“Give me a few weeks and I will.” This has the word mistake written all over it, and yet I don’t turn him down like I should. “However, I need you to keep one thing in mind…”
“What’s that?”
“I make no promises.”
The night air is a bit chilly as I exit the restaurant, leaving my father inside to settle the tab since he insisted on paying. I’ve already ordered an Uber to come and pick me up, much to his annoyance, but tonight isn’t the night to push. I’ve acquiesced, made a promise to come and see him—spend time with a man that I still really don’t know.
Checking the app, I realize that the driver is still a good eight minutes away and sigh. “Hurry up, dude. All I want is my bed and—”
“How are you, Miss Cancio?”
I know who it is before I turn my face, not at all shocked to find him lurking. He looks the type. The kind that is always waiting and biding his time to strike.
Dominic reminds me of a snake in the grass, and I hate how immediately uneasy I feel with him.
“It’s Conte.”
“Excuse me?” His expression shows a perplexing look that I’m not buying.
“I’m sure you’ve done your homework by now.” Looking back at the restaurant’s entrance, I’m hoping for my father’s appearance. “Right-hand men are usually more on their game than what you showed in London. The same mistake wouldn’t be made twice.”
Dominic pushes off the wall, gait slow as he comes closer. “You’re right. I’ll give you that.”
“Then why pretend?” I ask, raising a brow, holding my position because I’ll never show just how uncomfortable he makes me feel.
“I’m just trying to make conversation, Aurora.” Dominic raises both hands in a showing of peace, stopping a few feet from me. Close enough that the harsh scent of his aftershave tickles my nose. “Our last encounter was unpleasant and that’s my fault—something I owe you an apology for, if you give me the chance to.”
“Go on.”
“Okay.” At my quick response, he smiles, and it does nothing to soften his features. “I’m very sorry about what happened back in London between us a month ago and would like to make amends. That’s not me, and my shitty day shouldn’t have been taken out on you.”
“Thank you.” He seems sincere, and I’ll take it with a grain of salt. Still don’t trust him, but I’ll play nice for now. At the very least, make it less unpleasant when I eventually see him in Boston. “I appreciate that.”
“I’d also like to invite you out for a few drinks tomorrow. To get to know each other a little better.”
“That sounds a lot like a date.”
He shrugs, that grin turning into a smirk. “I would like it to be.”
Not happening, buddy. “I’m sorry, but I’m seeing someone.”
“Who?” he says, an accusatory tinge to his tone that has no place being there. That, and I don’t miss the flash of anger on his face.
It’s quick, but I saw it. Don’t like it either; he has no place to feel any kind of way when it comes to my persona.
“That’s none of your—” I’m interrupted by the ringing of my cell and I look down, noticing right away that the area code is foreign and at once, a smile tugs at my lips. Excitement fills my belly because it has to be him. No one but him has my number that doesn’t live here. “I need to take this.”
“I see.”
“Have a good night.”
“You too, Miss Conte.” The emphasis on my last name makes me look up, but I still swipe a finger across the screen, accepting the call. “We should be seeing each other again, and very soon.”
I don’t answer. Don’t have time to, either.
My Uber pulls up then and just as I reach for the car door, Dominic opens it for me in a show of chivalry that doesn’t come off as genuine. It’s the one thing I’ve been blessed to inherit from my father; I can spot bullshit a mile away.
And he reeks of it.
Before stepping into the car, I give my father’s employee a nod while bringing the phone to my ear. “Hey,” I say, and then close the car door without acknowledging him again. There’s something not right there and the next time I see Matteo, we will be discussing it. I just hope he listens and doesn’t brush me off. “It’s been a while, Mr. Jameson.”
“Too fucking long, Gem.”
16
“TOO FUCKING LONG, Gem.” And it’s the truth. The moment those words leave my lips, their weight settles on my chest and I realize my mistakes...
The first being leaving her without me. Open to some wannabe cunt sniffing around what doesn’t belong to him. Her bodyguard, Alexander, lets me know about my little friend Dominic. Of him asking her out on a date, and even though I’m not physically there to break his face, I interrupt. Made sure to call where he could see her expression at my call. The smile on her face that he sends me a picture of.
Then, there’s another area I bodged up; I didn’t call. Didn’t communicate like I should’ve after leaving her so abruptly, and if anyone would have understood, it’s her. My Gem would’ve been there for me.
I’m an arse.
A car horn sounds in the distance before she releases a sigh, yet I feel no animosity. “Where have you been? It’s been weeks, and I was worried about you.”
“I’m sorry, love, but—”
“But what? Talk to me...wait...give me two secs.” She pulls the mobile from her ear to answer someone, telling them to turn left at the end of the road. Where is she? Then it hits me. It’s Wednesday, and that’s Mexican night with Aliana. Something they don’t deviate from. “Sorry, Uber driver took a wrong turn.”
“It’s all right.” A chuckle escapes me at her adorableness, the first in a while. This shyness that seeps through when her guard is down. “Are you heading home?”
“Don’t change the subject on me, Mr. Jameson, but yes I am. Now, let me in.” Her throwing those words back at me, the teasing tinge in her tone, and the fact there’s been no recrimination—no distrust—cements what I’ve known since the moment my eyes landed on her in my pub.
She’s special and not like the rest. That Gem was meant for me.
So, I give in. Taking the top off my half-full bottle of whiskey, I take a sip before placing the container back on the center console. “My mum passed away a few hours after I left you in Ibiza, Aurora.” From her end there’s a soft gasp and then heavy breathing, the kind one makes when emotions choke you—when tears form at the corner of your eyes. Listening to her, I let out a heavy breath of my own, sitting back while staring at my childhood home. Taking in the guards on duty as they make their rounds while pretending to ignore me. “A hired assassin took her from us, and...and it’s why I left straight for the hospital after my cousin delivered the news. It’s why I’ve been gone and uncommunicative.”
“Christ, Casper. I’m so—”
“I know, sweet girl.” The tears in her voice gut me and I rub a hand over my chest. This weird connection we have, even thousands of miles away, is palpable. It lets me sense her emotions as if they’re mine. Clearing my throat, I grab my drink and take another sip, focusing on the slight burn it leaves behind instead. “You’re too perfect to be anything but, and while I appreciate it, right now I just need you. For a few minutes, I need nothing but you.”
“You have me.” It’s low and soft and soothes a part of me that’s both in pain and restless. That wants to bring back the bloody bastard I killed earlier tonight just to watch the life drain from his body again, a drop of blood or inhale of coke at a time. “Can you stay on the phone for a few minutes?”
“I can.”
“Can we FaceTime where you are?”
“We can.”
“Good, now hush. Just don’t hang up.” Then, there’s some rustling and the jingling of keys. A car door opens then closes, there’s a muffled goodbye, and she’s back. Her breathing is a soothing balm as I roll down my windows and light up a cigarette, pulling the earthy smoke deep into
my lungs and then release it slowly. We do this for a few minutes, just being, and I enjoy the silence by taking a few deep drags and then toss it out the window, ignoring the man that picks it up and then returns to his post. And I’m still looking his way when she lets out a snort. A cute one. “I don’t know why I’m nervous all of a sudden. You’ve seen me naked.”
I know this is hard for her. It’s easy to see the pain Aurora tries to hide whenever her mother is mentioned—when she revisits the memories, and yet, the small joke is made for my benefit. To ease my tension.
I’m falling helplessly for her. Without an ounce of struggle or restraint.
“And I think about it—you—constantly.”
“Accept, perv,” she says, and I close my eyes to picture that decadent blush of hers. “I’m waiting.”
“So impatient, little girl,” I chastise and then do. Pulling the device from my ear, I press the FaceTime button on the mobile. A click. A few seconds. A beautiful face staring back at me. Her expression is soft, and those expressive hazel eyes are full of unshed tears she’s refusing to let drop. She looks exhausted but happy. Unguarded and peaceful. “Hi.”
“Hello, love.” Her smile is blinding at the term of endearment, a sweet little curl of her lips, and I can’t stop myself from swiping a finger across the screen. From wishing she was here so I could taste that berry-colored mouth. “Let me see you.”
“Naked?” At her response my cock twitches, an automatic response.
“No, but if you’re offering...” I trail off, raising a brow suggestively. And while I’d love nothing more, now isn’t the time. It’d be a cruel punishment for the two of us. “But seriously, Gem. Just pull the phone back and let me see my girl.”
“Your girl?” she questions but is already placing the device somewhere that holds it up and allows her to stand back, giving me a full view of her beautiful body in a pair of painted-on denim trousers and a sky-blue vest with her company logo on it. The top is tight and has a few splatters of paint—accentuating her larger-than-a-handful breasts—while the denim trousers have a few bleach stains on them, the kind strategically placed by the designer with rips at the knees.
Comfortable yet sexy. But then again, the woman could wear an old potato sack and I’d still find her attractive. A cock-throbbing fantasy.
“Yes. Mine.” Bringing my hand to my chin, I rub my thumb across my bottom lip a few times. “Rough day at the women’s home, love?”
“Why do you say...wait. How do you know where I work?”
“Own, Gem,” I correct. “You own the place.”
“Fine. Own it.” She huffs, pulling her long hair down from the high ponytail she had it in. It tumbles down her shoulders, the waves with curls at the ends framing her face. “I never told you anything about where I work, Casper. Did you pull a file on me?”
“Had it waiting for me at my desk the second I left you at the hotel.”
“No shame, huh?”
“None when it comes to you.” I’m not going to deny or lie to her.
Tilting her head to the side, she purses her lips. “That should really piss me off.”
“And yet it doesn’t.” Not a question, but a statement. “A part of you likes the fact I’m obsessed with every minute detail. Infatuated with you.”
“I will neither confirm nor deny that.” Aurora shimmies out of her trousers, letting them drop to the ground while giving me a peak of a light purple pair of cotton panties. They’re molded like a second skin, outlining the perfect little pussy my mouth waters for.
At the sight, my cock gives a harsh jerk within the confines of my trousers, beads of pre-come rolling down the tip. “You don’t need to.”
“What else do you have in that magical file on me?” A yawn escapes her then, and I shift my eyes to the clock on my dash. It’s late, and I feel a little guilty for keeping her. I’m used to being awake at this time—it’s well past one in the morning here and I’m six hours ahead. “Is the math test I failed my senior year in there, too? Or what about the time I got suspended for punching a kid in the year below mine for trying to touch my ass?”
“Give me his name.”
“My father threatened him personally when he found out.” Gem rolls her eyes, but you can tell she finds it amusing. “He made him pee his pants while his father watched, and then apologized for him being a creeper.”
“So he kissed arse, then?”
“Absolutely. Now, about that file...”
“That’s a topic to be discussed later. When you’re more awake.” She pouts, looking at me with this sassy little expression that I want to kiss off her face. “How about I put you to bed instead?”
“How?”
“Take me to your room and lay me on the bed beside you.” My father is standing at the door looking toward my car, probably wondering why I haven’t come inside, but I ignore him. He’s been having trouble sleeping since mum passed, and I find myself stopping by every other night to make sure he’s okay. Tonight, though, he called me and can wait a little while longer. “I’ll keep you company until you fall asleep.”
“You’d do that?”
“Pretty girl, I’m starting to realize that there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you.”
“Something you want to tell me, son?” my father asks the very second I take a seat across from him in the living room. His features are hard and lips thinned; the sign of an impending reproach. Not that I’ve gotten many over the years, but the few I did were memorable.
“Spit it out.” Because quite frankly I don’t have time for whatever stupidity he wants to impart. How he wants to act like he has an active role—his old one—in our organization. “I’m tired and have no interest in playing a game or going around in circles. You have something to say, just say it. What did you ask me to come over for?”
He sits back and regards me, something that in my early teens intimidated me. “You know I still have some pull of my own, Casper. That I know about—”
“I’d be very careful in choosing your next words, Dad. Don’t start something with me you won’t win.”
“I’m not the enemy here.”
“And she is?” I hiss out, gritting my teeth in order to not say something that will cut deep. My anger toward him hasn’t waned completely. It’s there, festering, and made worse by his audacity to look into Aurora. And while I understand the circumstances, I still hold him partially responsible too.
“Her arsehole father—”
“Did not kill Mum.” At the finality in my tone, his mouth snaps shut. “There’s a family trying to overthrow Matteo Cancio and keep her as a prize. Something that I’ll never allow to happen.”
“How are we involved, then?” There’s less hostility to his tone, but the stone-cold expression is still very present. His narrowed eyes are pleading with me to make him understand. To make it easier. “Why did I just bury my w-wife?”
And it’s at that very moment, as his voice cracks, that my anger toward him evaporates. It’s just gone. Seeing him break, the tears that spill forth and then the tremble of his hand as he rushes to wipe them away, are proof that he’s living with a pang of guilt that’s crippling him. Choking him.
“I’m going to need you to listen very carefully. Can you do that?”
“I think its best if I head to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“No. You need to stop and listen.” Sitting forward, I let my hands hang between my parted thighs, eyes on his. “It’s not your fault.”
“I should’ve been there.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I see it in your eyes, son. I let you both down and—”
“It’s not your bloody fault,” I all but snarl, slamming a hand atop the vintage coffee table my mum spent hours restoring during one of her phases. “There are two fucking cunts responsible and I have their names. I will go to the ends of the earth if I have to in order to bring you their heads. They did this and will pay with blood. You have my word
.”
He nods but holds a hand up. “I want to be there.”
“Done.”
“Thank you.” His head tilts a bit then, and this time the way he’s watching me is different. “Is she worth going to war for? Because we both know it will head that way if you step in to protect.”
She’s more than that. “Aurora is mine.”
17
IT’S BEEN WEEKS, and nothing on the whereabouts of Mauricio. Not a fucking sign of the son of a bitch has been found. He’s gone deep into hiding, and now I have another matter to take care of at the moment. Aside from not seeing my Gem since Ibiza, I now have a monetary transaction being investigated by the United States government.
They made a move to seize the wire, to tack it onto Asher Holdings as a launder attempt—to expose him for what we all know he is. The man is an arsehole with brass balls unafraid to do what he does best: move money for criminal organizations, without fear.
I make it, and he cleans it.
However, what was supposed to be a simple transaction has been compromised by two very stupid individuals. One by greed, and the other by trying to impress a useless cunt way below him.
He let his ego talk for him, and that’s a big no no in this business.
You see, hear, and know of nothing. You don’t talk. You don’t try to make moves outside of your lane or it will cost you.
Pulling out my mobile, I send a quick text to Gem.
Morning, beautiful. Any plans today? ~Casper
My plan is to surprise her later and if she texts, I won’t reply back for a while.
Hey! How’s it going? ~Gem
And my plans are the following today: nothing, couch, junk food, and Netflix. ~Gem
Sounds amazing, love. Rest as much as you can today…Skype later? ~Casper
She’s typing just as I hear a man scream from the inside and I chuckle. Bastard is having fun.
We can most definitely sexy Skype later today. ?? Around 8 p.m. my time? ~Gem
Fuck, she’s perfect. My perfect.
Covet (Beautiful Sinner Series Book 2) Page 12