“Me too.”
River soon fell asleep but Sunday couldn’t manage to drift off. She lay in his arms until she was sure he was fast asleep, then slipped out of bed. Maybe if she read a while, she’d be able to go to sleep.
The house was so quiet at night. Outside, the moon was full, and it cast a blue light throughout the house. The lake outside was as still as glass. Sunday went to her office and picked up one of Ludovico Giotto’s diaries. Snapping on a small reading light, she pushed her glasses into her nose and began to read.
It wasn’t until an hour later when she realized. Suddenly she knew why River had wanted his father’s diaries transcribed. He wanted to know. He wanted to know if his father had known about Angelina’s abuse of his son.
“Oh, God, please no …” Sunday shook her head, scared at the weight of expectation she suddenly felt. If Ludo had known …
Should she lie? If it came to it, was it better for River to believe his father was ignorant of it all, even if he wasn’t?
“Fuck.” She ran her hands over her eyes. What should she do?
She felt faintly nauseous and shoved the diary back onto the desk and shut off the lamp. She walked to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of ice water. She drained in then closed her eyes.
She felt him behind her and turned as he reached for her. His lips were against hers and she opened her mouth to speak but he shook his head. In the blue moonlight, he looked even more dangerously sexy and as he lifted her onto the counter and parted her legs, Sunday gave herself to him. He pushed her back and hitched her legs around him. His cock nudged at her and then buried itself deep into her. Sunday’s back arched as River fucked her, both silent except for their gasps for breath.
She came, hard, and River muffled her cries with his mouth, his cock pumping thick, creamy cum deep inside her. As she panted, trying to catch her breath, he swept her into his arms and back to the bedroom, where they made love again.
Sunday stroked his face afterward as they recovered. “I love you so much,” she whispered, and River nodded, his eyes on hers.
“You are my world now,” he said simply, and kissed her again.
This time, Sunday had no trouble falling asleep in his arms.
Outside of the house, the man clicked off another few shots of the sleeping couple. The shots would be dark but he couldn’t risk using his flash. Luckily for him, the bright moon illuminated the sleeping lovers and he managed to get shots of their faces.
Later, back at the motel, he sent them through to his client. A few minutes later, a bank transfer was issued in payment. A brief email told him, “Great job.”
And that was that.
In New York, Angelina Marshall started to laugh as she looked at the photographs, and she picked up her cell phone and called Scanlan. He wasn’t pleased about being woken.
“What the fuck could you possibly want at this hour, Angelina?”
“Oh, I think you’re going to want to speak to me much more nicely than that,” she purred, victorious. “You’re never going to guess who River Giotto’s new paramour is …”
Chapter Fifteen
A few days later and Sunday kissed River goodbye as she prepared to hunker down in her apartment for the next few days. “You promise if you need me, you’ll call?”
“I swear to God. Christ, I’m going to miss you.” He tangled her hair up in his fist and studied her. “Don’t go falling for anyone else.”
“Ha.” She nuzzled her nose against his. “Don’t let her get to you.”
River smiled. “I won’t.”
Sunday hated leaving him alone, knowing his abuser would show up there soon. She had packed a few of Ludo’s diaries into a bag and planned to spend the next few days working. But, as she dumped her bag in her cold apartment, she felt the need to go out and distract herself from what was happening at the Castle.
She went over to Daisy’s coffeehouse to see her friend. She was surprised to see her chatting to Tony, the young snowboarder, and Sunday quickly realized that her friend and the newcomer were casually dating.
Good. It saved any awkward flirting. “How are you doing? I’m sorry I haven’t been around for a few days.”
Daisy grinned at her. “Dude, it’s all right. I know you and River are pretty loved up.”
“You do?”
“Nothing stays secret here for long. I think it’s wonderful and listen, even Aria doesn’t seem too pissy about it.”
Sunday rolled her eyes. “I’m glad. I could do without another enemy.” Too late, she realized what she had said. “I mean, a jealous ex.”
She smiled at Tony. “So, you two getting to know each other?”
“She’s great, although I have trouble with the accent sometimes. She put in a good word with her dad for me up at the ski place, got me a job.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She sipped her coffee then wondered why Tony was staring at her. “Something wrong?”
“Nah … it’s just, you really remind me of someone.”
Sunday’s stomach gave a lurch of unease. “Oh?”
“You ever been on television?”
She forced a smile. “Nope.”
“Huh.”
Change the subject. “So what job have they got you doing up at the ski place?”
She didn’t really listen to what he was saying, jolted by his possible recognition of her. It made her feel sick to her stomach, and she realized how much River was giving up to protect her. The least she could do was stay out of sight.
She finished her coffee and made her excuses but as she made her way to the door, it opened and Sunday’s breath froze in her chest.
Angelina had arrived.
Angelina looked straight at her, but in her eyes, there was no recognition. Behind Angelina, a tall, handsome man with piercing blue eyes stood. “Excuse me, please,” Sunday muttered as she moved past them and out of the door. “thank you,” she said to the man, who smiled down at her.
“My pleasure.”
She escaped across the street and locked her apartment door behind her. She hadn’t realized that seeing a part of her past life would upset her so much, even without the obvious horror that Angelina had wreaked on River’s life. Sunday felt anger, resentment, fear, and distress all at once and now she was glad she was alone so that she could cry and rant and get all of the pent-up pain out.
She cried herself out, then took a shower, a headache pounding around her temples. She decided she would not work today, but took a long nap, waking just to eat some quick pasta, then fell asleep again.
She woke, fuzzyheaded, when her cell phone buzzed. She smiled when she saw who was calling. “Hey, baby.”
“Hey, pretty girl.” River sounded calm. “I miss you.”
“Me too, my darling.” She hesitated. “Have you seen her?”
River sighed. “Yes … and I don’t quite know what to make of her visit.”
Sunday sat up. “How so?”
“Well, for one thing, she brought her fiancé. Bitch is getting married. Poor guy.”
Sunday heard the amusement in River’s voice and was glad that he hadn’t been upset. “What did she say about Berry?”
“She wants visitation. I told her okay, but on certain conditions.”
“Like?”
“Like she gets supervised visits. She doesn’t relocate here. She doesn’t expect me to be there, but someone will always come with Berry.” He sighed. “I might have pushed it a little far when I told her to hand over her passport whenever she visits Berry.”
Sunday snorted. “With Angelina, nothing is pushing it.” She hesitated. “She saw me. I went to Daisy’s to grab some coffee and she came in. She looked right at me and I swear, River, there was nothing. She has no idea.”
River groaned. “Don’t say things like that. We can’t get complacent. Did you recognize the man with her?”
“Not at all. Who is he?”
“Some property guy from New York. If Angelina’s marrying him, he
must be rich. Brian Scanlan. Are you sure you don’t know him?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell. I’ll do some research.”
“That’s my girl.” He sighed. “Is it weird that I worry about you being alone there?”
“You shouldn’t. I’m perfectly safe, baby. It’s only for a couple of days, then I’ll be back.”
“Yeah, I know.” River was quiet for a moment, and Sunday felt for him.
“Was it painful?”
“Yes. Just seeing her. I thought I’d lose it, tear her limb from limb, but I think that’s why she brought the fiancé.”
“What did you make of him?”
“Charming. Fake as hell. Good match.”
Sunday laughed. “I love it when you’re a bitch, Giotto. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
They talked for a little while longer then said good night. Sunday felt a pang of loneliness, listening to the quiet of the apartment. She went to the kitchen and grabbed some aspirin. Maybe I slept too long. Her eyes felt puffy from crying. She made some strong coffee and fired up her laptop, typing ‘Brian Scanlan’ into the search engine.
The top result was a professional website for Scanlan Properties, a high-end property firm in Manhattan. She clicked through the site until she got to the page about the owner. Brian Scanlan, forty-two, unmarried, was a self-made man, rich beyond belief thanks to a savvy business mind, handsome in a bland way. Ruthless in industry, he was a fixture of the Upper East Side society set.
“Then how come I’ve never heard of you?” Sunday muttered to herself. River was right. There was something hinky about this dude. She did a deep web search on his name but could only come up with the basic facts she already knew. “No one is this anonymous, especially someone as rich as you, Mr. Scanlan.”
Her journalistic curiosity was piqued now. If he was in a relationship with a viper like Angelina, there had to be something in it for him. Okay, so Angelina was supposedly considered beautiful, but her vile nature precluded anyone with an ounce of humanity being with her, surely? Sunday sighed. Was she being unfair?
No. She hated Angelina with the fury of a thousand suns and anyone involved with her had to be bad. “If you mess with my man, Scanlan, you are dead meat.” Like she could do anything about it. Scanlan, the little she’d seen of him, was a big guy.
She shut down her computer and went to bed, making sure the door to the apartment was locked. River’s warning had made her nervous after all.
It was dark when she opened her eyes and as they got used to the gloom, she heard someone breathing. No, no, she was just imagining it. She closed her eyes but then she heard the floorboard creak. She sat up. Her vision was weirdly blurry when she saw the figure come toward her …
Why can’t I move?
The intruder came closer and she could see his face had no features, his body was wiry and his hands … dear God, his hands were knives and he drove them into her …
Wake up.
Sunday sat up, panting for air. “Goddamn freaking nightmares.” Hissing out the words made her feel better. Shit, was she really turning into such a pussy?
She glanced at the clock. A little after 1:00. She knew River would still be up. She called him.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Gorgeous man. I was just lying here and missing the touch of your hands.”
River chuckled softly. He knew what she wanted. “Feeling horny, pretty girl?”
“Always for you. Do you have any clothes on?”
“Just my underwear.”
“Take it off.”
River laughed. “I will if you will.”
“Oh, I’m taking everything off.”
He groaned. “God, I wish I could be there.”
“What would you do to me?”
“I’d kiss every part of you, starting with your lips, then your throat. I’d suck on each nipple until they were rock-hard and raw. Where is your hand, baby?”
“On my belly.”
“Stroke it for me. Pretend your fingers are mine. I love stroking your belly; it’s so soft. I love running my tongue around your bellybutton. Can you do that? With your finger, I mean, circle your navel and pretend I’m there, licking it, teasing it.”
Sunday moaned softly, her eyes close. “Touch your cock for me, baby. Pretend my lips are closing around it, my tongue sweeping over your wide crest. You’re hard, so hard, baby, and so, so big …”
She heard his sharp intake of breath. “I’m going south, baby, down your belly, and now my tongue is on your clit … God, you taste so good, Sunday … my tongue is in you, going deep, deeper …”
Sunday, her fingers stroking her clit, writhed on the bed. “I want you inside me; your cock is so hard, so hard … fuck me, River, please …”
“I’m in you. Take it all, baby, that’s it … that’s it …”
Sunday came, crying out his name as she stroked her clit and imagining his diamond-hard cock filling her. “God, River … River … I love you so much …”
She heard his long groan of release. “Sunday … forever… I love you …”
After they caught their breath, they talked late into the night. “Only one more night away from each other, then we’re home free.”
“I can’t wait. Good night, baby.”
“Good night, my darling man.”
After that, Sunday had no nightmares. But when she woke in the morning, she found the first note shoved under her door and felt icy cold shock clutch her heart.
I found you, Marley.
Chapter Sixteen
“We have to relocate you.”
Sunday closed her eyes. “No. Sam, no.”
She heard his sigh on the other end of the burner phone. “Sunday, I can’t make you do anything. But if your stalker has found you, your life is in danger.”
“I can’t leave, Sam. I have a life here, commitments … someone I love. People I love.”
“You had the same in New York.”
With his words, she realized that no, this wasn’t the same. “No. It wasn’t the same in New York. I didn’t realize it then but my life there ended when Cory died. I was clinging to nothing. Here … my life really began.”
“You know we can’t guarantee to protect you. I mean, we’ll work with local law enforcement to track this guy down, but staying there, you’re a sitting target.”
“I know. I’ll get through this, Sam. I need to face him.”
“Do you know how to use a gun?”
“No, but I can learn. My partner has one in his home.”
“Have you told him about the note?”
“Not yet.” Sunday felt guilty. “I wanted to talk to you first, before I dump this on him.”
“He knows about you?”
“Yes. It’s a serious relationship, Sam. It’s River Giotto.”
“Ah. Well, the man knows about security from what I hear.”
Sunday didn’t say anything. She could tell Sam was worried. “Look, maybe I should reveal myself, call this guy out. Tell him to come for me. Get this over with.”
“And if he kills you?”
“If he kills me, he kills me. At least it will be over.” Her voice broke, belying her strong words. “I cannot live like this anymore.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Look, is there anyone new in town? A stranger to everyone?”
“A couple. One snowboarding dude, and a guy whose big in property in New York.”
“Who’s the last?”
“Brian Scanlan?”
“Ah, yes.”
Sunday felt her heart lurch. “You’ve heard of him?”
“Not many people in NYC haven’t. And no, he’s not a person of interest. So, who’s the other guy?”
She told him about Tony and he told her he’d make some inquiries. “For now, keep out of his way. Just in case. Can you stay at River’s?”
She sighed. “I guess now that the secret is kind of out, yes. His ex-stepmother is Angelina Marshall. She’s
in town.”
“That viper.”
Sunday smiled gratefully. “Oh, what I’d give for her to be arrested for something. Anything.”
“Yeah, she’s a piece of work, all right.”
For a second, Sunday contemplated telling Sam about Angelina’s sexual abuse of River … but it wasn’t her story to tell. “I’ll go to River’s house.”
“Good. And for the love of God, take care of yourself. Keep this phone close. I call you.”
“Thank you, Sam.”
She called River straight away and he made her promise to stay inside with the door locked. “I’m coming to get you. Pack all your stuff; you’re moving in with me.”
The feminist in her rankled, but the lover in her loved his masterful words and she told him. He didn’t laugh. “I can’t make jokes while your life is in danger, baby.”
He was there in less than twenty minutes. She let him in and he pulled her into his arms. She realized he was trembling.
“I’m so angry, baby. I should never have let you be alone.”
“I don’t know how he found me.” She leaned against him, feeling only relief that he was there. “But it’s time to finish this, once and for all.”
River let her go and studied her. “You think I’ll let you use yourself as bait?”
“No, and that’s not what I mean. I mean I’m done running. You are my life and my life is here in Rockford.” She saw the admiration as well as the fear in his eyes. “Then we’ll face it together.”
River kissed her. “You bet we will.”
Berry ran up to her and threw her little body into Sunday’s arms. “Sunny!”
Sunday giggled and swung her around. “My new name?”
River was hiding a smile. “Tell Sunny why you want to call her that.”
“Well,” Berry began, “You’re Sunday, but also like a mommy, so I figured I would call you Sunny.”
Sunday was moved to tears and she cleared her throat before answering. “I love it, Berry, and I love you too.”
The Hottest Daddy Page 9