Chance

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “Will you…” I looked down at our intertwined hands and squeezed his slightly. “Will you stay with me? I know you have to work and you’re busy, but-”

  “Dushenka, you don’t even have to ask. I won’t leave you until you’re ready. Even then, I might take you with me just so I can keep an eye on you.”

  That’s what I had been hoping for. If I was lucky, I would have him wrapped around my finger in no time. It was still early and he probably wasn’t one hundred percent sure of me, but if things kept up the way they were, I would have my daughter back in no time.

  “The doctor is waiting outside to exam you. I’ll grab him and then you can rest.”

  He stood and made his way to the door, opening it for a man that was probably in his forties or fifties. His posture was stiff, meaning he knew what kind of man Wes was. He set his bag down on the ground and pulled the covers back before I could protest. I was dressed in only a white t-shirt and I was relieved that I could feel that I had underwear on.

  “I need you to lay back. I’ll check the wound from the front and then we’ll roll you so I can check your back.”

  I nodded and tried to move myself down, but the pain was too much. I cried out when my side pinched painfully. Wes moved to my side and slid his hands under my body. I was sweating already, just from moving that little bit. There was no way I would be running any time soon.

  The bandage was pulled off and I made the mistake of looking down. Dried blood and stitches made my stomach churn. I quickly looked away and took deep breaths to keep from throwing up everywhere.

  “This side looks good. It’s healing nicely. Wes, if you’ll stand on the other side and grab her shoulder, we’ll roll her so I can check her back.”

  Wes moved to the other side and then I was rolling. This one hurt more than the front and when the man removed the bandage, I squirmed, trying to get away from the pain. Wes grabbed my hand and my eyes locked with his. He was trying to comfort me and I wasn’t sure how to deal with that, but then the doctor poked me and those thoughts fled my mind. I gripped his hand as hard as I could, but he didn’t even flinch.

  “What’s wrong?” Wes asked.

  “Just a little infection. I would guess that a piece of the bullet was left inside, but without an X-ray, I’m afraid that I can’t get it out. I’m going to give you a different antibiotic and you’ll need to get up and move around. I don’t want you laying on your back the whole time. Try laying on your other side and put pillows around you for support.”

  “Okay, how long will it take to heal?”

  “I would say you should be moving around fine in a few weeks. It’s going to be painful for a little while, so don’t overdo it, but moving around is also important, so don’t just lay around all day either.”

  He checked my head wound next and made sure that I knew where I was and who I was. When he seemed satisfied, he left, leaving me alone with Wes.

  “You need some rest, Dushenka. I’ll have one of the maids bring up something for you to eat. If you need me, just dial my extension.”

  I smiled at him and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to have to keep pretending when I felt so horrible. I just wanted to sleep and pretend that I was anywhere other than here.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  Wes didn’t leave my side for days. He was always checking on me when he had to go to his study to do some work, and if he could, he brought his work into the room so he could keep an eye on me. I slept a lot for the first few days. Wes would get me up once an hour if I wasn’t too out of it and we walked around the second floor together. I hadn’t attempted the stairs yet because I knew it would be painful.

  He showed me all the priceless artwork he had and told me stories about when he got them. Wes was actually a pretty funny guy when he let loose and was just a normal guy. We ate all our meals together in the bedroom and at night, he would rent movies for us to watch together. I tried not to think too much about how much I was actually enjoying our time together. I kept telling myself that this was all part of my plan and that everything was working just as I wanted, but the more time I spent with him, the less pretending I had to do.

  “Quam.” Wes placed his tiles on the board and I shook my head.

  “Quam is not a word.”

  “Are you challenging me?”

  “I am. There is no way that’s a word.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Fine,” I said, snapping the dictionary shut. “Use it in a sentence.”

  He thought about it and then clapped his hands together. “I have no quams about going to the beach.”

  I threw the dictionary at him as I laughed. “That’s qualms.”

  “It is not! Look it up if you don’t believe me.”

  “Fine,” I snatched the dictionary from his hands and flipped to the q section. I scanned through all the words, but it wasn’t there. I snapped the book shut and smiled at him triumphantly. “It’s not a word!”

  He smacked himself in the forehead and held his hands up in surrender. “Fine, it’s not a word. The winner takes the spoils.”

  “Does that mean that I get to pick something?”

  “Anything you want.”

  His handsome smile drew me in and I had to shake myself internally to remember what this man really was. He was just so easy to be around right now. I thought for a moment of asking him to get Payton, but I had a good thing going with him right now and I had to keep him thinking that it was all about him. If I brought Payton up, I risked him thinking that everything was about my daughter and that’s all he was good for. I had to make him believe that I was here for him.

  “I want a kiss.”

  “Done.”

  Instead of leaning in to kiss me, he drew up the t-shirt I was wearing and spread my legs. His nose nudged at my clit and his teeth nipped at my panties. He drew them down my legs and then licked at my pussy. My head dropped back and I panted from the quivering in my legs. “That’s not exactly what I meant.”

  “You didn’t specify where the kiss had to be.”

  I moaned as he twisted my body into knots, pushing me higher and higher until I felt like I would fray into a million pieces. He shoved his fingers inside me just as I was coming and flicked his tongue repeatedly over my clit. My legs felt like they were having seizures from the intense pleasure. The Scrabble board went flying to the ground, little letters clinking as they hit the nightstand and wall, and then he was pushing inside me.

  I didn’t want to be drawn into his eyes, but I couldn’t look away either. He had a way of drawing me in against my will when I knew how dangerous that was. Wes was not a man to mess with, and I knew that if he ever realized I was playing him, he would kill me. But lately, the playing part was twisted up and I wasn’t so sure I was playing him or if he was playing me.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Cap

  Cap

  3 months after the attack…

  “Cap,” Cazzo shifted in his seat. I knew what he was going to say. He had made it clear that he didn’t like the idea of moving out here.

  “How long are we staying here? I know that we need to rebuild and everything, but I think we all need to know if this is becoming our new home. The ladies have left everything behind for us and at this point, none of them really have a job left to go back to. Vanessa lost her job, Kate’s clinic is in her partner’s hands, Claire was supposed to be running the library and they’ve probably replaced her by now. Lucy was notified that she lost her teaching job. Ali lost her nursing position. Lindsey had to shut down her bed and breakfast and Emma had to close her bookshop. Isa lost her position as a real estate agent.”

  “Not to mention that Ryan hasn’t been able to contact Logan about their construction company,” Lola added.

  “What does everyone want to do?” I asked.

  I watched as everyone looked to each other, waiting for someone to speak up. It would be great to go home, but it wasn’t safe. I wasn’t willing to risk my family when there were still men out there gunning for u
s. Not to mention that we didn’t have a building to run Reed Security out of. We couldn’t really take jobs either with how we were functioning right now.

  “If we go home, we still need to protect everyone. We can’t take any chances right now. Raegan is still a target and most likely, so are we,” Jackson spoke up.

  “Let’s put it to a vote.” I would like to say ‘fuck it’ and just order everyone to stay here, but this wasn’t just about a job. “Who wants to stay?”

  Pretty much everyone raised their hands, but Cazzo was hesitant. Eventually, he raised his hand also.

  “We stay,” I nodded. “Now, what do we tell our women?”

  “However you decide to do it,” Sinner said, “make sure Maggie doesn’t have any weapons on her.”

  The guys all stood quickly as I let that comment sink it. I stood, not wanting to be the only one that told the women. “Hey, wait a minute. We’re doing this together.”

  “Cap, no offense, but I just got back on Lucy’s good side-”

  “She has one?” Derek retorted.

  “Shut up, asshole.” Hunter shoved Derek out of his chair, spilling him onto the floor. “As I was saying, I just got back on Lucy’s good side. Now you want me to tell her that she can’t go home?”

  “Let’s face it,” Ice said from his chair, “none of the women actually have a job that’s so important that they have to get back. I say we just point out that this is more important right now. Women are logical. They’ll understand.”

  “I can see that going really well,” Jules snorted, clearing his throat as if he was preparing to put the women in their place. “Ladies, since none of you really do anything that important, we’ve decided that you don’t need to get back to your lives. Therefore, we’ve decided that you’ll stay here and cook for us.”

  “Yeah,” Gabe laughed, “and then Isa would start bitching about how I don’t appreciate her.” Gabe lifted his hand in a queer wave, mimicking Isa and pitching his voice higher. “So, because I don’t take out bad men with a sling shot, that means that my job isn’t important? I guess nothing I do is important. Why don’t I just stay home for the rest of my life and be your servant?”

  “At least Isa sells houses. Emma runs a bookshop dedicated only to romance readers. Seriously, that’s like the least helpful thing to any man,” Burg added.

  “That’s because you’re not reading the book right.” Chris walked over to Burg. “If you actually read the book, you see a whole world waiting for you. The best sex you’ve ever wanted and a strong desire to see if she can really deep throat you.”

  “No,” Sinner shook his head. “Romance novels are the worst. Don’t even get me started on the unbelievable expectations that Cara has for me now that’s she’s read about all these amazing guys who reform themselves for their woman. They spout all kinds of shit about the man tripping over himself to please his woman. That’s not real life.”

  “What books are you reading?” Chris asked.

  “All of them. Every single romance book is about the man that has to change for the woman. You know, just once I’d like the woman to be the bitch that has to change for the man.”

  “Your books don’t have that?” I asked Chris.

  “I guess I only ever read the sex scenes.”

  I started laughing, shaking my head at how idiotic he was. “The sex is only part of the book. You can’t possibly be the man she’s looking for if you don’t do the kinky shit and be the dream man. And you can’t be both. It’s just not possible.”

  “It is possible,” Derek insisted. “The problem is that you all have kids.”

  “I don’t,” Alec interrupted.

  “You don’t have a fucking woman, so shut your mouth,” I joked.

  “Like I was saying, Claire and I don’t have any kids and I perform just fine in the bedroom and in my daily life. Once you have kids, there’s no fucking way to keep up with your woman’s demands.”

  “So, does this apply to Florrie and I?” Lola asked. “Because we’re women, so obviously we must expect the same things.”

  “Not me,” Florrie snorted. “I don’t need a man to save me. I need a man that will stand beside me and keep the guns loaded for me.”

  “That’s different,” Cazzo said. “You two aren’t real women.”

  “What?” Lola’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Are you trying to say that we’re dykes?”

  “No, but you’re, you know…” Cazzo started bulking up his shoulders and walked girly, swaying his hips in an awkward strut.

  “What the hell is that?” I asked.

  “They’re women, but with all the manly features.”

  “Manly features?” Florrie tilted her head to the side in question. “I’m not sure which of my features is most manly. Is it my tits? Or maybe it’s my ass.”

  “Definitely not your ass,” Hunter huffed, staring at her ass. Derek punched him in the shoulder, sending him stumbling into the table. “What the fuck was that for? I’m injured.”

  Alec stepped forward, standing in front of Florrie almost protectively. “You’re going to be severely injured if you keep staring at Florrie’s ass.”

  “What? It’s not like I was suggesting Lucy and I start watching Florrie fuck Alec. I’m not Gabe.”

  What the hell? Did Hunter just say…Florrie and Alec? How did I not see that?

  “Hey, stop ganging up on me. Just because I like to watch doesn’t mean I watch everyone. I have standards.”

  “Wait, when did you start fucking Alec?” I asked Florrie.

  “Do those standards end before or after you participate?” Jules joked.

  “I don’t watch friends fuck,” Gabe shot back.

  “How long have you two been an item?” I asked Alec. He didn’t even hesitate to slip his arm around Florrie’s waist. She shot him an irritated glare and flung his arm off her.

  “You do too,” Derek smirked. “It wasn’t that long ago that you were watching Jackson fuck Raegan.”

  “That was different. The locker room is neutral territory.”

  “Not in my house,” Knight finally spoke up.

  “Raegan still hasn’t forgiven me for that.”

  “An item?” Alec asked me. “When did you turn into a chick?”

  “About the same time Maggie threatened his balls,” Craig smirked.

  I was watching Knight out of the corner of my eye as he leaned back in his chair and watched everyone bitching. His face was stormy, which meant that we didn’t have too much longer before he started shooting.

  “Okay, I’m just gonna say it,” Rocco stood in front of everyone, his hands raised in the air. “You all have some serious issues. Watching teammates fuck and waxing each other. I’m just saying…that’s not normal.”

  “You were the one that taped my dick to a thong the first time we met,” Gabe said incredulously.

  “You did what?” Chris asked.

  “It was the most frightening thing I’ve ever walked in on,” I muttered.

  “Why would you do that?” Cazzo asked Rocco. “You’re not a transvestite, are you?”

  “That’s Burg’s territory,” Sinner laughed.

  Burg sprung across the room, tackling Sinner to the ground. They wrested on the floor, flinging each other around the room, knocking shit all over the place.

  “Frightening?” Alec scoffed at me. “Seriously, when the fuck did you start talking like an old lady?”

  “Hey, I just walked in on Gabe showing some of the guys how his junk looked in a thong,” Rocco clarified. “I was only showing him how double-sided tape could be useful.”

  Sinner threw Burg onto a table, breaking it in two. He jumped on top of him, hitting him with an elbow drop.

  “There’s nothing wrong with the way I talk. Just because every other word out of my mouth isn’t fuck doesn’t mean that I talk like an old woman.”

  “Yeah, but shit, Cap, you could say terrifying or disturbing. Frightening just makes you sound like you belong in an old
person’s home.”

  I glared at Alec, but was shoved out of the way as Burg kicked Sinner through a bookcase. Books went flying everywhere and the wood splintered under Sinner’s weight.

  “There’s something seriously wrong with touching another man’s junk,” Chris said. Ice nodded, adding in his own commentary.

  “Yeah, at least we only touched Jules’ leg.”

  “Hey, we said we weren’t ever going to talk about that again,” Jules snapped.

  “What are you, a fucking dictionary?” I mocked Alec.

  “Ooh, the boss is using his big boy words,” Craig laughed just before Sinner punched Burg into him. I sidestepped Craig and Burg just as they fell to the floor, moving back toward Alec and Craig.

  “I have kids now,” I snapped. “I can’t walk around using a potty mouth all the time.”

  “How come we never get included in these waxing experiences?” Lola asked Florrie.

  “Must be a guy thing. Should we…you know, go get a wax together?”

  “Do I look like a girl that goes and gets waxed with friends?”

  “Oh, fuck,” Jules laughed. “Please, I would love to hear you say ‘potty mouth’ the next time we’re meeting with a client.”

  “Hey!”

  Everyone in the room grew silent. Susan Cartwright, Raegan’s mom, walked into the room with a stern expression on her face. She was dragging Sinner and Burg by the ears along with her. Never had I seen two grown men being treated like five year olds. I’d probably have to hire her to keep the guys in line.

  “I am shocked by what I heard when I walked up here. The swearing alone is atrocious, but then to hear that you boys are fondling each other…Call me old-fashioned, but that stays between a man and woman. And as for you two boys,” she said to Burg and Sinner, “destroying private property is unacceptable. Now, I want you to go over to Hudson and apologize to him. He’s being kind enough to let us all stay here and you’re stomping all over his warm-hearted help.”

  Burg and Sinner shuffled uncomfortably, not wanting to go over to Knight and apologize. Everyone else in the room was doing their best to stifle their laughter. It would be one for the books. No one ever apologized to Knight, and Knight had never been described as warm-hearted.