Adored: Book 1 (The Beloved Series)

by MJ Masucci

“Come on, kid, you’re a bright boy. I shouldn’t have to spell it out to you. She likes you and I can tell you like her. I knew there was a reason she gave me the slip earlier. She wanted to see you alone.”

  “She told me she argued and won.”

  “Nina is very resourceful when she needs to be. She’s definitely Vito’s child. I’m watching you. Hurt her and I hurt you.”

  Julian said nothing as Frankie turned and walked away. What am I getting myself into?

  As soon as he got home, he opened his laptop and began a search for Vito Caro. He knew about the dock worker intimidation, but hadn’t heard much else. What he found made his blood run cold. Mr. Caro was pretty high up on the food chain as far as organized crime went. He’d been acquitted several times over the years of racketeering, extortion, manslaughter, illegal gambling and intimidation.

  Except for a two-year stint in prison for jury tampering, he had been relatively unscathed by the accusations and court cases. Julian found several pictures of Nina’s father as well as her brothers, Tony and Joey. They all had a family resemblance, same dark hair and eyes. Based on what her brothers looked like, he guessed that Nina’s lovely petite body came from her mother’s side of the family.

  Julian sat back in his chair and realized he had a decision to make: did he want to get involved with someone who had such family entanglements? Hell, Frankie practically threatened him with bodily harm. What’s more, if he did get involved with Nina, would he break her heart? He wasn’t sure if he could open up to her any more than he opened up to other women he dated.

  Julian got ready for bed thinking about what he should do and fell into an uneasy sleep. He woke up at 5:00 AM after an erotic dream filled his head. His arousal caused his balls to ache and he turned over hoping it would subside. When it did not, he turned on his back and stared through the window at the setting stars.

  It was mid-August and very warm out even at this hour. He hadn’t bothered to turn on the fan near his bed, causing a thin layer of sweat to coat his body. He kicked at the sheet to free his legs and threw them over the side of the bed. Might as well get up and chop some wood.

  All summer, Julian prepared for the cooler months. The good thing about living so far away from neighbors was that he could make noise at any hour of the day or night without disturbing anyone. When he couldn’t sleep, he often got his axe, chainsaw and small tractor from the shed to head into the woods to make logs from fallen trees to use to heat his cabin through the winter months.

  Forty minutes later, he found a large oak tree which had died and fallen. He set to work sawing and chopping until the logs were in manageable pieces which he threw into the small dump cart attached to the tractor. At home, he would use his log splitter to cut them down.

  It took Julian over two hours to cut the tree in pieces. He was sweaty and hot in the now risen sun. He rubbed the sawdust off his hair and arms, then loaded his equipment into the cart and began to drive back to his shed. As he pulled around to the front, he noticed a small red car in the dirt driveway.

  The car was not familiar to him, but the young woman sitting on the stairs to his cabin was. Nina bounded off the steps with a big smile on her face as she headed toward him.

  “Hi, Julian.”

  “What are you doing here?” He was still rattled by the conversation he had with Frankie along with the research he had done on her family.

  Her face soured as the smile faded, “Is that any way to greet a guest?”

  “I suppose not.”

  “Doing some wood cutting?”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Why are you so grumpy?”

  “Don’t you think it’s a bit rude to just show up at someone’s home unannounced?” he practically growled at her.

  “Julian, I don’t understand.”

  “I think you better go.”

  He started to unload the logs from the cart while ignoring her. If Julian had paid attention, he would have seen the awful look of regret on Nina’s face. He heard her tear out of his driveway as the wheels dug into the dirt. Crap, I could have handled that better.

  She probably met her share of assholes and now he was one of them. Poor kid. But maybe it was better this way. Did he really want to get involved with her family? He checked his watch because he needed to talk to someone. Maureen would kill him if he woke her up this early since it was only 5:30 in California.

  He took his cell out of his pocket, hoping for a signal. Sometimes they were few and far between up here but today he had three bars. Scrolling through his contact list, Julian hit the call button. Her phone rang twice before she picked up, a surprise.

  “Asshole. I told you not to call me this early.”

  “Well, howdy to you, darling.”

  “What the fuck are you calling for anyway? It must be important if you risked your life to wake me up.”

  “Come on, Moey. I got problems.”

  “Why don’t you get yourself a dog or a bird? Something you can discuss things with other than me until a proper hour?”

  “They don’t talk back.”

  “Parrots do. Get one of them.”

  Julian let out an exasperated sigh, “Are you going to listen to me or should I call back?”

  “I’d say call back but you’ve already woken me. Be glad I have a casting call at eight or I would have taken the next flight to New York to kick your ass.”

  “Hey, congratulations.”

  “Enough about me. What’s your problem, Jules?”

  “It’s a girl.”

  “You called me for a girl. What the fuck? Screw her and move on.”

  “It’s not like that. I like her.”

  “And the problem is?”

  “She’s a Caro?”

  “A whato?”

  “A Caro, as in Vito Caro, as in organized crime Caro.”

  Silence.

  “Moey? Did you fall back to sleep?”

  “I’m here. Do you really like this girl?”

  “I do and I wasn’t the greatest of hosts this morning.”

  “You slept with her already?”

  “No. She showed up at my place while I was out chopping wood. I was not very nice to her and told her to go.”

  Julian pulled the phone away from his ear as Maureen let out a string of curses.

  “Do you have a death wish?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then why would you treat a girl whose father can cut your balls off and use them for hanging dice on his rearview mirror, like that?”

  “I was scared. I read some hefty shit about her father last night.”

  “Exactly, dumbass. You better hope she doesn’t tell Daddy about your little lapse in judgment.”

  “How do you know so much about the Caros?”

  “This stays between you and me. I dated Tony Caro for a few weeks.”

  “When?”

  “You were away at art school, your senior year. He was the nicer of the two brothers, but could be brutal when he wanted to be. I guess he had enough of my smart mouth and cut my lip pretty bad when he slapped me. That’s when I decided that California sounded mighty fine.”

  Julian clenched his fist, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because a cut lip was far less than he would have done to you if you got involved. Tread lightly with this girl.”

  “I will.”

  “And Jules, I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Julian hung up the phone and scratched at the back of his neck. He felt guilty for what he’d done. It wasn’t Nina’s fault that her family was what it was. He hadn’t given her a chance. She was a nice enough girl and didn’t they both have their demons? When Nina found out he couldn’t open up, she would run to the hills.

  All the rest of the day he spent working on a project for a client but his mind kept drifting to the look on her face. Nina’s beautiful features clouded over so fast when Julian had gotten nasty with her. He hurt her and he regrett
ed his treatment. He hoped he could explain the next evening when he saw her in class.

  But he wasn’t given that chance. The next evening he kept checking his watch as his students arrived. Seven o’clock came and went and no Nina. The last class she had come in twenty minutes late, but that came and went. He did notice Madison angrily peering over her easel at him several times. When class ended, he waited; she approached.

  “You’re a real jerk, you know that?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Nina told me what happened yesterday. She likes you, hell if I know why and you treated her like shit.”

  “She told you?”

  “Yeah, she told me,” Madison snapped a large bubble from the gum she was chewing.

  “Where is she? Why didn’t she come?”

  “Would you want to see someone if they treated you like that?”

  “What did she say about me?” He wondered if Madison knew they had shared a passionate kiss.

  “She said you had coffee and a nice talk on Tuesday after class. You know her father is pretty pissed because of you.”

  “He knows about us?”

  “No, but she took her car without Frankie. Vito was pretty upset when he found out. You better make it up to her.”

  “But how can I if she won’t come to class? I don’t even have her cell number.”

  “Give me your phone.”

  Julian watched as Madison worked his phone then handed it back to him.

  “That’s her cell. I would be surprised if she texts or calls you back. I don’t know what she sees in you,” she said as she walked out.

  I was wondering the same thing about you.

  Julian sat staring at the phone in his hand. Should he text her now? Maybe she would have coffee with him. He wanted to apologize, wanted to put a smile on her face. He pressed the message box on his phone and began to type. Short and sweet.

  It’s Julian. I’m sorry about yesterday. I was rude and what I did was inexcusable. You deserved better. Can we start over?

  He waited several minutes before he decided that Nina wasn’t going to answer him; he didn’t blame her. As Julian drove home, he felt horrible until he noticed a car following him up the steep road. Very few people lived up here and he wondered who it could be.

  When he sped up, so did the car behind him. At times only one car length separated them. He quickly pulled off in his driveway, speeding down the dirt path to the garage. The car passed and he breathed a sigh of relief. With Nina’s family connections, it could be anyone looking to hurt him for what he said.

  Julian backed the truck in and shut off the headlights. As he slammed the door, a car slowly entered his driveway and he froze. In the dark, he couldn’t make out what type of car it was. As it approached, it stopped and the headlights clicked off, leaving him slightly blinded. He held his breath waiting for the occupant to emerge. It could be anyone.

  Julian waited until he saw the interior light in the car switch on as the door swung open. The form was small, so he knew it couldn’t be Frankie.

  “Julian?” A sweet voice called from the darkness.

  “Nina, is that you?”

  “Yes. You wanted to start over?”

  He came out of the shadows of the garage and went to her.

  “I want to apologize for my behavior,” he paused, “How did you get out of your house without Frankie?”

  “I told him I was sleeping at Madison’s. They don’t watch me when I do that. She lives a only few blocks away from me.”

  “Is that her car?”

  “Yeah, Frankie insisted on dropping me off. You were saying?”

  “I was an ass. I should never have been so rude to you yesterday.”

  “The question is why?”

  “I was scared.”

  “Scared? Of what?”

  “I should’ve let you tell me.”

  “You looked up my family on the internet, didn’t you?” her voice harsh.

  “I did. I was curious and afterwards, I was shocked.”

  “Don’t let my last name define me. I am not my father’s daughter. I don’t wish to be involved in the life he has carved for our family. I want nothing to do with it which is why I live with my mother. Joey and Tony chose that life; I did not.”

  Julian reached out to smooth a lock of Nina’s hair out of her eyes with his thumb. Touching her skin was electric and sent shockwaves up his arm. It was a feeling he had never experienced.

  “Would you like to come inside?”

  “If you want to talk I can.”

  “Of course I do.” He reached for her hand and grasped it. It felt so lost in his large hands and he held it delicately as if it were china. He dropped it to unlock the door and held it open for her to enter.

  “You live here alone?”

  “Why? Don’t you like it?”

  “It’s rustic,” she noted as she looked around the small cabin. “Aren’t you lonely?”

  “I prefer to be alone.”

  Nina sawed at her bottom lip with her teeth and Julian realized what he said.

  “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like company sometimes.”

  His words were rewarded with a gleaming smile. He reached up to run his finger over her bottom lip and Nina took it in her mouth, sucking on the tip. This sent shivers down his spine and lower. He removed his finger and planted a soft kiss on her lips and within seconds they were locked in a passionate embrace. His hands roamed down her sides and to her back, clenching the soft orbs of her ass.

  Nina moaned in his mouth and he realized there was much to tell each other before they slept together. He pulled away and she looked at him with confusion.

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t think we should get involved before we really know each other.”

  Nina started to laugh, “Did you think I was going to sleep with you?”

  “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

  “No, it’s not. I thought we could talk. I didn’t want to wait until Tuesday and you know how hard it is for me to get away from Frankie.”

  “Oh, I misunderstood.”

  “How many women have you brought here anyway?”

  “Very, very few and only one for… yeah.”

  “What about your family?”

  “I don’t like to talk about them. It’s still painful.”

  “We don’t have to. I’m sorry I asked.”

  “Nina, I want to tell you about them. You need to understand why I sometimes do the things I do.”

  Julian led her to the small futon he had in his living area, where she sat down. He told her his family was killed in a car crash, but didn’t go into detail, only how he had decided not to go with them so he felt guilty because he was alive. They were all he had in the world and now he was alone except for Maureen.

  “Who's Maureen?”

  “Maureen Kelly is my best friend and has been ever since I was a kid. Her family lived next door to mine. We spent so much time together that most people thought we were dating.”

  “And were you?”

  “No, it was never like that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it wasn’t. We always got along great and she understood me better than most. After my parents died, I stayed with her family until my eighteenth birthday which was a couple of weeks later. It became very hard after that.”

  “What was?”

  “To open up to people, show my emotions. It’s why I don’t have girlfriends very long. Most can’t deal with me. I want you to know that if you have any interest in me, it’s the way I am. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “But you’ve shown emotion towards me. You kissed me, didn’t you? And that showed passion.”

  “Yes, but that’s different. I’m physically attracted to you.”

  “So you have no other interest but to sleep with me?”

  “No. That’s not what I meant. That’s not my intent. I like you. I see something in you that I don’t see in others.”

&nbs
p; Nina looked puzzled, “Like what? I don’t understand.”

  “I can sense that you’re kind and sweet, even innocent. I can tell you love hard.”

  “Don’t give me too much credit.”

  “Don’t put yourself down,” he gruffly said.

  Her shyness took over and she looked down at her lap. Julian tipped her chin up with his fingers to look in her eyes.

  “I just want you to know my motivations for why I do things. The last thing I want you to think is that I have no interest in your mind and only want your body.”

  “I would give it to you if you asked.”

  “It’s not for me to take for my pleasure. It needs to be mutual. We need to get to know each other.”

  “How do you know I don’t want you just for your body?”

  “Oh, so you did come here to sleep with me?”

  Her face turned crimson, “I did not.”

  Julian started to snicker, “Calm down. I’m joking with you.”

  He stood up and went to the small kitchen, “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Do you have sparkling water?”

  “If by sparkling you mean tap water, then yes.”

  “Tap water is fine.”

  “If you tell me what water you like I could make sure to have it next time you visit me.”

  “I’m not sure when the next time will be. I had a hard enough time getting out here as it is.”

  “That does pose a problem.”

  A rumble of thunder could be heard outside. They both went to the window as fat raindrops pelted the ground. A bolt of lightning tore through the sky.

  “Looks like a pretty bad storm.”

  “I have to go.” Nina headed for the door and Julian grabbed her arm.

  “You can’t go down that road in this weather. It’s not safe. Sometimes boulders get washed down the rock face. It’s too dangerous.”

  She glanced at her watch, “It’s getting late. I need to go.”

  He stepped in front of her and blocked the door, “I can’t let you go. You’ll have to stay here until the rain stops.”

  “But Madison will worry.”

  “Call her or text her, but I’m not letting you leave until this ends.”

  Nina took her phone out and held it high looking for a signal, “No signal.”