Waste of Worth (DeLuca Duet Book 1)

by Bethany-Kris

  Really, Dino didn’t blame her.

  He hoped this weekend away would give her the chance to get back behind the camera, if only for a short time, and forget that the rest of world existed.

  He just wanted to watch her get lost, and do the same.

  It was a simple enough request, wasn’t it?

  Dino didn’t think he was asking for much.

  “Are we going to get on the road?” Karen asked, bringing Dino out of his thoughts as she came to stand in front of him. “Or are you going to keep standing there and staring at me?”

  Mischief practically wafted from her.

  She was so happy.

  She never once questioned him about all of this, or why he was doing it, for that matter.

  It was one of many things he liked a great deal about Karen. She was grateful for what he gave, and never really asked for more. She didn’t push him beyond the lines in the sand he drew, even when she probably should.

  “Yeah,” he said after a moment, “we can get on the road.”

  “Good.” Karen flashed him a beaming smile and slung her weekend bag over her shoulder. “Be careful with my—”

  Before she could even finish that sentence, Dino leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth to shut her up. Karen’s surprised squeak quickly melted away and she pushed closer to him, one of her hands wrapping around his neck and tangling into his hair to keep him in place. She wasted no time deepening the kiss as he grabbed her around the waist and held her tight.

  All too soon, he was pulling away, needing to clear the sudden cloud that had fallen over his mind. Karen blinked up at him, a lazy, happy grin curving the edges of her pink lips upward.

  “That was nice,” she whispered. “Unexpected, but nice.”

  “I’ll take care of your stuff,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me to. You know that, right?”

  Karen stared up at him, silent and searching in her gaze. He had the distinct feeling that she too had caught the true meaning in his words, despite how they had sounded on the surface.

  It wasn’t just her stuff, but her, too.

  He’d take care of her.

  Without asking.

  Without being told.

  Because he wanted to and it felt right.

  Finally, Karen nodded. “Yeah, I know, Dino.”

  “Perfetto,” he murmured.

  Her brow raised slightly at his casual use of Italian. It wasn’t something he did often in her presence, and honestly, he didn’t do it a lot in business, either. Not unless he had to, anyway.

  “Say something else,” Karen said. “If you can, I mean.”

  Dino didn’t hesitate. “Sei la mia luce.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  Something incredibly important that he didn’t think he had the guts to say to her in English, so he didn’t. Shaking his head, Dino gave Karen a wink and stepped to the side, out of her embrace.

  “Get down to the car and pop the trunk for me,” he told her.

  “You’re seriously not going to tell me what it means?”

  “Not today, sweetheart.”

  Karen gave him a mock scowl, but it was only a half-hearted effort. “Fine, I’m going to the car.”

  Dino grabbed the bags, balancing them carefully as he scooped up the apartment keys from the coffee table. He made sure to triple-check the locks before being satisfied the place was closed up tight. One couldn’t be too careful.

  Outside in the complex parking lot, he found Karen waiting in the car. Once he had all the bags situated in the trunk, he too slid into the car, more than ready to get the hell away for the weekend.

  Even though it was her car, Karen sat in the passenger seat.

  “You can drive,” Dino said.

  He would rather drive, but he’d let her take the wheel.

  “I don’t know where we’re going, Dino. Remember?”

  True enough.

  “I could give you directions,” he offered, holding the keys out to her.

  Karen smiled, and shook her head. “This is your surprise for me. You do it the way you want.”

  How exactly was he supposed to argue with that?

  It didn’t take long at all for them to get on the road, and then the highway leading out of the city. He couldn’t take her too far, certainly not out of country or even the state, if only because he had his phone turned on in case something happened over the weekend and he got called back. As much as he hoped that didn’t happen, and for as much effort as he had put into taking care of things and people so they didn’t question his absence for two or three days, it was still a very real possibility.

  The drive was silent, and Dino focused on the cars ahead of him, weaving in and around other vehicles to get ahead of them as fast as possible.

  He wanted to get out of the city.

  He wanted to leave the Outfit behind.

  At least for a short while.

  Karen’s hand found his on the middle console, and without a word of request, Dino weaved their fingers together, then placed their joined hands on her jean-clad thigh. There, he could stroke her leg with the side of his thumb while he drove.

  The action was soothing.

  He didn’t really question why but instead, took the comfort it offered.

  “You’re really not going to tell me what that meant, huh?” Karen asked out of the blue.

  Dino looked over at her, taking in the beautiful warmth she radiated and how her face lit up whenever he gave her his full attention.

  This whole weekend would be nothing but that, he knew.

  His attention on her.

  Only her.

  “I’m curious what it means,” she pressed.

  Dino still couldn’t tell her.

  Not yet.

  Still, his mind whispered the words—the truth.

  You are my light.

  Because to Dino, Karen was the brightest spot in his very dark world, always lighting up the shadows that never really seemed to leave.

  It seemed apt.

  There were a dozen and one other things he could have said to her in Italian—things that would have been safer, that he could have repeated in English without her looking too much into it or overthinking what it all meant.

  This was not the same.

  And he wasn’t ready to explain what it all meant.

  Or rather, what it might mean for him and her.

  Maybe he was a fucking coward.

  “Not today,” he finally said.

  With a sigh—although it sounded happy, more than anything else—Karen rested back into the seat, placing her feet up on the dashboard. “You’re so strange sometimes, Dino.”

  She kept saying that, but …

  “I don’t think it makes much of a difference to you, does it?”

  Karen eyed him from the side. “No, it really doesn’t.”

  KAREN’S eyes lit up as the trees began to clear up ahead on the dirt road. It was getting dark fast, but there was still more than enough light to see what awaited them for the weekend.

  The split-level log cabin sat proudly on the edge of a lake, looking both old and comforting at the same time. It was a place Dino had purchased a while back if nothing more than for the land it offered, and the view he thought he might enjoy taking advantage of at some point.

  He hadn’t been wrong on both accounts.

  It was private, and that would do him well this weekend with Karen.

  And the view …

  Well, he had the best view sitting right beside him.

  Karen pulled her legs down from the dashboard and leaned forward in the seat, taking in the cabin as they came closer. She peered out the windows, her interest growing at the sight of the lake and floating barge with a small boat attached.

  “This is yours?” Karen asked. “All of it?”

  Dino shrugged as he pulled Karen’s car to park in front of the cabin. “It is, but it’s nothing compared to some of the other places around the lake
. A lot of the other properties are hidden by trees or set higher on the hills.”

  “Nothing? Dino, this place is beautiful.”

  He hadn’t really noticed before, as his moments spent here had only been to get away fast and then be called right back to life. He never had the time to enjoy it as much as he knew it deserved to be, never mind care for the place hands-on. He paid someone else to do that for him.

  By the looks of the chimney, with gentle puffs of gray smoke popping out of the top, the groundskeeper and maid had come in and done their job on time. Dino made a mental note to include a bonus in with their checks at the end of the month.

  Glancing over at Karen with a smile, he asked, “So you like it?”

  “Love it.”

  “You’ll probably like the inside even more.”

  Karen rolled her eyes and waved at the forest and lake surrounding them. “I doubt it.”

  “You just want to take pictures.”

  She didn’t even deny it.

  “Do you see this place, Dino?” Karen asked, opening her door and stepping out of the car. “It’s a nature photographer’s wet dream.”

  Dino cleared his throat, stepping out of the car himself and closing the door. “A wet dream, huh?”

  Karen shot him a sly smile, promising and wicked all at the same time. “You don’t know all of the things that turn me on.”

  “Yet.”

  She hesitated in her steps, glancing over her shoulder at him. “What?”

  “I don’t know them all yet. Give me time.”

  Karen’s smile melted into a sensual grin. “We do have all weekend.”

  And then they’d have to go back.

  Unfortunately.

  Dino was already trying to figure out how fast he could get back here with Karen after they had to leave. Suddenly, the place didn’t feel like just another deed with his name on it, but rather, a place where the rest of the world couldn’t touch him.

  If only for a time …

  “The front door should be unlocked,” Dino said as he rounded the car to pop the trunk.

  He was just grabbing their bags as Karen took the few steps leading up to the cabin’s entrance two at a time. The entryway was made of four large tree trunks that acted as pillars, with thick logs as overhangs and forest green shingles to help the cabin blend in when looking down from up above.

  Dino had only made it half way across the front yard when he heard Karen gasp loudly, then shout a happy yell. She’d left the door to the cabin wide open, and he only saw a brief peek of her back and caramel-toned hair before she was gone in a flash, probably to explore the inside of the two-level cabin.

  Stepping inside the place, Dino was careful to set the bags down, and out of the way as he listened to the patter of Karen’s feet upstairs. The winding staircase that led to a loft-like upper section was also made out of curved logs and split wood stained a deep chestnut. Even the fireplace, made from stones that had been pulled from the ground when the previous owner dug out what would be the basement, had been meticulously designed, giving it a hand-crafted and beautiful feel.

  The walls, exposed rafters, and even the crown-molding and baseboards were all made with the same hand-crafted beauty, and all were stained with that same chestnut color, making the place feel both warm and natural.

  Like the earth, Dino thought.

  A person couldn’t be closer to nature than a cabin in the woods.

  The one thing that really made the cabin stand out were the large floor-to-ceiling windows that covered one entire back wall, tapering off into a point once the glass reached the sloped roof. In the day, the place didn’t need much light because those windows provided far more than enough all on their own.

  “Dino!”

  “Yes?”

  Karen appeared above his head, her hair blowing out around her face as she leaned precariously over the wooden railing. “The bed up here is made out of logs!”

  Her simple joy over something so random made his chest tight while a warmth spread fast from his fingertips through to the rest of his body. He didn’t quite understand why, but he liked it a lot. He liked that he could make her smile, and that all the little details that the place had to offer were the kinds of things that someone like Karen could appreciate.

  He’d never brought someone here before.

  She was the first, and would probably be the last.

  Still, Dino knew, Karen was exactly the kind of person who would understand the worth and beauty that went into each and every inch of the cabin. Even he hadn’t fully understood the work and love it took to build the place at first—he’d only seen rooms, logs, and a lake. But he did know now.

  Dino chuckled. “They all are. The guy who built the place liked to work with his hands. Everything from the floors to the kitchen cabinets came from the trees he cleared off the lot to build the place.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded.

  Karen looked around again. “Why did he sell it?”

  That, Dino didn’t have an answer for. Not a good one, anyway.

  “He just said it was time—I happened to be the lucky fucker who gave the right bid.”

  “Huh,” she said, more to herself than him.

  Then, she was gone again, pushing away from the railing and disappearing from his view. Dino didn’t have to wait for very long before she appeared again, bouncing down the stairs, her smile growing wider with each step.

  Before long, she was standing in front of him, pushing up to her tip toes, and kissing him sweetly.

  Dino froze, not expecting the kiss. “What was that for?”

  “Being you.”

  “Being me.”

  Karen kissed him again, harder and longer, whispering as she pulled away, “Because you’re wonderful, Dino.”

  “I think you have you and I mixed up,” he said quietly.

  “No, I think you just don’t see yourself clearly.”

  Well, he wasn’t going to argue with her.

  It was up to Karen whether or not she believed Dino was worth keeping around, or just worthless.

  He didn’t get a say in that at all.

  Dino sat on the edge of the dock, watching the floating barge move further and further away from his spot. Given it was tied to the dock, it would only go as far as the rope would allow, and then he would just have to pull it back and tie it again.

  The sight was relaxing, so much so that he barely realized the sun had started to peek over the horizon again, signaling morning was fast approaching.

  It would be their second to last day at the cabin, unfortunately. Monday, bright and early—they would need to head back for the city. Dino didn’t quite realize how much he would want to stay right where he was, with Karen and a quiet forest, rather than Chicago.

  Sighing, he let his leg drop off the dock and leaned back, using his hands to keep him upright. He surveyed the peaceful lake, taking in the two other properties he could see from his position on the other side of the pond. It was unlikely whoever owned the places—if they were even home—could see his position without binoculars. It had been the one sense of relief he had when Karen had wanted to take the boat out the day before.

  It wasn’t like Dino could refuse her.

  It was a weekend for her, after all.

  Well, for them.

  Frankly, Dino had made a far greater effort to ensure Karen was happy and had all the time in the world to do whatever she wanted the past two days and evenings. And she had gotten to do whatever she asked of him, from taking the boat out, hiking through the trails, taking pictures of this or that, and then more of that again.

  He never complained.

  He didn’t have a reason to.

  Seeing her beam with every ‘yes’ he gave only made him feel lighter.

  Why wouldn’t he want to feel lighter when all he ever seemed to feel on a good day was weighed down?

  Peering out at the lake once more, Dino was reminded that this was really the
first time he had taken any sort of moment to fully enjoy what this place had to offer. Previously when he’d come down, he hadn’t even bothered to ask the groundskeeper to pull the sheets off the furniture. Dino was lucky if he bothered to drag himself beyond the wood shed.

  Karen hadn’t given him much of a choice this time, and he hadn’t minded following along to feed her whims about whatever adventure she wanted to try.

  He’d be back soon, he knew.

  With Karen, of course.

  Dino grabbed his coffee cup sitting beside him on the dock and lifted it for a sip, taking in the lukewarm, bitter liquid. He’d been up before dawn—not because he couldn’t sleep, as he had slept quite well—and quickly got bored with wandering the house.

  He thought it would be selfish to wake Karen from her dreams because he couldn’t amuse himself while he was alone.

  Strange as that is, he thought.

  Dino had never minded being alone before, and certainly had no problem with keeping himself company. Yet, whenever he was with Karen, his entire outlook seemed to change and the very last thing he wanted was to be left to his own devices. She was far more interesting, anyway.

  The gentle sound of a camera’s shutter going click-click-click behind him had Dino resting his cup back to the dock as he glanced over his shoulder. He found Karen standing at the very end of the dock, her camera raised and shielding most of her face as she took another round of shots. For a second, he thought she was taking pictures of the lake.

  It took him far too long to realize she was actually taking pictures of him.

  “I’m not a very good subject,” Dino said.

  He didn’t smile very often, and he didn’t perform.

  Karen never lowered the camera as she came closer. “You’re a perfect subject—haunted, alive, beautiful, and real. What more could I ask for?”

  Dino swallowed the thickness building in his throat, and turned back to face the lake. He could still hear Karen’s camera clicking wildly as she continued taking his picture. He was so accustomed to staying out of the limelight that even something like a photograph felt strange.

  Still, he let her take the pictures.