by Coralee June
Nix was amused by my curious relationships. "That man is going to be the death of me," he scowled while looking off towards the man in question. In the sophisticated open concept kitchen, Gavriel was speaking with one of his business associates. He'd been working like a madman, constantly scheming ways to bring down Santobello and my father.
"He can be..." I drifted off. There was longing in my voice. I craved the kind of control Gavriel offered. The care. I wanted him to take away the burdens of my past. Take the fault for our unique relationships so I could just enjoy without fear or regret.
"Commanding. Rude. Annoying. Demanding," Nix answered for me. He set his cup of tea on a nearby coffee table before lying down in my lap. I smiled down at my best friend while scratching his scalp with my long nails. We'd done this many times back in our old apartment. The scenery might have changed, but he hadn't. I could always rely on feeling comfortable and safe with Nix.
Joe rolled his eyes and coughed loudly, not so subtly reminding me that the football game was on. He might not be allowed to watch TV on the job, but if I so happened to turn on the game, it was allowed. I changed the station on the TV playing in the background to the Giants game, hoping that he'd stop looking at me like I pissed in his Cheerios. Watching me must be boring, but it shouldn't be torturous.
"Can we please leave the apartment sometime soon?" Nix asked. Aside from my brief outing today at the gym, I hadn’t gone anywhere since my mother’s suicide.
"Sunshine, come here for a moment," Gavriel growled while eyeing Nix in my lap. They'd been butting heads at every turn. Nix smiled, taking a full minute to twist and stretch in my lap before sitting up. He made sure to throw my stressed Bullet leader a big, satisfied smile and a purr before squeezing my knee. "I'm gonna go check the surveillance feed, Sweets."
I nodded. The guys insisted that Nix set up camp on the opposite side of the penthouse from my room. They wanted to avoid me stumbling across the image of my father. I was annoyed by their tactics. Maybe that’s why I had become so obsessed with watching the funeral footage. I wanted to prove I could. There was a huge difference between feeling protected and feeling babied. My little panic attack in California had them thinking I was weak, and I needed to amend that.
I stood and made my way to the large, modern kitchen where Gavriel was. He stood next to a towering, double-door, stainless steel refrigerator. Muscular arms crossed over his chest, his black tattoos were proudly on display. His dark hair was ruffled, probably from him constantly running his hands through it. Joe followed and stood off to the side, his usual scowl firmly set.
"Yeah?" I asked, looking up at him through my thick lashes while shuffling my feet.
"We're taking a trip," he said. His voice had that sexy gravely tone I loved, but I knew it was from lack of sleep. He was more determined than ever. Santobello was blocking his weapons imports at every turn.
"Who are we running from?" I asked.
Joe snorted but quickly looked to the floor when Gavriel gave him a menacing glare. "Gavriel Moretti doesn't run from nobody," he growled at me. I sighed. There was something incredibly sexy yet annoying about the way he slipped into the third person. I guess it was a mob boss thing.
“You’ve been spending way too much time watching old mobster movies, Gav,” I teased to dispel some of the tension, but Gavriel didn’t seem to take the bait.
"We're going to Chesterbrook."
"No." My response was immediate and sure. There was no way in hell I'd go back to that place. Chesterbrook held too many memories for me. Too much pain and sadness.
"Callum wants to see the cabin, Love," he said, uncertainty in his tone. Ah, Callum. When we came to New York, he begged to be granted a month to pin something on my father. He was determined to do things the right way, navigate the justice system, and get Paul Bright punished accordingly. The only reason Gavriel was amusing him was because he wanted to catch Santobello—and because I’d begged him to. He knew that I needed time to cope, and he couldn't take on Santobello with brute force. He was far too protected. My father would die by Gavriel's hand, but Santobello would die in a jail cell—that is, if Nix could lock down his location again. The slimy bastard was escaping at every turn.
"I can't go back there," I said. Just the thought of seeing the cabin again had my pulse rising. The cabin represented everything I feared in this world. I knew I could handle it, but that didn’t necessarily mean that I wanted to rush headfirst into my past. Sometimes being strong meant knowing when to avoid the things that made you weak. Eighty percent of being courageous was about being self-aware. You had to know your weaknesses to develop your strengths.
"I'm not heartless, Love. I'm not going to make you see it. Your directions weren't enough. We're struggling to find the property, and right now, Callum is convinced the key to incriminating your father is there. I’m really trying to respect your wishes about this. I’m giving him an opportunity to do things his way at your request,” Gav said. My heart hurt to think about Callum. He'd been in Chesterbrook since I got to New York. He was determined, but I worried that once he was away, he'd change his mind about the Bullets. About me.
For the millionth time, my mind drifted back to The Rose. Would Callum have picked me if Gavriel weren't forcing him? A hand on my chin brought my thoughts back to the present. I could see my doubt reflected in Gavriel’s expression. "Get out," Gavriel barked to Joe and the other bodyguards. Bulky men in suits filed out of the kitchen, but Gav kept his black-eyed stare on me. He placed his hands on my hips then lifted me up to sit on the granite countertop behind me.
"Do you trust me?" he asked. I nodded, knowing Gavriel's need for my complete submission had little to do with me. He controlled me to feel worthy. The more I trusted him, the more he felt deserving of my trust.
"I won't make you go back there and relive what that fucker put you through. But I'm going to challenge you to take back some of your power. I'm going to make you uncomfortable, yeah, but I'm also going to make you better."
“Why now? What happened that’s made you so scared? Don’t think I didn’t notice how shaken up you were this morning. And what’s with the fighting lessons?”
“I’m not scared,” he barked out immediately. He then didn’t say anything for a moment, calming his breath while unclasping and refastening the watch on his wrist.
“The man we brought in had some interesting things to say. Santobello’s reach and influence is much broader than I expected. I’m going to keep you safe, but I’m also no fool. I know when to act, and now? We need to act, Love.”
I sighed. I'd been running for so long, it was all I'd ever known. After spending five years away from Chesterbrook, how could I go back? "I need Blaise and Ryker there too," I whispered. I couldn't face the demons of my past without them. Even though Ryker and I had an argument today, I knew I couldn’t face my past alone.
"I already called them," Gavriel replied, shuffling forward so that he was standing between my legs. “Ryker is flying there separately after his fight.”
"I can't go inside the cabin," I whispered. "I’m not going in there."
Gavriel leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. His touch was soft and tentative. It was the first time any of them had initiated any sort of physical affection since the night I told them everything, but it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted Gavriel's all-consuming passion, not this fear of breaking me.
I lightly nipped his bottom lip, encouraging him to take our kiss deeper. I craved his destruction and control. I needed to let go. The only way I’d make it through whatever lie ahead of us was with them by my side. His groans made a satisfied spark of arousal travel up and down my spine, but still, he didn't push further.
"Damn, Moretti, you look like you're kissing a wet noodle. I thought you said he was great in the sack, Sweets. He looks scared to break you." Nix's teasing voice washed over my arousal, and I pulled away, praying to whatever God was listening above that Gavriel didn't pull the pistol from his holster and
shoot my best friend.
Gavriel went impossibly rigid but didn't spin around to face Nix. I looked over Gav's shoulder to see my handsome friend chomping on an apple and leaning against the fridge. My eyes fluttered back to Gav. I didn't know what to expect. Nix was good at pushing his buttons. Surprisingly, Gav didn’t berate Nix. Fire bloomed within his dark eyes, and he crashed his lips to mine.
Gav's hands wrapped around my back, yanking me forward to the edge of the countertops so that my core pressed tightly against his erection. He bit my lip as I thrust my hands through his hair, pulling at his locks and smiling against his lips. God, I missed this.
Gavriel moved his hands up and pulled my oversized sweater off my shoulder then traveled down my neck to pepper kisses along my skin. I looked at the ceiling, reveling in the sensation of his lips. I then tilted my head down when I felt eyes on me. Nix stared at us, his expression heated but amused. That sneaky bastard knew exactly what he was doing. Gavriel didn't stop worshipping each inch of my collarbone and neck as Nix smiled.
"You're welcome," he mouthed before spinning around and walking back down the hallway.
Gavriel took his hand and gripped the waistband of my yoga pants, dipping his fingers inside as I let out a breathy moan. I was just about to shift off the counter and let him take me on the floor of the kitchen when his phone started going off.
"Fuck," he barked, tearing himself away from me with a scowl. He yanked his phone out of his pocket, chest heaving from the intensity we felt. "What?" he answered while staring at me. I went to adjust my sweater, but his hand snaked out and clasped around my wrist, stopping me from covering up. He stared with hooded eyes at the plush pillows of my cleavage as he listened to the person on the other end of the line.
"Seriously?" he asked while rolling his eyes and letting me go. "Fine.” I raised my eyebrows, looking questioningly at Gav. "I have to go check on something at the docks. But Blaise is on his way up."
"Is everything okay?" I’d missed Blaise while he was out looking for whoever Gavriel sent him to find. I was happy to have him back, but Gavriel’s murderous expression had me worried.
"The less you know, probably the better. I'm just going on a walk, Love."
My mouth dropped open in shock as Gav leaned in to nip at my swollen lip once more, pulling back as the front door opened. Blaise strolled towards us, his boots clacking against the marble floor of Gavriel's penthouse.
"Sunshine!" he yelped while jumping to a jog. Gav moved out of the way just in time for Blaise to pick me up and spin me around in his signature greeting. Slowly, ever so slowly, he slid me down his muscular body, pulling me against every last hard inch of him.
"I missed you," I whispered, my lips brushing against the ridge of his ear. He smelled like pizza. "Why do you smell so yummy?" I pulled away with a grin.
"Because I stopped for a slice at Prince Street Pizza. Remind me to take you there sometime." He smiled, and I briefly kissed his lips once more.
"I'll have to get some pineapple pizza when we get back from...Chesterbrook." My voice stuttered on the last word, and my throat closed up as if on instinct. Looking to Blaise, I knew he recognized the terror on my face, but he didn't comment on it—thankfully.
"I refuse to stand by while you ruin the best pizza in all of New York."
"You're such a pizza snob," I said with a smile, rolling my eyes before looking over at Gavriel who was putting on a suit jacket.
"You coming back tonight?" Blaise asked him. It didn't escape me that they didn't greet one another. Was Blaise his friend right now or an employee? I felt like I couldn't keep up with their ever-changing dynamic.
"Don't wait up," Gav finally replied before giving me a steel look full of protective adoration before meeting Joe in the hallway. I hadn't even noticed my broody bodyguard standing there but still called after him.
"Be safe, Joe!" I yelled, giggling when he shook his head as I smiled. Joe had been talking on the phone, and lowered it to respond to me.
“One pineapple pizza is on its way, Miss Bright.”
Damn, I loved that man. Next step was convincing him to let me call him Uncle Joe. I smiled widely, knowing that if I ran up to hug him, he would cringe in discomfort. So instead, I saved him the embarrassment and nodded while saying, “Thank you.”
"So what should we do?" I asked before leaning back against the counter and biting my lip.
"I was thinking we break into Gav’s wine stash. Maybe watch some trashy television?" Blaise offered with a shrug while walking over towards a bar cart in the living room. The open concept penthouse made him visible from my spot in the kitchen.
"You don't want to talk about Chesterbrook?" I asked.
Blaise uncorked a bottle of wine and wrapped his perfect lips around it before taking a gulp of the red that was probably worth more than the bounty he'd just delivered. He pulled it away with a frown, and I laughed when he wrinkled his nose at the taste. "Rich people wine is shit," he groaned before plopping down on the couch and patting the seat beside him.
I made my way over to him as he spoke. "Do you want to talk about Chesterbrook?" he asked. I thought about it for a moment. All I'd ever done since California was talk about Chesterbrook. I'd been forced to go over every detail I could remember. Recount my father's words, his actions. My mom's admission. If I was being honest, Chesterbrook was the last thing I wanted to be thinking about.
"No," I finally replied.
"So why don't we just have a night where we don't have to think about it? Is Nix here? He can join us."
"Already ahead of you, lover boy," Nix said while putting popcorn in the microwave and slamming the door shut. I grinned. Nix and Blaise had developed a truce of sorts. I think mostly because Nix had a crush on him.
Nix settled beside me and leaned against my shoulder while Blaise held my hand, and I smiled, feeling happy and thankful for this peaceful moment. I knew this would be short-lived. I knew that, eventually, I'd have to “reclaim my power” as Gavriel put it. I'd have to go back to the beginning. I'd have to face the place I'd been running from.
Chapter Three
Blaise
Eight Years Ago
Chesterbrook wasn’t all that bad. My new foster mom was flighty and reminded me a bit of Ma. They both had that high pitched laugh and a variety of addictions. The only difference between them was that Mrs. Jameson was wealthy and intelligent enough to hide her bad habits.
When I arrived last week, I wasn't expecting the gated neighborhood with massive houses lining the streets. I'd been so used to trailer parks and shitty apartments that I wasn't prepared for my social worker, Mrs. Smith, to drop me off at a fucking mansion. Maybe the rest of the world thought it would be cool to end up on the wealthy side of the tracks, but I knew better. Bigger houses just meant they held bigger secrets.
The school was fine, I guess. All I had to do was smile and crack a few jokes, and by lunch, I was at the top of the social ladder. Some people fought with their fists, I preferred to fight with influence.
From what I gathered, my foster brother, Gavriel, preferred to be mysterious. He had that broody expression chicks loved. Unlike him, I liked to establish my place in the world with charm. He simply demanded it. I learned to command a room from Ma. She was pretty. She knew how to use her looks and charisma to get what she wanted.
Gavriel was an asshole.
When I moved into one of the spare bedrooms, he barely glanced my direction. It was like he didn't find me worthy of noticing. He just roamed our big, empty foster house and the crowded halls of Chesterbrook High like he owned the place. It kind of pissed me off. He didn't trust me—yet. But I didn't blame him.
When the last bell rang, dismissing us from class for the day, I collected my bag and winked at some chick that gave me her number earlier. What was her name again? Blaire? Becca? She practically swooned when I smiled her way. I knew that I'd have those pretty little lips wrapped around my dick by the end of the month.
Outsid
e, I made my way over to Gavriel, expecting his signature pissed off expression. There was a difference between charming a crowd and making friends. One was necessary for survival and the other was useless. Most foster homes had a revolving door of fucked up kids, all just trying to survive until they're eighteen. I didn't necessarily want his friendship, I wanted his approval. Everyone liked Blaise Bennett.
And I mean everyone.
It was the one thing I could count on when I moved from town to town. I was adaptable. Likeable. So why the fuck couldn't I get this guy to at least crack a fucking smile?
I was expecting to see Gavriel’s annoyed scowl, but instead, he was grinning ear to ear while talking to a girl with long black hair. She didn't look remarkable from behind. Baggy clothes covered her thin frame, and her backpack was stuffed to the brim with books. An overachiever, probably.
It wasn't her that got my attention. No, it was the ridiculous grin on his face as they chatted. Since arriving in this shitty town, not once had I seen him so happy. Deciding that she must be someone worth knowing, I headed towards them.
"Hey, Gav, gonna catch the bus?" I said in my chipper voice. I knew that it pissed him off to see me so happy. Maybe that's why he hated me. They both turned my direction, and I had to catch my breath.
Yeah, okay. She was pretty. And by "pretty," I meant pretty fucking gorgeous.
Hazel eyes, bright and unassuming. Perfect, plush lips that just ached to be kissed. No wonder Gav had a fucking smile. I'd be blissed out too if I had her undivided attention—which I planned to have very, very soon.
"I'm gonna walk Sunshine home, actually," he growled at me, like a dog pissing on a patch of grass. So he was territorial? Even better. I loved a little friendly competition.
"It is a beautiful day for a walk," I replied while throwing this Sunshine gal a wink and making her blush a perfect shade of pink. "I like your name, by the way. I'm Blaise." I shot out my hand to shake hers, and she grabbed it tenderly. I made sure to hold tightly and brush my fingers along her wrist as she pulled back. As expected, she shivered. I’d pulled that move a hundred times, but watching her reaction made me want to touch her again.