collateral damage in Geno’s lone war, or he could even use me against Damon, so I didn’t press the issue. Carrie traveled with an entourage of armed muscle who were more than ready for an encounter.
But there hadn’t been a sighting or rumor of Geno since that terrible day more than two weeks ago.
Speaking of that day, the nightmares had started almost right away and hadn’t slowed down. I didn’t want to change my actions, but I wasn’t sure how to live with them either. I fought off panic attacks in the dark, scared that I’d be found out and arrested. I’d wake up and reach for Damon, clinging to him until the fears subsided. I’d started to dread falling asleep.
“You all right, doll?” Damon stood in the doorway watching me.
“I’m okay.”
He narrowed his eyes, his keen instincts seeing right through me. “You were lost deep in thought. You left me. Where’d you go?”
“We both know I’ll never leave you, Damon. I’m right here with you. Are we ready to leave?”
He nodded. “I’m ready to go if you are.”
“Let’s say goodbye to your parents. Your mom will probably be upset. I think she has enjoyed having you back home again.”
“She’ll be okay. It’s not like we’ll be far away. We’ll still be here every Sunday for dinner. But I’ll enjoy having you all to myself again.”
“You’ll be gone most of the time. It’s more like I’ll have me all to myself.”
I should’ve kept my mouth shut because my knee-jerk response only raised his suspicions even more. His assessing stare intensified, and I felt my skin heating under the weight of his scrutiny. He had an uncanny ability to read my thoughts and feelings, sometimes before I’d even worked out what they meant. But being out of commission the past couple of weeks had only given him more time to perfect his skills, regardless of how hard I tried to deflect.
“Is there anything left for Luigi to put in the trunk?” Damon’s question was innocent enough, but I knew better than to think he wouldn’t press the issue later.
“No, we’re all set.”
In the back seat on the way to Damon’s apartment in the city after saying our goodbyes, Damon and I were both quiet. Once we arrived at his place, he wrapped his hand around my arm and turned me to face him directly. The empathy and perception in his eyes were palpable, instantly reassuring me that I could trust him.
“When are you going to let me help you, doll?”
“Help me with what?”
“With all those bad dreams and restless nights. With the anxiety you try to fight off alone instead of talking to me about it.”
“You’ve always been able to see straight through me. It’s a little maddening sometimes.” I slid my fingertips along his jaw.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours? Let me help.”
“Damon, just the thought of being found out and going to prison nearly steals my breath away. Maria has to know by now. She has to wonder where he is. She’ll eventually go to the police and file a missing person’s report.”
“First, going to prison isn’t even a remote possibility for you. You’ll never take the rap for Leo’s death. If he somehow rose from the grave and fingered you for his death, I’d give a full confession and do the time before I’d let you serve one day. Second, he’ll never be found, and arrangements have been made to explain his absence. Aunt Maria will be taken care of for the rest of her life, and she knows better than to go to the police. She knows what he did and the penalty he faced. Lastly, no matter what we come up against in the future, I’ll be here to protect you.”
“The other problem is I don’t know how to deal with these feelings. It’s not that I want to change it, but I don’t know how to live with myself either.”
“You saved my life, Jillian, and you saved Marco’s life. You found the courage to stand up for your mom, and you saved two lives because of it. How do you live with yourself after that? With pride, knowing when most anyone else would’ve frozen in place, you had the guts to do what had to be done. When you look in the mirror, the reflection shows a beautiful, brave woman. I wouldn’t even be here right now if it weren’t for her. That’s how you live with it, knowing the alternative would’ve been harder to accept.”
After a heavy sigh to release all the tension I’d carried for far too long, I stepped into his embrace and wrapped my arms around his waist. “You put everything into perspective for me just now. With a simple explanation. Only a few words. But I already feel better and can breathe easier. Thank you, Damon. I know none of this has been easy for you, either, but you’ve taken such good care of me.”
“I always will, doll.” He leaned down and kissed me, soft and sweet but not lacking in the sweep-me-off-my-feet factor.
Since I moved from Louisiana to Carrie’s to Mama Lina’s to Damon’s, everything I owned was in complete disarray. After a long day of unpacking all my belongings, I was more than ready to fall into the bed and stay for a week by the time night fell. Damon climbed into bed behind me, draped his arm over my waist, and nuzzled against the back of my neck.
Then his hand slid down to my stomach and protectively cradled our babies in his palm. I covered his hand with mine and guided it to the spot where one of them was extra active. “Before long, they’ll both be using my bladder as a trampoline.”
He chuckled, his lips brushing against the nape of my neck. “You have no idea how fucking sexy this is—your being pregnant with my babies. Your baby bump is still small, but I can’t wait for that to change. I’ve done some reading up on it. They say one day, no one can really tell you’re pregnant, but the next day you’ll show all of a sudden.”
“Every woman is different, Damon. Just because that happened to one doesn’t mean it’ll happen to me too.”
“Twins, doll. Very good possibility of it. Could be tomorrow. Could be next week. Or even next month. But it’ll happen.”
“Remember when I said you take such good care of me?”
“Sure do.”
“I take it back.”
The silence only lasted for a couple of seconds before I burst out laughing uncontrollably.
“I’ll have to think of creative and imaginative punishments as payback for that slight against me.” Even the teasing tone in his voice was sexy.
“Think about them tomorrow. I need sleep tonight.”
He pressed his front against my back, and we fell asleep, our arms and legs entwined and hands covering our babies. For the first time in two weeks, the nightmares didn’t come when I closed my eyes. Memories didn’t flood my senses. I slept soundly in Damon’s arms without waking even once until morning.
When I rolled over, Damon’s side of the bed was empty and cold. I padded into the bathroom but didn’t find him, the scent of his cologne barely lingering in the air. He’d already showered and dressed, so I followed his lead before venturing toward the kitchen. I found him at the table, fully dressed in his suit and tie, drinking a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper. He looked like the quintessential tame businessman, only he was anything and everything except that.
“Good morning, beautiful. I was wondering when you’d finally get out of bed. The thought of waking you up with a special surprise crossed my mind more than a couple of times.” He lifted his eyes over his coffee cup and winked. “But since you hadn’t slept all night in weeks, I behaved and let you rest instead.”
“I’ll let you make up for depriving me later tonight.”
“It’ll be my pleasure.” He lowered the cup to the table, keeping his eyes trained on mine. “And it’ll definitely be your pleasure.”
His innate confidence was an automatic aphrodisiac, but those bedroom eyes coupled w
ith the seductive timbre of his deep voice were the real lady-killer. Not that I was complaining.
“Why are you all spiffy today?” I walked toward the coffee carafe, but he beat me to it and poured a cup for me.
“I’ve been out of commission far too long. I have a few loose ends to wrap up today before we’re ready to go full throttle with Carrie. Not that I don’t love my mom’s cooking, but I’m ready to go out to eat at a nice restaurant. How does a seven o’clock reservation at The Fire sound?”
“That place has a yearlong waiting list, Damon. How can you get reservations for tonight?”
“You wound me, Jillian. How can you have so little faith in me?” He slowly lifted one eyebrow, waiting for my reply.
“How silly of me. I should’ve known better than to ask. That sounds perfect. I can’t wait.”
“What do you have planned today while I’m gone?”
“I plan to wander around your enormous apartment, snooping through all your things, claiming one of the rooms as my personal office space, and some light online shopping for the babies.”
The smirk in response was just as sexy as his full-on smile. “Snoop all you want. What’s mine is yours. I’ll leave my credit card so you can buy all you want for the babies. If you decide to go out shopping somewhere, call Luigi so he can drive you. I don’t want you going out alone yet.”
I took the business card from Damon with Luigi’s contact information. “All right. I’ll be so glad when this is over.”
“You and me both, doll.”
About an hour after Damon left, he called to say the security guard was on the way up to deliver a package for me. Whatever I imagined it could be, I was wrong. When I opened the door and found the guard there with a utility cart full of boxes, I was speechless. When I realized those boxes contained an iMac and all the possible peripherals, I squealed and showed him to the room I’d claimed as my office.
The top floor of Damon’s penthouse was actually two, two-bedroom apartments connected. I’d decided one of those two apartments would serve as both my office and a nursery for the babies while I worked. The main floor was a huge three-bedroom apartment with over five thousand square feet in it alone, giving us enough room to have a permanent nursery close to our bedroom. The penthouse was gorgeous and the city views were to die for, but I found my thoughts drifting to that family home in the suburbs he’d talked about.
Someday.
While setting up my new computer network, I realized I didn’t have the Wi-Fi password, so I set out on a snooping mission to find it. After checking all the usual places and not finding the modem, I started looking in the less likely spots. At my wit’s end, I jerked open the closet door in the master bedroom…and spotted my old briefcase inside.
The hunt for the internet connection became an urgent demand when I pulled my bag off the shelf and looked inside. The flash drive that contained all the data on the accounts tied to the Sanfratello embezzlement scheme was still hidden in an interior compartment.
14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Damon
“Boss, Geno was spotted in a car near Dumbo, heading into Brooklyn. By the time our guys turned around, they lost sight of the car.” Paulie stood in the doorway to my office, appearing uneasy after sharing the bad news with me.
“Get the car description out to all our guys. Everyone stays on the lookout for him. He’ll probably go after Jillian first because he knows I’d walk through hell to get to her. Make sure the guys on her detail know I’ll cut their fucking balls off and save them as a souvenir if they fuck up.”
“You got it, Damon.”
“I’ll be back later. I have a few errands to take care of before heading home. Call me if you hear anything.”
Someone was always gunning for my family and me. That was an unfortunate side effect of being on top—someone else was always waiting in the wings to take over that spot. Geno wasn’t the brains or the muscle behind the attempted coup, so I wasn’t overly concerned he’d suddenly grow a pair of balls—or a brain, for that matter. But then, I wouldn’t give him an easy target to take out either. We’d keep our guard up while living normal lives. We’d go about our daily routines while growing eyes in the back of our heads. In short, we wouldn’t change a thing.
However, what I had planned was anything but normal, especially for me. Everything had to be perfect and precisely match the picture I had in my mind. Going from store to store, overseeing every detail, and personally selecting every single item took hours. By the time I finished and was on my way home, I needed a fucking nap.
Until I walked through the door of my apartment and a small feminine body flew through the air and attached herself to me. I was suddenly very awake.
“Hello to you too, doll. Did you miss me today?” I chuckled as I wrapped my arms around her, holding her in place against me.
“I did miss you. And I’m happy to see you. But I also wanted to say thank you for the iMac and all the techie goodies you sent me today. You didn’t have to do that, you know. You’re spoiling me. But don’t feel compelled to stop now.”
“You’re not spoiled yet, Jilly. I’m just getting started. Is this flimsy little robe what you’re wearing for dinner tonight? If so, we’ll both be arrested.”
“Oh yeah? On what charges?”
“Definitely multiple counts of indecent exposure, when I can’t keep my hands off you. Assault and battery, when I beat down the men who dare to look at you. Possibly murder, if anyone tries to touch you. We’ll cause quite the scene.”
“Considering I set up my office only a few hours ago and have the best idea for a nursery, maybe I should put my clothes on for this outing. I’m not exactly a fan of prison prenatal care—it’ll cramp my style.”
“Good call. You’re welcome to be as indecent as you want when we get back home later.”
“I’ll take you up on that offer, Mr. Marchetti.”
Her full, pink lips were too luscious to resist. I slanted my mouth over hers, caressing her tongue with long, slow laps. The temperature in the room began to climb—but not nearly as fast as the heat rose in my body. But with Jillian, all I needed was a simple touch, a passing glance, or a barely perceptible wisp of air.
“Mmm.” Her hips surged, sliding against my cock, making it even harder…physically and figuratively…for me to stop.
“Doll, I’m about two seconds away from ripping off your panties and fucking you right here in the doorway. Once I start, I won’t stop for the rest of the night.”
“I’m not hearing a downside in this scenario.”
“Fuck. I don’t either. I’m sure I had a point, though.”
She pressed her lips against mine again, determined to pick up where we left off. I was sorely tempted to let her, except for the warning in the back of my mind telling me to stop before it was too late. I kicked the door closed behind me and walked to our bedroom with her legs wrapped around my waist and her fingers threading through my hair.
“Jillian, doll, we have to get ready. We have reservations at The Fire tonight, remember?”
“That name sounds vaguely familiar. I can’t say for sure though.” She trailed her tongue down the side of my neck, tempting me to forget my own name.
Somehow, I managed to untangle her arms and legs from the death grip she held on me to lower her feet to the floor. With one last caress of her lips, I broke our embrace and held her at arm’s length. “We have to get dressed for dinner, but I plan on eating dessert when we get home.”
“All right, you win. We have kept you cooped up inside the house for the last couple of weeks, so you deserve a night out to let off some steam. Give me about an hour, and I’ll be ready to go.”
“I’ll be waiting. Impatiently.”
Everything was going according to my plan at first. Apparently, I was losing my touch, because I never saw it coming. There were no signs. No warning. No heads-up.
Just angry screams followed by desperate pleas.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Noooooo!”
“What in the actual fuck?”
I’d never been afraid of any man, but walking into that bedroom with an unstable pregnant woman was fucking terrifying. “What’s the problem in here, doll?”
She stood facing away from me, wearing a tight black dress that scooped low in the back, revealing her beautiful skin all the way down to her ass. I had momentary second thoughts about staying in for the night. Then she whirled around to face me with a wild look in her eyes and a displeased expression on her face. That was when I realized the cause of her outbursts.
“You wished this on me, didn’t you?” The accusation in her voice was clear—she meant every word she spat at me.
In my defense, I didn’t mean to laugh out loud. Scout’s honor. But that was exactly what I did.
Her hands curled into fists, and her eyes filled with rage.
“Hold up, doll. I didn’t wish this on you. I only said I’d read this would probably happen. You’re pregnant with twins. Of course you’re going to show earlier. You’re beautiful and sexy and the love of my life. You’re also the mother of my children, and I’m proud to show that off. You should be too.”
“You get points for that little speech because it was a good one. But it doesn’t change the fact that my clothes don’t fit now, Damon. My dresses are too tight to wear out anywhere.” She turned toward the mirror, distraught and near tears.
We both knew it had only been a matter of time before her cute little bump became an unmistakable protruding belly. But a drastic change over the last eight hours? That was unexpected. I scraped my hand down my face, thinking my plans for the evening just blew up along with her baby bump. Then I remembered.
“Hold on a minute. I have something that may help.”
“What?” Confusion and disbelief—I knew exactly how she felt.
I walked deep into my closet and moved boxes around until I found the one I needed. Without opening it, I handed it to Jillian and waited for her reaction.
Warning: The Complete Series Page 32