When he had her upright, she rested against his chest. “I love you,” she said.
Chris held her. “You’re so much part of me, Em, that I can’t ever get you out of my life. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you. You saved me. I know your heart belongs to Greyson, but you have a place in mine. We’ve been through a lot.”
She cuddled closer. “You have a part of my heart, Christopher. You always will.”
He held her.
When he was near Emma, there was so much peace. “I was thinking of heading out of here for a couple days to take Natasha to that vacation home you’ve saddled me with.”
“Dimitri will take over being my bodyguard.”
He didn’t like that.
“I was thinking maybe you and Greyson could join us. Dimitri too. There’s fishing, some nature, and the family could use some time away.”
Yeah, as far from Vegas as possible.
“We don’t have a case, and ‘Aquarius’ can survive without Dimitri. He needs a break after this whole Marissa mess.”
She loved that he was concerned about Dimitri.
They all were.
“I think it will do the family good to get a break. This city can swallow you whole,” he offered.
He was right.
“I think we should. Besides, I like Lake Tahoe.”
“Is that where my new place is?” he asked. “You two are sick.”
She snorted.
“Wait until you see it.”
“It had better be a cabin and something small.”
She didn’t answer.
“Emma.”
“Let’s just say it’s cozy, and it sleeps the whole family. We don’t do small.”
Chris knew there was no point fighting it. With Emma and Greyson, they gave all they had to love the ones they’d picked to be theirs.
“Well, thank you. I am sure I’ll enjoy it.”
“There’s Budweiser on tap.”
He nearly wept. “I love you. If you weren’t married, I’d kill all the men in line to get to you.”
She found that funny.
“Yeah, yeah. I hear that a lot.”
Chris held her tight.
“Thank you for going with us. I think I’m going to propose to Natasha there, and I think it would be perfect if my sister had my back. I need to pick out a ring, and I don’t know how to do shit like that.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“It’s time?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s time. I could wait six more months, but I need to put a ring on her finger. Dimitri will lose his mind if I stall. I’ll just go with a longer engagement. I don’t need men sniffing around my girl.”
She took his face in her palms and kissed him. “I am so happy for you, Christopher. I’ll pick out that ring with you. I can’t wait.”
“Emma?”
She waited. “Yes?”
“Can you plan our wedding? I know Nat loves you, and she’s going to want help. I trust you to give her what she needs. I’ll pay for it all.”
She stopped him. “I will do it on one condition.”
“What?”
“You let me give you that as your gift. You let me plan your wedding with your bride-to-be, and you accept it from your sister.”
He held her close.
In her ear, he whispered, “I will always love you.”
It choked her up.
“I know, Christopher. I know. I’m glad you found love, and you found peace.”
He was too.
It took everything he had to open his heart and face the fear of being hurt. He’d done it because of the woman he was dancing with.
She was his sister through and through.
“So, we’ll go on vacation, and you’ll help me get my ass in gear. I need this.”
Emma would do anything for him.
“Count me in. It’ll have to be a couple weeks away though, since we’re going to have to run this empire while Dante is on his honeymoon and Grey and I are flying to New York. He has that appointment with Paris and Tessa.”
He was good with that.
“I’ll help hold down the fort. How hard could it be to do Dante’s job? He looks at half-naked dancers all day.”
He grinned wickedly.
“I’m obligated to make you look at the men,” she teased.
“So mean. I love my sister.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Go find your girl. I’ll tell the men who run this circus to get her off your tail, and that we’re going camping.”
He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Stay out of trouble. One more dress change, and Reggie will be talking,” he teased.
Oh, she had no doubt.
Setting him free, Emma smiled at him. “I love you, Christopher. Thank you for being my brother. You live here,” she said, touching her heart.
His skipped.
He felt the same.
Chris disappeared into the people dancing, as he headed off to find Natasha. As Emma went searching for her second dance partner, she found him drinking bourbon with Greyson.
“We need to talk,” she said.
“About?” Dimitri asked. “Are we going to discuss dancing, how you’ve changed your dress, and why he’s all rumpled?”
She snorted. “Like you need to ask. You have cameras in the pantry. You know what went on in there.”
He laughed. “Yeah, and I’m not promising to erase it either. I may need this as leverage at a later date.”
Emma found that funny.
Greyson…not so much.
Dimitri saw the look and he grabbed a pen from his pocket to write something on his cocktail napkin.
‘10’
“The Russian judges were impressed. Excellent form, and your dismount left us clapping,” he said, guessing what had happened. It didn’t take much.
Greyson had a bite mark on his neck, and it was covered with Emma’s lipstick.
He was a smart man.
Croft sputtered as he stared at the napkin.
Emma elbowed him. “Relax. He’s messing with you. He wouldn’t spy on us.”
Dimitri winked at her.
Greyson wasn’t so sure. What he needed to do was find all the places there weren’t cameras in their home.
That’s where he’d molest his kitten.
“Anyway,” Emma began, “I need two favors.”
They waited.
“Chris wants Natasha pulled from shadow duty. He’s worried for her safety. I know we said that was the plan, but she’s still tailing him.”
Dimitri sipped his drink. “I pulled her already. When Viktor went after Kat, I yanked her. If she’s following, that’s out of her own volition.”
“Well, stop it. You can scare some sense into your sister. She’s going to get hurt. Chris and I are fine.”
Greyson got it.
He’d follow Emma even if she were in danger. Why wouldn’t Natasha worry about Chris? Vegas liked to gun for Emma, and now that Babylon was in the picture, it was going to get rough.
“She needs to stay in, like you and Kat.”
He didn’t say anything.
“I mean it, Dimitri.”
Greyson did too. “You’re a target now, and we have to protect you and the girls. We’re okay. Now that Christ is dead, we’ll work on handling Viktor.”
He would, because he already had feelers out to locate him, and when he did…the man was gone.
Dead.
A splatter on a wall.
Dimitri was over this, and he was going to win.
“I’ll speak to her, and I’ll put her on lockdown, Emma. I want her to be safe.”
She relaxed.
“What’s favor number two?” Greyson asked out of curiosity.
“Chris wants to blow this town for a vacation.”
They all looked at her.
“Uh, he’s your security detail,” Dimitri stated. “If we don’t have him, we’re down a person. Then we are down Natasha, sinc
e we all know she’ll go with him, and I can’t do protection duty from lockdown here, Emma.”
“You won’t have to protect me. I’m going with him.”
Greyson’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
“We all are. We have this money, we have nothing but time, and I agree with Chris. Vegas is feeling off. He wants to head to his vacation home. We’ve hidden it under paperwork. We can go there and take a break. We haven’t really relaxed, and ‘Aquarius’ can survive without us taking a case for a couple of weeks. We’ll run the business, and when Dante returns, we head out. He’s only going to New York for a week.”
Dimitri was on the fence.
“He wants to propose.”
His face softened. “He does?”
“I’m going to help him get a ring, and he’s going to ask your sister to marry him. He’ll likely be asking you, so look surprised.”
That he could do.
Greyson was in. “Okay.”
“I’ll keep the house secure,” Dimitri stated.
“You’re our family. Family vacation means all of us, and you have to be there to see her say yes, Dimitri.”
He wanted that.
“Plus, we need to get away. All of us need to decompress. You are wearing a bull’s-eye. Someone tried to kill Kat, and Viktor slipped away, Dimitri. You’re not staying. Vegas isn’t after us. It’s after you guys.”
He was aware.
He wanted to say no, but for his sisters…
“Okay. I have a couple weeks to get ready. That will give me time to get us some temporary security to watch the house. We need a house sitter.”
She pointed at Riley, being orally assaulted by Delilah under a tent. “We have a lawyer. Let’s use her.”
Greyson began humming ‘Love Shack’.
She snorted.
“Please, Dimitri?”
He dropped his arm over her shoulder and put down his glass. “Yes, and you owe me a dance. Then I’m back on duty. I think Greyson’s mother was eyeing up the china.”
She laughed as he led her away.
Greyson winked at her.
In Dimitri’s arms, she was safe. As the music played, she rested against him. “Are you feeling better?”
He stared down. “Well, I’m a little weirded out that you’re not wearing all your undergarments.”
She snorted. “You were watching!”
Dimitri only wished, but he wouldn’t do that. He respected Emma, and Greyson was so much more than just a friend to him.
He was family.
“No, I wasn’t, but the chef was pissed. He said something about having to disinfect his perishables. He heard everything that went on in there.”
That made her laugh. “Oh well. I hate him.”
Oh, everyone, including the chef, was aware.
“Maybe leaving them in there was on purpose,” he asked, and was amused when she began whistling.
“Oh, Emma. Thank God I didn’t have to raise you. I think you would have broken me.”
She gave him a kiss, and then rested her head on his shoulder as the song slowed down.
“I need to know if you’re okay, Dimitri.”
“Are you asking if I’m going to hire anymore hookers for a night of displeasure?” he asked, the Russian out in his voice.
“No. I’m asking if you are going to make it, and what I can do to help you if you feel like you’re slipping away.”
He thought about it. “I’m better. Maybe it’s for the best. Marissa…she had her own demons. I can’t fight hers and mine. I’m only one man.”
She touched his cheek.
Dimitri stared down at her with his aqua eyes.
“I’ll help you fight those demons. I have you, Maximillian. I have you until you can do it on your own.”
His heart skipped.
“Don’t tell your husband this, but I’m jealous that he found you first. If you ever decide to dump his suave ass…”
She laughed. “You and Chris have to fight over me.”
He grinned. “I can take him.”
She didn’t doubt.
“I’m done with hookers,” he said. “I think I need to just focus on fixing me. My father…he made a mess of all of our lives. Kat is finally healing. Natasha is getting better. Chris keeps the nightmares away for her and Curtis has given Kat a new lease on life. I’m going to work on me. Plus, I have a son now.”
They both looked over at the table with the cake. Sam was moving around it.
“Fifty says the back has no frosting by the time it comes to cut it,” she said.
“No bet. He’s got it on his face. I don’t take sucker bets,” Dimitri stated. “Not even when the woman offering is one of my favorite people in the world.”
She found that sweet.
“You made a difference in him already,” she said. “Sam is happier.”
He was glad.
“I have one more round of parenting in me, and then I’m done.”
“My money is on you.”
He didn’t doubt it.
She loved him with her whole heart.
“Thank you for being you, Emma. You are a mom to your core. No one is going to hurt you or your baby.”
She trusted him with her life.
The men around her…they would make sure she saw her child born.
She didn’t doubt it.
“I love you,” he said.
It wasn’t easy, but at odd times, he needed to tell her. While the words felt foreign, they still came out, and he wanted to share them with her.
“If you ever need me, Maximillian, all you have to do is call me. I will come running. You matter to me. You’re not security. You’re family.”
He held her close.
Finally feeling the hurt in his heart lessen over the woman who screwed with his heart.
“I know, Emma. I know.”
And that was all they needed to say.
He had his safe place.
It was there.
In the family.
And for that, Dimitri was blessed.
Chapter Eight
Saturday Night
Post Party
T he whole thing was a hit. Everyone had a good time at the party, and the two grooms did too. There was so much love there, that they couldn’t help but feel so damn lucky. In life, they had people who hated them because they were gay, but they had more who loved and would protect them.
That was a gift.
One they were blessed to have.
So, as Emma and Greyson shoved them into a limo, and sent them on their way, it was time to begin their honeymoon. In the back of the long stretch limo, Steele was lounging against his husband.
“I can’t believe we’re married,” he offered as he stared down at the rings on their fingers.
Dante laughed. “It took me forever to get you to commit. I’m the one who can’t believe it.”
He turned his head for a kiss.
Dante was waiting for this moment. He had to trust that Emma had gotten Steele to relax. He really wanted a memorable wedding night.
As in sex.
With Steele.
In the penthouse.
Their lips met, and there was the heat there that always surfaced when they came together. Dante wanted him in the worst way, and he tugged him into his lap until they were chest to chest.
Their mouths moved over each others, teeth, tongue, and lips worshiping the other.
As the limo hit a bump, Steele pulled away. “That was pretty amazing.”
Hell yes, it was.
“I can’t wait to get you naked, Mr. Croft.”
Steele loved hearing that title.
“I can’t believe I’m Mr. Croft.”
Dante kissed him again. “Well, you can be Mr. Bentley in our bedroom, if the name thing is confusing.”
He laughed.
“I think I can handle it, but I do have to tell you something.”
Dante stared into his eyes. “What, ba
be? You can tell me anything.”
“I was afraid to have sex tonight.”
Oh shit.
Here it came.
“And?” he asked. “You realize I won’t hurt you, right? I’ll be gentle, and if you can’t…”
What?
Dante needed this.
He knew Steele did too.
“I know you’ve been patient, but I’ve been worried that I’m not attractive down there.”
Dante had to let him work this out. Steele wouldn’t shower with him, he wouldn’t sleep naked, and he’d done everything in his power to avoid letting him see his man parts.
It worried him.
“Well, honestly, the male sex organs aren’t really attractive to begin with if you think about it,” he teased.
Steele laughed.
“I know you’ve been wondering.”
“I have, but I have to let you do this in your time. I just pray that it’s tonight, because I’m really horny, as you can tell from sitting on my lap.”
Steele laughed. “Emma checked for me.”
His mouth dropped open. “Pardon? Checked what exactly?”
“Well, she has sex with Greyson, which I imagine is like having sex with you. I needed her to give me a passing grade. So, she gave it a look.”
Dante didn’t know if he should laugh or be really jealous about that.
“So, my sister saw your junk, but I haven’t been allowed anywhere near it? Why do I feel like I should be outraged by something?”
Steele laughed and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around his neck. “She passed me. Tonight, you get to see my junk.”
He snorted. “I was hoping for more than ‘seeing’ it. I actually wanted to take it out for a spin.”
Steele took Dante’s hand and placed it on the bulge in his dress pants. “I’m horny too,” he offered. “I’ve missed being with you,” he admitted. “I’ve missed that intimacy. I know you said sex doesn’t matter, but it does. It brings two people together and binds them.”
Dante’s heart skipped.
“Are we talking like tying up binding, or was that a metaphor? I’m having a hard time focusing here,” he teased, only he was dead serious.
“That was more of a metaphor, but I know where your mind is heading, and I like it.”
Wedding of Our Dreams: Dante & Steele (Croft Family Mob Series Book 0) Page 17